I need help Ive lost control

[alexia]

I cant control my anxiety anymore. It has grown especially over the past few months to the point of staying home constantly to avoid this situations. Today I went to the grocery store and when I came out I was out of my mind I wanted to cry. When I have to leave or I'm on the street and its night it gets worse. I'm so,scared of everything all the time and with just one thought my heart starts racing and suddenly I forgot how to breathe and I'm practically choking on air, and I want to run and I want to cry. My whole life is frozen, for the past two years I havent done anything because anxiety won't let me live. I need help because I'm tired of living this way. I can't afford therapy, is there any other solution?

[Deist]

Understand a few things so that you can start the recovery process...

1. Unless you have a heart disease, clogged arteries, trauma or illegal drugs in your system, your heart is not going to stop doing its job. It will continue to beat and pump blood/oxygen to your brain. If your heart rate increases and feels like it is jumping out of your chest, that is normal. The same thing happens if you jog, ride a bike, do the stairclimber, elliptical, etc. Anxiety happens because your adrenal gland dumps adrenaline into your system, preparing your body for Flight or Fight. If you sit, that adrenaline does not get burned off.

2. What is there to be afraid of in public? If something is going to happen to you, there is absolutely NOTHING you can do to stop it. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can move on. We all die...it's just a matter of when and how, not if. There are some things in life that you simply can't control. Don't become a recluse and lock yourself away in your house. That is not living; that is merely existing.

3. Get out and get moving. Exercise has been proven to be as effective, if not more effective, than the best anti-anxiety drugs. It allows the adrenaline to be burned out of your system, takes your mind off your anxiety and helps keep you healthy. Use headphones/earbuds and listen to your favorite music at the same time.

4. If you feel like you need to cry, then cry! Go some place private and let it all out. Scream "NO!" repeatedly, as loud as you can. You'll find that your lungs, which are on auto pilot, will do their job. Your final scream should be "I AM IN CONTROL!"

Don't fight your anxiety. Accept it. Know that it is a bodily function and is perfectly normal. It is not going to kill you. Scream it out, then go walk it off.

[AngelBebe95]

The first 6 months of panic attacks I never left the house. It was awful and i felt terrible. Take each day as it comes. At the moment when it is the.worst, i feel helpless and totally out of control. Cardio helps amd so does journaling. I've tuned to rhis site to help vent because others dont get it. You arent alone.....

[gypsylee]

I cant control my anxiety anymore. It has grown especially over the past few months to the point of staying home constantly to avoid this situations. Today I went to the grocery store and when I came out I was out of my mind I wanted to cry. When I have to leave or I'm on the street and its night it gets worse. I'm so,scared of everything all the time and with just one thought my heart starts racing and suddenly I forgot how to breathe and I'm practically choking on air, and I want to run and I want to cry. My whole life is frozen, for the past two years I havent done anything because anxiety won't let me live. I need help because I'm tired of living this way. I can't afford therapy, is there any other solution?

You're in what I call the acute phase of anxiety. I know this because you say "with just one thought my heart starts racing". Basically your nervous system is on super high alert and completely out of whack.

The good news is there are things you can do! And they don't require meds. I highly recommend you have a read of a post in the "stickies" by PanicCured called "Techniques I Used To Overcome My Panic". It's a good read and has lots of advice on how to help your nervous system.

He talks about breathing - I just wrote a post about this. The number one way to help your nervous system "calm down" is diaphragmatic breathing. It tells the parasympathetic nervous system (the one that calms you down) to do its job.

Hang in there..
Gypsy x