anxiety at work

[Cindy]

Well it has happened... anxiety attack at work. I am so mad at myself I could scream... I tried so hard not to let this happen. The deep breathing, self talk trying to change my thoughts etc. My heart started racing, my body temp went up and of course oh no am I going to faint! All I could do was think about getting out of there. I admitted to my boss what was wrong with me and of course he understood, now I am embarrased to go back to work. I am going to call out for a couple of days to sort things out. I have been doing this same type of work (paraprofessional) for five years now... but with the anxiety issues I can't seem to handle it anymore. Sometimes I think a job without so much drama would help me but I don't know???? HELP!!!

[motif]

Cindy,
same with me, but don't panic ;) when that fainting feeling comes I take xanax if I have or go to bathroom to wait until it'll be gone. It works also counting down from e.g. 147... Good thing is that you almost never actually faint during panic attack so don't worry so much about that.

p.s.
I can recommend taking gaba, since I started it month ago panic attack literally got reduced by 75%.

[Cindy]

Thanks for the reply. I have heard about the Xanax and will ask the Dr. about that. I just could not get this one to go away. I will try the counting down. Have never heard of the gaba but will do some research. It is just nice to know somebody understands what I am going through. If a person has not experienced this I don't think they could ever understand it.

[Jen3535]

I have the same thing, my boss is pretty cool about it now, he stands infront of me and makes me copy his breathing and keeps me calm, i think your boss should realise this can happen to anyone. and dont ever be embarrased, maybe he could take some of the stress from away from you with ur work load

[Cindy]

I know... something has to give with the workload. He has seen firsthand the effects on me... so maybe. Thanks for the reply Jen3535. Have a good evening.

[Matt_H]

If there is anything I can recommend it's do not call out of work. Unless you really need a (single) personal day to relax, I think it could perpetuate the situation. You may start associating your panic attacks with being at work, and the more work you miss I believe the more likely it'll happen. When I first was experiencing panic attacks, I was in school. At the time I had been going through a lot of gastrointestinal problems, so I thought the nausea and dizziness were a result of that. However I used to get so worked up over it, and eventually stopped going to school. In retrospect, I know now that this was the onset of my panic/anxiety. I ended up dropping out because I had missed so much school, among other things.

Anyway, I think by going to work you will desensitize yourself further. The more panic/anxiety you have at work, the more comfortable you'll be in dealing with it. The worst thing about panic attacks is the fear of fear. And once you start fearing just having a panic attack in the workplace, that's when you'll start fearing returning to work.

As for Xanax, it's a great "as needed" medication. Sometimes when the panic is too much, or it isn't an option (or practical) to leave, taking a Xanax (Alprazolam), Klonopin (Clonazepam), or Ativan (Lorezepam), can really make the symptoms of panic subside. Most of the time I find that the dose of Xanax I'm taking doesn't eliminate my anxiety, but brings it to a level where it's more manageable.

This is just my uneducated insight/opinion. I wish you the best of luck, and if you're not against taking medication I would recommend a benzodiazpine to take as needed. Of course, you'd have to see your doctor for the Rx. He should tell you the risks (dependency, mainly) and you can judge yourself whether or not you feel its right for you.

Good Luck :)

[Cindy]

Okay, Okay.... I will go to work today. Don't want to but I will. Thanks for info.

[kaialian]

I have found that being busy can be a good distraction. So for me, going to work helps me to forget about my anxiety.

Good for you for going to work!!