The One Thing That Stops ME! Please help :( Thanks guys

[Christheanxiousone]

Hey guys, so I've narrowed my fear of anxiety/panic down to one final point. I am afraid of one thing, and that one thing is being afraid that something (an event and/or thought) will trigger my anxiety unless I can quickly take care (or escape) this event or thought, and the panic will mount and mount and mount until I lose control and become truly insane or start doing off the wall things, and the panic will just overwhelm me and never stop. That is my one and only issue with facing panic. I know it's ridiculous, but that's the one thing stopping me from truly facing. I honestly don't care about any of the other symptoms of panic, the only thing that truly brothers me is that looming fear of mounting panic that will cause a mental-break. I've been through this so many times, you would think I would know how dumb that is by now. I'll give one quick example, one that has been bothering me lately, I will also go ahead and say that ANY and ALL responses means a ton and I am very thankful that you guys take the time to help me. Anyway, lately I am stuck on this OCD thought/trigger, I am agoraphobic and this thought keeps coming. What if I never surpass this and one day we have to move homes and I have to move to my dad's, sometimes when I think this, I get a rush of panic and think to myself, unless I make my mind happy and go ahead and go there NOW, then I will always worry about this moving thing and one day, the panic will strike and mount and do me in. So it's like, I'm thinking unless I go ahead and move to make my mind happy, this worry/thought will keep coming back until finally, at some point, the panic overwhelms. So I get all anxious, thinking about going ahead and just moving there now. I know, it's stupid. I am just worried about this insanity thing, if not for it, I could face my agoraphobia and sit in the car with no problems, but I worry if I don't get to my "safe-zone" in time, I am screwed. I could go on with examples, but I think you guys get it now lol. But any and all of my triggers have nothing real behind them except for that one worry, if I don't do this or that, the panic will mount and do me in. Please help, thank you guys, I love you. Sorry if I post a lot, I know it can be annoying. Much love.

[Dubc5000]

Sounds like it's a lot of fear of being fearful or fear of having a panic attack. I can certainly relate to that and when you have that feeling you definitely will become agoraphobic. When I was at my worst the only way to get better was to slowly do things that would make me feel uncomfortable and by doing them enough it would slowly get easier and easier. I'm not going to pretend that it's easy at all, it really sucks but it's the fastest way to get better. That got me through the worst of it and I was actually impressed on how fast I improved.

I do believed there are root causes of anxiety and panic though and with CBT you can get yourself better. But I think talk therapy and getting to the core issues is the way for 100% cure. I'm currently working on that right now and it sucks to go through but you gotta do it!

[gypsylee]

Hi Chris :)

"..and the panic will just overwhelm me and never stop."

Yep, I can totally relate. Like you'll end up in some kind of mental hell for all eternity. I've been dealing with this for so long and STILL get overwhelmed to the point where I compulsively go and buy alcohol just to make it stop (and then it's ten times worse the next day). It's absolutely horrible.

I think more and more people are experiencing high anxiety as well because of how dysfunctional and stressful our society is. Just today my mum told me about a family friend who had such severe anxiety at an airport she collapsed and had to be put on the plane in a wheelchair. She's always been very "high functioning" and successful yet this happened to her.

I'm not sure if it can be cured.. I certainly haven't got there yet. Maybe if I could live on a beach with a group of good friends I would, but not with things as they are right now for me.

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Boo Bass]

Hi gypsy

That bit about living on a beach with some good friends reminds me of some of the happiest moments I have experienced, on Koh Samui island in Thailand.

The environment we live in is so important for our mental state.

I'm stuck in a prison cell in a shithole of a country. Not conducive for recovery

[gypsylee]

Hi BB,

Which country? That would be horrible.

I actually live in a nice area (near the beach south of Melbourne) but right next to a freeway and don't have much privacy from neighbours. The price of real estate here is crazy though and I'm pretty lucky really.