Severe panic attacks

[Kraakdan]

Reaching out because I am curious if anyone else has ever experienced such a thing! So, my girlfriend and I have been together a couple years now and she is fully aware of my anxiety and totally okay with it and supportive. Every time she gets upset about something like family/friends/pets/etc., she tends to cry. Something about seeing her cry triggers a HUGE anxiety attack. And I usually end up lashing out in anger because I can't get it under control. Has anyone else experienced this severe anxiety when it comes to partners getting upset about something completely unrelated to you? Just need to know I'm not alone and how others cope with such a thing.

[The Intolerable Kid]

You're not alone. I try and comfort and support my spouse when she's upset rather than getting frustrated. That being said, she doesn't burst into tears unless the situation is pretty serious. I guess it depends on your threshold for behavior like that and how much empathy you have for that person. Speaking for myself, if I was in a relationship with someone that cried all the time, I might be concerned about them being so depressed.
There's no quick fix for something like that. My parents used to be the same way, if one of us got hurt or was sick when we were kids it made them very angry. My advice is to try and channel your response into something more positive and constructive than anger. It's not easy, but it can be done.

[Twichard]

Hi your not alone I suffer from severe panic attacks When I have to leave my home I panic that my son's going to be ill with his dravet syndrome and my wife will struggle to manage his needs as he's Now 20 year's old And larger than My wifeand panic that I'll not cope in shops when staff aproch me to offer help I find it very difficult to talk to strange people who are unknown to me I often just flee the shop in a panic and haven't got any plan for what to do or where to go

[gypsylee]

Hi your not alone I suffer from severe panic attacks When I have to leave my home I panic that my son's going to be ill with his dravet syndrome and my wife will struggle to manage his needs as he's Now 20 year's old And larger than My wifeand panic that I'll not cope in shops when staff aproch me to offer help I find it very difficult to talk to strange people who are unknown to me I often just flee the shop in a panic and haven't got any plan for what to do or where to go

Hey, have you heard of Claire Weekes? She was an Australian doctor who specialised in anxiety disorders (she called it "nervous illness"). Her approach is very down-to-earth and she almost treats anxiety like a physical illness, which I find is helpful in itself. There's some free stuff of her's online somewhere which I'll try and find..

Here you go. Scroll down until you see her lol, and don't be put off by her old-fashioned manner (which I was initially). She was quite ahead of her time and is still one of the best people I've listened to on anxiety/panic:

http://www.junior-anxiety-depression-exchange.org.uk/relax.html

I'm actually leaving it playing atm because you can never listen to it too many times. I ended up buying her audiobooks on iTunes.