Went out yesterday

[MetalMan]

Yesterday i went out to the laundromat right near my house to put some things in the dryer. Then I went a bit further to sit in an empty parking lot that I had some trouble with in the past. I sat there for about 25-30 minutes. I can't remember exactly. When I was up there on that hill sitting in that small empty lot, I din't feel an ounce of anxiety. I gotta say, that feeling in that moment, THAT is how I ALWAYS wanna feel when I am out driving alone. Complete ambivalence towards the situation. I love it. Then I decided to push it further. I left the lot and went straight down the major highway, (suburban town in south NH. That kind of one lane highway) and went to sovereign bank and sat in that parking lot. Thing is though, there's a red light when you turn out and decide to go home. I sat and watched this light turn red, and then green, and then red once more. Right then and there, the anxiety began to flood me. I have began reading the "Panic Away" e-book. In this book, the author talks about challenging the panic and calling it out as soon as you feel like you are about to burst. The reasoning behind this is that if you call fear's bluff, it doesn't know how to respond. It makes sense when you think about it, at least, after everything else that you've tried has seemed to not work. Has anyone else tried this method?

I tried it, and I know that I have to keep trying it and test it out over a period of time first to see if it gives me the results that I desire, but I figured I would see if any of you guys had any experience with this. Calling out the anxiety seems like a gamble at first, but if you think about it, the panic is going to fuck with you even if yu do't call it out, so you might as well adopt the "go big or go home" philosophy. It's just strange at first. There's definitely a bit of apprehension.

[em1]

Yesterday i went out to the laundromat right near my house to put some things in the dryer. Then I went a bit further to sit in an empty parking lot that I had some trouble with in the past. I sat there for about 25-30 minutes. I can't remember exactly. When I was up there on that hill sitting in that small empty lot, I din't feel an ounce of anxiety. I gotta say, that feeling in that moment, THAT is how I ALWAYS wanna feel when I am out driving alone. Complete ambivalence towards the situation. I love it. Then I decided to push it further. I left the lot and went straight down the major highway, (suburban town in south NH. That kind of one lane highway) and went to sovereign bank and sat in that parking lot. Thing is though, there's a red light when you turn out and decide to go home. I sat and watched this light turn red, and then green, and then red once more. Right then and there, the anxiety began to flood me. I have began reading the "Panic Away" e-book. In this book, the author talks about challenging the panic and calling it out as soon as you feel like you are about to burst. The reasoning behind this is that if you call fear's bluff, it doesn't know how to respond. It makes sense when you think about it, at least, after everything else that you've tried has seemed to not work. Has anyone else tried this method?

I tried it, and I know that I have to keep trying it and test it out over a period of time first to see if it gives me the results that I desire, but I figured I would see if any of you guys had any experience with this. Calling out the anxiety seems like a gamble at first, but if you think about it, the panic is going to fuck with you even if yu do't call it out, so you might as well adopt the "go big or go home" philosophy. It's just strange at first. There's definitely a bit of apprehension.

Yes I've done this only this week and it worked,I was still very Anxious and abit tired after but I did not have a full panic attack so I will see how it goes

[Dcoito]

That is exactly what you have to do! You have to want to call it out! So you can tell it your ok! Desensitize yourself! It takes work yes, but it will pay off practice as often as you can. One of our fears is having panic attacks, so we need to expose ourself to that in order to overcome it! Just like someone who fears snakes! You expose yourself to the snake little at a time till you get closer, and closer. Before you know it you will be holding the snake! The sensations suck at first, but once you start to manage them. They start to go away, because your no longer feeding the anxiety!

Good luck!

[MetalMan]

thank you both for your responses. I'm just gonna keep taking cracks at this till I see improvement.

[Applecherry]

I think you could "challenge" the panic, but really, if one wants to come out, it's going to.. You'll know it's gone when it's really gone, and you will get no more surprises, til then, just let it pass through you til it's done, and then go do something fun and relaxing to reward yourself.

[Lilith]

I think going big or going home might not be the best method. Just go at all and don't go home. Gives great confidence. I'm proud of you for getting out and being brave. Great job!