Please help

[Britney]

Hi,
I have had unbearable anxiety for about 8months now.I have always had OCD for as long as I can remember,my whole life.I would of had high anxiety levels but around 8months ago I had my first anxiety attack and every since then life has being hell with anxiety.My worst symptom is hard to breath every day from the second I wake,it's driving me crazy.I can't breath!I've being to the doctor who put me on lexapro which kinda worked for breathing but then when I came off it every thing returned.I had being going to a councellor and he did breathing exercise and meditation e.t.c. I didn't find it helpfull.I'm so lost.if I could even go back to the way I was with just OCD I would be happy,I could deal with it.please help me with advise.

[marmaladesreturn]

Hi Britney,

Welcome to the anxiety forum. You will find that you are definitely not alone here with your anxiety.

Anxiety sucks. Big time. I have had it for my adult life, but am only now just seeking help. I make sure everyday I am doing something active towards overcoming it. Don't get me wrong, I still have bad days. But I feel that I am getting stronger. There are great itunes podcasts from Anxiety Slayer that are worthwhile listening too (its free too!). Plus the website anxiety centre (dot) com has some great readings when you sign up to become a member (it is worth the money!).

What I can advise you is do your research. Find out from reputable sites all you can about anxiety. Knowledge is power. The more you know an understand about anxiety, the less intense it becomes.

My second advice for you is to journal. Journaling your thoughts is very therapeutic and can help lesser your feelings of stress. I find it most helpful when I am experiencing a panic attack as it gives me something to focus on.

Thought field therapy is another method worth googling.

Just remember that there isn't a one magic trick that will cure anxiety. Its a combination of things you can do, that will work in harmony.

Be well and feel free to msg if you need someone to talk to :)

[tommyf]

Hi Britney,
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time at the moment but you are not a lone, there are so many people that have and do feel like you. I had Ocd for about 10 years a long with various anxiety issues.

Firstly its your body's job to keep you alive WHATEVER ok. Anxiety is a survival mechanism designed to help keep us alive, the problem is it reacts to imaginary threats as well ie your thoughts. It seems that since you had the anxiety attack your anxiety has increased as you are worried about having another one. This is why your breathing is like it is as your body is on high alert. Anxiety is like a bully, it gives you a thought to worry about (like the bully calling you names), you engage and worry about the thought (reacting to the bully), it gives you more of the thoughts to worry about. But the really good news is you always have a choice of whether or not to react to a bully. Once you stop reacting to it, after a while, as its not getting the reaction, it goes away. This is how my Ocd went from taking up a large amount of my life to taking up virtually none.

There are so many simple things you can do to help but you need to work at it. Please let me know if you would like some more info as one thing I know is that you CAN get through this.

Love
Tom

[Britney]

Thank you for your advice.I would like to know if either of ye have constant chest pain?and is it dangerous?I'm so scared that it's going to cause me to have a heart attack some day.I'm so scared

[tommyf]

Hi Britney,
To be honest I have never had chest pains. You should get yourself checked out though. If they tell you there is nothing wrong with you then you know its the anxiety, and because you are focusing on it and worrying about it you are giving it energy which will make it feel worse than it is.

love
tom

[tommyf]

Hi Britney, also have you tried Meridian Point Tapping? It is used to reduce and remove your emotional reaction to the thoughts you have. I should have mentioned it earlier but ive only just been getting into it myself. You can watch it on Youtube. Its scientifically proven and Ive done it, it works. Basically its very simple, you gently tap certain accupressure points around your head and face while you are thinking and feeling the anxious emotions and somehow it releases the emotion attached to the thought. It feels a bit strange at first but you can keep doing it to reduce the anxiety. Try it, you have nothing to lose. Let me know if you need more info
Tx

[Britney]

Yes I have had a chest xray already and every thing was fine.it's not really pain,feels more like tightness and then I get scared that my heart will just stop.I'm so scared of dying and when I think about it I actually feel a panic attack coming on.it's just torture.

[mommyx2]

Hi Britney,
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time at the moment but you are not a lone, there are so many people that have and do feel like you. I had Ocd for about 10 years a long with various anxiety issues.

Firstly its your body's job to keep you alive WHATEVER ok. Anxiety is a survival mechanism designed to help keep us alive, the problem is it reacts to imaginary threats as well ie your thoughts. It seems that since you had the anxiety attack your anxiety has increased as you are worried about having another one. This is why your breathing is like it is as your body is on high alert. Anxiety is like a bully, it gives you a thought to worry about (like the bully calling you names), you engage and worry about the thought (reacting to the bully), it gives you more of the thoughts to worry about. But the really good news is you always have a choice of whether or not to react to a bully. Once you stop reacting to it, after a while, as its not getting the reaction, it goes away. This is how my Ocd went from taking up a large amount of my life to taking up virtually none.

There are so many simple things you can do to help but you need to work at it. Please let me know if you would like some more info as one thing I know is that you CAN get through this.

Love
Tom

Tom...
I would love to hear of some of your "simple things" to do that can help me with my anxiety. I am at the end of my rope as I feel like I have tried everything.

[Britney]

SImple things I try are deep breathing,meditation and just try ignoring it.I was on medication for a wile and also tried Valium but it's always there at the back of it all.I haven't really tried many things because I feel like I have given up because I havent found any thing that works for my anxiety.do u find any things works for you?

[tommyf]

Hi Guys,
Tapping the meridian points is amazing, somehow it releases the emotion attached to thoughts and it does it very quickly. Go to utube and search for "EFT tapping points - shortcut method". While tapping just say what is making you feel anxious and try to get to the point of feeling the anxiety while you are doing the tapping. You can keep doing it over and over if you want. Let me know if you need more info. Britney, the tightness you feel is the anxiety and because you give it energy it gets worse.

That is the absolute key to reducing anxiety. Take away the energy you give it and it will reduce. Like i said its like a bully - react to it and it keeps poking you, ignore it, and this is the tough bit, you stay with the anxiety, you dont reassure it, you let it be and then it reduces, the bully isnt getting the reaction so it goes!!! Trust me I know and I tried everything!!! If you really want to beat it, this is the only way, otherwise it just keeps pushing you around and ruling your life. Its tough but once you sit with the anxiety and realise that its just a horrible feeling that passes, happens it looses its power. Britney, I take it you have had loads of times of feeling the way you have, thinking the worst was going to happen, but you are still here!!!! One of the most ironic things a therapist once told me was that people with anxiety issues are actually fitter than equivalent people without anxiety issues!! Why? Because the fight or flight mechanism gets the heart going and the blood pumping which is physically good for us! This leads me on to my next point, if you can productively use the chemicals that are released from the result of anxiety then this does wonders. What I mean is physical exercise. Anxiety triggers the fight or flight response, in caveman days we either fought, fled or ended up as dinner for someone!! Thats what these chemicals were for. The problem is now we dont fight or flee, we just sit there feeling shit!! One of the best things you can do is use up these chemicals by doing exercise. If you can go for a walk, run, swim, workout or cycle - great. If not, there are plenty of things you can do inside - star jumps, sit ups, press ups, running on the spot or my favorite which is shadow boxing. Even if you have never thrown a punch in your life - try it!! imagine you are giving your anxiety a bit of a kicking!!!! Physical ex also increases seratonin which is really important for people like us. Yes breathing is good, diaphramatic breathing is the best but even if you just take some slow breaths and concentrate on the whole action, that is good. Something I was told to do as well is to make a list each day of all the things that you are thankful for. Dont worry if you dont really feel like you do appreciate these things, thats not the point. The point is to shift your thinking, to break the chain of worry. It can be anything, eg the fact I have clean fresh running water whenever I want, the fact I can see, the birds singing, seeing other people being kind to each other. Try it, you might be amazed at what you can find when you start looking!! Yoga is great for releasing stress from the body and improving you health, again really simple beginners videos on utube. Trying to keep your attention in the present moment, there is nothing else you can deal with apart from what is happening now. This takes practice as the mind is constantly trying to pull you in to the future to worry about things but this is so draining. Whenever your mind wanders just gently bring it back to the present moment, look around, take some breaths, feel yourself sitting there now. It might be uncomfortable because of the anxiety but if you run from it you will never be free and like i said if you sit with it without reacting, it will reduce. Ok, how do you treat yourself? Are you kind and gentle to yourself or do you give yourself a hard time and feel bad about feeling how you do? The simplest way out of this is to ask yourself how would you treat your best friend if they were in the same situation? what would you say to them to help them feel better? Try it. Once you start being nice to yourself, everything is so much easier.
Basically its all about awareness, if you can watch when your mind starts to throw worries up and not give it the energy and focus on something in the present moment, you are on the way home. It takes practice but it works. When that voice comes in and says "this wont work for me" or "Im no good at this, why isnt it working" just notice it and dont give it energy and you are winning. Practice, Patience, Presence (being in the now)
I KNOW you can get through this because I have and I thought all was lost.
Any questions just ask
Loads of Love
Tx

[love,liz]

Thank you for your advice.I would like to know if either of ye have constant chest pain?and is it dangerous?I'm so scared that it's going to cause me to have a heart attack some day.I'm so scared


Yes I have had a chest xray already and every thing was fine.it's not really pain,feels more like tightness and then I get scared that my heart will just stop.I'm so scared of dying and when I think about it I actually feel a panic attack coming on.it's just torture.

I think the chest pain in definitely attached to the anxiety. I'm not a doctor or anything, but it is something I have experienced myself. As long and the doctors have cleared you for any medical reason for the chest pains. I use to swear up and down that I was having a heart attack, on the verge of having a heart attack. I would stare in the mirror for hours looking at my pupils, thinking they were different sizes, thus meaning I was having a aneurism. I would feel my heart skipping a beat every now and then, or do this thing where it felt like it was flipping around. I would get these warm sensations in my head that would spread and think it was the blood leaking out from an aneurism. I would have chest pains so bad I couldnt breathe. Plenty more. I would spend hours hyperventilating pacing back and forth and praying to God that I would make it through. Guess what? I am alive and fine. Perfectly healthy. Probably the healthiest person I know. The anxiety attacks I would have would cause psycosomatic symptoms. Meaning you are essentially creating these symptoms in your head. You are making your body feel this way, and the more you think about it, the more you feel it. The more you feel it, the more you are convinced it is real, thus continuing the cycle. The biggest thing that helps me is to find a distraction. Whatever helps. You just have to get out of your head. Hope this helped.

[jar4u]

Hi Britney,

Just Relax dear you have come to the right place, all the symptoms you are suffering from are all classic symptoms of anxiety and panic disorder, even the chest pain you referred is very common with most of the high anxiety sufferers and just relax, the trick is to just ignoring the sensations when it comes up and diverting your mind into doing something else the more you practice it the better you will become, Anxiety is a long time learned bad habit, and it takes a long time to settle,

But if you can get down your daily stress levels physical as well as mental down, your anxiety will also get down to the normal level soon, its just your negative thinking that is fueling your anxiety, Diet also the most crucial part in getting your anxiety levels down, basically you have to get back to health living.

Firstly get yourself thoroughly examined with normal health check up, and if it all looks fine, which it normally is with all anxiety sufferers, Get back to a positive life!!!!
If still your anxiety levels are going out of control, then please take professional help.

Cheers,
Jar