Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Forgiveness is an ongoing journey. Somethings that are forgiven have a way of crashing back in when the same thing keeps happening or something similar. Resentment has the strength to destroy the one grasping tightly the poisoned cup thus giving strength to the one inflicting the past harm.
I will try to keep my words in mind and cease allowing the loser to win.

@parus Thanks for putting it so succinctly, great insight!

The memories will never vanish, they are like visible scars from an auto accident. They do fade in time with the forgiveness process.

We can never forget but we can continue the forgiveness process. For a lot of us, it will be a lifetime process.

Teresa

Did not mean to sound judgmental in the comment. 🙁

With a fall back in my otherwise safe journey( caused by major changes in my life going forward and the fear of these changes unknown but radical ) my neurologist temporarily added two new drugs to my normal 0.5 mg Ativan. They were both a surprise to me and in the beginning I felt drugged and uncomfortable - he solved that by reducing one drug by 50 % and switching the other from morning to evening.
So I now take 0.5 mg Ativan in the morning together with 5 mg inderal and I take one tablet DEANXIT at night (0.5 mg rupentixol and 10 mg melitrasen ) at night
This works wonders and takes away the drugged feeling. This will only be short term booster treatment for one month. Please note DEANXIT is not available I’d the US AND NOT EVEN IN MY NATUVE DENMARK WHERE IT IS PRODUCED. MY NEUROLOGIST ACCEPT IT IS A controversial medication but see it as a short term treatment - my neurologist who is Mayo Clinic trained is the head of the committee approving Medicine for use in thai hospitals. I have every confidence in his judgement

I have suffered with anxiety all my life. I started having extreme panic attacks and social anxiety in my late 40's. Fortunately I had caring and understanding providers. Fast forward to moving to a very small community with limited mental health providers I found myself in the worse case scenario imaginable. I started seeing on of the handful of family therapists in the area. I did not know the therapist I was seeing was also a drug and rehabilitation counselor and a recovering alcoholic. She accused me of being an addict of Xanax and told me that the psychiatrist I was working with would no longer prescribe ANY of my medication unless I went to treatment. I was terrified and ended up at the Mayo for what seemed like a huge waste of my time. I simply was not addicted. The team at the Mayo didn't think so either. I have lived the last four years in chaos. I am terrified to leave my home, anxiety and panic rule my life and I cannot get any help. I am now looked at like an addict. I have no idea where to go or how to get help because I live in a very remote area and am terrified to drive now. Just looking for some advice as I have no where else to turn.

Welcome, @jet1980. I moved your message to this existing discussion that @ainsleigh started and has a lot of helpful tips from fellow members dealing with anxiety and panic attacks:
- Anxiety and Panic Attacks: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/

In addition to the Mental Health group, you may wish to join the discussions in the Depression & Anxiety group here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/depression-anxiety/

Not knowing where to turn for help and too terrified to drive are experiences that both @jimhd and @thankful have shared about in the past and what helped them.

@joanm65 breathing and imagery helps me in a panic attack, besides repeating to myself “this is just temporary, I’m not dying …”.

The breathing exercise I do is imagine my lungs are a balloon and just as a balloon I fill the bottom of it with air first so in effect your diaphragm is expanded first. When breathing out I reverse the process by breathing out from the top of my lungs. Both breathing in and out done slowly.

This “5-4-3-2-1” imagery described in this article also helps me, although I rely mainly on my breathing exercise:
https://nutmegaspirin.com/tips-and-triumphs/show/stop-a-panic-attack-with-the-5-4-3-2-1-t

@mattie you’re not alone. I too suffered panic attacks as a child and into adulthood and didn’t know what it was till I finally was diagnosed in my 40s. One has to experience it to understand it.

I am so sorry about your health conditions. Panic attacks are very different from anxiety attacks. I have Ptsd, long covid and anxiety disorder.

For me I can practice some of the suggested ideas above during anxiety attacks. During panic attacks the fight or flight takes over the body- for me- and I am left powerless. Many times I hide so I feel safe or lock myself in a room so that I know where I am. Sometimes in panic attacks I experience loss of control of environment. My service dog can sense these events before they happen. I did not always have her and am so grateful for the lifeline she offers.
After a panic attack I tend to take a cold shower and go under a heated blanket. The cold shower does reset me once the attack has subsided.
Sometimes I just smell a candle or something comforting.
Its ok to not be ok- fight or flight response or triggers are a way our bodies adjusted to staying safe.
I suffered abuse until 26. I am 34 now - in therapy, on medications and EMDR treatment. These all help but panic and anxiety attacks still happen.
I try to move myself to a safe place and I find thats what helps me the most.
Sending hope your way- you are a warrior- strong and a survivor. Even when you feel out of control- it does not make you less of a person.
I believe no pain is wasted. Whenever I can I share my experiences with others that struggle. The more I accept myself the more I do not feel defined by health conditions.

That's exactly what happened to me around 10PM one Sunday evening. I was reading a book I'd been enjoying when BAM out of the blue an intense panic attack. My heart was racing, so I took my blood pressure. It was 150/87 with an elevated pulse too. My solution was to go to bed, pull the covers over my head, and wait it out. It was dark and warm and I felt safe.