Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Oh yes... anxiety attacks are so disruptive to my life. As long as I stay within my normal routine I’m fine. When life throws a curveball the anxiety I feel is just awful!!

Yes it can be a complex experience and triggered by very small issues that wethdn bring out of proportion - meditation and wow walks - and expression from my university of Berkeley “
The science of happiness “
Can really help/ for past 3 days I was just feeling horrible but forced myself to take my daily 5-7 km walk around the area where I live / I had to increase my medication (my doctor is totally ok) to make it - walked at 50 % of normal speed-but made it and now feel 75% closer to what i see as normal. Try it it may work - I only increased the medication to make me able to walk - I hope it helps - best of luck
Michael

@mbabkk Hello Michael:

I just love the phrase you used, "Wow Walks"! Exercise does help to create that Wow experience, doesn't it?

Teresa

@djcgd19

Thank you for sharing how disruptions to your normal routine can affect your anxiety level. I'm sure that is true for us all.

It is important for everyone who has anxiety to have some tools in their tool box to deal with those symptoms. What could you do during those times to help relieve the feeling of anxiety? A phone call to a friend, taking a walk, listening to music?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Teresa

Let me try to give my definition of a WOW WALK BASED on my university of berkeley
Course I attended. I use a personal experience just for the sake of simplicity.
A wow walk could and should maybe be walking on a secluded beach in Hawaii or along the glaciers of Alaska - yes but I live in a province outside Bangkok so Hawaii
Is a bit far for a morning walk.
Well I do walk every morning from my house to the fresh market about 2 kilometers. I go to buy fresh eggs vegetables etc and it is a nice simple habit. I go with a goal in mind eg fresh farm eggs for my breakfast and I don’t really see the market because I know it so well and I know where my eggs are. Well I still do that but when anxiety hits me as it often does - I take the same walk with a lower speed and no real target and just breath in the sights and action of a beautiful simple street market - smile at the vendors who may shout eggs? Fish for your cat ? Rosella for for your tea ? And I look at the walk in a completely different way / I interact not just execute transactions - it is a huge difference - same walk but a different purpose and mindset - hohohoho sometimes I end up
Going home without my eggs but maybe with fresh bell peppers that were not on my mind - hence my encounter with maybe 50 or more people change from transaction to wow and I may sit down at a small simple stall selling coffee and local Chinese “
butterfly breads “ and just Breath - same market different speed - different mindset / different result - then i go back for my eggs later - I hope you will try.
University of Berkeley has an open and free course “ the science of happiness “ and that’s where I learned that the same walk could’ve done in very very different ways.
It does not work for my Neighbour because she is so process oriented she cannnot see the point - but some days we go together and she sees a different walk.
Hope it makes sense

Good luck to everybody who tries this kind of walk

Right now at 22.40 Bangkok time I can’t sleep - soi take circadin - slow release melatonin tablet that will make my sleep relaxed and natural and listen to beautiful Sanskrit pray music song by a German born Indian - deva Pramal - she and her husband are unusual in as much that they have transformed Sanskrit chants into temporary jazz with no offense to the prayer but with great effect to my brain calming down. That’s another long story I shall not bother you with now.

Circadin is just melatonin but it is configured as slow release and in most countries requires a doctors prescription as I have. Impact on me is slow pleasant tiredness and no feeling of sleep medication because after all it is i believe a complex brain produced hormone - but I am not a doctor - but my Mayo trained neurologist suggests it as a possible alternative to Ativan to get a better quality of sleep and I agree - it works very well with zero side effects but is relatively expensive.

I understand what you are saying and it helps a lot IF I can get myself into it.

Dear Terasa you used the word Toolbox and yes without promoting alternatives I am a certified SMART RECOVERY FACILITATOR ( a science ( not faith based ) non profit organization for addiction and recovery - TRY TO GO ONTO THE ONLINE SITE AND YOU WILL FIND AN ANAZING TOOLBOX and guidance BUT NOBODY TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO - hope you will appreciate