Techniques for Anxiety Attacks

[Montey]

Do any of you guys have experience with techniques for managing anxiety attacks?

I am involved in some very ugly stuff right now (can't explain to the public what, but I might be able to one day) and am having twice-daily anxiety attacks that are really starting to mess with me.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Pinger$]

Dr Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack#Treatment
...which basically says "get medicated".

Probably best to go to your GP and talk about it - if they feel the need to medicate/refer you, go from there.

[Cutter]

My younger brother suffers quite badly, he swears by this.http://www.tapping.com/
It a sort of ritual the requires concentrating on something other than anxiety stuff, that gives your head a rest.

He also leant me this book once, Fearless - http://www.amazon.com/FearLess-Wayne-Fr ... 1869504658
Quite an intersting read, didnt realise I have a few OCD habits.

I'm lucky I'm sort out the other side of a particularly stressfull couple of years, and I found my head done in quite a few times.

Never underestimate a bit of positive reinforcment, start of every day by finding 5 "good" things about the coming day.
It could be a tasty snack, a job well done, finishing something / starting something, good weather, good people, partner, a bonk, anything so long as its positive and good.


Also exercise, it produces endorphins and wears you out which helps with sleep.

Contact me via PM for a few other ideas if ya want.

[DexterPunk]

I have had them in has past, but luckily, nothing that has happened regularly. Mine was sparked by a kind of claustrophobia i would think, i don't freak out in small spaces, its more like, trains... where everything shuts, and you can't open a window... specially if it got really crowded. Then, since i had one, even the thought of having another would make me have a panic attack, it was weird, and im not sure what brought it on the first time, but every time after that i got on a train, i would freak out... more so being stressed that i was gunna have another one. Seemed to be a vicious cycle.

Im not really sure how i got over it, i travel to uni all the time with packed out trains, occasionally i think about it.. but now i have to some degree of confidence that i can manage fine. I believe in my case it was purely a mind over matter thing. I don't know much about it, but im guessing theres a large variety of things that can spark it for different people in different ways. Think its definitely worth while talking to your doc about it... and i think u would need to get to the root of the problem. I think im mostly fine now, but i don't know if i could handle flying in a passenger jet, id have to take valium or something.

[pixelboy]

Cutters got some solid suggestions there.. My wife suffers from anxiety and OCD in particular after a nasty bout of post-natal depression magnified her problems.

Its a hard road but the key is looking at the positive in your life (they are there) and not expecting that you should be perfect. Acknowledging that mental illness is just like any other illness (toothache, broken wrist or anything) in that its not your fault and that it needs treatment is also a big step. Its easy to try and deny there is a problem.

Exercise is a must!

Good luck montey, I know how frustrating and difficult it can be but you will come out the other side, just believe in yourself.

[Fandango]

I had some pretty bad anxiet issues a while back for a few months... found mindfulness really helped. There's a bit of reading but it really makes a difference. Try them out mate... hope you feel better soon.

http://www.mindfulness.com/category/mindfulness/

http://www.mindfulness.org.au/articles.html

[ashsimmonds]

At the risk of speciousness... vodka until you don't care?

[Cutter]

Dredging something old up,
Yarned for a while to my brother today, he's in Canada and had some time left on his international phone card.
I spoke to him about this and how he's going.
He still gets the occasional episode, but has moved on to another approach.
He carries around something to read, a chapter of a book or a poem or song lyric.
And if he feels something winding him up he finds somewhere to go and reads aloud as though he's reading to an audiance.
Putting as much inflection and emotion in it as he can, the trick is to be some piece he doesn't know very well.
After about 10 mins hes OK because it requires him to concentrate fully on something different and complicated.
Hope it heps, actually I hope its no longer needed.

Sorry about spelling spent 2 hours at the dentist today, everything hurts from the neck up.

[r8response]

Thanks for that Cutter, my bother recently had an anxiety attack. Hopefully it might help

[Virtual-R]

I had agoraphobia a few years ago, was at the stage where I couldn't even leave the house for around 6 months. I eventually met someone through a friend who suffered extremely high anxiety like me, he said hypnotherapy cured him. I decided to give it a shot, 2 sessions and I was outside like nothing was ever wrong, it's absolute magic for anxiety problems, doctors medicated the crap out of me for 2 years with no results or benefits, hypnosis 2 x 1.5 hour sessions and I was back to normal.

I notice your in Melb too, I can give you my hypnotherapists details if you like? She is in Essendon and works from home, It's about $70 - $100 for a session (depending if your a student/pensioner or not)

[schuey97]

I have been suffering from anxiety attacks and related problems since grade 5.

Pretty well the only way I have been able to control a majority of attacks is from medication im on. The extreme ones are not good at all ....I try lying down and concentrate on my breathing and not whats going on in my mind ....but this can take hours.
I also have to see doctors and Psychiatrist to help deal with the problem of the anxiety and the major depression. Have also seen councilers and Phycologists.

Its a tricky one .....the brain is an incredible power thing and can make you feel anything ....shit mine even makes me believe stuff that proberly would not even happen.

[c.j]

i am on meds for it.

for me the symptoms are i start to feel like i am going to fall over. my vision goes a bit funny because people looking like they are slowly moving away from me.

To combat it, i either try to move myself from the situation or if that is impossible (ie when i have been sitting in front of a review board) i concentrate on my breathing.
oxygen is your friend.

My advice to you Mont is to find some alone time. Round of golf, a movie or something where you can switch off to the norm and do something else. Worked for me because I now have every tuesday completely to myself and i garden, go for a drive or something else.

I have fainted from it prior to being medicated. So you have to be aware of it.

[wobblysauce]

meds don't work for me, so I mix the tapping with chilling to music