I swear I don’t feel depressed, but I do suffer from panic and Anxiety Attacks when I’m in public. People accuse me of being depressed though because they say they go hand-in-hand. But I truly do not feel depressed. Is that possible?

Hi, sorry to hear you are feeling so bad. Yes, it is perfectly normal to have anxiety without depression. The following steps will eliminate (or at least significantly reduce) your panic attacks:

1.Breathe properly – if you control your breathing, you control panic. As soon as you notice the signs of anxiety, check your breathing: breathe in slowly through your nose pushing your tummy out (to the count of 5 or so). Breathe out slowly and for a bit longer (to the count of 7 or so) through your mouth. Do not breathe rapidly or shallowly (in the chest area). This will soon restore the balance of oxygen and you will feel a lot better.

2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy! CBT is proven to be the most effective thing for Panic Attacks, OCD and anxiety etc. It takes a bit of work, but it is super effective. (After 15 years of panic attacks, mine stopped completely). You can speak to your doctor about taking a course or you can take a course for free online at: www.livinglifetothefull.com

3. Try relaxation exercise tapes (progressive muscular relaxation). They really make a difference if you practise often enough (i.e. twice a day). They will also help you sleep better if done at bedtime. You can get free downloads online. E.g.: http://www.studentservices.utas.edu.au/counselling/audio_resources/index.html

With each step practise makes perfect. (i.e. practise the steps every day, not just when you are feeling bad). I hope you feel better soon. Best of luck!

For the past year or two, I’ve suddenly experienced intense Panic Attacks. I’ve only had two spells that last a few days to a few weeks. I have depression and know that it is linked to anxiety, but I want to find the root of the problem so I can really began healing it. I just don’t know what could have caused it. Are there any starting points? Any red flags or triggers?

Panic attacks are caused by trauma or traumas that occurred sometime in your life that you were not able to deal with in a healthy way. There are many safe medications that control and stop the panic attacks. They are triggered by a smell, something that someone says, or seeing something that reminds the subconsious mind of the trauma.

There is a revolutionary therapy called EMDR that is done by a therapist who specializes in EMDR. The therapist has the skills and knowledge to bring forth from the subconsious mind trauma or traumas that have occured in your life that you don’t remember. Once the trauma is remembered the paitient is able to deal with it in an adult and emotionally healthy way preventing the panic attacks. This might be something that you may want to look into. You can good EMDR Therapy and find out anything that you want to know about it. I wish you the best and recovery from your panic attacks.

They started a while ago, and for no reason. At random times every few days or so I’ll freak out over nothing. I worry a lot, and that makes them worse. I experience nausea, dizziness, shaking, and I get really emotional. I know it’s all in my head though.
Any way I can calm myself down, and experience these panic/ Anxiety Attacks less frequently?
They are getting worse

First off, talk to your doctor about it. Don’t be too embarassed to ask for help. I know a couple of people who have them and i’ve experienced them for a brief time. The important thing is to not give in to them; don’t avoid the things you normally do (unless it’s severe). My doc gave me a prescription and you know what, just having it helped. I never took the pills because I looked at them and decided I was stronger than that, and they went away. I’m not trying to say that people don’t need meds, just that thinking about taking them helped me to focus and overcome it. Don’t ever be ashamed about needing a prescription. Hope you get the help you need.

I have an anxiety disorder and have Anxiety Attacks from time to time where I can’t function – I can’t breathe, I curl up in a ball and cry and shake until it is done. He yells at me and tells me to stop and that, of course, makes it worse. He blew up at me today and now I can’t even go talk to him with starting to shake and feel anxious again. How can I get him to understand so he won’t yell at me any more?

Are you already talking to a doctor regarding your condition? Take your husband along so that he is part of the healing process that the doctor provides.

You are in urgent need of support and love from your husband in this hour of need and it is only essential that the 2 of you move forward with better understanding.

Your husband has a lot of tensions of his own, and that is why he is shouting at you. Ask him to confide in you his problems. Its most likely going 2 be stress at work. Take care.

I don’t know what to do when my partner starts to have anxiety attacks. Just like him I feel helpless and I get angry. When he says he’s scared, feeling like his heart is fluttering I don’t know what to say or do except hold him and say it’s going to be ok. Sometimes it gets irritating and I want to leave. How do I deal with his sudden changes in behavior?

Hi Brian! You sound like a great friend in that you are wanting to respond to your partner in the best manner possible to help.

I struggled with anxiety for years & my husband stood by as a good support to me. Here are a few tips that really helped me:

1. Know that the Anxiety Attacks are not in your partners control
2. Anxiety attacks are generally IRRATIONAL fears
3. Talk your partner through them
4. Do not belittle your partner during or after the attack

I used to really struggle with going to the doctor & having blood work done. So while we were expecting our now 8-year-old son, I would drive to the doctor, with my husband as the passenger. (Usually he would drive while I was the passenger.) Now this doesn’t seem like anything big, however… we discovered that if I drove to the doctor, I had to concentrate on driving rather than sitting as an idle passenger ruminating on how I was going to have to have blood work done & working myself into a frenzy.

Not sure when anxiety attacks enter in, but have your partner work his way through them if at all possible– continue in his routine.

Hope this makes sense & hope it helps!

Best of Luck!
Christine

And are anxiety attacks a disease? Can it be cured? How? What happens when you have an anxiety attack?

Anxiety attacks are not something you are born with. They usually strike in adulthood. When I had my first one, i thought I was having a heart attack. The doc accused me of being on cocaine, because my heart rate was 130 or so. I was clean as could be, but scared to death. My husband I had argued most of the day that day. It just came on me so suddenly without warning. I had trouble breathing, my hands went numb and tingly, my heart was pounding, and I had a sense of impending doom, like I was gonna die.

I finally got back to "normal", the docs never really did tell me what was wrong, as this was before "Anxiety Attacks" were recognized as a real problem. I did my own research over the years. I learned when one was coming on, and I can pretty much control them now with deep breathing exercises. What’s so odd about anxiety attacks is that they can strike at the oddest time. I have laid down to go to bed, and had an attack. Sometimes, if they’re severe and frequent, I’ll take valium for a couple days.

I’ve never really learned what causes anxiety attacks, just ways of coping with them. I’ve never really learned what triggers them, as they occur with me at the most odd times.

Good luck to you. You can live with anxiety attacks. If you find they’re debilitating, see a doctor and find a good therapist. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve learned to control mine mostly on my own, with a little help from a sympathetic doctor.

I have anxiety disorder which sometimes border on Panic Attacks. I seem to get them more so when I am reading or studying, especially if I am at the library. I get these rushes of anxiety and sometimes feel that my mind is disconnecting with my body. In any case, why does this seem to happen when I am reading or studying? Anyone have any good tips on how to control Anxiety Attacks?

Hi agua,
in my experience anxiety can sometimes be triggered when there is too much mental stimulation… reading or studying might be mentally stimulating enough for you to trigger anxiety feelings… when you are reading or in a library, it is hard to distract yourself from the sensations that you are experiencing, and so you probably find it hard to ignore them, then worry about them and so they increase… they increase and so you start to panic about what might happen… its a bit of a visious circle!

That disconnecting thing that you experience… thats perfectly normal for people who suffer from anxiety… its a self-protective way for the brain to decrease the experience of fear, by removing itself from the situation… this might be helpful in a place where having fear is appropriate (like being attacked by a lion), but it doesnt help us, of course, when we are just having panic attacks for no reason! You are not alone with these experiences!

The best way i know how to control these experiences is by not trying to control them, but doing the opposite… encourage them! That sounds stupid? let me explain…
If you try to stop these sensations, you imediately focus in on them and so they intensify… its like telling someone not to spill a drink… imediately they tense up and watch the cup, and start shaking etc… instead, say to yourself "i’m going to allow myself to have anxiety"… give yourself permission to be anxious… allow it to happen… relax and allow yourself to fully experience your sensations, and your worries, and your thoughts… allow it all to happen… let it wash over you… you’ll find that it carries on briefly and then it loses its energy and fizzles out… you’ll start to relax and the tension will subside…

if this all sounds crazy to you, then i encourage you to give it a try at home first, where you are in a totally safe environment… it takes a bit of courage to allow yourself to experience your feelings, especially if they are feelings that you dont like…

its not a case of ‘resigning’ yourself to having anxiety, its just a case of ‘accepting’ things as they are… accepting yourself for who you are and what you are experiencing… only then, when you accept it for what it is, can you start to work on addressing the anxiety and reducing your symptoms.

give it a go,
and always try to relax… breath slowly, relax…

jtnccc (above) has some good tips…
he says:
you could use relaxing music with an mp3 player…
take regular breaks from your studying (every 15 mins?): to have a walk around, distract yourself, relax and breath slowly and deeply

best of luck and take care
zag

BTW, i recomend CBT therapy… its very effective for anxiety. i’m still looking for a good book on the subject tho.
give me an email thro my profile if you’d like any more tips

I have severe anxiety and I’ve been having Anxiety Attacks for months. I can’t take prescription pills because I’m an air traffic controller and I’ve been trying herbs (valerian, ignatia, passion flower) but nothing seems to work. And I ALWAYS have anxiety attacks when I have to speak to a group and next week and have to give a short presentation to everyone in my work and I’m petrified of having an anxiety attack. Please help me.

just laugh at whatever the task is..
thats wud be the first step.. just have a laugh..
step back fromt he issue.. and see it as a minor thing u just have to do…
make a date with a friend.. or plan something right after.. so u have something to look forward to..
the main thing here is…
no matter what u do.. u will feel anxiety leading up to the event of speaking right?
well its just like walking in late to class..
u know ur late.. ur heart is racing.. u have to get there.. but everyone will be sitting down..
the best thing to do in both these situations.. is to just forget about it..
i mean.. having anxiety and going crazy over it.. or not going crazy isnt going to make things better.
the outcome of what u have to do.. will be there anyway… so instead of having anxiety..
just have neutrality.. brush it off..
dont think about it. forget it.. what will happen will happen. one way or the other..
its the pre-thought that fucks everybody up. so the best thing to do is act like u dont care.
and it will work out trust me.

I have many many Anxiety Attacks a day and it gets worse day by day and I really dont want to be put on meds. Is there any natural way to go?

Hi, I’m sorry you have to go through this horrible ordeal. I have a terrible history of anxiety attacks. Mine come at times of stress. Before you rush in to looking for a ‘rescue remedy’, we should find out the ‘root’ of your problem so that we can rid of your anxiety forever. What triggered the first attack, do you remember? The best trick to ridding your anxiety is knowing that there is nothing to be afraid of these attack. You will not die. If you tell yourself that you are not scared of the attack, and breathe slowly, don’t fight it, let it pass, than it will get better in time, trust me. You are getting the attack because you are afraid of it and you are trying to fight it.

Don’t fight it, go outside, sit down and take long deep breaths.
There is a special way to breathing. Make sure you are breathing down to your navel and not jus your chest. Breathing to only your chest is what creates anxiety. if you learn patience and meditation, your symptom will go away within a minute or two and you will not get an attack.
Just sit with your head down, close your eyes, breath very slowly, the slower you breathe, the calmer your mind will be. Remember that you are causing these attacks which means you do have the power to stop it. Practice your breathing as often as possible so you are prepared when your symptoms come back.

Whatever you do avoid meds. Do NOT take them. I found that meditation works instantly and there is no side effects, only benefits.

And even if you do rid of the attacks, it is important you continue practice your breathing every single day. I took it for granted I will never get them again but I did and it was horrible. So please practice your breathing everyday so you are always aware and prepared.

Wish you luck!
Email me if any questions.

K

I am a 15 year old male, with Anxiety Attacks due to the fear of becoming ill and vomiting. It has been going on for nearly 3 hard years. My anxiety causes a stomach ache and a gagging feeling. What can I do?

The irrational thoughts inside you are exaggerated – not real. You must accept this and break out of the bubble the anxiety has created. Try talking to as many strangers as possible to practice – they’ll never see you again. It’s worth a shot. Then apply your skills to the public.

The trick is to let the fear go through you, but don’t act upon it. Don’t let it enforce your decisions. When worries go through you, respond with "I don’t care," even if you do. The more you do this, the more comfortable you’ll feel. You must be willing though before working against the fear. You have control and a lot of potential, and anxiety is really not worth it. Find the person you have inside you and bring him out for the benefit of your well being – no matter what the outcome, trust yourself and forget everyone around you. It helps to encourage the anxiety instead of oppose it. Act as if you are superior.