md20

Hey to all,
Hope everyone is doing well here, and the ones that are struggling have some comfort here in realsing they certainly aint the only ones! Well fist off just need to say a huge thanks to every1 who has been so supportive and positive - you honestly don't know how much this helps me. I don't know what i'd do without S.R and AA. (Why is this coming out like an oscar speech...?) Cringe! Right ok to the point - im doing well- got myself a lovely sponser the night, went to 2 meetings today and enjoyed them both. So for that i'm feeling great and more positve. However, one lil thing is i'm having panic attacks at meetngs- i didn't even realise until i was telling one of the women what happens 2 me in mtngs sometimes (i get hot flush, rash over my neck, heart beats fast, sweat, feel sick, feel i'm going to have a breakdown, mind racing, feel like im not all there...) and anway - she said i was having panic attacks. I'm ok about this - supirisinglg! I meen it's not good but i know i can overcome or handle it with the right hlp. Just thought i'd share this anyhow, incase any1 else is having same prob (a lot of the women i spoke with have had them at some point) - and also to c if any1 has any helpful tips to help ride them out? Got a few good tips off ppl from the mtng tonight, but would love to hear some more too if any1 knws? Thanks guys xx

Anna

Hi,

I am glad things are going well for you.

I do get panic attacks too - it can happen pretty much anytime for me, but usually has to do with a stressful situation. One thing that helps, but sounds silly, is to breathe. You will realize, that during a panic attack, your breathing becomes very shallow. If you take a few deep, slow breaths, you will find that your body responds and begins to relax. I should tell you that it sounds simple, but it isn't because panic attacks can be terrifying. But, give it a try and hopefully you'll be able to manage. I didn't know what was happening to me either until someone told me and that actually made it easier to deal with.

wylielass

Congrats on the sponsor!

I'm prone to panic attacks too, and Anna is bang-on. Concentrating on your breathing is really helpful. Any sort of meditative action can be really helpful. If concentrating on your breathing doesn't work, you can try visualizing something with your mind. Relax, breathe evenly, close your eyes, and try to mentally recreate an image of a person, object, painting, etc, down to its finest details. It's actually a trick I stole from Buddhism! Might be a bit harder in a group setting, but still can be helpful.

Wishing you the best!

B

simplysober

congrats on the 2 meetings! i havent even drudged up the courage to go to one.
panic attacks are huge with me- i was DX with General anxiety disorder- I have Multiple Sclerosis, and i was put on alot of IV steroids and couldnt live in my own skin, ever since then 14 yrs ago, i have had a problem with panic attacks- Im on klonopin now for many years because of that. At the time i needed something to help me live a normal life so i chose to trust my DR and went on them, instantly i was "normal" again. Well now, im addicted to having my 3 klonopin pills a day and even tho i take .5 mgs 3 times a day i know there will come a time i might have to get off them, and that alone gives me reason to panic! lol
the breathing really works- i did that often before i got on the meds. I would put my hand on my stomach and make sure it was filling with air and i was breathing deep long breaths, instead of small shallow ones. that helped me at times. It does work.

hang in there
hugs
maria

angibaby

i get panic attacks in meetings also. i get them in social settings when the attention is on me, so obviously if i am called on in a meeting, or asked to read, i am in a panic! i feel like screaming at the top of my lungs and running out of the room. i shared this with my sponsor, she told me not to let anything keep me out of the rooms. it really bothers me. i hear others share so openly, and i wish i could do that. sometimes i start to share but my throat closes up and i choke. i have shared twice in the 3 weeks i have been in meetings. this really bothers me about myself. i want to feel more a part of the group. angie

Fitzpatrick

Mandi, have you ever had panic attacks before? Are you afraid of public speaking?

Maybe there's two things going on at once: your recovery, and panic attacks.

I suffered from severe panic attacks for years. Meds helped a little, but it was relaxation therapy that really helped. Deep breathing (as already mentioned) and learning how to relax your muscles can go a long way toward keeping panic attacks in control.

Afraid2Succeed

hi all,
have any of you tried beta-blockers? you take them when you think you might be in a stressful situation, like giving speeches, or speaking up in meetings. you might ask your psychiatrist if you qualify.

what they do is slow your heart down, which for most persons w/panic attacks, prevents the cycle of panic. panic attacks begin with physical arousal, which leads to more anxiety, and it progresses till they might feel like theyre having a heart attack. the beta-blockers prevent that cycle from taking place (for most people).

as suggested earlier, diaphragmatic breathing really helps. some people bring a paper bag to breathe in so they can see the bag fill up with air. it's amazing how some people forget to breathe when theyre anxious.

also, panic attacks dont last that long, maybe 10 mins at most. if you realize you wont die from them, that might lessen it's perceived trauma.

scaredykat

Hi Mandi, I'm glad your going to meetings and have a sponsor. Having a sponsor helps a lot.

I do the deep breathing myself like Anna was saying. I tend to be always nervous when i first get there. After the meetings start then I feel better. It gets easier and easier the more meetings you go too. I still get nervous reading, especially if there's a lot of people there.

Glad your here.
Barb

paulmh

Hi Mandi

We're all different, so my experience isn't your experience but..

I had panicky feelings in meetings, and out of them - my least favourite places are the London underground and planes, they seem to be triggers, I feel trapped - but they got better and keep improving.

Personally, I believe it's a fear of letting go, of change. There's a part of me that doesn't like change because it means not being in complete control of a process. I have developed a healthier, more "grown-up" relationship with change, though it still has a distance to go (witness the tube!).

In my experience meetings provide me with safe environment in which to practice feeling the fear and not acting upon it. Persevere. It will get better.

odaat

I've had regular panic attacks for a few years. In the end, I got a panic attack every time I left the house, so I stopped going out. I think there was about 6 months that I only ever went out when absolutely nessercary, for things like doctors appointments. I still have panic attacks at the meetings, but I just tell myself that they won't kill me and I try and ignore it. I've not found a way of making them go away, I just go through them, despite the pain. A few people I've spoken to say that it gets easier as time goes on.

How did you go about getting a sponsor?

parentrecovers

hey mandi - great job on getting to those meetings and reaching out for a sponsor. you are on a roll!

does your uni have a counseling center, where you might be able to get some one on one counseling support? just a thought, no such thing as too much help...

hugs, k

Fitzpatrick

I hope this isn't going too far off topic, but what paulmh and odaat described is exactly what I went through in the 1980's. Agoraphobia. At one point, it was difficult for me to even leave my house.

Panic attacks cause a lot of people to start drinking, just to try to control them. While I drank years before I started having panic attacks, I drank more once I started getting them. Going to a party? Have a few beers first, and have more when I got there. Going to a festival? Get drunk first, go home even more drunk. Rock concert? Full-blown blotto drunken night.

A good psychotherapist can help a lot. My last potential major panic attack was nearly twenty years ago, but I stopped it. I told myself that I knew why it was happening, that I was not going crazy, that I was not going to die, and that I wasn't going to let this control my life. And that was the day when the attacks started going away.

I still have signals of impending attacks, but now know how to deal with them.

Anyway, enough thread drift. Back to our regularly scheduled programming...

md20

Wow, loadsa really helpful suggestions there, thanks to everyone I'm def going to focus on my breathing more and also visualise everything being ok. Thanks again.
Odaat - I was so scared asking for a sponser, had to tell her husband in the nd that i wanted to ask her - he was like "Go do it then, it'll be fine...", I trusted him and he was right. You jus gta go for these things, it's terrifying no denying, but it has to be done and after you'll feel great
paretnrecovers: Yep i've already been to a uni counseller and going again in a coupla weeks- thanks for that reminder as i'll be sure to bring up the panic attacks with her this time!