hpdw

You might find the title strange ,let me explain .
So I was at the car boot sale this morning and I took a nasty panic attack . Typically I got most of the symptoms including the headaches ,trembling,sweating ,deep sense of fear ,leg weakness ,nausea, pins and needles in fingers . Oops don't want to go into all the details .
However given my history of anxiety and panic I had enough sense to realize that " this will pass , let it do as it wants I don't care , I just dont care" .
I did not shrink from it for one second I let if ride right over me ,I even smiled and talked to it " I see you ,I hear you " I said "just do your thing I dont care "

I was taught this method years ago and for me it works wonders .
I am home now having tea and toast , I feel tired but not worried .

I am not looking for any reasons why it happened and not worried about it happening again because if I do I feed it I buy into the fear cycle I sit with an underlying fear of it coming back so I DON,T CARE .

Have a great Sunday .

Koolrappa

Yes man u r right..i used to get it while first month of leaving alcohol and getting completely devasted after thinking why is this happening to me and is it ever going away..more u think more it will consume ur mind..please do meditation and exercise what ever u can do..by the time it will subsidize..by the way is it happening to u after quitting alcohol or after quitting??

hpdw

On day 27 Kool , I think its happening as my nervous system is healing from binges .
I have learned that fighting anxiety/panic doesn,t work .
Letting it just be without judgement or worry is the key . Sometimes not so easy to implement though as the sensations can be very powerful .

Thanks

Obladi

Thomas,

Thank you for sharing that. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks, so hearing about how you handled the panic was helpful. I have learned to recognize what's happening to me and to not question it in the moment, but I've never had the presence of mind to talk to it. I'm gonna try to remember that next time!

O

Koolrappa

Thomas u seem to be a very confident and positive person..it will not last long for u i think...because u know the coping technique..and on day 27 it is natural..i also used to suffer from it in my day 27..

heavencanwait

While I can't really say why it happens on and off, I also used to get them quite bad years ago. I use the same method as you to rid of the attack. After time they just went away. Hang in there...

Bird615

It really helped me a lot too, once I started to catch the panic attack as soon as it was beginning and recognizing it for what it was.

I would tell myself that "this is a panic attack" and while on the other hand I'd still be wondering if I should call 911 because I really was going to die, the attack would seem to stop pretty soon after that. That's what happened for me the last few times anyway and I haven't had a full one since. Those full-blown ones happened when I was sober but under a lot of stress at work and then again later on near the end of my relapse.

They gain momentum quickly so it really seems to work for me to catch them as soon as possible, before they could take hold and really get going.

hpdw

Koolrappa , I wish I was confident and positive by nature . It is nice of you to say though but off of here I am almost the opposite (but not always) . All my life I have been plagued by social anxiety but strangely enough I cope better with strangers .
I believe the root of my drinking going away back to my teens was shyness and lack of confidence in my self and these traits followed me throughout my life .

Alcohol was my best friend then it became my worst enemy.
Life without drinking = Me living life on life's terms and this I must do else i'm in serious trouble .

LesPaul1993

AFAIK what you did is the only thing that works and over time diminishes the intensity and frequency of the attacks. I experienced these during a challenging clinical rotation back in my 20s and experiencing them 'till they passed seemed to help. Occasionally I'd take a bathroom break during the worst few minutes to focus on breathing. I'd read someone else say "even jelly legs will get you across the room," and "you may feel like you're going to die but you won't." Both statements are true.

Koolrappa

Correctly said thomas...

D122y

Thomas,

I bought the book...From Panic to Power...during my first 6 months of sobriety.

Basically, what you offered is a strategy for dealing with the attacks.

For me, thankfully, my attacks are pretty much non existent these days.

Early on they were happening several times a day.

It is the booze. It totally warps some of our minds. It is a very slow downward death spiral

Great post to remind me of the past.

Hopefully, many folks will see this and get strengthened.

Thanks.

Anna

Yes! That's a great way to deal with panic attacks. It's not easy and not always possible, but you can try to limit the power it has over you.

I'm glad you're doing well.

hpdw

Ohhh dear it wasn't easy as this seemed to continue Sunday Monday and I was really struggling to stick to my strategy in my first post . On a couple of occasions I honestly thought I was going to collapse . Deep belly breathing helped some . I had to force myself out of my cosy chair as this was the only place I got relief but that's avoidance and I know from past experience I needed to try my best to be more active ,cooking ,cleaning the fridge ,watering the pots outside , nothing to strenuous but busy just the same .

Thanks all .

DontRemember

Good for you! That's what I do when mine sets in.. "stuff". Sure it's a battle to do that stuff, but it needs done anyways. Make the most out of those,because they're not fun!

Obladi

I also do "stuff" and keep breathing through it while soothing myself, "This is a panic attack, it will pass, I just need to breathe."

Something I learned in rehab was "marine breathing;" breathe in through the nose for 4 seconds, hold, then out through the mouth gently for 4 seconds, hold. Repeat. A mantra or the serenity prayer while doing this helps.

Chilledice

Hmm interesting, I might try this.

Chilledice

Have you heard of Barry McDonough? Look him up, he tells people how to deal with panic attacks....might be worth looking into.