Dear Anxiety

@BabyBee18

I'm truly sorry to hear about the challenges you're facing with anxiety and panic attacks. It sounds like you're going through a tough time, but reaching out for support and finding ways to cope is a positive step.

Remember, it's important to communicate openly with your healthcare professionals about how the new medication is affecting you. They can help adjust your treatment plan to better manage your symptoms. Coping strategies, like the ones you mentioned, such as reaching out to your psychologist and engaging in activities that bring you comfort, can be really beneficial.

If you find that your symptoms continue to impact your daily life, consider discussing the option of a mental health hospital or an intensive outpatient program with your healthcare provider. Your well-being is a priority, and seeking the right level of care can make a difference.

Stay strong and keep seeking the support you need. You're not alone in this journey.

Take care,

Jack

@BabyBee18 Remember there is always someone here to listen to you! ❤️

Hello @BabyBee18

Anxiety is a really difficult thing to deal with. I myself am borderline, I've been diagnosed with anxiety and panic attacks and am in the process of getting a diagnosis for bipolar, so I think I can somewhat understand how you feel.

Your psychiatrist has probably already told you, it can take a while for anxiety meds to start working and actually helping. And sometimes a certain medication just doesn't work for you, you can always ask to try a different medication if this one doesn't work out.

As for the panic attacks, I've been having them since I was 14, so I've had a while to figure them out. But when they're a new occurrence in your life it can be incredibly overwhelming. I'm not going to lie, it's going to be a bit of trial and error to figure out how you personally will cope best with your panic attacks. I find that for me, a few things have really helped: understanding what a panic attack is, giving the body a sort of shock (not of the electric variety of course, think more of a 'system reboot') and getting past the anxiety about having anxiety.

I'll start with understanding panic attacks.

When you experience a panic attack, it's your body producing a whole lot of adrenaline. Think about our ancestors; when humanity was comprised only of cavemen we were constantly surrounded by danger - everything wanted to make us their breakfast. So back then, we produced a lot of adrenaline, because half our time was spent running from and/or fighting predators. When we had a spike of adrenaline, our heart rate would go up (so that more blood can get to the muscles) and so would our breathing rate (so we can get more oxygen to the body). These two things may be very familiar to you, and they would happen so that we could move and run faster to get away from danger. During a spike of adrenaline, bloodflow is redirected from the internal organs to the limbs, for the same reason (to get more blood and oxygen to the limbs so you can move faster) which is why you get butterflies in your stomach. When we were confronted by predators, we had to remove any extra weight so we could run quicker. This is why a spike of adrenaline is often accompanied by the feeling of needing the loo. Of course that's just some symptoms you may get with a panic attack, but I've found that knowing the spike of adrenaline and accompanying symptoms is just my body trying to keep me safe from a perceived threat has really helped me.

The next thing that has helped me personally is giving the body a shock.

This technique was taught to me by a mental health nurse, and when she first told me about it I actually laughed at her, it sounded so silly. If you're experiencing high anxiety and think you may be headed towards a panic attack, it can help to 'reset' the body. If you get something freezing cold, preferably a bowl of icy water, and put it on your face for as long as you can it kind of stops your brain from worrying about the anxiety. The body can only really deal with one of these things at a time: "time to pump some adrenaline" or "holy cow that's cold, what's going on?" and it will usually pick the latter. The body is so preoccupied with trying to figure out this sudden and extreme change in temperature, that it momentarily stops thinking about the anxiety and adrenaline. It sort of breaks the cycle of anxiety. You can also do this with a cold shower (I now religiously make the water freezing cold at the end of every shower for a few seconds and I have found that my anxiety has reduced).

Finally, being anxious about being anxious.

Anxiety is a cycle, and it's a difficult one to break. I found that challenging my thoughts around my anxiety really helped. For example: "I'm going to have a panic attack while I'm at the shop everyone will stare and I'll be embarrassed about it forever" can be challenged with "IF I have a panic attack while I'm out, I may experience some embarrassment around that, but its something I am capable of dealing with". I would suggest doing a bit of research around that, it has really helped me. Also, panic attacks can often be accompanied with thinking "omg I'm going to d!e", I usually try to remind myself "you're going to be fine, this really sucks and its uncomfortable and scary, but you're safe and you'll be fine".

Of course these are all things that have helped me personally, everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another. I'm aware I've just given you a whole lot of information, so I apologise for the small novel 😅 but I hope that something here has been able to help you!

Thank you so much for sharing your story, I hope you find a way to deal with this 😊