Anxiety is back

I have been ok for ages, and it has hit me again. I realise how small my world has become - I literally can't do anything new and I think it will always be like this. I have the best intentions of doing some voluntary work or starting a market stall and then I remember the anxiety and can't go ahead. The anxiety ruins everything - each job or project I start I have to leave as something triggers it - I have managed to get by somehow, and a lot of people wouldn't beleive I had such problems, but it is really catching up with me. 

Thanks for listening.

Either way let me know how you get on.

The best thing to do first is become aware of your physiology, or the very real physical symptoms you're experiencing. They are there. It isn't necessarily a symptom of anything else but if you fear it is, you should consult your GP. If you have physical checks and they eliminate the problem (ECG for heart, etc) then you should put it down to anxiety.

Anxiety comes because your brain is creating a 'fear' in your mind, and as with anything that creates fear, you become anxious.

The anxiety, usually, starts in your chest, so you begin to breathe faster and your chest becomes tense (as a muscle would if it is being exercised). Your lungs need more oxygen and no greater way of getting oxygen around your body is by blood. Blood gets to your lungs faster when your heart pumps it quicker, so your heart rate increases.

The lungs are working hard now. They are communicating with your brain asking for more help. Your brain helps by asking your heart for support. So the heart is working harder than it normally would to the point where it needs help from your brain again.

Your brain can't cope with both having a go at it asking for support - you get symptoms such as perspiration, pains in your chest, tingling in your arms, toes and fingers. So your brain panics and makes mistakes.

Your brain then tells you to react accordingly – panic.

The panic says, “focus on your heart; why is it faster? Why are my arms tingling? Why does my chest hurt?”. Your brain says, through duress and under pressure, “I'm having a heart attack; I'm going to die!”

You're not. Just stop and think before your lungs tell your brain that they need oxygen, fast. Focus on your breathing.

How to deal with anxiety is subjective and it depends on how disciplined you are in being able to set yourself space and time to be able to perform breathing exercises rather than rely on medication being there for you to help you. 3 things I've found are the most helpful - 1. Guided Meditation, 2. Mindfulness and Awareness, 3. The '7 to 11 Breathing Technique'

Guided meditation, first of all, is quite structured and disciplined in the sense you have somebody there guiding you through the process of meditation (obviously) and you don't want to disturb others doing it at the same time - but similarly expect others to respect you whilst you do it.

Mindful and awareness can often come hand in hand with guided meditation. Through mindfulness and awareness, you become aware of where you are and most importantly what your body is physically experiencing. In focusing on these feelings (chest pain, shortness of breath, pins and needles) by breathing them in, in a controlled manner, by breathing them out you are effectively telling your brain and body to breathe these pains out too, and they will eventually go away.

The 7 to 11 breathing technique is when you breathe into your lungs through your mouth, nose or both, until your lung capacity is completely full - it may even hurt; you may use parts of your lungs you've never used before - and hold your breath for 7 seconds. Following this, you purse your lips as though you were blowing out a candle and gradually exhale until your lungs are empty. You hold this for 11 seconds and don't take another breath.

Keep doing this for as long as you want. The longer, the better. During the exercise you might experience forms of euphoria; your fingers may tingle, your head may feel slightly dizzy - this is good; this is tension unburdening itself off you; don't worry about it. Instead, focus on it and treat it as a good feeling.

With all of this, it will not be an immediate cure. Mindfulness and awareness courses, and meditation classes take time to book and when you go to them, both take patience to master. The 7 to 11 breathing technique you can perform whenever you want.

My advice would be to understand for the first two you won't get anywhere this week but if you take steps now to look into them and how practical it is to do them, by the end of the week you may be on the right track.

I'll describe mine - The first panic attacks I had I would be aware that people were aware I was 'losing it', I'd feel myself going red, and I would literally shake from head to toe and couldn't talk - it was that bad. But I knew it was anxiety and I never thought I was having a heart attack. I got so bad I couldn't go anywhere.

More recently, I've just been overwhelemed by dread and a feeling of unreality where I want to run away but cannot escape from inside my head - like I am going mad. I try to do something new, but remember that it will end with me having a panic attack so can't seem to move forwards.

I do meditate and I try to breath - it does help, but when I feel really bad nothing seems to help.

I have printed out all your info. - thanks.

My first contact with it was at Glastonbury Festival and after that, I went to a local Buddhist Centre (Nagajuna Kadampa) and signed up to a few of their weekend classes. They do tend to cost money but I thought of them as a wise investment if only it meant helping me towards finding some sense of peace in my mind. Like you, I felt a tiny bit brainwashed but it's natural to feel something like that when you've been exposed to a new path of thought; one that could benefit a lot of people.

It does take self-discpline though, and the right sort of environment. Meditation isn't a "weekend thing"; it's a lifestyle choice and takes serious commitment before you can benefit from it.

I have booked a councillor in about 2 weeks. I was worried that it would make me feel worse, which I can't afford at the moment.

Many thanks for sharing your story, and thanks everyone so far.

Anxiety symptoms can be different for each of us.  I've never had the 'heart attack' symptoms but just feel an absolute panic that I have to get out of the situation and get light headed as part of the panic.

Good luck with the counselling and let us know how you get on, good or bad (although hopefully good).

If it's any help this is what I do: I just say to myself, "it will pass" and it does :-) The last time it happened I was in a shop and just wanted to run, but there is no escaping the feeling, so I just carried on looking at the clothes and tried to engage and concentrate on the clothes - it did work. I didn't go as far as buying anything as I wasn't in the right frame of mind, but I did get rid of the feeling by just concentrating fully on something else.