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Constantly Fearing When the Next Panic Attack Will Come Leads to Future Panic Attacks

Posted , 5 users are following.

Cookies356
Cookies356

I've noticed that since the very 1st panic attack I tend to constantly think and tiredly dread, with a pit in my stomach, when the next attack will occur and if I have to live like this forever.This then leads me to build up more anxiety which leads to a vicious neverending cycle of attacks.

I KNOW this, but I still cannot get these terrible feelings and thoughts out of my head to BREAK the cycle.

I've tried to distract myself but there is always this constant feeling of dread in my chest, as if I am traumatised and now paranoid.

If anyone has experienced this and manage to break the cycle, PLEASSSE give me some advice or tricks you have successfully used to break the cycle and lessen the frequency of attacks happening.

2 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • lisalisa67
    lisalisa67 Cookies356

    Posted

    Keep very busy! Start new projects around the house. You can paint the whole house with shaky hands they still paint. When the thoughts come acklowledge them but dont react. Thats fine but then rationalize it out. And then get busy. Your body needs to have an outlet from your mind. Learn cbt as well. You can even get it on app on ur phone or device and start now.
  • smn0728
    smn0728 Cookies356

    Posted

    I am on day 13 of fluoxetine 10 mg. For Panic Disorder/anxiety. It's been a rough 13 days with side effects, and the anxiety gets worse at first when taking new meds. I also last night saw a therapist for the first time and will be seeing her for the next several weeks. My mornings seem to be the worse lately with panic and anxiety. I wake up feeling it. I am hopeful that with the meds and seeing a therapist I will be feeling normal again soon! You have to try and keep yourself distracted. I totally understand how hard that is. I am very restless so i tend to clean and keep cleaning or go outside for a bit. It is hard, but we all can get over  this!
  • chelsieb97
    chelsieb97 Cookies356

    Posted

    In exactly the same situation and it's taking over my life! Been searching for an answer everywhere but I know it's not that easy. So worried that I'll never be able to beat it and will have to drop out of uni sad sending you love x
  • XxaimxX
    XxaimxX Cookies356

    Posted

    You no that they are panic attacks, they cannot hurt you they feel horrible but they don't have to control you. When you feel one talk to yourself say your not going to beat me this time! Accept it and breathe through it, how many panic attacks have you got through? Loads I bet, the sooner you accept them the easier they will become and less frequent. You will learn to get over them maybe you need a helping hand from therapy it does work you can get this sorted smile
  • diane524
    diane524 Cookies356

    Posted

    That is spot on to how I feel and felt. I am now just starting week 6 on Citalopram and had one huge panic attack and felt on the edge about 70-80% of the day, but fought it back. I see sone light at the end of the tunnel now. Feel on the edge only 30-40% of the time.

    They also upped my dose to 20% and I think that has helped.

    What has helped me the most is telling myself to stop that I know it is my own mine causing this and I tell myself to stop this crap. I also distract myself and found going for a walk to burn off some cortisol helpful.

    It does take work but try your best to put yourself back in the drivers seat instead of feeling like it is out of your control. Our brains cause this and our brains can ultimately stop or improve it!

  • Cookies356
    Cookies356

    Posted

    I just feel really really down today because I thought I managed to reign it in a bit but today when I was at the hospital for some blood tests, it HIT me like a train!!

    I got the feeling you get when you are on a roller coaster and ot suddenly drops!

    Felt bad the whole day after that. Got this heavy feeling on my chest.

    I feel dissapointed in myself cause I thought I was getting better at self treatment but than I had an attack today........);

    • diane524
      diane524 Cookies356

      Posted

      Please don't think you are a failure at all, anxiety is wicked. In fact, I just had a spell a minute ago with chest tightening etc and did some slow breathing and picked up a book to read.

      Never feel like a failure

    • Cookies356
      Cookies356 diane524

      Posted

      Thank you for the encouragment. Anxiety is just really tiring...
    • lisalisa67
      lisalisa67 Cookies356

      Posted

      Its like fighting a bad habit. Setbacks happen its okay. Anxiety connections are trying to win or resume your old bad habits. You armed now with knowledge and you know rationally whats haooening so respond but do not react. Do not react to it. You need thise old connections to be dismanteled it takes a lot of awareness, action and work. Even the simplest nail baiting habit is a rough go, look at it like that. It will work keeo forging anead and look at setbacks as a challenge and nothing to fear. You can do this!
  • Cookies356
    Cookies356

    Posted

    I feel like the medicationless treatment I've been doing to control it has been useless and a waste of time all because I had a sudden attack at the hospital....Feels like the effort was for nothing and had no results.....I just feel really down and hopeless
    • diane524
      diane524 Cookies356

      Posted

      I am going the medication route with CBT starting next week even though I have read a lot about it and started some of it myself.

      I was on 10mg of Citalopram for 5 weeks and they just bumped it to 20mg. I was also given a prescription of .5mg of Ativan for breakthrough anxiety because the Citalopram actually increased my anxiety initially

      I do my best to gut it out but when I have had enough I take an Ativan. Like I just did. I live in the US so I lasted from 6am until 12:30pm so I feel I dI'd pretty good.

    • lisalisa67
      lisalisa67 Cookies356

      Posted

      stoo that thought its way too sabatoging. Think it thru. You are dissapointed that the negative thoughts once again triggered an anxiety attack. Okay it happens but now i will think more positive. I understand the mind body and body mind connections and old ways can seep in. I will not allow this reaction. I will not fear this. I believe in my mind and bidy and will do self calming tachniques and feel, yes feel what it is like to feel good. Feeling good is wonderful. Understand here the language of the mind is thoughts, the language of the body is feelings they intertwine. You must address both! Meds are helpful not cures my friend. This cure, until science comes up with a sure fire deal, is on us its in us. We orogrammed out minds and bodies to be this way somehow and we can reprogram them out of it. Takes a severe amount of awareness, acceptance and work. Setback happen and thats okay.
    • diane524
      diane524 lisalisa67

      Posted

      You are so right, I have gotten to the point where I tell myself NO! NO! I know what you are and I am not going to let you conquer me! I tell the warm rushes that I know what they are and they can't hurt me. Etc. It has helped me a great deal.
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