Serious Anxiety, panic attacks, etc

[Corrin]

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder at 12, and my anxiety has always effected me and my relationships with others. Lately, however, I've been having full blown chest painy heart attack panics. It feels awful and I feel like I've lost control of my life (not like I had any but I wasn't this bad)
If anyone else has suffered this, what has helped you? No I will not do yoga, I can't grasp meditation, my lungs are too weak for deep breaths.

 

[TheeWizard]

I've also been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, I've definitely had the panicky pain feelings, but not as badly as you have by the sound of things. I really wish I had an answer for you, but I'm still looking for one myself. You've probably been told everything I have by your doctors, and that honestly hasn't help me much either.

Again sorry I could not provide an answer, but I hope you can find one soon.

 

[Nanusmightyena]

So, my buddy had just started taking CBD oil for his anxiety and it's really helping. So, if you've never heard of it, CBD oil is from the medicinal part of the marijuana plant. Doesn't get you high whatsoever but greatly helps with many things. One of the main things it helps with is depression/anxiety. You can get it in most states, although it's quite expensive. However, with the vast majority of people it is proven to help. The bottle my buddy got was a 2-3 month supply of the medical grade stuff for $160. That's a pretty standard price.

 

[colours]

i know you said you "can't grasp meditation", but that's pretty much precisely what i personally do to mellow myself out after an anxiety attack. i mean, first i let the anxiety attack pass first because lol thinking rationally while im going through one. but afterwards, i resolve to clear my own head of all of the bothersome thoughts that were causing the anxiety attack in the first place. to that end, i usually take more self-reflecting walks in the suburbs (really, it's the best thing ever if you can find a quiet area near you and think while basking in nature), or if i can't go outside for whatever reason, i just game to keep my head busy. because of my mind being so focused on whatever game i'm playing, i notice i typically don't have the mental space for any intrusive anxiety attacks. works for me, at the very least.

it goes without saying that anxiety attacks are a massive pain in the ass, and im really sorry they're taking such a tool on you. .__. they've been affecting me pretty badly too, especially this year of all years where they've been most frequent. i apologize if this isn't really what you're looking for, but i figure sharing something would help. basically, what works for me and what the general end goal is for me (for the forseeable future, at the very least) has always been to "empty" my head of all of the bothersome anxious thoughts that i have, because as soon as i question them and directly challenge them, i find that they've often baseless and irrational.

it also helps that i have friends to rant to should my anxiety get particularly bad. i think having that network of support definitely helps more than anything, as i can always count on just venting to my friends here if i'm going through really rough moments, and then just take time to go somewhere quiet and self-reflect to clear out the rest of my own head.

i really hope you find something that works out for you. ^^ i'm also going to get into reading books as a method of de-stressing soon! should definitely help as, knowing my imagination, i get far too absorbed in the world of fiction to think about anything else.

 

[CiCi]

I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, clinical depression, and panic disorder when I was 15, after having suffered from these problems ever since I was about 8. So you're preaching to the choir with me. My panic attacks get so bad I feel like I'm going to pass out (and have once and almost have innumerable times); chest pains, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, I can't focus, I shake, my hands sweat. I also suffer from hypochondriasis so I think every little pain or issue is something huge ("I'm definitely having a seizure", "it's a tumor for sure", "I'm deficient in X vitamin/mineral and it's going to seriously hurt me", etc); combine that with emetophobia (a fear of vomiting) and I cannot function.

The only thing that's really ever helped me is escapism. That can entail a lot of things -- I like to find instrumental music on YouTube or watch some of my favorite YouTubers (Alchestbreach, Markiplier, Game Grumps, and some rando channels about music or whatever), and I like going to ambient-mixer, a place where you can find sounds that encapsulate movies or cartoons or video games you enjoy. Video games is another thing that helps distract me. Petting my animals helps, too. Basically, anything that distracts me, I'll do it and see if it stops my panic attacks.

I also cannot do meditation (focusing on my breathing doesn't help). Yoga is nice for flexibility but it doesn't help my panic attacks. Exercise is somewhat helpful but doesn't stop them. Eating healthy is very helpful (if I eat horribly, I feel so much worse) but again doesn't stop them.

This being said, my situation allows me to be home about 99% of the time so that makes it easy for me to come out of it. If I'm out and about and it happens, it makes it 100x worse because I feel like I can't escape. I've had plenty of breakdowns where I have to sit on a shelf in the store or on the curb outside because I feel like I'm going to pass out. I can't even take most anxiety medicines because they make me suicidal or give me the shakes.

I've heard a lot of good things about CBD oil but I've never tried it. Smoking pot is not recommended, it definitely made things worse for me, but as NanusMightyena said, CBD oil is not supposed to get you high. It's supposedly very useful but I don't have first-hand experience. Might be something to look into if that's a viable option.

And I'll end my rant here. If you want to talk more about it, we can DM each other. Dunno how much that would help but I'm here for that if you need it. Good luck.

 

[Zeostar]

That heart attack feeling during a panic attack is absolutely awful. I have general anxiety disorder and have been prescribed different medications, but the one that had the biggest effect is Xanax. Exercise also created an amazing change for me, as I was very sedentary. Even something small such as jogging in the morning or a few push ups can go a long way,

It is important to seek help in some form. This doesn't magically go away and I discovered that the hard way. My initial reaction when this started was to hide it from my family. One day I felt like I was going to die, and ended up in the ER. (And had to reveal to my family what I was hiding). "Seeking help" also sounds intimidating...I remember that's how I felt. However it doesn't have to be a therapist. Somebody should know, whether it be a friend, teacher, or a family member. Even if it's one person, it makes an impact when you realize you aren't alone. In my experience isolating myself was the worst possible thing I could have done.

I understand the feeling of where it feels like it's taking control of your life. There's been times where I can't even eat because for me personally when anxiety starts it creates this numbing feeling in my throat. It got so bad for me that I had difficulty using the bathroom, because locking myself in an isolated room would cause my heart to start racing uncontrollably.

If you need to speak about it feel free to hit me up. I still have anxiety but I'm doing way better. I was having panic attacks several times per night, but I'm at a point where I can go months without them.

 

[gimmepie]

If I ever really get the hang of dealing with it, I'll let you known. I find though that the best method I do have is trying to break the cycle - talk to someone about something mundane, put on a favourite show, do trivia etc - distract yourself. That being said, I do take valium which takes the edge off a little sometimes. If this is a new development, I'd recommend talking to your doctor and/or psych.

 

[starseed galaxy auticorn]

How about some sort of a stress ball? You could possibly check into "anxiety fidgets" as well for other options. I have bad anxiety myself, and it gets pretty disabling. They say it's mostly just my autism, but I don't believe that... For me, I carry comfort objects like a stuffed toy or one of my dolls. Not sure if it's something you're willing to do or anything. I still suggest trying some fidgets and see how that works. It can be something as discreet as a stress ball or something. They've actually helped me in a lot of ways tbh.

 

[Corrin]

I am actually in therapy so I'm making sure to tell my therapist and doctor, but I never knew the CBD oil could help, I'll try it!

 

[an illegible mess.]

i have generalized anxiety, but my anxiety attacks haven't been as severe as they used to be. is there any kind of trigger you can think of that causes this state of panic? for me, i can find myself starting to develop an anxiety attack if i think of something like death/dying, which is a big fear/phobia of mine. and, of course, when you're panicking, you feel as if something is physically wrong with you, so it makes the fear worse. if you can pinpoint that, the next step is forming the fear into rational thought. is the thought helpful? is it true? is it reasonable to panic in this current state and time?

this is mainly helpful for ptsd triggers and flashbacks, but i think it might help for anxiety/panic attacks too. look at your surroundings. where are you? what are you looking at? what are you feeling, tasting, smelling, hearing etc? this can help snap your brain back to reality and away from any troublesome thoughts. after you have snapped back from the thought, this is when you do something to distract yourself so the thought doesn't come back. listen to music, play a video game, take yourself out of the spot you were panicking by going on a walk or moving to a different room and doing an activity of some sort. if you're at work or school when something like this is happening, try and excuse yourself to the bathroom or elsewhere if you can.

 

[Corrin]

I believe the trigger for me is just that so many people have given me shit this year, downright mistreated and abused me. So really I need to summon my inner strength, and work on getting through this and healing.

 

[SusieSue]

So, my buddy had just started taking CBD oil for his anxiety and it's really helping. So, if you've never heard of it, CBD oil is from the medicinal part of the marijuana plant. Doesn't get you high whatsoever but greatly helps with many things. One of the main things it helps with is depression/anxiety. You can get it in most states, although it's quite expensive. However, with the vast majority of people it is proven to help. The bottle my buddy got was a 2-3 month supply of the medical grade stuff for $160. That's a pretty standard price.

Oh, I can relate to that. I have a prescription for CBD oil. You don't get high at all with this medicine indeed, all you get is a relaxed state of mind. What a relief after a strain... It's expensive, that's true. Have your friend tried growing cannabis on his own? As far as I know, according to this source, it's possible to do even indoors placing a small garden tent at the garage, for example. That would require some time though it might be cheaper.

 

[Roxas]

I'm diagnosed with panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder.

On the topic of CBD there has been no tangible research that proves the claims of the CBD industry so be wary.