Panic attacks

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Freedom! self reliance : One Thread

hi, I 've been having panic attacks since I was at school. The reason that triggered them was the death of my father, but the actual attacks didn't appear until many years later. I literally shake when e.g. I have to give a presentation or am alone amongst many people who are concentrating their attention on me.Public places are worse. Sometimes I may get an attack because I had eye contact with someone. I didn't stay at home, but continued to do everything without caring if I would have an attack or not. I don't care when I'm with people I know, but I don't want to get attacks in very formal situations, e.g. at an interview, at formal meetings, or formal events, and unfortunately the more formal the situation is the more panic it causes me; sometimes I have very strong trembling and shaking. I had counselling as well and there has been 1-2 times in my life when I was on top of my social fear, in fact I didn't feel threatened by anyone. The few times I had to give presentations, or at interviews I use a small dose of alcohol, which I kept completely within limits, as I used it only when absolutely necessary. I want to ask if someone has found something that works without side effects, as my attacks are very severe when they happen and they will never go away entirely. I hate alcohol. I try to avoid situations that cause me anxiety, but can't do it lately, my job forces me to go into these anxiety-causing-situations more often now.I can control it if I have to drink once a week - or less as I used to - when it is absolutely necessary, but not every other day. I tried Rescue Remedy and besides the fact that it is alcohol, only in small doses, it doesn't do anything for me at all. I can't relax or even breath at all in formal situations sometimes, it's like I am "locked" internally. I can't start jogging around or do exercises when I have to do a presentation or I'm being interviewed. I just wanna know, has anybody found something that works when everyone is looking at you? I want something natural before I even consider medication. I wanted to try kava kava but it's been banned. Anything from your experiences is really helpful.

Thanks

-- Polly (xdim@yahoo.com), February 11, 2003

Answers

I read an interesting post at another forum today ,that I'll place some of what I read here.

Here's the forum :........http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/viewtopic.php?t=15990

Here's some of what was said in the first post refering to a sweetner called aspartame that's in diet soft drinks and chewing gums and other stuff :

< <"The stuff not only wrecks your memory, but also causes cancer, panic attacks, etc., and very subtly eats away at your ability to make rational, logical decisions. " >> I don't have time now because I need to get some things done and am late already but I'll post some stuff latter that you may also find interesting.

I've seen people at open mike's ( a restaurant or eatery that usually sells food and beer where amatuer musicians hang out and perform a song or two on a make shift stage ) make a run for the bathroom to vomit because of the anxiety of being in front of people who are all staring at them.

I never had the advantage of such an experience to leran from it, but I used to feel discomfort when I used to give lectures on enviormental concerns when I lived in another place. I perform music and sing in front of people often. I don't think a person ever gets used to it... and If you are tired when in front of people, it seems even more intense. I don't need that one beer I used to drink before signing anymore to do it as I did years ago .I don't believe it helps much anyway.

There is a great video tape I once watched , it was how to give a lecture or a presentation. The host of the tape has trained a few Presidents of the U.S. to speak in front of people and look and feel confident and hold peoples attention while doing so .. Reagan was one of them . And he was already an actor , yet he needed to be coached as other presidents do , to be able to speak in front of the public.( I always knew being president was just a performance.)

You're not alone , this is a totally natural response.Lecturing does not come naturally.You need to train yourself on doing this. This training can also help in job interviews . It can help in almost any social situation , including meeting new friends. Latter I'll see if I can remember the name of the man who was the host of the tape. It's a must to any one,espeacially people who tend to be shy .

Lecturing is a learned performance, ( akin to acting ) You have to learn to change your voice from highs to lows and use certain body movements in order to hold the attention of the ones you are speaking with .

I don't think the alcohol content in Recue Remedy is significant to affect someone that much. A lot of different foods eaten at once can cause a fementation process in the stomach that can produce more alcohol than the Resue Remedy contains.

In my opinion , Alcohol is for the sterilization of medical instuments and topical applications for external use on the body ,although some people find it's makes an enjoyable intoxicant and use it for recreation .There are tricks to lecturing or giving presentations succesfully but alcohol isn't one of them. Although my 10th grade biology teacher , good old " Whiskey Breath " would have diagreed with me on this one .

My dentist used to use that Resue Remedy right before he'd stick that big needle in my gums.I told him to save it cause I couldn't tell the difference whether he used it or not . That needle still caused a certain amount of anxiety seconds before it would touched my gums.

-- Mister Bear (Un@hum.com), February 11, 2003.


The problem with asking a questain here like the one you have asked is, nobody here is a trained professional.And someone answering your questain might prevent you from seeking professional help.You may have an ailment that has organic causes which is a physical ailment .You may have one that is psychologically caused which is a mental ailment or ailment of the mind.

You may have food allergies. If doctors can't find an underlining cause for your ailment , it is possible to be mis diagnosed with a mental illness , when in fact certain enviormental , chemical or even natural food products can cause affects on the bodies chemistry which can have a nurological affect ,creating symtoms that can make a doctor believe he is dealing with a mental illness when in fact it's just a illness of the bodies chemistry affecting the brain.

That's what was appearent in a friend of mine.Seems everytime she is away from her caribbean birth place and off that taste-less traditional diet which is almost grain free except for the imported rice that has been part of the diet of those mountain dwelling island people , she gets her mental illness back. It's like the American diet in the U.S gets her intoxicated.

It is not only illegal for someone to suggest something that may be seen as medical advice or a substitute for medicine it could be dangerous to someones health to take advice from someone without a sound medical background.

I've seen diet help people when medicines along with the lattest medical information and treatment did nothing except create new illnesses as a result of side affects from the medicines.

I won't suggest anything to anyone who has a medical problem except find a naturalpath doctor who is also trained in conventional medicine.And is aware of the affects of food allergies ,especially grains , even organically grown ones.

-- Mr.Bear (Un@hum.com), February 11, 2003.


Nutritionally, take lots of vitamin C, and vitamin B and magnesium. Drink milk and eat bananas which contain trytophan that combats anxiety. See a naturopath or a homeopath who could give you a remedy more specific to panic attacks than a rescue remedy. Avoid stimulants such as sugar, caffeine and nicotine. Exercise every day. Force yourself to speak slowly. Imagine the audience sitting in their underwear. I am not a professional but I do have panic attacks and this is information I have gathered over the years. Do you fear that when people are looking at you they are judging you? Get to the bottom of what you fear. List all your good points and reasons why people should like you, to yourself, and allow them to run through your head when you are up in front of people and feeling anxious. During panic attacks we all want to run away, to escape. When you feel this urge, force yourself to breathe deeply and tell yourself there is nothing to fear. Hope this helps.

-- Katy Neesham (katy_neesham@bigpond.com), February 18, 2003.

hi im emma. i know how you feel. im 19 and suffer from panic attacks. i found this great book called LIVING WITH IT and it explains our illness in a simple light hearted way. i think just knowing that what happens to us isnt the end of the world helps a bit. i dont think anyone i'm around really understands what panic attacks are and how they affect me physically and mentally, so i have been seeing a counsellor. its helped but not cured me. i learnt breathing techniques which are great when you feel an attack coming on. the best is breath in slowly and deeply while you count to 5 in your head, then breath out slowly while also counting to 5 in your head. no one can really see you doing this and if they do just say your relaxing or you dont feel well. but the counting slows your breathing which after a few minutes calms your body, and counting also keeps your mind off the attack. i dont reccomend medication- i tried it and the tablets actually gave me an attack, it was horrible. I really think a counsellor, the book and the breathing is the way to go. try natural stuff first. set aside half an hour a day to do something you enjoy and find relaxing. talk about it with people you trust and just accept that its part of you and other people have to accept it. if you have an attack in front of strangers you may be embarressed but thats the worst that can happen- people will always help you. so many people suffer from this. but i know exactly how you feel-i have panic attacks because im scared of having them-pretty weird hey. i dont think there is any quick fix, id tell you if i had one cause i know its a terrifying experience, but just hang in there and in the long run you'll get better. also no caffeine, less sugar, less alcohol and other stimulants-including smoking,it actually makes it worse and maybe some vitamin b might help. good luck. xxxxxx

-- emma (luv_in_my_tummy@hotmail.com), January 09, 2004.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ