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Hi, and I am sorry to read about your experiencest.
What you are describing sounds like a severe anxiety disorder and you've not developed a hormonal disorder, according to the medical exams and tests - good for you for getting that done, too! It simply rules out organic conditions that could be present, so good for you.
I have suffered severe anxiety disorder, myself, and I've witnessed it in many, many others. It doesn't just come from nowhere - there is a "cause" for this physiological reaction. When we were hunter-gatherers, a certain level of anxiety was "healthy" because it was our gut instincts warning us to be aware and wary and preparing us for a possible fight-or-flight-response. Nowadays, severe anxiety is recognized as a reaction to some kind of trigger, typically traumatic in nature.
So that you know that you're not alone, my anxiety disorder was so pronounced that I was virtually agoraphobic - I couldn't leave my house without extreme reactions and I wound up in the Emergency Room on a number of occasions with the belief that I was having a hear attack.
Right.......so, there has been some sort of "trigger" for you - something that has reminded you of something that happened where you were either hurt, injured, or traumatized, and that's what is causing this reaction.
Here are some tools that I use, myself, and practice when I am not in the throes of a panic attack:
* controlled deep breathing IN to the count of 4, and OUT to the count of 5
* "getting into The Now," which is simply taking note of where my hands are, what I'm walking upon, textures, colors, aromas, temperatures, etc., of where I am, right now (sounds like voo-doo, but it really, REALLY works with practice)
* EFT-tapping which is not, by any stretch of the imagination, some mysterious technique! Cross your arms or wrists, and rhythmically tap the opposite thigh or elbow using alternating hands. Right hand taps left leg/elbow, left hand taps right leg/elbow and do it with a gentle rhythm.
Strict aside, EFT-tapping works by incorporating the left and right hemispheres, together, at the same time. Typically, when in the spiral of a panic vortex, the FEELING side of the brain has kicked in and there is no stopping it. "The Now" works by negating the past and future so that past fear-based reactions and future fear-based reactions are replaced with simply being in the present. And, you know all about controlled breathing because of your athletic knowledge.
There are many, many, many techniques to managing anxiety, but the option that might help in the long-term to resolve this issue (since it isn't organic) might be to consider counseling therapy if you can sort out some of the triggers that started this reaction.
The caveat is that no management technique is going to "work" immediately, and they all require practice whenever you're not in a tough state because it will be that much easier for you to access them when you are in a panic mode. It would sort of be like muscle memory but with emotional control, instead.
Again, you are not alone and you can manage this and sort it out. Best wishes to you
Hi, Piuma, the techniques that I have employed and suggested to others do not require any external devices or any expense. These are all techniques that we have the power to use within ourselves.
Perhaps, a guided meditation might not be appropriate for you, at this point. Relying upon any device or application for a device takes away your own ability to control the direction of your personal healing. Have you developed any positive affirmations for yourself, by any chance? My "go-to" affirmation has been, "I'm okay, and okay is good enough." I developed this into my personal mantra and would use it to control my breathing, as well as provide the rhythm for the EFT-tapping technique.
The problem that I have seen arise over, and over, again is that someone (or, some company) will descend onto these forums and insist and guarantee that THEIR method, product, or protocol is "the only" method of "curing" any given disorder or disease. That is simply not true because each person might share the same components as an organism, but we are each different in our emotional, physical, and spiritual makeup. Our personal experiences have helped to shape us into who we are, today. Plain and simple. The only thing that we really "know" about emotional well-being is that fear and trauma create specific reactions within human behavior and perceptions. How each person got to the point where anxiety has become a problem is as different as oranges are from granite countertops.
So, consider developing your own personal affirmation - a phrase that contains ONLY positive words. "I will not," "I don't," I can't," etc is not "positive." Then, using that phrase, it can actually help to control breathing as a matter of course. In your situation, you feel as if you are suffocating, so it might be a good option to develop an affirmation that tells you that you are not going to suffocate by controlling your breathing. Something like, "I breathe and exhale and I am safe." I don't know..........you'll know what words are more helpful to you than I will.
At any rate, we can absolutely manage our own anxieties. I am walking, talking, living proof that it can be done without purchasing devices, applications, supplements, or following someone else's protocol. I have what I need (emotionally), already, and learning how to tap into that is simply an ongoing process. NOTHING works, immediately, or will "cure" whatever causes anxiety. But, it can be managed in due time with due practice.
Best wishes to you.
...I am responding to posts on the "Anxiety" forum. I don't really know anything about AF other than it seems to be prevalent in individuals who are struggling on every level - mind, body, and spirit.
So, I wanted to clarify that and I cannot really speak to that knowledge base.
Piuma, you asked, "But what do you do when you are feeling overly anxious and you simply cannot calm down?" The answer is that I practiced all of the things that I mentioned, and added other things as I gained control of the previous techniques.
I read some of the responses and there are some very practical approaches, and some very personalized ones - you will have to determine what makes sense for you. But, I began with "Getting Into The Now." When my therapist told me about this technique, I honestly (seriously) believed that she just wanted me to shut the f*ck up and get OUT of her office. It sounded so simple that it HAD to be a joke. So......the next time that I thought about it, I tried it, and it "didn't work!" LMAO!!!!!!!!!! Well, yeah............it didn't work because I did it one time and expected to be CURED of my anxiety. LOLOLOL!!! After that, I went back to my therapist and ranted that it was bogus. She just smiled her calm, benevolent smile and suggested that I do it each and every time that I feel afraid or anxious......even if I did it every 3 minutes. I still thought she was nuts and really hated me, but I was so desperate for relief that I would have drank horse urine if it would have cured my anxiety. So......I practiced this technique just about every 3 minutes for several days. Lo, and behold! I began to feel calmer. And, during those times when I felt calm, I would practice "getting into the now," as my therapist suggested so that it became second nature for me instead of something that I was groping for during a full-on panic attack. When I was in the throes of falling down that rabbit hole of anxiety, NOTHING would help until I exhausted myself and fell asleep. So, learning how to do any techniques when I was calm allowed me to develop a second nature for whatever it was - I wasn't grasping at thin air, but doing the technique, automatically.
Then, I began adding more and more techniques and rituals to help me with the OCD behaviors - this is NOT unusual with anxiety disorders, at all, so be kind to yourself and tell yourself that you're fine - you are okay, and that you will BE okay because you ARE okay......avoid beating yourself up over this, okay?
Choosing what will work for your is a very, very personal matter, and not everyone's suggestions are going to work for everyone else. Take what works for you, and leave the rest.
And, we already have everything that we really need to manage these issues. Anxiety is a physiological reaction. It's not necessarily an "organic" condition like schizophrenia or true Bipolar Disorder, but it can really generate some severe depression that isn't organic, either.
Additionally, stress kills. Literally. Stress contributes to heart diseases, stroke, high blood pressure, and auto-immune disorders. If you can identify some of the stressors, then you can begin to manage them, one at a time.
Above all, please, keep in mind that any long-lasting relief will require time, patience, and self-kindness. There is no such thing as a one-and-done "cure" for anxiety because it is such a primal thing that, once it gets started, it's like trying to stop a freight train with a cardboard wall. So, be patient and do what makes sense to you. If someone is suggesting that you need to PAY to relieve your anxiety (outside of counseling therapy), run the other way.
Again..........my very best wishes to you
#68716
9 years ago
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