Posted by:
AfraidOfMormons
(
)
Date: August 06, 2016 05:25AM
I thought I was depressed, but a psychiatrist diagnosed me with PTSD and anxiety. Not depression at all, so do not self-diagnose, and start taking antidepressants. Prozac made me almost hysterical.
It's true that most anxiety attacks are short-lived--even the attacks triggered by PTSD. First of all, change your surroundings, such as go outdoors, or into another room. My aunt would get into the shower--a total change of environment.
For me, the worst thing I can do is force myself to stay still, or lie down to try to calm down. I have to pace around, walk, play the piano, wash dishes. Activity helps to distract me, too.
Breathing into a paper bag helps--it really does! It has something to do with the carbon dioxide you exhale.
The best anxiety-busting technique I know is yoga breathing. Breathe in for 8 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, breathe out slowly, taking 12 seconds. You can alternate nostrils, which gives more of a feeling of control.
I have had anxiety attacks last several hours, if I don't get out of the situation that's causing them. I was severely beaten by my temple ex-husband, so church situations are triggers to flashbacks, which cause a huge anxiety attack. The last flashback happened at a baptism, and I went into the bathroom and did yoga breathing, until I could get control of myself. I flew through a hurricane on an overseas flight--very bumpy and frightening--and my anxiety attack lasted for all the hours I was on that plane. That was before my doctor prescribed me a tranquilizer for flying.
Anxiety attacks are awful. The ones with physical symptoms are the worst, and seeing a doctor is the best thing you can to. I had to drive myself to the emergency center a few times, and each time, I recovered before I got there, so I cancelled out. One time, though, my anxiety was a physical reaction to a miscarriage. Take care of yourself! An anxiety attack is very real. You don't have to face them alone. Call someone.
Figure out what triggers your panic attacks, and then avoid those! After I divorced the wife-beater, I stopped going to the temple (my ex would beat me after every temple visit), and eventually stopped going to church, altogether. I'm happy, now. I try not to fly in bad weather. When I'm in tense social situations at Mormon funerals, weddings, parties, I change the scenery, and walk out into the yard to take deep breaths, into the bathroom to be alone in my panic, or into the kitchen to help out, and distract myself with cleaning up.
Once you identify exactly what makes you anxious, you can start to handle your panic attacks better. I prefer avoidance, but the posters are right, who tell you that the more times you confront and conquer a fear, the faster it will go away. It took a long time for me to be able to be alone with a man, then be alone with a man in a car, then on a date. I had to be ready. Eventually, I got married again, flew to Hawaii for our honeymoon, gave birth to children, raised them with only a few recurring nightmares now and then, and the normal panic that goes along with being a parent.
You can do this. Of course, your recovery will be faster with therapy. I sympathize. Sometimes an attack can make you believe you are actually going to die. It's not fun.
I do have another really great piece of advice, on how you can prevent a lot of anxiety attacks--but very few people listen or take this advice--DO NOT DRINK CAFFEINE--ever.