seeking support

[goatiful]

Over the last month or so I've been having a lot of what I can only describe as "episodes". They seemingly start out of no where - my heart starts beating quicker, I begin to feel really helpless and nervous, and I get very emotional. I also start to feel sick which I know is in my head, but as all we emetophobes out there know, that only makes the anxiety worse.

My therapist has told me to distract myself by doing other things, which does help, but I always end up thinking about it again. If I'm having a time where I feel normal, I begin to worry about having another episode and end up having one anyways.

Does anyone else have something similar to this? Any support would be great.

[keeponestepahead]

It sounds like you're having panic attacks, or something similar to them. Here's what I try to do:

1. Remind yourself constantly that you've never been sick because of how you feel. Just keep replacing the "what if" thoughts with positive ones.

2. Do something that calms you: whatever you find helps. I tend to find watching kids shows helps, something that doesn't take up a lot of your faculties: the activity equivalent of "comfort food."

3. Have a list of things to do and positive thoughts. Write down how you feel in a journal and come back to it when you are panicked. You'll realise with a base of experience that you're not sick when you start to panic.

I hope that helps... sometimes you have to ride it out, but the worst thing for panic is that thought process. Whatever you can do to quiet those pesky thoughts. You might want to look into drugs for acute panic as well; you can take one when nothing else seems to be working.

[goatiful]

Thanks for the help

I'm actually looking into some type of medication. I didn't want it to come down to that, but lately it's been hell for me. I'm used to panic attacks, but not at all this frequently.

I find that distractions do help until I start thinking again haha. I'm fine if I'm doing something like baking or school work, it's just too bad that I can't bake cookies or do homework constantly throughout the day.

I know my mind makes everything worse than it actually is, and that's what bothers me most. I'm able to recognize that it's all in my head, but I can't get myself to believe it. It's a vicious cycle that I hope I can put an end to soon.

[keeponestepahead]

Yes, I remember when I was in school, my one regret was that I did not have an endless supply of homework to do. :-|

[olschesky]

i take prozac which helps me alot with that obsessive thinking.........doesn't completely get rid of it but sure has calmed it down to where i can function pretty normally......good luck

[PinkButterfly]

You're not alone! I don't have them too frequently, but it sucks when it happens. I won't go to meds though.

[ann32]

i got severely ill with meningitis about a year and a half ago and ever since then I have had severe panic attacks, minimum 4 a day. It was terrible. I got xanax to stop them, they were so bad, and also have tried many scripts to try to calm things down a bit but they made me sick. So now I have been really able to calm my panic and iirational thoughts by just saying to myself that I will not let my mind win. Just keep telling myself I am stronger than this and it has been working nicely! Feel better.

[grenadexhopper]

I have been the EXACT same way. I've also been feeling sick for about 2 -3 weeks now. Every feeling I get in my stomach freaks me out. I make it 20 times worse that it has to be, and sometimes distracting myself isn't enough. :/ I don't know how to concur these ups and downs. Everyone around my school is sick!