Do you deal with anxiety?

Since I've stopped working I have severe panic attacks in certain driving situations like going down extremely steep hills, over narrow bridges, high speeds, etc... My solution is to avoid them as much as possible and deal with them when I have no other option.

I think I can, I think I can, ...

 

Ohhhh. Rescue Remedy is a homeopathic remedy that works really well for panic attacks. It has become a very popular remedy. If you are at all open to this you should check it out. It isn’t too expensive either.
 

ClassicRockr said:
Anyway, Ronni, have to totally agree with you...…...I wrote the wrong thing! Just read an online article about anxiety and it totally verifies what you just told me. So, I'm VERY SORRY for making a comment before checking out something.
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Thank you! I admire your honesty, and willingness to admit that you were in error. :love_heart:
 
Ronni and others here who suffer with anxiety, my heart goes out to you. I don't really have that problem, but have on occasion experienced stress and shortness of breath when anxious about something in particular, but that completely different because it's not constant.

I have a good friend who had an abusive husband and a lot of stress in her life. She said in her back yard while just hanging clothes to dry, she had a panic attack, out of nowhere. She said she started shaking all over, couldn't breathe and just pretty much collapsed and shut down.

I wrote a thread here about Lavender Oil being good for anxiety, I don't use it for that, but a dab on a cotton ball or tissue placed in my pillowcase does seem to relax me at night for sleep. https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...y-and-Agitation-in-Old-Age?highlight=lavender Hoping the anxiety lessens for all of you.
 
SeaBreeze said:
I have a good friend who had an abusive husband and a lot of stress in her life. She said in her back yard while just hanging clothes to dry, she had a panic attack, out of nowhere. She said she started shaking all over, couldn't breathe and just pretty much collapsed and shut down.

I wrote a thread here about Lavender Oil being good for anxiety, I don't use it for that, but a dab on a cotton ball or tissue placed in my pillowcase does seem to relax me at night for sleep. https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...y-and-Agitation-in-Old-Age?highlight=lavender Hoping the anxiety lessens for all of you.
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What your friend described is pretty much what would happen to me during the times when it was the worst......shortly before I left my husband when things were really really bad, and then when my son was spiraling down in his addiction, so I was dealing with his overdoses and other life threatening situations, manic and delusional attacks, threatening behavior, homelessness etc. it was worst when those attacks happened when I was driving. I can’t tell you the number of times I almost caused an accident because I was urgently trying to get over to the shoulder of the road so I could stop the car. It was also no fun when I was in some crowded environment where I was surrounded by people. Sometimes I knew what the trigger was, other times I had no clue. It was a wretched, awful way to live.

I love both lavender oil and eucalyptus oil for its calming effects. It wasn’t of much use when I was acutely dealing with a PTSD episode, but it is very useful when I’m just a bit anxious.
 
SeaBreeze said:
Ronni and others here who suffer with anxiety, my heart goes out to you. I don't really have that problem, but have on occasion experienced stress and shortness of breath when anxious about something in particular, but that completely different because it's not constant.

I have a good friend who had an abusive husband and a lot of stress in her life. She said in her back yard while just hanging clothes to dry, she had a panic attack, out of nowhere. She said she started shaking all over, couldn't breathe and just pretty much collapsed and shut down.

I wrote a thread here about Lavender Oil being good for anxiety, I don't use it for that, but a dab on a cotton ball or tissue placed in my pillowcase does seem to relax me at night for sleep. https://www.seniorforums.com/showth...y-and-Agitation-in-Old-Age?highlight=lavender Hoping the anxiety lessens for all of you.
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Thanks Seabreeze. My anxiety isn’t constant either but once I get into a panicked state ( panic attack ), it can take a while to calm down. I start shaking and get the chills that won’t go away. Luckily it doesn’t happen very often.

The rescue remedy probably works the best for me once I have an attack. It has no drug induced side effects but I use lavender as a staple essential oil. I have an infused spray I use on my pillow every night and once my head hits the pillow I feel super relaxed and it helps me to fall asleep quickly. It is a great stress preventative and also doubles up as an anti fungal and is great as an insect repellent.

Many people think an anxiety or panic attack is the same as being anxious and it isn’t. They are different.
 
Ronni, and all who suffer from anxiety, I feel you.

When I was going through a very rough time, I refused to admit that I needed help, and didn't reach out to family and friends. I'm too independent, and never want to put my problems on others.

At the worst point, I started to experience extreme aura migraines .. thought I had a brain tumour (I didn't). When I started to experience neuropathy in the soles of my feet, and all-over body pain - I knew I needed help. I went to a chiropractor who was very sensitive to my personal issues. After seeing him several times, the pain was under control .. and so were my plans, to leave that marriage.

I hope everyone has someone to talk with when things get rough. Though it may not be a solution, it can help.
 
Learn to work with calming B vitamins. And specifically Inositol which is of the B family. I would not be without Inositol in my arsenal of healing.

Change a lot of your thinking and get into simple meditation....and I'm not saying medication....

Be aware of your body and how tight it can be, relax shoulders and be aware.

The benzos and benedryl affect our memory with longer term use.

And on the control issue, there is just so much we can control. Ourselves.
 
jaminhealth said:
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And on the control issue, there is just so much we can control. Ourselves.
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This has been a really hard lesson for me to learn. When my son was spiraling out of control in his addiction, I tried to control everything related to it, to no avail of course. One of the primary teachings of Naranon, and within the very first Step, is an admission of our powerlessness over our addict(s) and its most basic slogan is the Three C's. I didn't Cause it, I can't Control it, I can't Cure it.

Separate from that though is just my general need to control things...outcomes is a big deal for me. I'm not quite as compelled to control the progression from point A to point B, but I find myself getting very invested in point B turning out a certain way. It's a hard thing for me to let go of. I'm much better than I used to be, but it remains an area of stress for me.
 
CeeCee said:
Since my big trigger is anything health related and that’s my only trigger, when I get in that mode every little new lump or bump is cancer. That’s just one example...then my stomach gets a knot in it, I get diarrhea and start to lose weight.

Going to Curves helped me not focus on myself so for me what works best is getting out of the house and I’m doing fine now.

in fact going to Curves now so see you later.:)
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Hey, you know what? You may have hit the nail on the head. I was on a call several years ago. When I arrived at the home, the lady told me that her daughter all of sudden started yelling that she was dying. Next thing, she locked herself in her bedroom and they could hear her praying with her Rosary.

I called for an ambulance and after we were able to get her out of her bedroom, she was transported to the hospital with me leading the way. The doctor diagnosed her with Anxiety Neurosis. The doctor told her parents and me that this is caused by too much pent up energy. He told them to make sure that she gets at least 20-30 minutes of exercise a day.

I stopped by by their farm home a few months later just to do a welfare check and ask how the young lady was doing. The mother told me that she was doing 100% better and no more panic attacks. She took up jogging and even lost some weight that she wanted to.

Just remember, that was maybe close to 40 years ago. Did the doctor know what he was talking about? Maybe!
 
Interesting..... I bet it's true.

I know that even tho' it gets painful, I always feel emotionally better when I've done a lot of housework or even grocery shopping/errands. I should walk the dog more, too.
 
It wasn’t just the exercise at Curves but the wonderful women there. Since I live alone, I need to have someone to talk to or something to take my mind off my body and what’s wrong with it...could be exercise, etc.

Once you are having a full blown attack, it’s difficult but if you’re just anxious then it works.

My anxiety isn’t cured, just no reason right now for me to be anxious.

The problem with a panic attack is that the symptom is real...you do hyperventilate or your heart does race and at my age I’m not sure if it’s panic or really something wrong and that just adds to the anxiety.
 
Work on learning to LET GO....all we can control is ourselves. I knew that before but Al Anon just reinforced all that thinking.

We humans are our worst enemies. Get Smart.

Also I said above work with Inositol and it does a body good with calming...and of course the MIND.
 
Wow - SO GLAD to find this thread! When I first joined this forum a short while ago one of the first things I did a search for were posts or threads about anxiety and panic attacks and really didn't find much, which made me feel even more alone with the problem. I had my first panic attack at age 16 but I had all kinds of twitches and facial tics as early as age 6. Anxiety and panic attacks have been a constant part of my life, sometimes manageable, sometimes leaving me struggling to function and get through a day, and for a while, had me pretty much agoraphobic. I've seen so many therapists, counselors, psychiatrists, medical doctors, nutritionists, etc. Been on so many meds, so many supplements, fought the meds for the longest time but year after year I would have doctors tell me it's a chemical imbalance and needs to be treated like a medical condition. They always used the "if you were diabetic, wouldn't you take insulin?" My latest doctor uses "if you had cancer, wouldn't you take the chemo?" I do take meds for it and I pretty much have it under control for the most part, but when my thyroid levels are off, it causes the anxiety and panic to rear it's ugly head again.

I hate driving on highways - I've had panic attacks driving on them and feel like I'm going to faint and I freeze up and barely make it to the side of the road. So now I avoid them as much as possible. "Accept the things you cannot change." It's also not fun having one on an airplane, but since my daughter and new grandchild live on the opposite coast, I just medicate myself, use all the relaxation therapies I've learned, and white-knuckle through it.

The best advice I think I've been given over all the decades of trying to find a "cure" is to accept it. It's part of who I am, it will always be with me, and I have to stop fighting it and fearing it. Yes, I've had a lot of trauma in my life that would warrant the anxiety, but I truly believe mine is a chemical imbalance because it started very early in life.

To those of you who think generalized anxiety and panic attacks are just someone being a little anxious, I am envious of you that you don't understand how awful and debilitating it can be. Please be thankful that you DON'T know what it's like. It's not only terrifying, but it's also humiliating and alienating.

Peace and love to all my fellow anxiety sufferers.
Sue
 
As for flying on airplanes and I've done my share but made it thru all the flights. Glad I'm not flying anymore and even gave up my auto, another issue for that, but truly I was sick of driving and the expense involved in up keep. I'm more comfortable at almost 81 and more money since no auto. I get rides and order groceries. People in my life help me. joyce
 

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