Stress Center Peer Support

okay, where to start. is their anxiety without panic? someone please answer that. today i had terrible racing thoughts and it went off and on for 8 hours, basically my entire shift at work. so now listen carefully because i think i'm the worst guys i really am. so i'll start by saying that it feels like nothing is working for me. my thoughts raced and raced and i worried and worried and it never stopped. is this normal? i didn't feel like me at all, it was like i was listening to what i was saying, i couldn't think straight and form proper thoughts when i was talking to customers. i was listening to everything i was saying, that felt weird. so as my day went on i worried some more for example, i thought for a few minutes i was skitso or i was becoming one or i had some mental illness or something even a brain tumor. and i became SO overwhelmed in my own mind i got so scared and started paying attention to every thought i had and chased down every thought and made everything the absolute worst and then continued to scare myself and everything including myself didn't feel real and then i got dizzy on top of that and vary irritable. i felt like running away but i can't do that from my own mind. but still no panic, it was like in my own mind. on the outside i knew i was me. but i was scared guys. my thoughts just kept on spinning and spinning and i looked around and things still didn't feel real and got even more scared. yesterday i was great and today i was terrible, no matter what i did i couldn't calm down. and i was lost in my own head ALL day. so one day was great and the next was horrible? why is that? is this all normal? what do i do? is this something more cuz i don't get panic attacks but i do in my head? i'm lost, but i'll make a confession and its that i stopped the program thinking if i was away from from all this anxiety stuff it would go away. and i was in week 3, and its been a week and a half that i haven't done anything. i can't concentrate no more, i'm loosing it guys. what do i do?????

First off Manley you need to calm down and try to realize that nothing is going to hurt you and you will be fine. I have done this before and it is really scary and you feel like you are not even real or something it is very hard to explain. But you need to get back into the program and it will make you better! It will make it to where you do not have all those negative thoughts and even if you do you will know how to control them and make them seem like just another thought without scaring you. No matter what I believe it is just anxiety and try not to run with your thoughts and fight them. Just float and realize that they are just THOUGHTS. Use your breathing. I have this overwhelming fear sometimes too without panic attacks. It drags on and on it feels but stay strong and take care!

Hi there, I hope you're feeling better by now. I have felt exactly how you have been feeling and while I know it can be very scary, it WILL go away. Feeling the way you were can still be concidered a panic attack. The racing thoughts, unreality..etc..You can tell by your post that you were in a panic. Try to get back into the program, and remember, regardless of how you are feeling right now, this is still just anxiety and your going to be ok. Hang in there!

Hi, I have felt like you too, this has happened many times. I have daily anxiety, I haven't had panic attacks in a while but i'm on 3 meds. My Pdoc finally determined that I had not only panic anxiety disorder,and general anxiety, but I am also bipolar 2. I am working this program, I got to lesson 5, and decided that I needed to start back on lesson 1 again. So don't worry, these things happen. Don't quit the program, but you may need to talk to your doc, or pdoc, and see if you need something, or need to be reassessed. I am on celexa, neurontin, and clonazepam. I hope today is a better day for you!!!!!
Hally

all of you are right but one thing i really want is to do this drug free. it's 8 am right now. i'm usually never up this early but one positive thing right now is that i started the program back at week one again and i'm going to quickly review weeks one and two again then work at week 3 again. one thing is that i worrier about when this is going to happen again and when it does i usually imidiately give up and then work myself up. but lets give her another try today

Hello; I just signed up for the program; It is very interesting; Right now, I have been out of the hospital for a year and have managed to go back to work. My daughter and my husband are not speaking to me because they don't understand and are afraid. So what can I do to make it up to them and help them understand. I feel like everyday I get up I have to apologize for being alive. The meds don't change the looks that they give me. My daughter is angry and says that I am crazy.

Manley. . . we all call it different things but what you described is what I call a panic attack. Once my mind starts racing and I feel outside myself and I am sure I'm losing it, that's what I call a panic attack.

It feels like something so much more, but it is just anxiety.

I think you're on the right track starting the program.

Another good book is "Freedom from Fear" by Howard Liebgold.

Originally posted by Karen2:
Right now, I have been out of the hospital for a year and have managed to go back to work. .

What caused you to go to the hospital?