Stress Center Peer Support

Hi,I want to say im very new here. i just came on a couple of days ago and ive been reading thru the blogs. Some have helped and some have made me even more anxious.
my story is short and recent.
Last month i had my first,anxiety attack. I was getting what they later told me was a Migraine and i was seing an Aura before hand. I was so nervous i started getting my self all worked up and started to cry and shake. Everyone who saw me said. oh ur having an anxiety attack. U have to go to the hospital,so off i went. when i got there my eyes were fine and I had a Horrible headache. They said i had a TYPICAL migrane,which ive never had before. Well the next two days were fine and then Bamm,3rd day i was constintly worrying about how my eyes were messed up and i surely didnt have an anxiety attack. blah blah. well thats when i found myself not being able to watch tv ,or sit still i was getting hot all inside my body that started with my ears,i felt it. i was so Scared i didnt now what to do.I called my dad who has anxiety issues for 40 years but is controlled on meds(and he says he will never get off them.lol). He told me its just anxiety and try to relax. RELAX? i couldnt even get my thoughts straight,they were racing crazy.
well two days of that feeling and then BAMM in the middle of the night i woke up with my Heart Pounding out of my chest. I thought i was having a heartattack. I said i have to go to the doctor. the next day i went to see my md and he asked me to tell him everything. I was crying bec i was scared to death and didnt now what this was. he asked,did something happen out of the blue recently? and i said Nope,but i did have a HORRIBLE year. he gave me xanax and wellbutrin. well when i left i said to myself,im totally Not depressed and didnt want the wellbutrin at all.
so i only took one xanax .25 mil that night . the rest i fought off. I remeber just praying,and trying to just refocus my thoughts. I found a counselor(who i HATED) but he told me to Blog journal everyday. Which i did. well I fought thru the crazy nervous feelings every morning,it was like my insides were racing crazy and i couldnt stop them. but i REFUSED to take any antidepressants. and I never took another xanax. well it took about 2 weeks or so and i got myself back.(or so i thought).
i started to even take St. John Positive Thoughts pills. and they seemed to help also.
well that was until jan 12 ,i was in the dentist and i was having work done and then my eye started twitching and i couldnt get it to stop. I sat up and was so nervous and said why wont this stop? he said,ur Prob just ANXIOUS... well that was all he had to say,i layed back,but i felt like i couldnt feel my hands,feet,i was sweating in the palms of my hands. AWFUL. Went home and was worrying about why was my eye doing that? Why couldnt i feel my jaw(duhhhh,just had work done and it was numb) I was turing a reg dentist viit that i did a million times into the WORST. well i talked myself out of it,and then BAMM. woke up in the middle of the night with heart palpitations. Took a half of xanax and fell asleep,woke up again Nervous. Insides acing,so scared. I stood home from work,hoping to get it under control. Nope. went to the doctor again and he gave me another anti depressant,Pristique. Again i left and was so upset about this i was having anxiety and worry all night over the meds. bec theres SO many side effects i thought i would loose my mind on them or even BECOME depressed. so that idea was out. well the next day went back to another doctor,who told me she doesnt think i wasx depressed,she thought i have a TON of stress and i need to speak to someone,and gave me a prescription for vistaril.
well went Back to my doctor to show him what she gave and he yet again gave ANOTHER med instead. Lexapro. i said,ok i will try it. well for 3 days i tried it and i was panicking more everytime i took it worrying about the side effects and if they would change me etc.. After day 3 i called my new psychologist and she said she didnt want me to take anything rte now,bec im too worked up about the prescription meds nd what they could or couldnt do to me.
well,im sorry this is long winded but i just want to get my whole story out,and hopefully i can get some advice or help.
so since then ive been taking xanax as neededmusuaLLY TO Sleep bec i found myself up and down all night with anxiety. hot feet and hands the Nervous inside and the racing thoughts.
I was given this program from a therapist who i work with and he said its terrific and very good to try and stick with.
i listened to the first tape,and loved it. but what he gave me is missing the book,some cassettes and the relaxing tapes. so i went to this website n i am going to order it for myself.
wheeewww,that was alot.... sorry to have bored u all.
well heres my thoughts,im feeling a constant nervous inside,and then my thoughts can only concentrate on obsessing about my health. I think my problem is i worry about dying or loosing my mind. See i am newly divorced from an abusive marriage,i am a mother of two children. one 12 and one 3.the 12 year old was just dx with seizure disorder last year. that was the WORST to go thru,and i have no brothers or sisters ,and my parents are far. im basically on my own. I work 50 hours or more a week and do it all alone.
So i obsess about something Physically being wrong with me,bec i just cant UNDERSTAND what this anxiety or paniac attacks are without a Real Cause.
well after my whole story i hope someone can help with any advice or support.
i want to know,will these ossesive thoughts over and over again ever stop? Ive never ever had this before and now i cant shake it.
will the feeling of "Foggyness or Loopiness" ever go away. I feel like they come and go during the day,i just feel like spacey,i dont know how else to explain it.\Does the program work? i read alot that it does and im hopeful,i just dont want this to spiral out of control..
and the Most important question .. Is ,Can someone loose there mind because of this?
Thank u so much for reading this and hopefully commenting. Im sorry it is so long winded....

First of all, take a deep breath and calm down. It is a lot to digest. Anxiety and depression can hit you like a wrecking ball. It did me. I went from being perfectly "normal" to not being able to be home by myself, to not being able to work, to not being able to drive, couldn't go in public places, had bad thoughts, etc. It seemed like it came out of nowhere but I know now it did not. I have had these tendencies my whole life as you probably have as well. As you father suffers from anxiety, it is no surprise that you do too. You have been through a lot. This is your body's way of processing all the new stimuli. Not a very effective way or a way that makes you feel good, but still a way to cope. You will not lose your mind. It is those sort of thoughts that keep the anxiety coming. I know it is hard. Believe me. This is my second time through the program. It is not something you can ever quit practicing really. Life will always have difficult times and we will always need to have the skills to cope with those times. That is what this program teaches you. Life skills. I understand your fear of my meds. I am right there with you. But, I made a decision to stick with the medicine for the time being until I am at a point that I am strong enough to try to do this on my own. Medicine does not make you weak. It makes you strong. Strong enough that you can work the program and get better. It will take time. You did not get this way overnight and it will not go away overnight. Try to do what you can now. Eat better, exercise, write in a journal, pay attention to the things you are telling yourself and turn the negative things around, see a psychiatrist if you need to who will work on finding the right med for you while you need it. You can beat this. We are all in it with you. Best of luck.

My02anglez,

First of all welcome!!! Well here goes. I acually thought I reading my own story. Like you my anxiety/panic attacks started last month. I was watching a football game (and i am not into football only sitting because i was reading a magazine and nothing hot and heavy. My heart started racing like i was at a race track. i was scared out of my mind!!!!! i call my dr at home and she said for me to CALM DOWN. I was like CALM DOWN are you kidding me!!!!!!! Oh, let me back up. I went to this dr a week prior to this incident and she said i was just having panic attack and a lot of people think their having an heart attack. Well yea!!!! She prescribed me a low dose of Celexa(anti-dep) and she said that i only need to take it for a little while. Not back to the story, well I did take a Celexa and it wasn't helping and it made my stomach upset. She told me to stop taking the Celexa and she would put in a prescrptn for a beta blocker. Well the next day, i had an appt with the dentist, on my way to the dentist, i was driving alone and i felt like i was going to pass out. i panic because i said to myself i am alone on this country road and no one would fine me, but a DEER, sorry had to put some humor into this for a moment...anyway, i got the dentist off and i was literally shaking in my boots. i thought i was going to pass out and one of assistants drove me to er. they hooked me up to every machine known to man. results came back fine, heart was fine, bloodpressure was ok, my oxygen was a little high..so what gives? well they sent me home and i wasnt home an hour and i felt these burning sensations in my chest and we went back to er and then they kept me overnight. my husband was freaking out because he didnt know what was wrong with me and our daughter was scared to see her mother in the hospital. again they monitored me all night and day and i had ct scan, stress test, ultrasound, etc..you name it i had it done..got home and still dealing with the issues and i went to a cardlgst and he presc Beta Blocker Tropol. i was on this until this past tuesday. this med made me sick to my stomach, i feeling blah all day, forced myself to do anything, found out it was the side affects of the meds.

i TRULY understand what you are going through and you will see you are not alone. some of the stories are the same and some are completely diff. i have found great comfort in this site, but i did purchase relaxation cds, journaling, reading all kinds of books on this subject and other. it does help to have a great support system. i have a friend that i call every morning!!!

as for the body symptoms, i still shake, there are times that i feel like i have electric shocks going through the back of my head. i also have the moist feet or the cold hands/feet. my heart still races. pressure in the head like a bad sinus infection. i try to think about other things when these things happen. right now i am dealing with what feels like i have bruised my ribs or lungs somehow?!?!?! sorry for being so long winded, but i had to reply because you were telling my story!!! if you need some support, email me at por1969@yahoo.com. i will be more than happy to support you.

hope i was going to fast for you. go onto to the chat room here on this site. i have meet some wonderful people. i havent gone the program yet, but i will with the next week. o

oh i forget to tell you that i am currently seeing a therapist which has helped!!! i too have a lot of stress going in my life. i lost my mother to breast cancer in july 2008.

Welcome My2angels,

Don't apologize for a long post. It took a lot of courage to tell your story. It is also very clear that you want to get better.

I suffered my first panic attack when I was 7 years old. I had some in my early teens, but I never knew what they were. I just thought I was nervous. Then 2 years ago at 22, my mind began racing 80 miles an hour while I was out having dinner with friends.

I went through a period where I thought I had every sickness and no matter what doctors told me I feared having some mystery illness.

I couldnt even go outside to get the mail without having a panic attack. I kept worrying about going crazy, losing my mind, wondering if others thought as much as I did, if I was going to get worse.

Well This program finally gave a name to what I was suffering from. I overcame panic attacks. I am still recovering from my anxiety and OCD, But I am like a different person and in a short amount of time.

To answer some of your questions.

NO you will not lose your mind with these racing thoughts. Although sometimes it feels like you could. I now see one therapist but I went to a few in the past, and they all said the same thing " You cannot drive yourself crazy with these thoughts, all you will do is drive yourself more anxious"

Will the feeling of loopyness and foggyness ever end?

What you describe sounds like a feeling of spaciness...it is a symptom of anxiety and you are among millions that feel that.

The program will teach you that, since our minds are working overtime with constant thinking and anxiousness, it needs to reboot, kind of like an overloaded computer. The human body is built to survive and take care of itself. The spaciness is the mind refreshing itself. Don't fear it.

You know what is funny, my girlfriend has the same feeling of spaceyness only she sees it as relaxing, and I use to see it as a sign I was losing my mind

A lot of this condition is our reaction to things. That is one of the main differences between anxiety ridden people and the people that don't have such high levels of it.

The racing thoughts and anxiety in general reduce gradually with acceptance and changing your focus. For example I find I obsess and worry when I am bored or not occupied with something. It may seem hard now because it seems like your mind is constantly running, but in time it becomes effortless.

And last, YES this program does work. It not only shows you and educates you about anxiety, depression, and obsession, and how to rid yourself of it, But it also helps you manage your time, stress, anger, and overall help you make yourself a more balanced individual in all aspects.

You are dealing with a lot of stressful situations, so it is normal for you to feel stress and high anxiety. Take it day by day. You will get through it. You have a lot of support here on this site. Take care of yourself


Eddy J

Thank u everyone for getting back to me and helping me with ur advice nd stories.
This is all so Brand New and I cant seem to shake it. I am actually scaring myself bec i dont know why i cant shake it.
I feel like when i wake up in the morning,i roll over and my insides fill with nerves. Lie there racing inside me,i cant figure out why its doing that. I try to calm down but it doesnt work. Then after alittle while i feel spacey,or like im not really there. I have 2 kids and a full time job,i feel like im pushing thru,but i just want to be back to me.
I feel like my head shakes on the inside and i dont know why that is either. I feel like there has to be something wrong with me,ive been to a few doctors so far,not sure if im hoping its something or not. I just want it to stop and i want to go back to being me.and im NOT.
i dont want it to get worse and i dont know if it will,but that scares me too.
This morning i slept late,i thought i was ok,but when i got up to make some breakfast,the nerves started up again. racing thru my body,and i wasnt thinking of anything specific.
its just everyday and its my nerves. And then with the acing nerves i start to worry and then Bamm im obsessing about being sick etc.
what is this and where is it coming from?
and most importantly when will it leave????????????

Hey,

I find in the morning I wake up "anxious" as well. If I begin to worry about it it leads to obsession. You are noticing for yourself that you get the feeling, you worry about the feeling, then you obsess, and the feeling lingers and stays longer. You yourself have laid out a pattern.

It is different for everybody, Some people obsess and worry at night some in the morning.

But the thing about anxiety is that because of our thinking pattern " I feel nervous, but I have nothing to feel nervous about...how long will this last? It is only 9am will this last all day? what is wrong?" Your body believes you are in danger and begins to flood your body with adrenaline and chemicals( fight or flight response) so that you can run or defend yourself from whatever danger is present. But since there is no danger you are sitting there with this adrenaline and it is not being released. The next stage is a panic attack and high anxiety.


But you can change all that from the moment you get up by what you say to yourself. If nothing is really bothering you like you say and some anxiousness sets in, the program calls it inner nervousness/ energy. You know how some people are morning people some are night owls. Well we have energy to get the day started. INstead of using it to worry and obsess, get your day going. Look on the bright side, look how many people waste hundreds a month buying coffee to get them going in the morning. Here we are with inner energy enough for 10 people.

When you start to feel those feelings in the morning, see it as a sign to get your day going. Don't worry about how long it will last. Worrying about why it has not gone away even thought you distracted yourself, as you have seen first hand, does not make it go away.

To answer your question " when will this leave...?"

The main thing is not fighting the anxiety, what you want to do is stop feeding it.

You feed it with worry " how long will this last?...what is wrong?...you feed it with fear " what if it is something worse? will it get worse?...

We have all had those thoughts, so I say this to you because I have been there. But this is how I got out of it.

What helps is the night before write out some things you need to get done the next day. The next day you have a flexible written down schedule/list of things you want to get done. When you begin to worry remind yourself, " this is anxiety, and it goes away, but I have something I need to do right now" and go and do it.

The more you get done despite the feelings, the more you'll see that the feelings won't hurt you. It is only anxiety.

I believe if you already have the program, Lesson 2 will be great for you to gain an understanding of the feelings, where they come from, etc. Lesson 3 will really show you how to get through it

Take care and remember you are not alone and there are many people here that have gone through what you are going through, we are here for support

Eddy J

Just wanted to let you know you are not alone in this at all. We are in the same boat. This is all very new to me too. I just found this place a few days ago and am going to purchase the book before I purchase the program. The eye twitch and the auras.. right there with ya. Difference is it's taken me 6 months to come to terms with the fact that this is all anxiety. I have been to doctors, the e.r. 3 times, searched constantly on the internet for a self diagnosis but have finally accepted it's anxiety. I'm on my 8th day of paxil and oddly am feeling better already.. my panic attacks are NOTHING like they were a week ago. BTW I've also been affraid of taking medications but finally had to give in. I don't have any advice for you.. sorry, but did want to let you know you are not alone. Good luck to you, I hope you find some relief.

Actually one piece of advice, I've noticed when I'm having a panic attack what will help me is wetting a wash cloth with really cold water and holding it against my eyes and then rubbing it on my neck sort of massaging the artaries in my neck. Laying down while doing this and taking very deep slow breaths. Sounds weird but it has helped me. Good luck!

Hey THANKS FOR THE INPUT.
I see that im not alone and i dont know if it is a good or bad thing,who knew sooooo many ppl have this.
Eddy,
That is definitly me. I do the exact same thing. When im calm i start to think why am i calm.. and blah blah blah. the thoughts get progressivly worse like u said.
its so true what u said about just get up and go about ur business and do what u have to do regardless if ur feeling this way or not.
have u been free from this for a while? You sound pretty optimistic and positive,so im wondering howlong u have been feeling good on a reg basis. did this program help u? any meds? did u ever find out what it was that was causing u this ?
Nicolette,thanks for answering. im glad the meds seem to be working for u. I just couldnt bring myself to take any antidepressants. how could doctors give them to u,esp if ur already having anxiety and panic and NOT think ur gonna get it worse from taking the pills.lol
It sounds funy but i took lepro for 3 days only and all three days i was like putting myself into totatl panic mode just with the thought of taking them. it was horrible,even tho i know they werent in my system i just feared the worse. like they would change who i was or all the side effects i would get. Scary.
Do u know what is causing ur anxiety?
I have NO idea so far of mine. Maybe im just worried im gonna die and there will be noone to take care of my kids. Im a single parent with no family around at all. They depend only on me.
but hey ive only been to the therapist 2xs,so i have alot of work ahead of me.
Hoping the program also helps. did u order it,has it helped if u did?
have a great night everyone.

I have NO IDEA what is causing my anxiety. It could be a number of things. I hope to get to the botom of it soon! I hope the same for you!

did u start the program? or therapy?
was wondering why u chose the route of medication,and if u feel it will or is helping?