Panic Disorder & Agoraphobia

This is sincerely from one of the slow ones out there with little to no sense of humor. I'm not sure if you realize that sarcasm is virtually undetectable thru the internet or a chat forum. Unless I see a smiling face after suggesting morphine or heroin, or an outburst of laughter, I will assume you are serious. Afterall, this is a health forum, not a comedy forum. Thank you so much for your clarification. I'm glad to hear that you were joking regarding the suggestion of a street narcotic or a painkiller/"happy pill." having been an agoraphobic for several years myself, I can honestly say that happy pills do not work for me. I am no longer an agoraphobic and I enjoy life to the fullest. I've done this at first through the use of intense behavioral changes and diazapam medication. Having tapered off of medication now, I can proudly say I am content, mind, body, and spirit. Aside from your humor, I do hope that some of my words have helped some people out there, especially ambience.

Strangely enough, I read some of his other posts and thought he must be a joker. I am wise enough to know not to take any street drugs, although alcohol has alway's calmed me down when going out, it's not something I can use as a supplement for courage.

You will be pleased to know, I got a job today working in a large utilities company. My boyfriend came with me, and I have a fantastic talent at hiding the way I feel when i'm interviewed, smiling sweetly and being enthusiastic. It was tiring, but I got the job. My bf's mum is going to take me there in the morning and bring me back in the evening so I won't have to go outside, which is a big problem for me.

I liked the feel of the place, and I love people, and they all seemed very nice, so i'm very happy to be back to work, I start tommorow and I got the job, same day!! They only gave me fifteen mins to get ready for the interview, was short notice, so I went casual, even trainers, but this didn't put them off!!

I'm so pleased, and so is my bf's family! I only hope that my agoraphobia doesn't creap into the building, if you know what I mean. I don't want to feel uncomfortable or panicky and start avoiding things. However it's a five week temp contract so I should be okay for this long!!! No pressure, the job is admin, running around doing the post, covering reception, all which I have done in the past. I only hope my agoraphobia, panic doesn't effect me to the degree it has been doing.

Any suggestions on calming remedies, or tips for my day to keep me panic free would be good :)

thanks again for all your support,
i truly am grateful!

Wow ambience, i'm soooo proud of you! Do you realize what a big step that is for you? I know what you mean about being able to hide your true feelings, especially under pressure. I've been known to have that ability as well. Some people in my life never even realized I had a problem, except for those closest to me. Well, now that you've taken that very couragous and admirable step, it's time to take the next one. You can do it! It sounds like it may be a busy job and that's terrific. Do your best to focus your mind and thoughts on the tasks at hand. By doing that, you not only do your best work, but you also put panic and fear in the back of your mind. Fear and panic may creep up at times, but tell yourself that it's ok for that to happen. Once you allow yourself to feel the fear, it's not as menacing. I remember times at work that I would have to leave a meeting and go to the restroom just to gain composure. I've gotten to the point now where I am able to sit through the meeting with not so much as an occasional grimace or twinge of panic. Give yourself permission to twinge or to cover your face sometimes or move around your workplace quickly and with intent. You'll make it through. You know you will. Also, in the back of your mind, also remind yourself that you have permission to leave to use the restroom or to take a walk outside if you have to. Once you give yourself permission and embrace what it is that scares you, somehow you will notice that the need to "escape" will become less and less. The most beneficial thing I have learned in my struggles with anxiety and panic is that I should not fight the fear. That is the goal truly. Do not fight it. If you attempt to fight, it will gain strength. Instead, own it. Anxiety is yours and it can be controlled. Live moment to moment and each time an irrational thought enters your mind, simply replace it with a rational one. This takes time and energy but in the long run, it is successful. You must keep me informed on this new position. Keep your chin high. Look how far you've come! Be proud!

You have given me alot of confidence and been a pillar of strenght showing support!! I really appreciate that. I should give myself some credit, but because I have done better in the past, I tend to devalue what I have achieved. Thanks for showing me that I should recognise that this is a good step to combatting my problem. Ever since I was 16 I have been avoiding and using coping stratergies, masking the way I feel, putting on a front, when really I have been terified. I'm so pleased to know this isn't just me and to know that it can be overcome.


I will use the restroom idea. I feel the panic so bad in meetings, of which I hope I will have none at this place. I can't breath, or speak and i'm really sensitive to my facial expressions and also I go dissy and can't see well. I don't allow myself to escape, and sometimes I can't which makes it worse. I need to allow myself to feel this way, as sometimes it's so draining to hide the way i'm feeling and keep it all locked up inside. I just want to scream and run home on occasions. I hope this doesn't happen again.

The way I brought my anxiety down today was by saying that I didn't need the job, I didn't need to put on an act, I was just myself, and although quiet , I must have made an impression that I was nice etc.. I'm normally quite loud when I get to know ppl, but I need to remind myself that I can't expect to be confident all the time, and that people are allowed to be abit shy at interviews. It was plesant for me, I wasn't going overboard trying to impress, I think sometimes I come across confident and arogant maybe, something which I am not, but is my way of hiding my feelings, I don't like the arogant bit, but I think sometimes people look at me and think, oh she thinks she know's it all. So I just showed interest today and didn't talk as much to cover my feelings. When i'm anxious or uncomfortable, I need to talk, even if it's a load of rubbish. I feel trapped if i'm not allowed to speak and like I need to get out of there. So I think today was a step forward. Thankyou honey xxxxxxxxxxx

I cried to tonight at the thought of having to confront my anxiety if it arises, its' worst before the actual event, like prediction anxiety about what is going to happen, any ideas on how to stop this..

Thanks honey xx

This is called anticipatory anxiety. At times, this can be worse than the actual event itself. My advice would probably be the same. Take whatever strength you have and replace each and every negative thought that enters your mind. Actually, before you replace it, acknowledge that it is there. Tell yourself, "ok, i'm scared I might do this...Or this..." and then after you've acknowledged it, replace it immediately. You may have to do this continuously. Sometimes, until your mind fatigues. It can be exhausting. But think about it this way. It's taken you years to become anxious and scared. Now, you have to re-teach yourself. This may take just as long. But, if you are willing to try, be patient with yourself. Sometimes, if you are unable to replace the negative thoughts, step outside of your mind and sincerely ask yourself, really what is the worst thing that can happen? Run screaming from the room? Faint? Shake? These are the fears. Now, why are you fearing those things? Is it because you are afraid of letting someone down, or are you afraid of embarrassing yourself? Those used to be my fears. Now, the people around me know who I am. I let them know I have certain fears. I have excused myself from meetings and they understand. Chances are you won't run screaming from the room or faint, etc. But, face those things when they arrive. Eastern philosophy teaches that you should not worry about anything that is not directly in front of you at the moment. So, today, you are not at your new job. You are at home, right? So, there should be no fear in that room. When you arrive to work, then you deal with things. Step by step. This is anticipatory anxiety. Story goes: a young buddhist student went to his buddhist teacher and asked him, "how can I be enlightened and peaceful when I have so many bills to pay?" the buddhist teacher replied, "your bills are not in this room." I love that story. Ambience, it's moment by moment. You are safe and you will be safe. Worst case scenarios rarely happen and when they do, you feel embarrassed. I say to heck with it. If people think we're weird, let them! I think you will do fine. Focus on the air around you in the room you are in right now. Feel the textures of things around you. Take in smells. Focus on something beautiful. That is where you are now. When the time comes to start your new job, focus on the things in that room at that time. I hope this wasn't too deep. I think i've read too much for my own good. Do you drink wine? Sometimes, a nice glass of red wine soothes my mind when fears overwhelm me. Wine, unlike heroin, is legal (haha). Love to you!

Right there with ya,
crystal

Ambience, you are obviously cool, so don't worry about it. I came on here thinkin I was fuxed up but I ain't really so i've become a sarcastic problem. But you do need klonopin or something for anxiety.... Trust me, it will work. Yes, you might get addicted but it's just like a fat person getting addicted to food or a sports freak gettin hooked on espn. We all have a vice, and if we don't, if god exists is he gonna notice us????? You obviously need something, cause a lot of us go through crap like that but you seem to have a more extreme problem. It's all in your head...... By the way crystal1111, i've been there done that. I had this damn problem when I was playin baseball at u of h. So I know how it is, but I always keep a sense of humor and ambience seems pretty cool so whatev. If someone says take heroin, he or she is usually joking. Life sucks, yes we know that, but if you laugh about it you will feel better, no matter how fuxxed up you are. I dropped out of two colleges because of this and lost a baseball scholarship but I just laugh about it, and yes, pain killers help. You ain't never taken any if you have not noticed that. Ambience, stay cool and you can deal with anything you face or else you wouldn't have to face it, take care! Later gators!

Pain killers really do help..........If sitting around stoned and feeling sorry for yourself is the help you need. Then when they wear off and you feel twice as bad, you can say..........Damn this is awesome.

The link below may help you, its an agoraphobic forum. You can find support there , and information about agoraphobia. Hope that helps :)


http://humanbloom.11.Forumer.C om/

Hey, this is not a very helpful post (sorry), but it might give a little hope. Agoraphobia and such sort of runs in my family (in the form of various anxiety problems) and my mother had a bad case of agoraphobia in the 70's (before I was born). My dad told me she wouldn't leave the house unless she *had* to, and that she had panic attacks all the time. He was a saint, though, and stuck by her through it all and supported her. At least, that's what mom says ;)

the good news is that after nearly a decade of this, she finally improved. She still has trouble with her panic disorder--freaking out in tunnels, on highways, etc--but she leaves the house happily now and no longer fears people. I promise I will give her a call tonight and ask her for advice so I can pass it on. These days she makes an instant friend of any stranger and spends more time out of the house than in it. So, there is light at the end of the tunnel, you can improve significantly. It ain't easy, given what my mom has said to me before, but it's doable.

I know one thing she did was a support group (outside the home). From what I gather, they shared helpful ideas and discussed how hard it was to even get to the group. It was helpful, she said, because she wanted to get to the group so badly that it got her out of the house on a regular basis (she lost her job like you did, ambience), and she had several friends then that experienced the same things she did.

Good luck to you all :)

You really need to just get the proper nutrients in your diet. A normal american only consumes two of the seven or eight different carbs that are body needs to operate and this lack in nutrients may be just what the problem is. Exicting news and break throughs @www.Dontforgettotakeyourvitamins.Com/davi s47087

If vitamins were the cause, panic attacks and anxiety would affect and effect a hell of a lot more than 10% of the population on the planet.


Spend some time reading up on panic and anxiety before making a bold statement about vitamins or selling whatever you want to sell. This isn't a blind joke to people that are afraid.

I have a feeling that his post and the two above it were made by people who were either automated and/or simply did not read the thread and merely were aiming to advertise.

Annoying, but probably true.

I know.....That's why I put the blind joke part in.