SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Hi, guys,

I just posted this as a response to another topic, but I realized how many people are suffering from panic attacks because of our sh*tty spouses and the pain we're feeling. I thought I'd copy and paste it here, just as a help. A lot of us don't have health insurance thanks to divorce and other messy things, so antidepressants and anxiolytics aren't always an option. Sooo here goes:

IT IS THE FEAR OF HAVING A PANIC ATTACK THAT CAUSES A PANIC ATTACK.

You have the ability to stop an attack at the onset. When you start to feel dizzy, or afraid, or nervous, take really deep breaths for a full minute. Many panic attacks actually start because we STOP BREATHING and the lack of oxygen puts our bodies into survival (panic) mode.

Basically, your body feels like it's drowning on dry land and it gets scared that these are its last minutes on Earth. Your body is physically preparing itself for death. How you handle the mental aspect of that instinctive fear of dying is all up to you.

You have to tell yourself, when you feel that first bout of intense dizziness, "I'm not afraid of panic attacks. Panic attacks don't kill me and they don't hurt me. They just go away. I'm not going to die. This is going to be over by this afternoon. I'm not scared of something that only lasts ten minutes. I am not afraid of my emotions."

Once you understand that panic attacks are a cycle that we build upon, it is possible to intervene. We are the only ones in control of our thoughts and we are responsible for our own fears. When we are no longer afraid of having panic attacks, we will no longer have panic attacks.

Try this for a week before trying meds. Nothing is without side effects--the general principles in medication: does the good outweigh the harm?

(I'm a med student and paid thousands of dollars for this information, lol. drugs aren't always the answer!)

[This message edited by blindsided03 at 11:26 AM, August 17th (Saturday)]

Good post Blind!

T

I'm awake because I've been having them all night. Been recently diagnosed with panic disorder, and I have thanatophobia. Waiting for therapy. But don't know how it will help. The A stuff has definitely worsened it. The thing I had that made life meaningful is gone.

Hobbe

I think all of us have felt that exact same way at one point in time or another. I am sorry to hear that your medical condition is worsened by the A. I too have had a really hard go of it since Dday physically. My blood pressure has been off the chart, I get racing heart rates easily and my whole body can go numb from the shear pressure of trying to BE Normal. I seriously doubt I will ever be my old self again. I guess in some ways that is good but the strain of all of this has shortened my hearts life that's for sure.

T

I never had or understood panic attacks in my entire life until this whole infidelity mess and my exWW and her doing her best to leave me destitute. I never would ever have thought I would have been taking Xanax. I didn't even really know what Xanax was until all this. Those days were horrible for me and without question the darkest days of my life. Ten times worse than my father's death and mother being diagnosed with cancer two weeks after his funeral.

I did try several meds at the suggestion of my doctor but found AD's weren't right for me. I felt so lousy, sick and scared on those things because of the side effects. I wanted them out of my life and then decided that this crap needed to stop already. The withdrawals were terrible and sometimes I thought I was going to die. I will never take another anti-depressant ever again. My feeling is I've gone through all this death and infidelity in my family and survived. What else in the world could ever be so bad that I could not handle? Those suffering from panic attacks know that they will eventually go away once your emotions calm and you ultimately accept what has happened. Fear of the future unknown is what I feel caused mine. Now I almost don't even care but just take things as they come. I've moved from living day to day to month to month. At some point it will become year to year. then I know I will be feeling much better.