Dealing with anxiety is a hard thing to deal with alone. That is why I am writing this article; to hopefully help some people out who are facing the same issues and have no one around them to tell them that it DOES get better… Maybe not at the snap of your fingers, but with time and a few small changes it will get better in time.
Panic attacks come on very quickly — symptoms usually peaking within 10 minutes. Most panic attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. Some people report attacks lasting for up to an hour, but they are likely to be experiencing one attack after another or a high level of anxiety after the initial attack. This is what I suffer from. If I ever have a panic attack, it will NEVER last 20 minutes. It will alway spiral, until I can be alone and somewhere I feel comfortable, which can sometimes be hours away.
I have a few things that I do when I’m faced with a panic attack that could potentially help you in the future as well:
- Slow, deep breathing
- I walk around… I can never stay still
- And I fan my face with my hands to try and focus on cooling down.
Something people don't seem to realise is that self-esteem is seriously dented from suffering these attacks. I still, to this day, think that people judge me and that they possibly all talk about how weird I am, or how annoying I am for having panic attacks, or even that they think I’m making it up or using it as an excuse. You start to think that you are ruining everyone else's life around you and have become a nuisance. But let me tell you one thing… YOU ARE NOT A NUISANCE. Just because one person you come across may not understand, doesn’t mean everyone else will be the same. I have had a lot of people help me out in the past few years. Whether it is a doctor, a therapy group or even your mum, having someone there who understands and knows exactly what they are talking about can quickly put you at ease.
One cliché thing people tell me to do is to think of my “happy place”. At first I had no idea what that was; I thought they were crazy. But when I actually came to think about my happy place, it has helped me escape my more severe attacks a lot more than just walking around outside.
This is my happy place. It is Anne Hathaway’s House in Stratford upon Avon, a place I’ve visited once or twice; ever since that day, it’s all I ever think about. The fresh air and open space calms me down immensely. When I went here, there was about six people there, all over the age of 50, so the atmosphere was quiet and calming… no rushing around, no screaming, and always an easy way out (which is something I need when I’m facing an attack).
My main point here is that it does get a lot better than what you are going through now and with a little help, it becomes a lot easier to handle when doing day to day things. It will never go, but you can control your attacks, and sometimes you just have to take the risk and say YES to things. There is a campaign for young people called NCS YES (National Citizens Service); they take you out and make you do things you never thought you would (all fun things of course) such as rock climbing, abseiling, raft making ,and loads of other outdoors activities. A lot of people I know have taken part and have felt so much better knowing that they can do the things that they thought they would never be able to.
I hope this has helped someone in some way… even if it is just to know there are other actual humans out there facing the same problem and that you’re not alone at all! There’s always someone to talk to just round the corner. Never think you have to deal with it alone, it’ll only make it worse I can guarantee you!
Remember to ignore that little voice inside your head telling you not too do something… control the voice and prove it wrong. You CAN do it. Just say YES.
If you are interested in NCS, you can find them on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.
If you are interested in NCS, you can find them on Youtube, Facebook and Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment