Question:
<gently snipped ::I wasn’t ::stressed. I was excited about our options. That’s the thing though, ::was I really not stressed or did I just not realize or detect it? I ::think of myself as quite unshakeable as far as stress, but lately I am ::wondering if this is a lie I tell myself. If I am unshakeable, why the ::anxiety and panic attacks? Welcome to ASAPM Fletcher! Why the anxiety and panic? Because anxiety and panic are often chronic, lifelong conditions that alternates between setbacks and periods of little to no anxiety/panic. You recently experienced the death of a close friend and a purchase of a new home. Those are right up there as some of the most stressful "life" events one can experience. It’s no wonder you are now experiencing a setback. ::So slowly but surely anxiety has crept back in… just feelings of ::general uneasiness, then feelings of FEAR, being afraid that another ::attack is going to come and panic will get reintroduced into my life ::after so many "normal" years. What you are experiencing is a fear of fear. That is a hallmark symptom of panic disorder. I know exactly what you are going through. After almost 9 years of little anxiety and panic I suffered a very severe setback in June. I lived in terror of anxiety and panic which just created more anxiety and panic. ::So I am wondering what I should do to try my best to get rid of this ::forever. The first thing you should do is to have a thorough checkup by your doctor. You want to make sure that nothing physical is behind the return of your anxiety ( my last setback was caused by an overactive thyroid). If nothing physical is found, you may want to look into cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT is one of the most effective therapies for anxiety/panic. The combination of meds and CBT make a great team in treating anxiety. And yes, stay on the xanax until the current stressors in your life have lessened. If you don’t like the way xanax makes you feel, tell your doctor. There are other benzos like ativan, valium and xanax that may work better for you. Discuss it with your doctor. And yes, eat well, exercise, get enough sleep, ditch the booze and caffeine and get involved in some enjoyable hobbies. It’s important to have things to look forward to. Here are some informative links on cognitive behavioral therapy… http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/therapycbt/ http://www.cognitivetherapy.com/ http://panicdisorder.about.com/cs/therapycbt/a/cbtintro.htm Here is a very informative site on anxiety and panic disorder. http://panicdisorder.about.com/ Lots of info and self help at this link…… http://msmonarchdancer.googlepages.com/ You might want to check out the following books from your library: "A Guide to Rational Living", by Albert Ellis, Ph.D "Feeling Good, The New Mood Therapy", by David D. Burns, M.D. "How to Control Your Anxiety, Before it Controls You", by Albert Ellis, Ph.D "The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook", by Edmund J., Ph.D. Bourne I hope you stick around! If there is anything we can do for you, don’t hesitate to ask. Good luck and feel better soon! Jackie ~*~Some of your hurts you have cured, And the sharpest you still have survived, But what torments of grief you endured From the evil which never arrived~*~
~Ralph Waldo Emerson — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I think you are so scared that you are getting anxious again, that you are making yourself anxious. Try and break the self talk, it never does any good. I have a little saying that I say when I start that stuff. Also when things like this happen I tend to pay more attention to the way I do things. I find that when my anxiety is up I do everything at warp speed. It is amazing how just taking things a little slower can help… at least in my case. I also make it a point to never miss work because of anxiety, I just think it makes it worse to sit at home and think about it.. to me its like giving in to it. Finally I would remember that whatever you are going through with the houses and other life events are already in motion. They are going to happen regardless and no amount of thinking is going to stop it. So try and break any thoughts about what can or is going to happen. good Luck! Hello: I had a lot of panic attacks (daily for 9 months or so) about 7 years ago right after I got married, switched jobs, and bought my (our) first house, all in the same 4-6 weeks. I guess it was too much at once. It was scary as hell, as you all know. It took me a good 1-2 months to figure out what was wrong with me. The first attack was in the middle of the night, like 2:30 AM. I just jumped up out of bed sweating, severe sharp chest pains, couldn’t breathe well, blurry vision, sweaty palms, throbbing in my neck and temples… the whole package. Having no idea what was going on, I woke my wife and had her rush me to the emergency room. Besides having high blood pressure and a high heart rate (due to the big panic attack), they said I was fine. So then they kept coming and I was put on a "halter" thing that monitors your heart. I had to wear sweaters to work to hide this thing for two days, then I returned the unit with its’ data to the doctor and a couple of days later they interpreted the results: hy heart was in fine health!! So why all of these sharp pains as if someone was jabbing my chest with a kitchen knife? Why these electrical sensations that felt like a "shock" or a "jolt" going through my body? Finally, I talked to someone about this and they suggested that maybe I was having panic attacks. For me, these were a "hoax"… I’d never even really heard of them and due to the extremely physical symptoms. Plus, I am a totally "normal" guy if I can use that word. No big childhood traumas, no relationship issues, just married the girl I always wanted, just bought my first house… you know, everything was great! Well, at the advice of my doctor I tried Xanax, twice a day, at .25mg. It pretty much saved my life at the time (that is, because these attacks made me certain that my own death was eminent!). I had to increase the dosage to .50mg for a while, and then started reading books, etc. Stopped caffeine, cut WAY back on alcohol, started exercising regularly, and eating better. Then, after about 9 months.. the attacks and the GAD began to stop. Whew! I was over that for good! Or so I thought….. but the memories and the fear of these attacks never really went away. You all know how scary they are – it’s almost impossible to forget the experience. Then about 4 years ago I went to Atlanta on a business trip. Everything was great, good trip… then all of a sudden in the morning after breakfast (still at the hotel) I got these massive "flashes" of sharp pain in my head, followed by a weird sort of "wiggling" feeling in my head. They were so severe it almost made me feel like I was going to collapse. VERY scary! This went on for another 10 or so episodes (now at the office) until I decided to cancel all of my meetings and ask the local HR rep. to take me to the doctor. They thought maybe I had a brain tumor (that’s always a nice idea) so they gave me a brain scan. The result? Everything was fine!! Eventually these pains went away.. they only lasted one or two days but man were they severe and scary. So here we are 7 years after the original attacks. Life is great. My wife and I are healthy, doing great in our careers, and we have a 13 month old angel of a daughter. A few weekends ago I stayed up drinking with my dad until like 3 AM, something I haven’t done in YEARS (I rarely get drunk, but boy did I ever). We all know that drinking and anxiety do not mix: BAD IDEA. Alcohol makes you feel relaxed at the time but there is a big chance, especially to the "sensitized" person to make you anxious the next day or two, increasing as your level of consumption increases. So of course, the next day, I felt "edgy"… but maybe not much more edgy then a non-anxiety sufferer would feel. In fact, I had a couple of beers that next night (trying the old "hair of the dog" theory) and it actually worked, I was finally able to feel relaxed towards the end of the night. Two days later, I found out that a very close friend of mine through childhood and beyond had died at the age of 35 (my age). Two days later a mutual friend called me and asked if I would speak at my deceased friends’ funeral. Being one that is good at public speaking (imagine that, a panic sufferer! Told you I got better!) and also feeling as though I owed this to my friend, I agreed of course. On the way up to the funeral I was feeling pretty shaky but it actually went well… but the week leading up to it was very stressful. Losing a friend at that age is just wrong. So then my wife and I got a little crazy and put an offer on our "dream house" without even putting our existing one on the market. We were prepared to rent out the existing one if we needed to, but that was left to be seen. We did this on faith, faith that our house would sell and faith that God would show us the way through this if it is His will (you guessed it, we’re Christian). So there’s some stress too…. but at the time (this was two weeks ago, maybe 3 now) I wasn’t stressed. I was excited about our options. That’s the thing though, was I really not stressed or did I just not realize or detect it? I think of myself as quite unshakeable as far as stress, but lately I am wondering if this is a lie I tell myself. If I am unshakeable, why the anxiety and panic attacks? So slowly but surely anxiety has crept back in… just feelings of general uneasiness, then feelings of FEAR, being afraid that another attack is going to come and panic will get reintroduced into my life after so many "normal" years. And that’s just it… first, because I am more "sensitized" than others as far as nerves go, I get the weird bodily sensations that less sensitized people get. Weird throbbing in my temples (physical, I can put my fingers up there and feel these blood vessels throbbing in my head), sweaty hands, dizziness, fear of panic, sharp chest pains, the whole deal. Then, "bewilderment" by these sensations… that is, being "impressed" by them rather than just going "hmm.. that was weird" and forgetting about them. And then comes the fear. And you know as a recovering/recovered (or so I thought) sufferer I tell myself "I know you just felt a big chest pain and you have shortness of breath, and you feel like the world is about to end… but this is just "The Liar" in you, your nervous system playing tricks on you. So you tell yourself that, but then you feel the feelings, and they SCARE you. The fear takes over. The sensations bring fear, which strengthens the sensation, which increases the fear, which intensifies the sensations until it becomes unbearable. So here I am now, back on Xanax. I’ve only taken two .25mg pills in the past few days, the first pills in many years. I can tell you that I am very thankful for the medication, although I have been stubborn about taking it. I don’t really like the way it makes me feel… kind of dopey, not firing on all cylinders. But, it’s so much better than the alternative. For the past week it’s gotten pretty bad, although I have had a couple of "normal days" where I felt like my old self. However, today was bad, just like the old "anxiety days" of the past. I felt like I was going to "lose it" much of the day. Just scared of anxiety, that’s what it is, and then it fuels itself! Once that cycle starts, it sure is hard to stop it. That’s the funny thing, we (anxiety sufferers) are afraid of how we are going to FEEL, not of a real health problem… even though they do seem so very real don’t they? I had to take a Xanax today. I still didn’t feel "great" but it sure did help. Last night I was up for THREE HOURS straight just listening to my heart beat. It was weird. It wasn’t beating fast, but it seemed to be pounding and I had sharp "needle like" pains, it was really scaring me. I KNOW that my heart is fine though, because this only happens when I am feeling anxious or panicky! It seems so real though, these sharp pains in my chest and the sides of my chest. They feel sharp and "electrical" if you know what I mean. It was so bad that I didn’t go to work today. Just too freaked out and delirious. I’ve also been taking Magnesium supplements, having heard that this helps calm your overactive nervous system. Has anyone had success with this? Well, I don’t want to take Xanax forever, and maybe after we close on these two houses and we get moved in this will pass… I sure hope
… read more »
Response:
I think you are so scared that you are getting anxious again, that you are making yourself anxious. Try and break the self talk, it never does any good. I have a little saying that I say when I start that stuff. Also when things like this happen I tend to pay more attention to the way I do things. I find that when my anxiety is up I do everything at warp speed. It is amazing how just taking things a little slower can help… at least in my case. I also make it a point to never miss work because of anxiety, I just think it makes it worse to sit at home and think about it.. to me its like giving in to it. Finally I would remember that whatever you are going through with the houses and other life events are already in motion. They are going to happen regardless and no amount of thinking is going to stop it. So try and break any thoughts about what can or is going to happen. good Luck! d
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello: I had a lot of panic attacks (daily for 9 months or so) about 7 years ago right after I got married, switched jobs, and bought my (our) first house, all in the same 4-6 weeks. I guess it was too much at once. It was scary as hell, as you all know. It took me a good 1-2 months to figure out what was wrong with me. The first attack was in the middle of the night, like 2:30 AM. I just jumped up out of bed sweating, severe sharp chest pains, couldn’t breathe well, blurry vision, sweaty palms, throbbing in my neck and temples… the whole package. Having no idea what was going on, I woke my wife and had her rush me to the emergency room. Besides having high blood pressure and a high heart rate (due to the big panic attack), they said I was fine. So then they kept coming and I was put on a "halter" thing that monitors your heart. I had to wear sweaters to work to hide this thing for two days, then I returned the unit with its’ data to the doctor and a couple of days later they interpreted the results: hy heart was in fine health!! So why all of these sharp pains as if someone was jabbing my chest with a kitchen knife? Why these electrical sensations that felt like a "shock" or a "jolt" going through my body? Finally, I talked to someone about this and they suggested that maybe I was having panic attacks. For me, these were a "hoax"… I’d never even really heard of them and due to the extremely physical symptoms. Plus, I am a totally "normal" guy if I can use that word. No big childhood traumas, no relationship issues, just married the girl I always wanted, just bought my first house… you know, everything was great! Well, at the advice of my doctor I tried Xanax, twice a day, at .25mg. It pretty much saved my life at the time (that is, because these attacks made me certain that my own death was eminent!). I had to increase the dosage to .50mg for a while, and then started reading books, etc. Stopped caffeine, cut WAY back on alcohol, started exercising regularly, and eating better. Then, after about 9 months.. the attacks and the GAD began to stop. Whew! I was over that for good! Or so I thought….. but the memories and the fear of these attacks never really went away. You all know how scary they are – it’s almost impossible to forget the experience. Then about 4 years ago I went to Atlanta on a business trip. Everything was great, good trip… then all of a sudden in the morning after breakfast (still at the hotel) I got these massive "flashes" of sharp pain in my head, followed by a weird sort of "wiggling" feeling in my head. They were so severe it almost made me feel like I was going to collapse. VERY scary! This went on for another 10 or so episodes (now at the office) until I decided to cancel all of my meetings and ask the local HR rep. to take me to the doctor. They thought maybe I had a brain tumor (that’s always a nice idea) so they gave me a brain scan. The result? Everything was fine!! Eventually these pains went away.. they only lasted one or two days but man were they severe and scary. So here we are 7 years after the original attacks. Life is great. My wife and I are healthy, doing great in our careers, and we have a 13 month old angel of a daughter. A few weekends ago I stayed up drinking with my dad until like 3 AM, something I haven’t done in YEARS (I rarely get drunk, but boy did I ever). We all know that drinking and anxiety do not mix: BAD IDEA. Alcohol makes you feel relaxed at the time but there is a big chance, especially to the "sensitized" person to make you anxious the next day or two, increasing as your level of consumption increases. So of course, the next day, I felt "edgy"… but maybe not much more edgy then a non-anxiety sufferer would feel. In fact, I had a couple of beers that next night (trying the old "hair of the dog" theory) and it actually worked, I was finally able to feel relaxed towards the end of the night. Two days later, I found out that a very close friend of mine through childhood and beyond had died at the age of 35 (my age). Two days later a mutual friend called me and asked if I would speak at my deceased friends’ funeral. Being one that is good at public speaking (imagine that, a panic sufferer! Told you I got better!) and also feeling as though I owed this to my friend, I agreed of course. On the way up to the funeral I was feeling pretty shaky but it actually went well… but the week leading up to it was very stressful. Losing a friend at that age is just wrong. So then my wife and I got a little crazy and put an offer on our "dream house" without even putting our existing one on the market. We were prepared to rent out the existing one if we needed to, but that was left to be seen. We did this on faith, faith that our house would sell and faith that God would show us the way through this if it is His will (you guessed it, we’re Christian). So there’s some stress too…. but at the time (this was two weeks ago, maybe 3 now) I wasn’t stressed. I was excited about our options. That’s the thing though, was I really not stressed or did I just not realize or detect it? I think of myself as quite unshakeable as far as stress, but lately I am wondering if this is a lie I tell myself. If I am unshakeable, why the anxiety and panic attacks? So slowly but surely anxiety has crept back in… just feelings of general uneasiness, then feelings of FEAR, being afraid that another attack is going to come and panic will get reintroduced into my life after so many "normal" years. And that’s just it… first, because I am more "sensitized" than others as far as nerves go, I get the weird bodily sensations that less sensitized people get. Weird throbbing in my temples (physical, I can put my fingers up there and feel these blood vessels throbbing in my head), sweaty hands, dizziness, fear of panic, sharp chest pains, the whole deal. Then, "bewilderment" by these sensations… that is, being "impressed" by them rather than just going "hmm.. that was weird" and forgetting about them. And then comes the fear. And you know as a recovering/recovered (or so I thought) sufferer I tell myself "I know you just felt a big chest pain and you have shortness of breath, and you feel like the world is about to end… but this is just "The Liar" in you, your nervous system playing tricks on you. So you tell yourself that, but then you feel the feelings, and they SCARE you. The fear takes over. The sensations bring fear, which strengthens the sensation, which increases the fear, which intensifies the sensations until it becomes unbearable. So here I am now, back on Xanax. I’ve only taken two .25mg pills in the past few days, the first pills in many years. I can tell you that I am very thankful for the medication, although I have been stubborn about taking it. I don’t really like the way it makes me feel… kind of dopey, not firing on all cylinders. But, it’s so much better than the alternative. For the past week it’s gotten pretty bad, although I have had a couple of "normal days" where I felt like my old self. However, today was bad, just like the old "anxiety days" of the past. I felt like I was going to "lose it" much of the day. Just scared of anxiety, that’s what it is, and then it fuels itself! Once that cycle starts, it sure is hard to stop it. That’s the funny thing, we (anxiety sufferers) are afraid of how we are going to FEEL, not of a real health problem… even though they do seem so very real don’t they? I had to take a Xanax today. I still didn’t feel "great" but it sure did help. Last night I was up for THREE HOURS straight just listening to my heart beat. It was weird. It wasn’t beating fast, but it seemed to be pounding and I had sharp "needle like" pains, it was really scaring me. I KNOW that my heart is fine though, because this only happens when I am feeling anxious or panicky! It seems so real though, these sharp pains in my chest and the sides of my chest. They feel sharp and "electrical" if you know what I mean. It was so bad that I didn’t go to work today. Just too freaked out and delirious. I’ve also been taking Magnesium supplements, having heard that this helps calm your overactive nervous system. Has anyone had success with this? Well, I don’t want to take Xanax forever, and maybe after we close on these two houses and we get moved in this will pass… I sure hope and pray so. Anxiety and panic take all of the fun out of life for me. No matter how well things are going, they aren’t good if I am having these issues. It does cause depression for me because I am one that really wants to enjoy life, and I do… usually. When I can’t, it really gets me down. I get these weird fears that
… read more »
Response:
Hello: I had a lot of panic attacks (daily for 9 months or so) about 7 years ago right after I got married, switched jobs, and bought my (our) first house, all in the same 4-6 weeks. I guess it was too much at once. It was scary as hell, as you all know. It took me a good 1-2 months to figure out what was wrong with me. The first attack was in the middle of the night, like 2:30 AM. I just jumped up out of bed sweating, severe sharp chest pains, couldn’t breathe well, blurry vision, sweaty palms, throbbing in my neck and temples… the whole package. Having no idea what was going on, I woke my wife and had her rush me to the emergency room. Besides having high blood pressure and a high heart rate (due to the big panic attack), they said I was fine. So then they kept coming and I was put on a "halter" thing that monitors your heart. I had to wear sweaters to work to hide this thing for two days, then I returned the unit with its’ data to the doctor and a couple of days later they interpreted the results: hy heart was in fine health!! So why all of these sharp pains as if someone was jabbing my chest with a kitchen knife? Why these electrical sensations that felt like a "shock" or a "jolt" going through my body? Finally, I talked to someone about this and they suggested that maybe I was having panic attacks. For me, these were a "hoax"… I’d never even really heard of them and due to the extremely physical symptoms. Plus, I am a totally "normal" guy if I can use that word. No big childhood traumas, no relationship issues, just married the girl I always wanted, just bought my first house… you know, everything was great! Well, at the advice of my doctor I tried Xanax, twice a day, at .25mg. It pretty much saved my life at the time (that is, because these attacks made me certain that my own death was eminent!). I had to increase the dosage to .50mg for a while, and then started reading books, etc. Stopped caffeine, cut WAY back on alcohol, started exercising regularly, and eating better. Then, after about 9 months.. the attacks and the GAD began to stop. Whew! I was over that for good! Or so I thought….. but the memories and the fear of these attacks never really went away. You all know how scary they are – it’s almost impossible to forget the experience. Then about 4 years ago I went to Atlanta on a business trip. Everything was great, good trip… then all of a sudden in the morning after breakfast (still at the hotel) I got these massive "flashes" of sharp pain in my head, followed by a weird sort of "wiggling" feeling in my head. They were so severe it almost made me feel like I was going to collapse. VERY scary! This went on for another 10 or so episodes (now at the office) until I decided to cancel all of my meetings and ask the local HR rep. to take me to the doctor. They thought maybe I had a brain tumor (that’s always a nice idea) so they gave me a brain scan. The result? Everything was fine!! Eventually these pains went away.. they only lasted one or two days but man were they severe and scary. So here we are 7 years after the original attacks. Life is great. My wife and I are healthy, doing great in our careers, and we have a 13 month old angel of a daughter. A few weekends ago I stayed up drinking with my dad until like 3 AM, something I haven’t done in YEARS (I rarely get drunk, but boy did I ever). We all know that drinking and anxiety do not mix: BAD IDEA. Alcohol makes you feel relaxed at the time but there is a big chance, especially to the "sensitized" person to make you anxious the next day or two, increasing as your level of consumption increases. So of course, the next day, I felt "edgy"… but maybe not much more edgy then a non-anxiety sufferer would feel. In fact, I had a couple of beers that next night (trying the old "hair of the dog" theory) and it actually worked, I was finally able to feel relaxed towards the end of the night. Two days later, I found out that a very close friend of mine through childhood and beyond had died at the age of 35 (my age). Two days later a mutual friend called me and asked if I would speak at my deceased friends’ funeral. Being one that is good at public speaking (imagine that, a panic sufferer! Told you I got better!) and also feeling as though I owed this to my friend, I agreed of course. On the way up to the funeral I was feeling pretty shaky but it actually went well… but the week leading up to it was very stressful. Losing a friend at that age is just wrong. So then my wife and I got a little crazy and put an offer on our "dream house" without even putting our existing one on the market. We were prepared to rent out the existing one if we needed to, but that was left to be seen. We did this on faith, faith that our house would sell and faith that God would show us the way through this if it is His will (you guessed it, we’re Christian). So there’s some stress too…. but at the time (this was two weeks ago, maybe 3 now) I wasn’t stressed. I was excited about our options. That’s the thing though, was I really not stressed or did I just not realize or detect it? I think of myself as quite unshakeable as far as stress, but lately I am wondering if this is a lie I tell myself. If I am unshakeable, why the anxiety and panic attacks? So slowly but surely anxiety has crept back in… just feelings of general uneasiness, then feelings of FEAR, being afraid that another attack is going to come and panic will get reintroduced into my life after so many "normal" years. And that’s just it… first, because I am more "sensitized" than others as far as nerves go, I get the weird bodily sensations that less sensitized people get. Weird throbbing in my temples (physical, I can put my fingers up there and feel these blood vessels throbbing in my head), sweaty hands, dizziness, fear of panic, sharp chest pains, the whole deal. Then, "bewilderment" by these sensations… that is, being "impressed" by them rather than just going "hmm.. that was weird" and forgetting about them. And then comes the fear. And you know as a recovering/recovered (or so I thought) sufferer I tell myself "I know you just felt a big chest pain and you have shortness of breath, and you feel like the world is about to end… but this is just "The Liar" in you, your nervous system playing tricks on you. So you tell yourself that, but then you feel the feelings, and they SCARE you. The fear takes over. The sensations bring fear, which strengthens the sensation, which increases the fear, which intensifies the sensations until it becomes unbearable. So here I am now, back on Xanax. I’ve only taken two .25mg pills in the past few days, the first pills in many years. I can tell you that I am very thankful for the medication, although I have been stubborn about taking it. I don’t really like the way it makes me feel… kind of dopey, not firing on all cylinders. But, it’s so much better than the alternative. For the past week it’s gotten pretty bad, although I have had a couple of "normal days" where I felt like my old self. However, today was bad, just like the old "anxiety days" of the past. I felt like I was going to "lose it" much of the day. Just scared of anxiety, that’s what it is, and then it fuels itself! Once that cycle starts, it sure is hard to stop it. That’s the funny thing, we (anxiety sufferers) are afraid of how we are going to FEEL, not of a real health problem… even though they do seem so very real don’t they? I had to take a Xanax today. I still didn’t feel "great" but it sure did help. Last night I was up for THREE HOURS straight just listening to my heart beat. It was weird. It wasn’t beating fast, but it seemed to be pounding and I had sharp "needle like" pains, it was really scaring me. I KNOW that my heart is fine though, because this only happens when I am feeling anxious or panicky! It seems so real though, these sharp pains in my chest and the sides of my chest. They feel sharp and "electrical" if you know what I mean. It was so bad that I didn’t go to work today. Just too freaked out and delirious. I’ve also been taking Magnesium supplements, having heard that this helps calm your overactive nervous system. Has anyone had success with this? Well, I don’t want to take Xanax forever, and maybe after we close on these two houses and we get moved in this will pass… I sure hope and pray so. Anxiety and panic take all of the fun out of life for me. No matter how well things are going, they aren’t good if I am having these issues. It does cause depression for me because I am one that really wants to enjoy life, and I do… usually. When I can’t, it really gets me down. I get these weird fears that I am stuck this way forever, which I can’t bear. So I am wondering what I should do to try my best to get rid of this forever. I have read about Joe Barry’s "Panic Portal" and Linden’s "Linden Method" but have read some negative and positive reviews about. Should I read a good book, should I learn to meditate? Should I keep taking Xanax when I need to and work on cognitive stuff like convincing myself that everything is OK and "The Liar" has returned, and will pass? Should I see a therapist? (Never done that.. sounds expensive, will it help?) Should I stick with good ol "take care of yourself" and just exercise daily, eat good, drink much less, etc.? I guess I just wanted to write out my "Anxiety Testimony" and see if anyone has any comments or advice for me. My main concern is that if this continues, it really will have a true effect on my health. Everyone knows that stress is bad for you and can lead to many other actual organic health issues. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you very much for taking the time to read my story. I just needed to "vent" and get it out there to this group to see if anyone has anything to say. I want to be healthy and enjoy my life. Anxiety and Panic ruin all that could be good for me and I HATE it! Thanks — … read more »
Response:
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Jackie ~*~Life is not the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you deal with it is what makes the difference~*~ ~~ Virginia Satir — The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm 
My first migraine was when I was 10 or 11 but I didn’t dare to tell anyone about the visual aura, being afraid they’d say I was going crazy.<sigh! I then had a few years break before they came regularly and then a few changes in frequency but nothing too weird. I too have a balance problem but I know for sure, its nothing to do with a migraine. I had an inner ear problem 18 years ago or so,and had extensive tests done and it showed I have a lesion in the inner ear. Whether that caused my problem I don’t know, but I do know that the balance problem became a phobia. It seems to be partly physical and partly phobic. I have had a lot of weird things that are not common. 
— The charter is available at: http://readystump.algebra.com/~asapm 