On the Road to Recovery: Knowing What To Expect Will Get You There Faster
No matter what approach for your cure you will end up taking, it is always a good idea to be prepared.
Go through the following three items. If you identify with any, or all, of the experiences, you will do yourself a world of good by understanding the reasons and trying to implement the recommendations. If nothing else, simply being aware of them will be a great start as you embark on the journey that will finally set you free.
The fear of the next attack: It would take a sufferer to really grasp, and identify with, what I am about to describe.
No one who has ever suffered from anxiety panic disorder can forget his or her first panic attack. Mine took place 9 years ago while vacationing in New Orleans. In my case the first attack was triggered, I am convinced, by an acute vertigo, which on its own can be scary enough.
The experience of the first attack is so terrifying that it leaves a deep, profound IMPRINT on our psyche. From that moment on we develop a severe fear from the next attack.
The worst thing we can do is fear the next attack. Here is why:
• The problem with fearing an attack is that the fear itself is actually the very fuel that brings on the next attack.
• Many have spoken and written about the consequences suffered by fearing fear.
• The law of attraction puts it simply by stating that “like attracts like.” Namely, when we dwell on anything, be it positive or negative, by the law of attraction, we must attract to us that which we dwell on.
• Job, the famous biblical figure, who lived thousands of years ago reveals, after suffering a great deal, how conscious he was of this phenomenon when he said: “That which I dreaded came upon me.”
In other words we can never expect to reap anything different than what we sow.
How can you benefit from it?
If you only can realize at this point that a panic attack cannot come to life without the fear, and anticipation, of it, you will have reached an important milestone on your way to recovery. Eventually you will learn to stop fearing the next attack. And once the fear is eradicated so will the attacks.
This diagram illustrates the never ending cycle of panic attacks:
Self Blame:
Because panic attacks are labeled as an “Intense Irrational Fear,” many of us — unable to find a logical explanation for the emotional and physical symptoms we experience– tend to think, and eventually believe, that the attacks are a personal problem that we have, somehow, created. As a result feelings of shame, guilt and depression are often experienced.
If the above sounds familiar, then the first thing you want to do is acknowledge and accept it without judgment.
It is true that the intense fear experienced during high anxiety or, later, during a panic attack is “irrational.” And the reason for it is rather simple:
During an anxiety panic attack our body reacts to none existent, perceived threats by releasing an over dose of adrenaline, tensing up and shifting our brain activity to the mode of “fight or flight.”
Our brain’s ability to think and reason is located in the front brain (prefrontal cortex). During an attack, however, our brain activity shifts to the midbrain (periaqueductal grey area). This is a portion of the brain where survival mechanisms such as “fight or flight” originate from. While operating from within the mid brain your ability to think and apply logic is drastically impaired.
How can you benefit from it?
By understanding what takes place in your body during a panic attack, you can begin to see why taking the attacks personally is counter productive; If you realize that you are not responsible for creating the attacks and stop blaming yourself for them, it will help you get rid of the guilt you carry and make your recovery easier and faster.
Avoidance and Isolation:
Dreading another attack, we tend to avoid any activity we perceive might provoke it. If left untreated, this tendency increases and we gradually isolate ourselves, retreating into a shell of secrecy and shame.
But the irony here — unbeknown to us, of course — is that avoidance, shame and secrecy are also some of the very ‘food’ on which panic and anxiety thrive. And so when we try to hide the symptoms we only worsen matters, allowing the problem to fester, intensify and thus have an even stronger grip on us.
How can I benefit from this?
This is probably the simplest of all to grasp and take the necessary measures to change right here and right now. You can begin by asking yourself this: “would I be ashamed if I suffered from diabetes?” Of course you wouldn’t. You would be sharing this with your family and friends and move on with your life.
If you can do the same with your Anxiety and panic condition, you will be half the way on your way to recovery. So, the first thing I would urge you to do is gather the courage and make the commitment to never again hide, or be ashamed. If you have been hiding your condition then this is the time to dare to dare and share it with people you love and trust. You will be amazed by the loving response and support you will be receiving. I wouldn’t be surprised if you will be jumping of joy by the relief that will follow.
Conclusion:
All that I have shared with you in this article is based on my personal experience:
For years I deceived myself, pretending I was okay, when in fact a part of me always dreaded the next Attack. Like most who are afraid of the next attack I did all I could to avoid any situation that might provoke it.
Believing my condition was something I was creating for myself; I was ashamed of it and kept it a secret, hoping it would somehow disappear on its own. It did not.
Beginning my recovery was not possible before I finally had the courage to open up. As I write this, it is all so fresh and the relief is so real that all I want to do is touch and impact the lives of as many who suffer from anxiety/panic as I can, by instilling in them hope and motivating them to take action and seek help.
If by reading this article I was able spare you from even an hour of unnecessary pain, then taking the time to write it would not have been in vain.
Here’s to your well being.
To learn more about Anxiety/Panic and find a cure: Click Here.
D. More
Anxiety Panic Free Zone