Oh, great topic! I'm glad we're talking about this. I can relate. I don't remember when I had my first panic attack but it was horrible and like others, I thought I was dying. It got really bad over the course of lots of moving--28 times since I was 11. It was especially bad after moving to Seattle intitially and not knowing anybody and then having one at Northgate mall. That led to agoraphobia. Horrible! I am glad we are sharing information here. I don't think there is a single cure that will work for everyone but I sure always like to know what others are doing. I don't know if these will help others or not but here are some things that have helped me:
-There is a book called: "Hope and Help for your Nerves" by Dr. Clare Weekes. She describes what is happening during a panic attack in a physiological way. It is very helpful for breaking the cycle of FEAR of another panic attack. I used to get them in grocery stores due to this phenomenon and that rarely happens now since reading this book. She has a great nurturing but not condescending tone.
-I take Xanax only in a pinch and I travel with it. This is good for geting stuck in the elevator and things like that. I do not take it on a regular basis though.
-I have a thyroid disorder. HAVE IT CHECKED. Important. I can't metabolize caffeine at all right now so if I have it, it's bad news. If your hormones are messed up, and whose aren't, that can be a contributing factor.
-Caffeine is a HUGE factor.
- I think counseling is very important and don't understand why more people don't use this option. I understand if your insurance doesn't cover it but there are lots of practitioners who use sliding scales. I am lucky to have a great friend who helped me see that a counselor is there to serve me, so I was picky and found a great one. It is important to find one that is right for you.
-I think it is important to be highly compassionate with yourself. It is very easy to compare what is going on inside with what it appears others are experiencing. This is always a bad idea. This is hard to do.
-Express grief. We do not do this in our culture and I think a lot of this has to do with that. We do not discuss emotions, we are not demonstrative, and we do not know how to express grief. I think a really good grief book is by Joan Didion and is called: "The Year of Magical Thinking". We are too rational. I think this is linked to panic because of the repression aspect.
-Food allergies. Could also be environmental. I found out I cannot eat wheat or gluten and anxiety is one thing that happens to me when I eat it. It's a grating sort of feeling and I now know what it is. Pay attention to patterns and see if it appears to be linked to something (like medication, too). I think it's important to trust your own experience even if it seems wacky,
-The last thing that has really helped--this is really more with the depression that stemmed from the panic attacks--is to not be a victim about it. This is hard to do when you are suffering but I try to find the one good thing and then go from there. If you have a defeatist attitude, it is very hard to find solutions. It is very easy to be depressed with anxiety and I think to find a good balance between compassion, but also pushing through the defeatist attitude.
I realize this list makes it sound like I have it together, but that is not the case. It is always trial and error. I do have way less panic attacks now and a much greater understanding of what is going on in my body, so that when I do feel bad, I at least understand probably what caused it. I hope my tips will help somebody else. I think this thread is really amazing.
Oh, and yoga and meditation are key. Getting grounded in your body if possible is helpful during a panic attack. Meditation is NOT. Tara Brach has some free talks on meditation and she addresses this. That is for calm periods, just more for general anxiety.
Thanks
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