I suffer from agoraphobia and I continually have panic attacks in my home ... any suggestions for relaxing?

Question

I have been stuck in home for 5 years. I take Effexor, Xanax, and Seroquel. I use breathing techniques, chamomile tea, and flushing my face with cold water! I would like to know if anyone has any other suggestions for preventing attacks in my own home or to help stop them when it happens?

Answer 1

burn some lavender oil and breathe deep,try fennel tea. i sometimes use passionflower or valerian. all natural. meditate frequently, carry a damp face cloth with you,when you feel like this,wipe your face focusing on the coolness and especially around your neck. i hope this helps you :)

Answer 2

Hi Im so sorry about the place you are in right now- I have also been there... twice. The first time CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) really helped- I was learning all these new techniques and was REALLY focused on my recovery and took every therapy session and homework assignment very seriously- the second time though I was lazy about it- having remembered how hard and time consuming it was the first time around. The Dr. put me on paxil the second time around which helps me a lot (I know a lot of people hate it though). Another thing that helped me through the second time was actually finding Jesus- but thats a whole other issue altogether. the breathing techniques never really worked for me. Can you identify your triggers? If I knew I had nothing to do (nothing was expected of me) that day, normally I would be OK, but if I had to go to a family party or had another obligation it was AWFUL- Christmas Eve of 2005 I spent all alone all night in my room with the lights off while all my loved ones were out celebrating with each other.

I guess I might suggest yoga- have you tried that? Beginners yoga is really nice- it gets your mind off of anxiety, gives you just enough stretch and work to actually feel a slight "burn" and it is relaxing if you move with your breathing.

Currently, I mainly rely on the paxil and also klonopin, but I do have a part time job now which is more than I had in the past. Do you have supportive people in your life? That helps too- knowing youre not doing it alone really helps keep you motivated to find solutions.

Make sure to ground yourself- pinch yourself, touch the walls and the carpet and tell yourself that you are safe, youre in a safe environment, you've had 1,000,000 panic attacks and X has never happened before...

My "X" was vomiting- terribly afraid- for others its dying, going crazy, having a heart attack, etc. BUt the point is, 99.9% of the time the feared thing never ever happens. Somehow instead of associating your triggers with fear, you need to associate them with something more positive, like how you have overcome so many panic attacks- It also helped me to keep a "victory log" of all the things I accomplished- even if it seems dumb like "March 28- I sat on the front porch for a half hour"

Goodluck and God Bless!

Answer 3

I'm sorry you are suffering from this and being brave to talk about it. I deal with panic attacks but have gotten them under better control. I will sometimes take a bath and sink deep into the tub until the water covers my ears, then I can hear myself breathe. Sometimes I pray - which always helps if you really believe. I am on meds too and they do help but after 20 years with this, they to peter out. As important as exercise is, so is taking on your fears a little each day. Have goals and treat yourself when you do well. With each fear, tell yourself, what is the worst that could happen?

Good luck to you. I will say a prayer for you.
Schmitty

Answer 4

Hi, first the panic attack is a normal reaction of your body against threat regardless of the threat is there or not. You totally owns it. This means you can also totally control it. There is no such place as SAFE PLACE, everyplace is a safe place. why? because you can control it anyplace anytime when it happens. Medication is good, and breathing exercise is excellent. You must take one baby step at a time to get out of your comfort zone a little, and little more. I suffer the same thing, and could not walk from room to room. After few years, I flew out of the country and back. I now travel often, and go anyplace alone. What helped me was building confidence by doing one baby step at a time walk along with med and breathing exercise. Yoga is also great, meditation is great, suck on candy is great~! Hung in there.

Answer 5

Social anxiety can cause these feelings, which can also lead to severe depression,
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds...

if not you could be suffering from Generalized Anxiety
Disorder..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/general_anx...

There is hope; I've been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b... worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I've tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.

Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.

Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.

The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxiety.us/findinghelp.... and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.

I recommend a mild anti-anxiety med in addition to CBT therapy.

Any questions, let me know ... I can't tell you how much this has improved my life!

Answer 6

I have read some litterature about panic attacks. But they allways seem to have a more scientific approach and that is nothing I need in my struggle to survive those horrible panic attacks. This is a "hand on" and very practical book. I felt it was written to me. I am sure that you are going to feel the same.

Joe Barry writes exactly how I think. The examples are perfectly described. And the method is genius. I recommend this book and thanks Joe Barry for writing it. It changes your life

Answer 7

Ummm... that sounds pretty serious. Try going to a psychiatrist, or if you can't transport yourself call a friend or close neighbor to get you there. They probably have the best advice. If you've already done this try turning on calm classical music and getting more sleep. This will put you in a better mood and get you relaxed. Plus, what fun is life if you go through it worrying and panicking?

Answer 8

Hi,
There is this guide by anxiety expert Joe Barry , he has taught thousands of people to be panic free without any medication using a revolutionary new technique, http://www.panicaway.co.nr , its really a great guide , it should help you get rid of panic attacks forever in a few days

Answer 9

Have you ever tried the brown paper bag breathing thing? Get a paper bag when you feel an attack coming on with your hands crinkle up the top of the bag and hold the top of the paper bag around your nose and mouth - breathe into and out of the paper bag - for some reason CO2 makes panic attacks diminish. Old trick .

No you cannot use a plastic bag to do this trick.

Answer 10

I watch The Dog Whisperer on the explorer channel with Ceaser Malone and he just did a show where he was called to help this woman with her dog who was going to take his last test to become a service dog, she was having the same problem you are, she had gone to counciling, taken medication and nothing worked that great, but she felt safe with her dog, she said she could take it on walks and as time went on she said she knew if he could be a service dog she could then go in public places and she went to work traing dog, she had Ceaser come over to help the dog train for last test. She told Ceaser she was scared of other ddogs like pitbulls or rots. He was all for it and even hired a good dog trainerl, then he even took this woman to his compound and spent all day with her and she was around all of his pitbulls and rots and she came back with husband and she was telling him how to walk and act around the pack because its scary to anyone then she just walked in and he was in shock she wasnt even the least bit in a panic and he was so happy, then her dog passed test with Ceasers help and her determination she had her service dog which was also her beloved pet and she could go anywhere with him, at the end she said she was almost cured and might not need to have service dog all the time. But they are finding alll kinds of proof where animals are beneficial to all kinds of problems. I have 2 parrots and I saw this story about a girl who had eplectic ceasures and someone got her a budgie and the bird was her pet and she didnt know what was wrong because bird was screaming flying in circles and she went down and had a ceasure, after that she could have her life back, and even have her own apt. This bird always warned her and she could get somewhere safe and hit buttton for help. Birds are so great but they more work then a kid if you have a bigger parrot. You should really think about going to Ceasers web site or get his book, Dogs are wonderful and they will protect you and become your greatest joy. I love my Grey who can end up with a vocabulary of 2000 word but they are like us Im bi polar they can get anxiety and stressed out but that could help you become the one who has to become the care taker. When your with someone and something happens if they panic first then you become the calm one. Good Luck. Go to MSN Health they have forums Good luck