Anxiety and the famous

I was pleased to see this thread because I was about to start one myself. My DD had a major panic attack in London yesterday, in which she burst into tears and was violently sick at an underground station. Thankfully a member of staff found her a seat (and a bag in case she was sick again!) but now I am very worried about her. She had been seeing a therapist who said she should go to her doctor today, but of course there are no appointments...

Thank you Elrel

Mercedes - I'm so impressed that you are trying again and again, that in itself is an achievement ?

Sometimes anxiety is caused by over thinking things as it allows a person to imagine the worst scenario. Sometimes it is better to just do it. Ask a friend to accompany you and just go. Pick a small outing to begin with where you can go for example and have a coffee then return home. Treat yourself to something once you have accomplished your outing. Little and often and always go accompanied. Good luck.

I find little things make a difference.
Getting dressed into reasonably smart clothes.
Putting on some makeup
Going for a walk.
Getting one thing done.
Going to the gym.
Ringing a friend
Tidying one shelf.
Planning something to look forward to.
Driving somewhere in the car,, perhaps to the tip.
Going to a shopping centre.

Good point Anya - The small anxieties will grow and grow and your world will get smaller and smaller.
I just have to remember this.

A certain amount of anxiety is normal, especially as we age. It’s important not to give in to it but to make yourself work through it - then you’ll find it easier next time. If you give in to the small anxieties then they will grow and grow until everything becomes fearful.

Hi, I get acute anxiety when I go into a depressive phase and it is just awful. Much worse than the depression itself. It is only relieved after long periods of medication (which I hate having to take). I have tried everything I can inc counselling, CBT, mindfulness, exercise. Nothing but nothing appears to work when going thru a phase. And Ruby Wax - bless her heart - is herself still on medication, despite touring her show based on mindfulness. What is helpful is celebs owning up to mental health and helping remove stigma. Im a bit fan of Stephen Fry etc

I keep thinking I should try mindfulness. I really should.

I would recommend a mindfulness course. It sounds simple, basically breathing. But has helped me a lot. There's an app called headspace that does first 10 sessions for free. You can keep repeating them, it's 10 minutes a day, or pay a few pounds for next level. I also signed up to a group locally where we practise it. Has helped me through all sorts.

I find meditation and Buddhist type philosophy has greatly helped me overcome negative thoughts to some extent. Am not a Buddhist but some of the ideas are very wise and helpful in putting things in perspective in this mad world.

My sympathies are with you, it's really horrible to feel as you do.
I recommend a book: At last a life by Paul David
Good luck and be kind to yourself. x

It sometimes helps me to break going away into segments, first I deal with getting in the car and doing the journey, then going into the hotel/house or wherever, only then do I think about eating and I also find it helps if I think not sleeping one/two nights won't hurt me. Also it can help to concentrate on OH and making a happy time for him. I agree with LJP1 about thinking about being out the other side a bit like with small children when we tell them mum will be back in 2 sleeps. Generally this is a horrible problem and I go between thinking its best to put up a fight or following the acceptance way of doing things. Just try one thing at a time.

Ye you have my sympathy too.

I have found it helps to consider if I will be physically harmed by doing whatever it is - never so far.
Then think about being the other side of the problem; the peace after the experience is over.
And then, keeping that in mind, pretend that I am coping.
Taking the first step is always the worst part so, deep breath and step into the future. Once started things usually carry you along and you can then see the light at the end of the tunnel and work towards it.

You are most welcome DanniRae I hope it helps you as much as it did me. I realised it was my ingrained mindset that needed to change. Since reading it back in 2006 I have never felt the need to reach for the antidepressants. I take pride in the fact that I have faced several monumental life events without them. Our brains are incredibly powerful. I learned to stop listening to the inner negative voice :-)

I too have benefited from meditation and C.B.T. I write to express my fears and feelings. I 'tap' (N.L.p.) I praise myself for every small achievement. My counsellor also suggested counting things to distract myself when suffering from acrophobia I.e. Black cars, red cars etc. It is worth exploring many avenues to find what works for you. Believe you will get better!

Musicelf .I question how supportive your DH is if he knows how debilitating your insecurity is?
Of course you can't hide away from meeting people but retiring to your cabin on a cruise because you don't want to meet other folk is no holiday for you or DH
Taking tablets is not the answer it is temporary relief but could become addictive Have you not considered therapy?

Phoenix & Musicelf; I developed (inherited) late life asthma in my 40's and for many years I was prescribed a large variety of treatments but additionally always reached for my Ventolin inhaler in hope of a 'quick fix', particularly when stressful situations arose at work. Then, 9/10 yrs ago I needed to go on a nebulizer at the local surgery. After 1/2 hr treatment it was realised that the Ventolin used was having absolutely no effect, so I was given a short course of prednisolone (sorry, to waffle but I'll explain my purpose shortly). My asthma is now very well controlled with twice daily Salbutamol and I have since not used Ventolin at all. I have recently learned that it has proved ineffectual & caused various problems for some others. So, may I tentatively suggest you read the following article:- www.livestrong.com/article/265998-asthma-medicines-that-cause-anxiety/

I like the sound of "Don't Swear the Small Stuff" so I have just ordered a copy on line (2nd hand) - thank you Crazygrandma!!

Try not to compare yourself with anyone else. Someone once told me "compare and despair"

A lifetime of anxiety has been hard but the best things that have helped me are meditation and Cognitive behavioural therapy.

The first calms the mind and body. The second helps me organise my thoughts and deal with the negatives.

Not saying it always works, but I feel loads better than I did.

I hope you find the right help and soon feel better.

Daisydoo2 if you haven't already done so, read the book Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and it's all small stuff) by Richard Carlson. That and some other reading did more for me than all the years of antidepressants and therapy. It was the start of realising that nothing lasts for ever, keeping things in proportion and basically changing how I viewed the world. I hope you find your own way through the mire.

So much good advice on here and so reassuring, it is so easy to feel very alone in my head. The pretending has gone well today, I feel like I am on that old programme when the person's comes out and says "today Matthew I'm going to be ...." Yes my humour is slightly off centre, but I have been out... twice for a short time... imagining myself as a very confident motivational speaker... not that I spoke a word.. but I could have done! Well I have to think big.

As Dannirae suggest it is a good start to read a self help book and note the ideas you think would help you and then as other people have suggested create helpful routines. You may find this book helpful:
www.humangivens.com/product/how-to-master-anxiety

If you do you may want to engage a Human Givens Therapist to help you. They aim to work quickly over as few sessions as possible building strategies on your strengths and helping you lead a more satisfying life.

You might well along side this ask your GP for some suportive medication or go herbal and seek calming teas and pills etc.

As one of the people in this thread suggested breathing is important and the usual method is called seven eleven, that is count 7 as you breath in and 11 as you breath out. This is explained in this pdf.

www.liferesolutions.co.uk/uploads/pdfs/7%2011%20fact%20sheet.pdf

Hope you feel better soon.

I was crippled by anxiety for years , till I was prescribed Citalopram . I'm told I will always need to take it , but it has saved me . There's no shame in medication .

I'm also someone who has suffered for years, in fact I think I had anxiety as a child but thought how I felt was how everyone else felt, as I was always worrying excessively about things.
I was also a member of No Panic many years ago when I had become housebound with agoraphobia.
I love the Claire Weekes books, they may be a little dated now, but a lot of the current treatments available seem to be based on her premise of acceptance.
I am not a fan at all of The Linden Method, in fact he makes claims on his site which are false and is currently being investigated by the ASA.
I posted a little while ago about going on my first holiday in 44yrs with my partner. In the 20yrs we've been together we've never had a holiday, in fact we've rarely even been out for the whole day as my anxiety has limited me so much.
On Saturday we went on our holiday and I had such a bad time adjusting to a new place that we ended up coming home again later that evening as we couldn't get the TV or the internet to work and they have always been my distractions when my anxiety is bad.
We returned the next morning, had a lovely day exploring Bourton on the Water, only for me to be totally unable to sleep and having to leave at 6am the following morning to come home yet again.
We are hoping to go back again either tomorrow or Friday as I truly believe that the only way to get through this terrible disability is by repetition.
As for all these celebs who claim to have these disorders yet are cured so quickly I think that most likely as they are financially able to get professional help perhaps their anxiety is nipped in the bud before it really affects their lives.