Three Ooooo

Ok so I just turned 30 a few days ago and it's really hightened my anxiety and panic disorder. The week of my birthday festivities I happened to start my mense, purchase a new car, leave my son with relatives for a week, and run out of my xanax. I guess one can say that these all contributed to my new level of anxiety! But now that things are over, I still have the terrible symptoms. I can't seem to think straight, I get dizzy very easily, I'm irritable over little things, I keep thinking about "What if I die? Where is my son gonna go? ect. ect. Am I going crazy? Do people notice how much pain I'm in? Are they gonna condemn me to the Ward?" I have had anxiety and panic since 2000, so i'm pretty familiar with all the side effects and breathing techniques. I just never experienced it this badly! How do I get myself outta this rut? I don't have a safe supportive family member or friend to vent to, because I feel they are just gonna judge me. I'm in the process of seeing a new therapist for CBT but that's going to be another week out before I get an appointment. Until then, do you guys have any tips or advice on how to over come these intrusive and irrational thoughts and miserable feelings?! Thanks!!

Hi! Welcome! I am glad to hear you're going to get some therapy. In the meantime, have you tried some deep and slow breathing? Maybe even breathing in and out of a paper bag? That can help calm your physical feelings.

And, then as far as your thoughts, I think you already know that you are getting irrational. Make yourself out or find a list of statements that you can repeat over and over. Calming ones such as "Everything is going to be okay" and "I can handle what's happening to me." And maybe listen to some relaxing music.

You might be able to find a book such as "Anxiety for Dummies" that could give you some more concrete suggestions. And keep remembering that help is on the way!

Thanks for your advice & kind words!! Its hard for me to not think that CBT is the only solution for my pain right now. One minute i'm fine and energetic enough to do daily errands and the next minute, I feel like crap and struggle with depersonalization. Right now my hands have been on a shaking binge for the past week. This is so annoying, how do I make them stop? I also find myself having trouble thinking about the future, like I fear something won't let me make it to next year or further. I know it's all irrational thoughts, but I can't seem to get myself outta this without alerting my family. I am a single mother of a 4yr old, so rest and relaxation is out of the question for me. I don't want to fall apart and leave my son with no parent.

p.s. I also have a GP appointment coming up next week, and I can't help but get anxious and impatient to see my new doctor. Because I'm hoping they find something medically(physically) wrong with me so that can explain my anxiety symptoms.

I remember turning 30. I'm 52 now. I thought i was going to die!i think it was just because of the number 30. i also had my one and only son when i was 30 too. You need to do what PAYNE wrote, the one phrase that helps the best is "everythings going to be ok." Another thing i did was buy a nature sounds cd and or tape of the ocean waves, music thats relaxing and breathe deep until your relaxed, just keep meditating on the sound on the cd. I hope youn do well and others here could give you some good ideas too, I happy to meet you here!!!

so today I took myself to urgent care just to squash my fears that maybe there was something else wrong with my physical health and not my anxiety. But it ended up just being my GAD! So the PA decided to start me on 10mg Buspar along with my normal 150mg zoloft daily, and then .25mg xanax as needed. Have any of you tried buspar alongside something else?