grimcreeper13 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I'm in my early 20s and have been dealing with bad anxiety/panic attacks for about 6 months now. They started this summer and despite seeing the doctor and being prescribed medications I'm just really not about all it for many reasons. I've changed my lifestyle nearly tenfold... I dont eat sugar, no alcohol, no drugs, only drink water and soy milk etc. It seems to have helped and I can control the panic attacks so its not quite as intense as it was initially but fuck...anyone who's experienced it knows how big of a factor it becomes in everything you do... i suppose im just creating this thread because im sure its something a lot of you guys deal with also... anyone ovecome it? without meds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I treat all my mental disorders with one magic medicine. and occasionally percocet. but usually just booze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silly_kelly Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 i had a panic attack a week ago, .shit sucked. i was having serious muscled spasms, and short breaths. ~for anxiety and such i use marijuana. Detroit has decriminalized herb, and the state of mi allows medicinal use. i am legal, and could not be more satisfied. it helps more than anything. just a few deep breaths and yoga accompanied by ganja++++. put on some zen music and stretch. it does wonders. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
423894 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 It definitely helps to know the cause of your anxiety, try and do some self reflection. I am dealing with some anxiety issues right now as well and meditation has worked for me. I do 20 minutes twice a day (noon and 9pm) and its definitely changed the frequency of my anxiety. Marijuana is hit or miss, I either feel really good and relaxed or super paranoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shai Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I've been dealing with anxiety and depression for most of my life. I've been on various meds (Zoloft, lithium, Ativan, Klonopin) with varying results...at some point I realized that they weren't really for me, so I've gone without for a few years now. It would be nice if weed helped, but more often than not it seems to amplify whatever's going through my head so I steer clear of it entirely. Social anxiety is a big one for me. I don't mind crowds per se, but parties and shows tend to make me nervous. I don't have a problem talking to strangers, but until I've had a few drinks I'm usually asking myself "why exactly did I come here again?" Being outgoing has never been something that comes naturally to me. I don't really have much advice that you probably haven't already considered. When I start feeling antsy I usually go for a walk or a bike ride. Projects seem to help both ways....having a task and a goal to focus on keeps my mind from racing, and it feels good when you see something through from beginning to end. Unfortunately it's a fine line...sometimes I stack things up, then get wound up about not getting shit done, then I get bummed out, etc. Staying positive and calm can take some degree of effort at times, but it's gotten easier and the payoff has definitely been worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tango 24 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 i have pretty serious social anxiety disorder, overanalysis of self in social situations to the point where someone talks to me i can barely get a reply out that makes any sense. I mix words up, get tongue tied and just peter out. it's worse in crowds unless i'm drunk and then I just feel like one of the unwashed masses. getting high makes everything a million times worse unless i'm chilling with homies somewhere I feel comfortable. Now personally, I don't see how changing your diet would have any impact at all on a mental thing but I guess that's how you deal with it. I've never been medicated for it because I don't want to be. I just live with it nowadays, I have a small group of friends that I chill with and don't do much to try and extend that circle. I guess I limit myself to things that I'm comfortable with. Just realised how insecure I am after reading back what I typed lol what a loser. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicineCabinet Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 QUIT FREAKING OUT MAN!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
publicenemyno.3 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 snort coke and drink coffee. that helps lots. seriously though, just do something relaxing and ride it out. if you feel an attack coming on stop doing what you're doing and put your mind on something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimcreeper13 Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 unfortunately weed is what broke the flood gates initially. i had never had a panic attack until smoking, and then they just never went away hah. needless to say its not a remedy for me specifically but thats good that it helps somebody haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grimcreeper13 Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 and healthy body healthy mind is fairly accurate...sugar/caffiene/ and nearly all drugs worsen anxiety from what research ive done on it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicineCabinet Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 for sure, but tumbleweed is not the direct cause of paranoia; it only reveals your lifetimes of programming along with the actual self, & i think thats what causes most people to be confused & willing to accept that theyre this insane/evil person (or otherwise continues with their ego shield & makes them think of them as just "bad trips") snort coke and drink coffee. that helps lots. seriously though, just do something relaxing and ride it out. if you feel an attack coming on stop doing what you're doing and put your mind on something else. bumps & coffee followed by rollercoasters while listening to dmx. to soothe the mind nah i know... a lot of oontzers & rap spray designers in general have dealt with something like this to some degree. most people all over are just sad & fundamentally confused children at heart at the end of the day. getting paranoid on tumbleweed, everyone has had that. you either get better at collecting yourself & realizing that all "bad trips" are just emotional manifestations of all your fears, trauma, insecurities & a lifetime of programming from exterior factors adding to your confusion, or your dont (& keep being a manlyman who nobody can like, except other people as equally unfortunate). some get over it, some never do. mediation & dissolving your ego is definitely one of the better ways to start, so kudos to that. getting over tumbleweed fear is a nice little rite of passage in life & im sure youll see that it was worth the spiritual (or whatever youd rather call it) effort. i still get a little paranoid from time to time, but its not as bad as it was for a couple years in hs... couldnt go outside, man. except burger king also never had a panic attack where i couldnt breathe (guess that is some next level shit), but definitely have "greened out" a few times before (passing out/having to sleep). hah, my greening out phase got retarded at one point that i knew id probably pass out if all this or that was smoked, but would anyway... then id sleep like a baby for about 2-3 hours in the same room while my friends practiced their lame high school band. about the time i stopped passing out (barely minding it at this point), i realized it was pretty lame of me to just sleep for hours in front of my friends literally every time we were hanging out & started feeling pretty shitty about it. shortly after, it conveniently just stopped happening altogether who you surround yourself by (who either help you through it, or ridicule you) will help you realize who your true friends are. man, ive cried in front of my friends when fucked up things have happened & couldnt help but break down in tears & its ok because theyre my actual friends. some people dont even have people they can let out some tears in front of, & thats pretty fucking sad. anyway ive rambled, so good luck dude (even im sure youll be fine). id throw out those meds unless its something you really need on a regular basis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morton Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 The anxiety that I experience is not at levels that I would call attacks, but it is there. I have found that swimming laps daily does wonders for my state of mind. Being sober also helps, I think that for most people drugs and alcohol cause more problems than they solve and there is a big difference between "self medicating" and just taking the edge off of withdrawal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltrailer77 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 MedicineCabnet hit the nail on the head, introspection is the key. You need to look inside yourself and figure out what the source of the fear is. I went thru some pretty intense shit at a very young age, and it fucked me up good. For a long time I didn't know what the source of the fear was because I had blocked it out. It wasn't until almost 10 years later during a horrifyingly bad acid trip that it was brought back to the surface and I was able to deal with it. I owe an enormus debt to a random old hippy that found me lost in a Safeway parking lot and took it upon himself to help me out of a bad spot. I can look back at that incident and say I wouldn't have survived too much longer if that hadn't have happened. I have been through some fucked up shit since then and now I have a cocktail of shit the VA wants me to take , but I can't function in any capacity with all that shit in me. I just drink like fist said, it works. Some days are better than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crocodile Tears Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Anytime I start to freak out, usually around bed time, because I induce insomnia literally due to fear of catching insomnia, I focus on breathing and forcing my heart rate to slow down due to the amount of air that I control by allowing a stead consistent flow circulate into my blood. Its got a 60% + success rate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CancerDancer Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Anytime I start to freak out, usually around bed time, because I induce insomnia literally due to fear of catching insomnia, I focus on breathing and forcing my heart rate to slow down due to the amount of air that I control by allowing a stead consistent flow circulate into my blood. Its got a 60% + success rate. this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NightmareOnElmStreet Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 lots of good advice in here. i'm suffering worse right now then i ever did when i was all fucked up a few years back. portland this time of year is not the place to move when your mind isn't right. very fucking close to cashing out my chips. laid off meds a long time ago on a personal note and i've been fine ever since. but now the stress of not having a full time job like i'm used to or a clean apartment to come home to has got me completely fucked up. deep breathing and sleeping it off barely helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbrshmonster Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 i basically live on this and i can't even afford weed anymore not working out too well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPS Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 lots of good advice in here. i'm suffering worse right now then i ever did when i was all fucked up a few years back. portland this time of year is not the place to move when your mind isn't right. very fucking close to cashing out my chips. laid off meds a long time ago on a personal note and i've been fine ever since. but now the stress of not having a full time job like i'm used to or a clean apartment to come home to has got me completely fucked up. deep breathing and sleeping it off barely helps. i know exactly what you're dealing with man, its a huge reason why i left the NW. also, i have to say 12oz, i expected this thread to get trolled and hijacked immediately. you guys are acting like adults and shit. bravo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..romero.. Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 i've been having these more or less daily since 9th grade. im not sure what started them initially but its definitely changed the way i act and my overall psyche or whatever you want to call it. im OCD about everything now. everything is gonna kill me and im constantly in peril etc. the worst was about 2 years ago when i was literally having really really strong panic attacks back to back for about 2 months straight, shit was pure hell. this is more or less what i do with my panic attacks when i feel them coming on. -recognize that its a panic attack and not a heart attack or asthma attack etc. -control your breathing. focusing on your breathing helps calm your nerves down pretty well. breath in through your nose and out your mouth slowly, like you would for a doctor exam etc. -try to calm your mind as much as possible. don't think about anything. if you can lie down and try to imagine you being in a happy place. i know it sounds mad gay but it works, i always imagine im about to go paint some freights.. you have to imagine every detail in what you are doing. for instance i imagine me walking up to the trains and the sound the grass makes under my feet, the sound the cans make. the dew on my legs as i walk through the grass, the smell of the yard and the paint. all that shit. and then i basically paint a piece in my head from start to finish. this sounds ridiculous but it totally works. all the time you spend concentrating on the imagery takes your mind off whatever you are tripping over -try to use rational thinking as much as possible. most of my anxiety manifested in phobias of various illnesses or whatever else, and i would always try to think as rationally as possible. keep telling myself that the probability of whatever i was worried about was so slim that it was nothing to worry about. constant reassuance and all that -excercise works wonders for relieving built up tension. if you feel you are about to have a panic attack go work out, do some pushups or something. using a punching bag or just shadow boxing always works for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..romero.. Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 basically though the only thing you can do is find out what is causing your anxiety and confront it. benzos work but if you use it as a crutch and then run out all of the sudden you'll end up losing your mind over that shit. finding out what caused it in the first place and then resolving it is the only real way to beat panic attacks. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltrailer77 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 I have to say 12oz, i expected this thread to get trolled and hijacked immediately. you guys are acting like adults and shit. bravo. It would seem to be a pretty common ailment amongst the regulars here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brickos Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Disappointing lack of trolling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crocodile Tears Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Internerd Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 When I was younger I had a panic attack after I took a bunch of mushrooms. One of the worst experiences of my life. I don't have much to contribute to this thread, but fuck panic attacks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_splint2 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 im OCD about everything now. everything is gonna kill me and im constantly in peril etc. -recognize that its a panic attack and not a heart attack or asthma attack etc. I am in the exact same spot right now. I started having panic attacks about 5 months ago and now I over-analyze everything and every little muscle spasm or ache is something that might kill me. It's pretty miserable for sure. You're advice on recognizing that it is a panic attack and not something else is spot on. When I had my first real panic attack I literally thought I was having a heart attack, I had to have someone from work take me to an ER just for them to tell me I was perfectly fine...and send a huge bill. It's insane what you're body can do, but being able to recognize an attack coming on can help you sort of take it in stride and hopefully limit it's effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eviltrailer77 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 This may seem corny but it worked for me... I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shai Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 This.... ....makes me think of this... Having a sense of humor seems to help. A lot of people think I'm one negative bastard but most of the time I'm usually just laughing on the inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fist 666 Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 This may seem corny but it worked for me... I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. fuck yes. until the day i die. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
injury Posted November 22, 2012 Share Posted November 22, 2012 i feel like the majority of this board can sound off on anxiety disorders and panic attacks, it seems to come with the territory. i dont have anything great to contribute here but my friends who do have anxiety and/or panic attacks suffer greatly. so good luck ... all yall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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