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I am an ex agoraphobic PanicEnd Message Board
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3 posts Geert81 3 posts
Geert81

Hello,
I would like to present myself. Geert from Belgium.
I am glad I found this website.

I've had panic attacks since I was 8 till the age of 23 and now I overcame them. I will read topics on this board here and there and help where I can!

The biggest secret for me to overcome them was dropping all caffein related products, as well as everything that contains aspartame.

Should anyone be interested in my story, you can find it on youtube. Username is attackyouranxiety

talk to you soon!
http://www.attackyouranxiety.com
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puggini 103 posts
puggini

That's awesome! What did you do to overcome it?
Keith
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tomgunc 1,461 posts
tomgunc

Quote:

The biggest secret for me to overcome them was dropping all caffein related products, as well as everything that contains aspartame.


 
I don't understand your comment. " The biggest secret " I consume none of those products and I still get panic. That secret is a crock. What you intake has a small portion of mind over matter. I just worked out like crazy and I got anxiety and my heart was pumping fast 15 mins after I stopped lifting weights. I controlled my mind by self talk not my sugar, caffeine or aspartame intake.
~ Tommy
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Geert81 3 posts
Geert81
I'm not saying the coffee is the only thing I did. But, when I drink two cups of coffee, I get more anxious afterwards (I get a pounding heart, but also my thoughts are more anxious and paranoia).

I get the same with aspartame.

Now I believe stressors cause anxious feelings as well, and working out like crazy is a stressor to your body too.

I try to find the right average for working out. If I don't, I'm anxious, if I do it too much, it might come back too :-)
http://www.attackyouranxiety.com
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tomgunc 1,461 posts
tomgunc
I have learned that exercise for me can start anxiety attacks only because of the fact that it mimics my symptoms of a racing heart and breathing too fast.
 
I ran 6.5mph for 3 miles non-stop. As soon as I got off the treadmill I stretched and was light headed. This made me go into the oh no mode and then that made me go into the what if mode and then the cycle began. So much for a runners high. So much for relieving stress through exercise. Running 3 miles to some people is nothing at all. It's a walk in the park.
~ Tommy
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DearJohn 1,127 posts
DearJohn
Geert,
I think its wonderful what your doing but I don't think your method is going to work for everyone.. I think you were just able eliminate your triggers unfortunately, not everyone has the same triggers..  Eliminating your triggers will work but what do you do if a trigger presents itself again? For example, what would you do if you accidentally drank a high caffinated drink and your heart started to race? Would you have a panic attack?

What this site and Claire Weekes teaches you will work for almost everyone because it teaches you how to "react" to the thoughts or any symptoms..  Because of what I learned from this site and Claire Weekes I can now drink as much caffeine as I want and it doesn't effect me because I taught myself not to "react" or "tense" against the feelings in a fearful way..  I can now enjoy my coffeee again like I used too..  I "allow" those feelings and any other anxiety feelings to be there and over time I lost my fear and desensitized myself.

Once again I think its great what your doing and you have a great sense of humor and I enjoyed watching your videos.

Rich
The best "reaction" to panic is NO reaction... If you remove the "tension", you remove the problem!
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N/A posts

Well said rich .. When i saw his post to me it looked like another poster trying to get people to join his group or sell something ..

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DearJohn 1,127 posts
DearJohn

Yeah, he's not trying to sell anything and only trying to help others like we all are.
The best "reaction" to panic is NO reaction... If you remove the "tension", you remove the problem!
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ann 181 posts
ann
Good video Geert.
Ann
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Gabby 321 posts
Gabby

Exactly right Rich... learning to overcome the triggers is what its all about, its not the coffee, sugar, exercise etc that causes panic.. its how the mind reacts to the sensations. Sure i agree that coffee  or any big hit of caffeine can give us palps... under normal circumstances we would think nothing of it ..... being sensative with P/D makes us magnify it 100%. Learning to deal with it and getting back to the normal day to day living we enjoy is  what its about. Avoiding triggers is like putting your head in the sand.. its not acceptance... it is  simply hiding from the things that scare you.
Gabby
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tomgunc 1,461 posts
tomgunc

Quote:

Avoiding triggers is like putting your head in the sand.. its not acceptance... it is  simply hiding from the things that scare you.


 
Gabby you're so right.
That was so well said, I'm speechless.
~ Tommy
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nervousuk 3,358 posts
nervousuk
I noticed a measure of calmness when I gave up caffeinated coffee. This wasn't what made me well but it sure helped a bit. I was an avid coffee drinker and was continuously speeded up. I definately noticed that I slowed down quite a lot when I gave it up and didnt feel quite so on edge. It wasn't the cause of my symptoms but it wasn't doing my symptoms much of a favour!!
If I had been a three cups a day person I am sure I wouldnt have noticed such a big difference perhaps. Everything in moderation huh?
I beg to differ about it ALL being about how we perceive our speeded up hearts etc, its just a fact that its a stimulant and has an effect on us when taken in excess. Even if we didnt have panic attacks we would still feel the effects and this includes feeling on edge, speeded up, jittery and nervous. Its still not a good way to be. This is just my opinion.

Sue
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood
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Linda432 1,211 posts
Linda432


right sue, many years ago before i had any panic, i was raising young children and drinking coffee was a "way of life".  i never quite understood why i felt sped up all the time.  my heart was probably racing too but i never gave it much concern as when you're chasing after two little ones, it's hard to think about oneself!!!  (i'm sure you remember those years well!!!).

anyways, i went to the dr. to see why i was having trouble sleeping and relaxing, and during the routine history when he heard how many cups of coffee i drank a day, he nearly flipped out, and said VERY strongly, now THAT will have to stop.

it did and the sped up feeling left.  i still drink coffee; can't imagine getting going without it.  just not those amounts!!!

linda
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nervousuk 3,358 posts
nervousuk
Sounds a lot like me Linda. I should have also added, I was never scared by coffee's effects, its just that we who suffer panic disorder have a need to be as calm as possible. If its recognised on a personal level that over consumption of coffee is enhancing  your hypersensitivity just makes sense to cut right down. In my case I stopped and it was a good move. I wasnt being avoidant at all, just trying to improve my qaulity of life and as I said a few times before, why knock your broken leg on a wall if you dont have to!!!

I'll also repeat the extreme case I saw when I was a patient in hospital. She was in hospital for caffeine withdrawal because she drank coffee almost constantly and she was in an awful mess, even scratching at her face with nervousness...not a nice sight! Of course this is extreme but shows you how powerful overuse of caffeine can be.

I am still not sure why Gabby thinks its hiding when you recognise something you are consuming is making you feel worse.

Sue
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood
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Linda432 1,211 posts
Linda432

sue; that's horrible about the caffeine withdrawal; that poor lady.  i guess it's a good thing that dr. put a lid on my excessive drinking of coffee.

and i think we should be aware of what can make us feel worse.  because some things can; one thing that comes to mind is the otc cold meds; the decongestant ones have that ingredient that def. has that potential.  jittery, sped up kind of side effect, for some, like feeling too wide awake.

otoh, i was on this site once that was talking about things like chocolate causing panic.  that to me is not the road to go down; facing the fear and understanding it's our own apprehension that causes the fear and panic is imo where recovery lies.

glad to see you back, sue.  how was your vacation with your family at the beach? 

linda
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