Dumaguete Info Search


Losing control

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Forum' started by SpringYellow, Jan 25, 2021.

  1. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Sorry to hear of your loss and subsequent palpitations - a result of the anxiety of loss I assume. In my posting above I mentioned beta-blockers as they control some of the physical symptoms of anxiety - not how we think but how our body reacts to excess adrenaline. But these can be dangerous in overdose and so, as you said, should be used only under medical guidance.

    Many substances we put in our bodies can become addictive - from seemingly harmless sugar (sometimes in hidden forms) to the most addictive drugs used by addicts. That is why I never use medicines if I can avoid them - from painkillers (better to tolerate small amounts of pain) to anxiolytics (better to tolerate a small amount of anxiety). Often it is a case of 'present pain for future gain' - especially so with anxiety, where allowing the brain to recognise that anxiety can be tolerated to a certain extent is better than masking it at every opportunity and giving the brain no chance to learn.

    For those who are not sure how the 'fight or flight' mechanism fits into this: When the body meets a real danger (e.g. being attacked by a dangerous animal, being trapped by a fire) it very quickly decides if to face the danger (e.g. overcome the animal) or to flee pronto. In either case, the body needs extra resources - more energy especially - and so the blood (delivery) system has to go into overdrive, to get those supplies (glucose, oxygen) to the muscles (and to remove waste products, such as lactic acid which builds up in the muscles and causes them to fatigue). This needs the heart to beat faster (so the person experiences a faster heart rate) to push the blood around the body; it diverts some blood from less essential needs (from the skin surface - so the person looks pale); it removes excess heat generated by muscle activity (so the person feels hot and sweats more); the muscles tend to tighten to avoid damage (so the person gets tightness in the throat and can feel as if choking) ... there is a very long list of symptoms experienced due to the effect of adrenaline in the 'fight or flight' mechanism and those I listed are just a few. They will vary from individual to individual (why not? we are all different) and from time to time (we may not always experience exactly the same response).

    We can see that even the few results of adrenaline action within the body I listed above (fast heart rate, sweating, pallor, feelings of choking) are what almost everyone undergoing a panic attack (an adrenaline response) has felt at some time - and there is no mystery, all of them are NORMAL. So when suffering them (some can feel unpleasant) just remember: they are normal, your body is functioning 100% as it should. A person may ask why such unpleasantness has to be experienced and the answer is because without adrenaline, without 'fight and flight' many would die from the danger (e.g. be killed by the fire your body did not remove you from quickly enough). That is a good reason to ACCEPT it. Fighting back only makes the whole system go up a notch - accepting it as unpleasant but normal will eventually cause it to fade ('present pain for future gain').

    Btw, we can suffer the adrenaline response without an urgent danger in front of us - this can simply be a response to stress. But we still need that system and we can learn how to use it at more appropriate times. Sometimes just knowing why something is happening is enough to help deal with it.
     
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  2. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Many good points - there is very much a person can do to help overcome the unpleasant effects of panic. Life changes are important - getting out, meditating, mindfulness (which I think is a form of meditation), hobbies, interests.

    The only point I would make is not to try too many different angles from the start - being overwhelmed is a sure way to induce panic. My personal view is to get some form of control, using occasional medication if required, then start learning how to accept and to introduce some of the great ideas you showed above for a more positive lifestyle.
     
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  3. john boy

    john boy DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster

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    All interesting stuff and hope the person referred to in the opening post has chance to absorb the advice.
    Strangely enough, last night I awoke about 1;30 am, flicked the TV on mainly to check the time, a young lady athlete was discussing the stress of Social Media
    when dealing with abuse and racism she had encounted during her career, which although sucessful had left her with mild depression.
    Bottom line, less time spent on SM gossip sites, combined with positive activities and friends can help lift depression.
     
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  4. john boy

    john boy DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster

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    I agree.....but when you get an answer is the time to worry!
    Seriously a good walk and talk is good for you. I have a friend who for his age is very positive and reasonably fit.
    When ever he gets stressed he looks in the mirror and gives himself a stern talking to. It works for him.
     
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  5. tanjay

    tanjay DI Member

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    Maybe over usage......10 drops per liter of water.
     
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  6. tanjay

    tanjay DI Member

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    San Mig light may cause liver damage too...
     
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  7. Crystalhead

    Crystalhead ADMIN Admin ★ Forum Moderator ★ ★ Global Mod ★ ★ Moderator ★ ★★ Forum Sponsor ★★ ★ No Ads ★ Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer Veteran Army

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    Never had anxiety or mental health but had a brother (passed now) whom did suffer from it. He had learned a method that when he used it stopped the attacks and apparently tens of thousands use it and it works. It's called (TAPPING)... no drugs or addicting benzos required. Learn more here and best of hope to those that suffer.


    Outside of that.... the best prescription for such is Clonazapam but many doctors would be restricted from writing that up. He would have to seek out a Doctor licensed to write up restricted Benzo's (addictive) BTW.

    He should really watch many videos on TAPPING and he will find that certain TAPPING that will work best. My father was a pharmacist whom owned a few drug stores and I used to enjoy reading the Merick Manuals (books on all drugs known) origin, use, dose, side effects...... the hole sha-bang. My Wifes employer whom suffered for years I introduced TAPPING to her and she not only controlled it but no longer suffers.
     
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    Last edited: Jan 26, 2021
  8. okiebound

    okiebound DI Forum Adept Showcase Reviewer

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    My daughter suffered severe anxiety when we were in Dumaguete. Heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, all of the symptoms associated. We took her to a psychiatrist who gave her many techniques to help. Deep breathing...in through the nose and out through the mouth, slowly; and wearing a rubberband on her wrist and when she felt an attack coming she would pop the rubberband as a diversion. She said that did help tremendously. She was also prescribed Xanor, which she only took when none of the other methods helped.
     
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  9. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Some very useful techniques - of which there are many. That might seem a good thing but for a new sufferer of panic attacks it can be overwhelming as to which route to take. What you describe above would, in my experience, be okay for someone at the start of a panic (or even at the stage of apprehension - which often precedes a panic - and is the very best time to intervene) but is difficult for someone in a full-blown panic attack (which can be literally crippling - I have found myself on the floor in a corner trying to deal with one).

    Breathing techniques are of very great use as in panics we should be trying to get the abdomen to move (abdominal breathing) and not the chest.
    (Quotes): According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, "12.7 percent of American adults [have] used deep-breathing exercises... for health purposes," which it describes as follows, "Deep breathing involves slow and deep inhalation through the nose, usually to a count of 10, followed by slow and complete exhalation for a similar count. The process may be repeated 5 to 10 times, several times a day."

    According to the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center, "Diaphragmatic breathing allows one to take normal breaths while maximizing the amount of oxygen that goes into the bloodstream. It is a way of interrupting the 'Fight or Flight' response and triggering the body's normal relaxation response."

    In fact, I read once a psychiatrist say that give him 5 minutes with a person and the best thing he could do in that time as a life-aid would be to teach proper breathing. And I have used this technique myself.

    Your daughter's method of distraction is a good one also but some people are so totally overwhelmed by panic that they find it difficult, at the time, to do anything, - it becomes paralysing.

    I also trained myself to 'anchor' - this means when I did a meditation and abdominal breathing together and was totally relaxed, I pressed my thumb and forefinger together. Eventually my brain associated thumb/forefinger pressure with being relaxed. So, in any situation where I felt a little anxiety, I just pressed the thumb/forefinger and it made me relaxed. But, again, I would not say this is something a person feeling overwhelming panic could do. To explain: I wrote down on cards all the major points and techniques I had learned - so that when panicking I could read them and help myself get out of the panic state. But what I found was that when I was in a severe panic state I simply could not take the cards out, let alone read them! Even my wife reading them was too much for me, at the time (the moment of overwhelming panic). After the panic subsided I could then read them. They were a great help as they distilled everything I needed to do into a short form and I read them often when in a non-panic state, but panic can be so overwhelming that we cannot do much at the time (trying to stay where we are until the panic naturally subsides is the very thing - if possible).

    I could write quite a large book on the subject, and I am no expert, so you can imagine how many techniques there are available, including tapping, plus rapid eye movement techniques, neuro-linguistic programming and many of the other techniques mentioned above. There is also the matter of how to deal with failure as failure will come at times. My concern is that the OP reading this thread (has he yet?) might get overwhelmed - and when we get overwhelmed (a form of mental paralysis) we usually do NOTHING.

    Then you make an essential point, which I alluded to in my first response to this thread - the use of medication to break the cycle. I am a great believer in that - so much so that I ignored the advice of a professional to stop carrying any medication and to let my brain learn how to cope - his method involved exposing myself to difficult situations and 'flooding' myself with panic (an actual technique) until it naturally subsided. I considered that too risky (in all forms of medicine, take advice, evaluate it, but decide what you feel is best for you as an individual). Also, you said "when none of the other methods helped" and that is exactly the short-term use of medication to break the cycle of escalation which I referred to previously, when all the techniques a sufferer has learned seem to be failing (only because the panic is so intense).

    So from this, I hope the OP understands that people here are writing about real experiences (of themselves and people they know) and that this learning-condition can be vastly improved. It is a problem of the body applying its natural process of response to the fear which has occurred at an INAPPROPRIATE TIME (which means 'when there is no actual danger').

    If the OP is confused about where to start (which can be a very individual choice) and wishes to PM me (or any other member) then I am willing to give further advice (as I am sure will others). What I have written so far is probably a tenth of the ways I used to reduce this learning-condition from overwhelming to manageable.
     
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  10. Notmyrealname

    Notmyrealname DI Forum Luminary Highly Rated Poster Showcase Reviewer

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    Girls at 14 now suffering severe decline in mental health which then worsens over adolescence due to SM! I wonder how much extra time they now use it whilst at home and supposed to be home-schooling. Big problems ahead in the future.
     
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    Last edited: Jan 27, 2021
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