A Quick Recap, Some Information About My Journey With Panic Attacks And An Additional Tip

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I would like to discuss my experience with anxiety, panic attacks and agoraphobia.  I had hesitation to self reveal my journey with panic attacks and agoraphobia; however, I felt it was the only way to really connect with you in a way that would be most helpful and in a way that was most relatable. 

The main purpose of this section is to convey to you that you can improve your life.  You can learn to deal with your anxiety in an effective way. You’ll notice that I didn’t discuss my own story at the beginning of this newsletter. 

Well there was a reason for that. 

You see, anxiety, like many things affects people with different severities.  That is, some people have a panic attack and never have one again.  The process discussed in the last installment can be enough to help gain control of their anxiety, particularly those who’ve only experienced one attack but still have some anxiety.  Once some people prove to themselves that they can regain control, when feeling panicked or anxious, they’re often less anxious about encountering future anxiety.

Still other people are not as fortunate.  These people are more likely to have panic and a more generalized anxiety between panic attacks because they continually fear having the prospect of having another attack.  As discussed, the entire process is cyclical.  If you’re like the people in this group of people, you might feel quite discouraged and anxious about being able to get over your panic attacks and anxiety.  However, the good news is that this problem can become manageable and I believe you can get through this. 

You might be thinking something like, “You don’t know me Matthew.  How do you know I can recover? What are your qualifications?”

While it’s true I don’t know you personally, but I was a person who fell into this last mentioned group of people.  I had crippling anxiety and very scary and long panic attacks.  I thought I was losing my mind.  I certainly attended the emergency room of a hospital multiple times thinking I was having a heart attack or going crazy.  It can be very scary, especially if you don’t get the help you need. I was not able to go to work for quite a while.  I was not able to leave the house.  I continually lived in fear of another attack and developed agoraphobia (Simply put, agoraphobia is fear of fear.  Hence someone with agoraphobia doesn’t want to leave the house for fear of another attack.) Even between panic attacks, I experienced very bad, generalized anxiety.  I feared going to sleep because I felt anxious. I also had anxiety enter my dreams and would wake up with it.  This is when it really got bad because it felt as though there was no escaping it.  You have probably had the experience of having a bad dream, and on one level you know you’re dreaming and are waiting to wake up, and then you do.  Well this is how I felt but the dream did not end.  Also when I was awake, many times I felt as though I was not in reality but rather in some sort of altered reality.  It was very scary.

Now I’m not telling you this to scare you but rather to tell you what I went through and got over and I did not lose my mind in the process.  Today I live 100% panic free and believe you can too.  More and more research is demonstrating many people are able to get through anxiety and panic with certain techniques, certain techniques that I’m going to share in this newsletter.  I also strongly recommend to anyone in this group that they consider seeing a competent psychologist or other mental health therapist to help them work through their panic, anxiety and/or agoraphobia if they are not already doing so.

I found it extremely helpful to read stories of other people that I could relate to and I think you will too.  I’m not saying everyone is the same, but I do believe that if I can share some of my experiences, then this will be helpful to you, more helpful than someone who knows academically what’s wrong but has never suffered anxiety and panic to the extent that you or I have.  It may be that your journey is not as hard as mine or it may be a little more difficult.  However, I believe that you can be helped, and not only manage your anxiety and panic, but you can live the life you’ve always wanted.  Overall you can learn to manage your stress, improve your health (mentally, physically and spiritually) and have a more enjoyable life. 

You see once I was able to get past the panic, I was really able to experience enjoyment for the first time in my life (well that’s how it felt anyway); I could just be and be happy.  Ultimately, I believe that my journey through panic and anxiety was the best thing that ever happened to me because after going through it all, I learned to really enjoy life, and ultimately I became more assertive, more confident, and learned to live a truly happy life. As someone who is going through severe panic right now, this may feel like too much to take in.  That’s okay.  I can appreciate that you might just be concerned about getting over the panic. 

You might be thinking that this seems unbelievable.  Please don’t think that way.  If you are convinced that you can never get better then that only adds to your anxiety.  However, if you can maintain a belief (even way in the back of your mind) that you can get better and are open to really giving the suggestions presented in this newsletter a try, I am convinced you can get better.

My journey through anxiety and panic really allowed me to do an abundance of research on anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia, depression, stress management, and overall wellness, and I soon learned an abundance of tips and techniques for not only beating my panic, but living the best life that I had ever lived.  The experience allowed me the opportunity to meet a wonderful psychologist who was able to help me learn many things. 

Once I was over my panic, I started to consult with people who were suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.  I started informally doing some counseling and received positive feedback.  I think what really helped is that I had truly experienced the things that these people were experiencing and had lived and learned the lessons, so people felt my sincerity.  I decided that I wanted to share everything I learned along my journey with other people who suffered from panic, anxiety and stress.

I want to tell you that If you can maintain a belief (even in the back of your mind) that you can get better and are willing to try things I’m suggesting, then I think you’ll discover you can get better.  I’m going to level with you though.  My getting over severe panic attacks and anxiety was not a matter of just taking some medication and doing some stress relief, I had to do be willing to make some changes (changes for the better) that allowed me to improve over time.  I did an abundance of research about panic and anxiety which included consulting with various professionals on the issue, studying other people who had experienced panic and got over it, reading tonnes of materials on the subject and making my own opinions about what really worked (after I became informed on the subject) and really experimenting with things to see what worked. 

The real point is that I treated my experience with anxiety as a life change (for the better) and getting over panic attacks and anxiety was inevitable.  What’s more, the other bad habits I’d acquired over the years dropped off and I felt as though I was in a much better position to live the life I’d always wanted.  It was not an overnight process, but it certainly was an effective one and I wouldn’t change anything.  My panic and anxiety was one of the best things that happened to me.

What I really want to express is that I will be sharing with you many effective techniques and information through the newsletter.  I think the best approach is an eclectic one.  In other words, I’m talking about a combination of techniques and suggestions tailor made for you, by you.  The reason for this is simple: We each really steer our own life in the direction we want it to go.  You hold the reins.  But it’s really through life’s events that we continue to evolve on our life journey.  We learn what’s best for us and we really are the agents of change.  No one else is.  In addition, these things may end up sparking an interest in you and you will do your own research.  That’s the idea. 

Again I’m confident that my website and FREE newsletter (see below to subscribe) can serve as a catalyst of change for the better, but ultimately it is each and every one of us that decides what’s best for us.  At first we may have doubt, but after a while we’ll feel what is working and not working.  If you have put an honest effort into something and it does not work, then move on.  Often with panic and anxiety it’s hard to tell at first.  Let’s put it this way: if you’re seeing any kind of positive results then stick with something.  And if you’re putting an honest effort into a technique and giving it time, and are not seeing any results, then this may not be the best fit for you.  You can then move onto the next thing.  You see, we are all really individuals and it is in recognizing that individuality and in turn learning to know what feels right for us that we can transform the challenges in our life, be it panic, anxiety, or whatever.  That’s my opinion anyway! The fact that you’re reading my newsletter series makes me very happy.  It gives me great pleasure. 

Finally, I’d like to let you in on a tip.  Have you ever noticed that you get more done when you have a deadline or when you’re at work rather than at home, and say, have a list of chores to do? What’s this got to do with anxiety? In my opinion, it has a lot to do with one of the underlying reasons why people get better from anxiety. The reason we get more things done at work of under a deadline typically is due to the fact that we feel that we must do these tasks whereas with our own self-improvement or “chores,” we feel there is no reason we can put these things off, so we procrastinate. 

When I was seeing a psychologist for my anxiety I noticed he would often very much keep me engaged throughout the session.  It became very difficult for me to focus on my anxiety.  In many cases, although it didn’t completely decrease my anxiety, I could never seem to have a panic attack in his office.  After I got better I queried him on this technique and he discussed that one of his beliefs was that it would be a great disservice to his client to continue to perpetuate their anxiety and panic and that often people need to be engaged. 

If we put these concepts together, (that is, things we feel we must do and when we’re engaged with our life, much of the anxiety and panic fall away) and apply them to the present situation of panic, we can immediately begin to reap the benefits, especially when we now go back and try the suggestions of this page which I mentioned at the beginning of this installment.  In other words, if we convince ourselves of the necessity to help ourselves by actually putting into practice the concepts we learn and we keep ourselves engaged in the process we can help ourselves.  Even at this point I am still just talking about concepts.  Although conceptually you understand the points presented here, you will not get the appropriate benefits without actually taking the appropriate action. 

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