Anxiety trigger?

[johanni]

Just wondering what triggered the anxiety issues people have here.My own problems began when I drank too much one night and the following day suffered, what I now know was a panic attack.Since that fatefull day,I have not been the same.
Dimi.

[johanni]

Thanks for replying.It means so much to hear from others.This is such a great community for support and understanding.XXX

[johanni]

You are absolutely right!Looking back it was a very bad time for me emotionaly.I had just broken up with somebody and used the booze to flatten my emotions and make life bearable.Then the feelings of death and hypochondria started to haunt me,especially heart disease.Heart disease runs in the family.So I kept on drinking to curb these further horrible feelings.The drinking certainly helped with my anxiety ,but I believe now, that it was the worst thing I did because alcohol actualy increases anxiety in the long term.Now I dont drink at all and feel better but I am on medication.I can hopefully work through my issues with a clear mind.So I guess the "trigger" was emotional,and the alcohol was my way of dealing with these issues.Best wishes to all for the Xmas period and God bless.
Dimi.

[JSGeare]

Treasure those Ah Ha! experiences. It is amazing -I mean, really amazing to me- how the brain can be changed -dramatically, chemically, indelibly- altered by the mere utterance or scribing of a few simple words. This forum is such a classic example, because the shared experiences of total strangers tend to validate the individual's own thought process. One more thought, you say you're sure about the fear of dying. So was I. As it turned out, it was just the opposite -NOT fear of death; rather, fear of life. Your milage may vary, but allow of any possibility, because sometimes the feared thing is a token for something else. Sometimes. I hope to be hearing more from you.

[rukester]

Thanks...very well put! I agree...i am sure my personal issues stem from my fear of dying...seeing my sister die a slow and painful death. i do seek counseling every other week...and it has helped...but with the way you put it....I am seeking understanding my past...and where these issues really lie.

thanks...got my eyes open on this!

[JSGeare]

The business of "triggers" is thought-provoking. Was the booze the "trigger," or was it the emotional material that contributed to the drinking session? Is it possible to have "no" triggers ("Out of the blue occurrences)? Surely SOMETHING must start it up. Nothing just "happens," does it?

I note, flutters, that you say "...it just comes and goes as it wants to," as though the panic was like an unwelcome visitor, a bully who just kicks open your apartment door whenever it wants to and takes over for awhile. You never know when, but I'll bet if you pay attention, you can find something that usually happens (or doesn't happen) that occurs just before you get zapped.

In my own case, I had certain triggers, such as flying or speaking before groups of strangers and other specific phobias. On the other hand, I also had "out of the blue" times, such as walking along the street and bang! there was a panic attack. I had to rest, or die of a heart attack or so I thought. Or lying awake in bed at night contemplating with abject terror the idea of dying and of eternity. Forty years of that stuff, off and on, very bad, then gone for a few years, then back again. Finally, the right therapeutic combination enabled me to dig out the emotional culprits and have my peace, which I've enjoyed uninterrupted these past many years now.

In the movie, "Everything you Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask," (Woody Allen) there is a scene in which a young man is attempting intercourse (back seat of car, where else?) with an eager young maiden -and the poor guy just can't "get it up." The scene switches to the inside of his brain, which is shown as a sort of control room with people at panels pushing buttons, running back and forth with clip boards, shouting commands -all in a general state of commotion amidst flashing computer lights, etc. Sort of like mission control. In charge is Tony Randall, who is looking through a periscope -which represent the eyes. The man's genitals are portrayed as a steamy boiler room, where sweaty, shirtless guys in hard hats are laboring to turn a winch that is attached to a cable -and it is left to our imagination as to what the winch is for. Everyone is obviously on the same team, working for an effective outcome -but SOMETHING is wrong.

Finally, Security nabs the bad guy and drags him in. Guess who? A priest. The fellow was having pangs of conscious -apparently for no good reason. The priest is bound and gagged, and the fellow and gal have a good time. I pass this along because, in my own case, the root causes -the stuff that was gumming up the works- was "way back there," sort of hidden in my past experiences, camoflaged by the emotional landscape. But, once we were able to start dragging them out, they lost their power, and the panic subsided. Those were causes -not triggers. The point is that the stuff that empowers panic, starts it rolling- will have its way, one way or another. I'm guessing -just guessing- that there is always a trigger. It is just a question of what. My opinion, for what it is worth.

[rukester]

its ironic...that is exactly how I started dealing with my anxiety. i had other issues in the past, was a hypochondriac...always was complusive about my health (had sister die young..maybe thats why) but in the last several years...if I drank...the next day was aweful. first I tought i couldnt breathe...then heavy and rapid heart beats.

I have completely stopped drinking for the most part...and that had helped...but now...for the last 3 months or so...i wake up ( like now ) everynight...after 1 hour of sound sleep with anxiety. The good news is...i have it under controll..i mean, I wake up...and the first thought in my head is...here I go...I will now have an attack...and it starts. At first It was aweful...now...the only issue I have is...I kind of plan on it..and that creates anxiety early in the day...but I have been able to work through it. i work on the computer a little...and usually go right back asleep.

i have cut out caffeine...and now very moderately I may consume some wine...or a few beers..and even that is difficult...because now the night that I do..I wake up with heart going crazy. Just hoping understanding how I react...and realizing that no one has ever died from an attack...makes me feel better...and I am getting it under controll.

good luck...there is truly a light at the end of the tunnel i feel!

[MMomma]

My trigger was being 17, haing my own house and a 6 month old and working 60 hours a week to pay the pill...my body couldnt handle it anymore.....so ever since then i've been like this...
it nice,, let me tell ya

[heartfluttersflyawayplz]

nothing triggers mine it just comes and goes as it wants to.