Aa
This just hit outta nowhere
It started like this I ate dinner with my girlfriend grandparents and after I got done idk why but the light were making me have blur vision, so I I went out on the back deck outside but my eyes were still blurry due to the lights and it was starting to make my heart race so I took a xanax only 0.25 which I though might help but it didn't. About an hour or 2 later I started to feel like I was in a dream or floating and all the staff I did earlier today felt like it didn't happen or I don't have memories of it. Idk what this is or how to deal with it but I want to try do handle it without the need of meds, so if anyone knows what I'm talking about please reply with any advice and I'll send a reply back.
The doctor is my therapist. From what she told me I'm 45% recovering from at this point which she said is good just gotta keep doing what I'm doing is all
Agoraphobia is usually a secondary diagnosis, and it literally means "fear of open spaces", kind of like an opposite version of claustrophobia?
Usually what happens is, a person will have severe anxiety (more commonly a panic attack), and because the experience is so traumatizing, the person basically begins to "fear the fear". The fear is of having of another attack, to the point where they start avoiding going places (especially the place/s the panic first occurred) until eventually he/she isn't going much of anywhere. The fear becomes overwhelming. Agoraphobia can range from mild, avoid-ant behavior, to very debilitating, where the person becomes housebound.
After a person has started experiencing agoraphobia, another common symptom is "anticipatory anxiety", which is an INTENSE, debilitating amount of worry (like butterflies in the tummy, worry, only to a VERY severe extent) ANY time he/she HAS to go somewhere that they cannot (or should not) avoid. Say for instance your sibling is getting married. An agoraphobic will begin fretting about that the MOMENT they find out about it, until usually they get there and realize that indeed, they're okay. That was one aspect of panic disorder that was VERY VERY rough. The desire to want to NOT go, and avoid going anywhere but our "safe place" (usually home is overwhelmingly HUGE. I compare it to a child experiencing SEVERE separation anxiety or homesickness. You just get a pit in your stomach and want to CRY, that's how strong the urge is to avoid it.
The most effective way to treat this is by addressing the underlying anxiety...the reason the person became agoraphobic to begin with. THERAPY is the best way to do that, preferably with a therapist well versed in CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT will teach you how to STOP that "what if" thinking, worrying about another attack. It will also help you to learn (and convince yourself, which is the tricky part) that the anxiety/panic was not CAUSED by a specific person, place or thing, therefore you shouldn't relate one to the other. Just going out of your house isn't going to trigger a panic attack, except for the fact that we worry SO much, it ends up happening, like a self fulfilled prophecy of sorts. It's SO important to try to break that cycle as efficiently as possible, or the cycle and panic and avoidance will continue and worsen. Therapy will help you navigate through the avoidance. The more you avoid things, the worse you will get....it becomes necessary to really PUSH through and essentially face your fears, much like if you had a phobia of flying.
So, if you haven't yet, you need to see a therapist. You can ask your doctor for a referral.
Let us know how you're managing, okay?
Usually what happens is, a person will have severe anxiety (more commonly a panic attack), and because the experience is so traumatizing, the person basically begins to "fear the fear". The fear is of having of another attack, to the point where they start avoiding going places (especially the place/s the panic first occurred) until eventually he/she isn't going much of anywhere. The fear becomes overwhelming. Agoraphobia can range from mild, avoid-ant behavior, to very debilitating, where the person becomes housebound.
After a person has started experiencing agoraphobia, another common symptom is "anticipatory anxiety", which is an INTENSE, debilitating amount of worry (like butterflies in the tummy, worry, only to a VERY severe extent) ANY time he/she HAS to go somewhere that they cannot (or should not) avoid. Say for instance your sibling is getting married. An agoraphobic will begin fretting about that the MOMENT they find out about it, until usually they get there and realize that indeed, they're okay. That was one aspect of panic disorder that was VERY VERY rough. The desire to want to NOT go, and avoid going anywhere but our "safe place" (usually home is overwhelmingly HUGE. I compare it to a child experiencing SEVERE separation anxiety or homesickness. You just get a pit in your stomach and want to CRY, that's how strong the urge is to avoid it.
The most effective way to treat this is by addressing the underlying anxiety...the reason the person became agoraphobic to begin with. THERAPY is the best way to do that, preferably with a therapist well versed in CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy. CBT will teach you how to STOP that "what if" thinking, worrying about another attack. It will also help you to learn (and convince yourself, which is the tricky part) that the anxiety/panic was not CAUSED by a specific person, place or thing, therefore you shouldn't relate one to the other. Just going out of your house isn't going to trigger a panic attack, except for the fact that we worry SO much, it ends up happening, like a self fulfilled prophecy of sorts. It's SO important to try to break that cycle as efficiently as possible, or the cycle and panic and avoidance will continue and worsen. Therapy will help you navigate through the avoidance. The more you avoid things, the worse you will get....it becomes necessary to really PUSH through and essentially face your fears, much like if you had a phobia of flying.
So, if you haven't yet, you need to see a therapist. You can ask your doctor for a referral.
Let us know how you're managing, okay?
My doctor diagnosed me with Agoraphobia watch she she I'm 45% recovering from and today it's hitting me bad cause I feel like I'm gonna have a really bad attack
One more thing I wanted to add, regarding the title of your thread.
The "out of the blue" characteristic is SO very common with a panic attack, so if you've never had one, know that that is pretty par for the course.
The "out of the blue" characteristic is SO very common with a panic attack, so if you've never had one, know that that is pretty par for the course.
Hello and welcome! I'm sorry you're dealing with this! You've come to the right place though...LOTS of people have lived through it and have experienced the same kind of events!
First, do you have a history of anxiety? I'm assuming you do due to the fact that you're prescribed Xanax?
In my opinion, it sounds like you had a panic attack. The disconnected feeling you had later sounds like de-realization, a pretty common side effect of severe and/or chronic anxiety. The bad news is, it's a scary, unsettling feeling, but the GOOD news is, it won't harm you in any way, it's simply an alteration of your perception of your environment. The DR will typically improve and eventually resolve after the anxiety is better managed.
Have you sought any kind of help for anxiety? If you could give us a little more background into your history, that would be very helpful! Hang in there!
First, do you have a history of anxiety? I'm assuming you do due to the fact that you're prescribed Xanax?
In my opinion, it sounds like you had a panic attack. The disconnected feeling you had later sounds like de-realization, a pretty common side effect of severe and/or chronic anxiety. The bad news is, it's a scary, unsettling feeling, but the GOOD news is, it won't harm you in any way, it's simply an alteration of your perception of your environment. The DR will typically improve and eventually resolve after the anxiety is better managed.
Have you sought any kind of help for anxiety? If you could give us a little more background into your history, that would be very helpful! Hang in there!
See when you have anxiety problems or disorder, everything is made worse or made to seem worse.Trust me, I know ha. I also get floating feelings and rocking sensations when I get anxiety bad for a while. The blur thing could've just been nothing, but your mind makes it seem way worse nor something bad and you panic. Long term anxiety plays tricks on the mind. But know you have a sane mind. Anxiety disorder is just a non threatening mind game.
Put it this way, a while ago I was at a football game and I felt heat on my body and a light tingling and went into a panic that I was dying or something was wrong. Severe butterflies and breathing problems. I tell my friend who comes over and he goes yeah that feels good. There was a light blowing heater way up on the ceiling. Soon as I see it and he has it too. The breathing returns to normal, the anxiety and butterflies COMPLETELY gone in a split second. It's all a mind game. Nothing physical. All mental. When you have bad anxiety you blow things out of proportion.
Put it this way, a while ago I was at a football game and I felt heat on my body and a light tingling and went into a panic that I was dying or something was wrong. Severe butterflies and breathing problems. I tell my friend who comes over and he goes yeah that feels good. There was a light blowing heater way up on the ceiling. Soon as I see it and he has it too. The breathing returns to normal, the anxiety and butterflies COMPLETELY gone in a split second. It's all a mind game. Nothing physical. All mental. When you have bad anxiety you blow things out of proportion.
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