Hello, my lovelies!
So a little while ago, I wanted to make a video with the topic of 'Anxiety and Panic Attacks' and the more I thought about how to film it, the more I realised how hard it would be to make just one video. In fact, I realised that even in these two videos, I wouldn't get everything I wanted to say in, even with the amazing help I got from Arez in the Q&A video. So I promised you guys a blog post with new answers and answers that were not mentioned in the video (due to the video being filmed a day earlier than I told you guys it would be filmed).
Before I begin, I just wanted to say that Arez and I (and maybe others if they ever would like to help with a video like this) are more than happy to make more of these videos IF YOU FOUND BOTH OF THE VIDEOS USEFUL IN ANY WAY. I don't want to overload you with information because it could make you feel a little unsettled, however I just want to help as many people as I can that are going through or know somebody who is going through this situation.
There was a certain question that we didn't use the answers for in the video since the answer to it seemed to be coming through all of the other answers we were giving but since there were some of you who were willing to answer this question, here are the answers you gave in :)
Question 5
What would you recommend to a person who believed they may be suffering from panic attacks or anxiety but are not sure?
- "Find somebody who can understand your point of view or a group of people who are willing to listen to you (preferably your best friends but you can also attend support groups such as CAHMS). If you find this difficult, go to a teacher, your parents, or the doctors (with somebody or without somebody, although it would be probably best to take somebody with you for support) to talk it through."
- "Do NOT bottle up your feelings. This could potentially make things much worse."
- "If your panic attacks are extremely frequent, you could potentially be provided with medication and an opportunity to attend and gain the services from a place like CAHMS."
- "I saw a psychologist and a councillor over varying periods of time, and even though it can be really uncomfortable and/or upsetting, it is so much better to have it out in the open."
- "I would tell them that they are not being weak, or oversensitive, or just to 'cheer up' - that everybody needs help now and then"
- "I would say that if you think you're suffering from anxiety, you probably are. Do NOT second guess yourself and don't be afraid to tell friends, family, school, doctors, etc. what's going on so that they can confirm things for you and give support.
So now I'm going to add the other questions and the other answers that were given to me for those:
Question 1
When you experience anxiety or are having a panic attack, what are the feelings you get and how do you physically react usually?
- "Having a panic attack feels as if you're having a heart attack or like you are going to die. I want to cry, scream, run away from it - but trying to get away from it only prolongs it instead of facing it head on which in the long run is the better way to handle them. My breathing is very fast; my heart is racing and pounding, there is an overwhelming feeling of terror and dread. The anxiety itself was just a constant feeling of slight panic, which led onto me not eating much of anything a lot of the time and also not sleeping properly. I found it difficult to function normally from day to day for about 8 months.
- "I fidget quite a lot, shake my right leg and I get really quiet. When I'm having a panic attack, I suddenly feel like my throat is closing (even though I know it isn't). I get either really hot or really cold, shaky and just generally feel out of it, as if I'm really drunk. I'll either cry uncontrollably or not cry at all until afterwards. The worst thing though, and this is only if it's a really bad one, is that my hands can cramp up and I can't move them until I'm totally calm again."
Question 2
Do you remember your first panic attack? If you do (and are 100% comfortable talking about it) what triggered it OR how did you react? (For example what did you think of yourself and how your body was coping?)
- "The first panic attack was not the start of when I actually had panic disorder. My first panic attack was at 13 years old. I was scuba diving and over 20m underwater when I got separated from my instructor. I was really scared and just felt I had to get out of there. I shot up to the surface even though that's really dangerous from so far under the water. At that point though, it felt like something to genuinely panic about and I just assumed it was a natural reaction to getting lost. The first time I had one and they started to become a real problem was when I had one on stage during a performance. I had to hide it until I got offstage at the end of the first half, then cried so much I couldn't go back on."
- "I don't remember my first panic attack because I didn't realise I was having panic attacks until a year later."
Question 3
What methods have you used and which ones helped most?
- "I took anti-depressants for about 8 months which did help although I really didn't enjoy being on them as they took so long to get used to and funnily enough, one of the side effects is anxiety! I went to a psychologist for CBT. She gave me a lot of breathing exercises which I found very helpful. It was also good to gain knowledge on what panic attacks were. Every time we would get into it, she would ask me what there was to be logically afraid of and it really challenged me, I think in a good way."
- "I'm quite mushy and needy! I like having a friend there telling me it's okay and reassuring me that I'm not wasting their time and hugging me, and I try to think about something funny that's happened recently and there are some times where I've actually managed to make myself laugh out of the attack."
Question 4
Have you found that the methods that have helped you most put you in a better position and gave you a better understanding of yourself and your anxiety?
- "By demystifying panic attacks and giving me ways of coping with them and with anxiety, I have felt a lot better. Sometimes even now I will still get anxious but I know that I don't necessarily have to address it and panic about it - just acknowledge it and wait for it to pass. It does't always need to be a big deal or my main focus at that point in time."
- "I like to write a lot about my experiences and because I'm an English geek, I like finding quotes from books I read that I can analyse in a way that makes me relate to it."
Question 6
Do you think that it is right to class 'panic attacks and anxiety' as 'mental illnesses'?
- Yes, I don't see a problem classing them as that. It is not calling them that which is the problem. It is the stigma that people associate with it which is the problem. It is an illness, just not always a visible one, and you need some help to get better."
- "I'm in two minds about this: I feel like it is a mental illness because although it exhibits itself physically, it is mentally triggered. However, I feel like panic attacks and anxiety, along with things like depression and OCD should not be in the same category as things like schizophrenia and psychosis yet they're all under the branch of 'mental illnesses' and I think that is unfair."
Since there are more answers to come, and I will always leave these questions here to answer if anyone who ever reads this blog wants to answer, I will be updating this blog post whenever it needs updating so that it helps some of you in some way.
I would also like to say that if you would like to see anymore videos like this or you would like to read another blog post like this, let me know below in the comments or email me at meganroseguyblog@hotmail.com
THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING OF THE VIDEOS AND THIS BLOG POST! You honestly have absolutely no idea how much this means to me, and hopefully how much it will mean to a person watching or reading the videos or this post.
Again, I love you all very much.
Speak soon
Lots of love
Megan xxx
P.S Here are the links back to the videos I made:
'Panic Attacks & Anxiety - My Story':
http://youtu.be/BNkP5xAgcXg
'Panic Attacks & Anxiety Q&A':
https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_581890003&feature=iv&src_vid=BNkP5xAgcXg&v=BNkP5xAgcXg
