Afraid of "losing control"

[Mary_inthemilkyway]

Hello
I am new to panicattacks and I try to deal with them by just leeting them come and not try to stop them. The problem is that I am so afraid I will lose control when getting a panic attack,for instance crying/screaming uncontroly.
Has anyone experineced this or will this not happen?

[noonoo]

Sometimes I just feel like screaming because of them :weep:

[Mary_inthemilkyway]

but have you ever done so?

[Magik]

I had a bad panic attack where my husband tried to help me and well, he didn't know what not to say to someone suffering from one and etc. And I started crying moreso because I'm sick of dealing with them everyday. Maybe it's just the stress combined with the attacks that make them so bad? I've found I just helped myself by trying to rationalize why I felt the way I did, anyone would have felt the same way with everything going on. Plus, I don't know about you, but do you bottle emotions up instead of expressing them? Especially anger or sadness?

I'm going to try some new things to try to prevent the crying, even though I know it's probably just frustration with myself more than anything. Maybe aromatherapy or some meditation might help? But you're definately not alone for feeling that way during an attack occasionally. It's easy to fear the worst or to get really upset at the fact we all should be able to get a handle on this, but of course, it isn't that easy, which makes it more frustrating. Least for me.

My doctor is doing the opposite approach, because he says just suffering through the attacks might be a bad idea, because you learn to dread when The next one comes, so if I start to feel one, I take a Xanax. Basically, the objective is to not feel them, which will hopefully lead to not worrying about when the next one will come, less stress, etc. Course, every doctor I'm sure, has a different way of handling it.

But, welcome to NMP, maybe you could look for a buddy on msn for some moral support while dealing with them? Talking about the things that might be bothering you, I've found has helped, as does starting a journal.

[Nechtan]

Hi Mary_inthemilkyway,

One thing that is important for you to know is that the feeling that you are going to lose control is something that thousand of people experience includiing myself. Please take some reassurance in the knowlesge that you will not lose control. You haven't so far and no matter how many times you feel that you will you will not.

Our mind is tricking us. Fear breeds fear. The sensations we experience in panic and perfectly normal reactions to our own irrational thought and our reaction to those thought. YOU WILL NOT LOSE IT.

All the best

Nechtan

[panicradio]

"Losing control" is one of the things I fear most about panic and severe anxiety. Honestly, I've been at this for almost 23 years and I have never "lost control". Not even once. I've had very severe panic attacks, but when I think about it I realize that there has never been a time when I actually lost control.

Try to re-define "losing control" in your mind. Crying is not losing control, nor is screaming. These are perfectly normal responses designed to release stored nervous energy and bring you back to a more relaxed state.

Its not that we want to spend our days crying or screaming, but try not to fear those things. You don't have to embrace them all the time, but don't run from them either. That just adds fuel to the fire.