Well Women guide to Panic Attacks, Stress and Anxiety

Panic attacks, Stess, Anxiety, the great destroyers.

We all experience anxiety and stress. But what happens when it gets out of proportion? Stress and it's effects can destroy your life….Big Time!

We all experience stress, women, men and children and generally it does not affect our health, however it can affect our health when it gets out of control and becomes a nervous illness or even a breakdown.

Any women who have ever had a panic attack will know what I mean, and at the time that it is happening, you can often feel as though something serious is about to happen to you and become very frightened causing more anxiety. This is called The Cycle of Fear. However, rest assured, nothing WILL happen.

However, many women are diagnosed with panic attacks when in fact they have a thyroid disorder and this is something that even GP's are not considering.

Hyperthyroidism (and in the autoimmune thyroid disease Graves Disease) is where your body produces too much thyroid hormone. When the hormone is released, it speeds up your heart dramatically including an increase in blood pressure, and this sudden speeding up of the body can trigger a fight or flight adrenaline response, thus a panic attack.

When hyperthyroidism is treated, the panic attacks go away, never to return.

What if I have treated hyperthyroidism but my panic attacks won't go away?

Another possibility to investigate when your hyperthyroidism has been treated but panic attacks are still present is a Mitral Valve Prolapse. This is a heart valve defect that is more common in thyroid patients. It can be diagnosed by an Echocardiogram and treated with beta blockers which helps to allieviate symptoms such as pounding and fast heartbeat, palpitations, panic attacks, dizziness, shortness of breath and other symptoms.

Another thing that could cause panic attacks is being on too high a dose of thyroid medication in patients who are hypothyroid, since it also triggers the response above. If you are on long term thyroid hormone replacement and you start to have panic attacks and palpitations, please see you GP for your levels to be checked and medication reduced slightly to see if this is the cause.

So, if you have regular panic attacks, investigate the possibility that it could be your thyroid. Only when this has been ruled out should the possibility that you have a panic or anxiety disorder be discussed further with your GP and treated accordingly. To read more about this from another lady with personal experience, please click here

I suffered with panic attacks for years. The least little thing would set them off. On one occasion I tried to leave the house to go shopping, met with a large bumble bee and immediately ran back into the house screaming. This set off a panic attack that caused me to be off work with severe stress symptoms for two weeks. I have nearly collapsed with a panic attack before, so believe me, I really understand the stress involved, although my attacks were caused by my thyroid condition, I didn't know this at the time and had to manage them myself.

It is hard to admit to a nervous illness and to the fact that you may be having a "breakdown", but all this word actually means is that you have got to a point where you sympathetic nervous system reacts to small amounts of stress simply because it is over sensitised. This is largely due to being exposed to stress and anxiety over long periods of time, sometimes many years. Also, some people are naturally more anxious "types" than others.

Stress – panic attack- more stress – panic attack

It goes on and on and you begin to live in dread.

My method of solving it was to read about it. Maybe because I believe that being armed with solutions and knowing why it happens and also that there are thousand out there the same, helped me, and I was able to reason with it and realise that I was not going to die after all. There is nothing remotely funny about panic attacks, and if allowed, they will rule supreme in your life.

The main thing about them is to consciously decide that you are NOT going to let them rule. Of course if they are caused by hyperthyroidism, then they will continue regardless, but you can also help them with various coping options.

I would not go out because of them. I spent almost a year avoiding going to the shops or any situation that I felt I could not deal with, including collecting the children from school. My father collected them. He was being kind by doing this, but it was not doing me any favours. Knowing that I had a way out did not help as it stopped me confronting the situation.

I was scared I was going to pass out. I sometimes vomited because I was so worried, and in such a state that my body reacted strangely which in turn made me more stressed. I also suffered from Globus Hystericus, a condition where swallowing is difficult and where you feel as though you are choking.

Sometimes I would conciously relax and try to control them but the hyperthyroidism present at the start of Hashimoto's disease was causing the problem, so it was hard to allieviate them completely. I was given beta blockers which helped.

You begin to dread the symptoms then panic when you feel them coming on and this starts the circle of fear off all over again.

If you really want to be over them you need to address it urgently. Don’t let them spoil your life. Find out first if it is a thyroid issue

Check the possibility of a Mitral Valve Prolapse by asking for an echocardiogram.

If you are hypothyroid and on long term medication, ask your GP to check your TSH level, and T3 levels as if you are on too high a dosage of thyroid hormone replacement, and your TSH is in the lower end of the normal range, or your T3 is high or in the higher end of normal, you may be borderline hyperthyroid due to your medication. Your medication can therefore be reduced and the panic attacks allieviated.

Once these avenues have been ruled out, read information about panic attacks as information is valuable in solving them. Know that you are NOT the only one and realise that while all the other mothers in the school playground seem cool and collected, that may not always have been the case. People can NOT lead completely stress and illness free lives. It is impossible, no matter how happy your marriage, family finances. There will always be stress.

It’s our ability to cope with it that makes us strong. Believe me, those who have been through nervousness, autoimmune disease, chronic or thyroid illness are far from "weak", although this is how they perceive themselves.

Those of us that have been through the stress, panic attacks, illness, anxiety actually become the strongest of all. WE have been there and come out the other side triumphant.

If you are reading this page because you personally suffer from them, then rule out my suggestions above first. Then try the following:

You can also get help online from a qualified therapist

Online Therapy Find help and support,talk online to a qualified psychotherapist\counsellor. Self help forums. First session free

Of course, it depends what it is that triggers them. I can’t expect someone who is in a violent or abusive home to take my advice as their reasons would need a completely different approach.

I had a friend whose husband regularly attacked her and this was the reason she suffered with panic attacks. She was able to put my advice to practice and it worked for her on some occasions, but not when they were triggered in anticipation of an attack from her husband as that is a different kind of fear as it is triggered by something that really is going to happen.

Even when her husband ended up in prison for his assaults on her, she still had panic attacks. Her nerves had been so sensitized in anticipation of an attack, that they reacted to the least stimulus.

Take Action

The next time you feel that you may have a panic attack. Try and I mean try, to stop for a moment and think.

The usual symptoms are washing over you. Remember that it is the symptoms that exaggerate the response to the panic attack and how our system starts to respond to these symptoms to start the cycle of fright or flight. When it starts, we instantly feel trapped.

2. We need to sometimes recognise these symptoms subconsciously and instead of fighting back, hence the escalation of the panic attack, we need to STOP and let the feelings wash over us. While we are doing this we then say to ourselves and also believe and realise too, that NOTHING is going to happen. We are purely experiencing this because of an adrenalin rush throughout our body and nothing more. We need to realise logically that the sensations are purely a reaction to adrenaline.

3. We are NOT going to die, or have a heart attack or collapse and end up in hospital. We need to know this at the time of experiencing the feeling and simply allow them to wash over us without further panic or reaction, thus breaking the cycle.

So, instead of: Fear – Panic attack - fear- panic

It is the actual reasoning that stops the cycle. The actual feeling the feelings spread over you, allowing them to without the fight or flight response, acknowledging that they are there, but then not allowing yourself to react.

The way I did this was to take myself away for a minute. So, in a shop at the check out, how did I do this when I was next in the queue?

I simply took my trolley and walked away down one of the aisles, stood there as calmly as I could manage allowing the very disconcerting and unpleasant feelings and rapid heart and all the rest of the sensations to wash over me. Instead of reacting with clenched muscles and setting up the circle, I broke it by just allowing it to happen and realising that it was simply my own body’s response and nothing more. I gave myself time to recover telling myself that it didn't matter who was there or how long it took. The more you try to fight it, the worse it becomes.

It’s also fair to say that it took me a few goes. At least 5 attempts before I knew I had cracked it. Gradually, my body got used to feeling the feeling and NOT reacting. The cycle broke. I became de-sensitized. Had I known that it was my thyroid causing the attacks, I could have had it sorted out in no time. Beta blockers (Propanolol) also help by counteracting the pounding fast heart.

Even now I practise this method and remember it all my life. Once you have experienced panic attacks you need to always remember the method for life.

A word of reassurance however, once you HAVE broken the cycle, you will harden yourself and your nervous system and it will no longer react, in other words, no more panic attacks.

When I say I practise the method, I actually mean I know what to do in the event of a panic attack. This alone helps reduce them.

We become sensitive in our lives to feelings and sensations in our bodies, for whatever reason. It is how we deal with them that enable us able to cope.

Another example

When I was in 6th form at school in 1979 (aged 17), we all had to go on an induction course to prepare us for life in the 6th form. We went to a lecture where a teacher said: “Ok, everyone, in a moment, I am going to ask you all in turn to stand up and talk about yourselves for 5 minutes.”

I could feel the response. Heart started beating, panicky feelings of “How am I going to get out of here?” washed over me. Some of us looked at each other in horror. Then, somewhat cruelly the teacher said “Ok, everyone, what happened when I asked you that? I bet I can tell you”

He went on to say about response to stress and dealing with things, so it was relative to trying to shock us, but not everyone reacted the same as me. Why?

Even at such a young age, we have different methods of coping. As we know ourselves, some children are confident, some shy. It is our response to things that stand us in good stead in our future.

In this situation, what was the worst that could have happened to me? I mentally exaggerated the situation, hence the feelings of panic that ensued.

Basically, it is our childhood and our experiences throughout life that determine our level of sensitivity to situations and is also the reason why we immediately think that we are the only ones like it. No else seems to feel the way we do. That is because their reaction is different. They have already reasoned with it and have coped and become hardy, probably at an early age. They have broken the cycle.

Remember too, that it does not take much to reduce a confident person to a person who is no longer confident. De-stabilising their confidence gradually over a period of time will do it. Why then, is it so hard to make a sensitive person confident?

In other words both confident people and sensitive people can have panic attacks as it is life experiences and our ability to cope that triggers them and it is learning to break to cycle that stops them. It’s as simple as that.

Another very good example is my husband Mike. 10 years ago he suffered, big time from panic attacks. He experienced them everywhere, supermarkets, in the street, basically anywhere and everywhere. He went to the doctors as he was convinced that he was going to die and thought he had a heart problem as his heart was so fast. The doctor asked him about panic attacks and prescribed beta blockers, (Propanolol) and although this helped it did not solve the underlying problem.

Mike armed himself with lots of books. He was running a security company and, in his position there, could not afford to be in that situation.

Please see my recommended reading below for much more help on this subject, as well as a variety of ways to stop panic attacks for good. I particularly recommend any book written by Dr Claire Weekes as she was the main source of help for me.

Also, provided you are not taking medication such as anti depressants or tranquillisers, Etherium products such as Etherium Black and Gold may be worthwhile as they potentize eachother and bring about a sense of calm. Using these products may help in the management of Panic Attacks.

Etherium Black Calms you down within minutes.

Etherium Gold Balances left and right brain

They are best used together, and while not cheap at £19.99 (roughly) a bottle, they may be beneficial and the way forward as their use gets rid of feelings of anxiety without the need for scary medication. There are no side effects from using them, which is the main thing, as they are natural monatomic minerals.

In the UK, they can be purchaed from Living is Easy

See Self Help for Your Nerves: Learn to Relax and Enjoy Life Again by Overcoming Stress and Fear

Essential Help for Your Nerves: Recover from Nervous Fatigue and Overcome Stress and Fear

Both books are written by Claire Weekes who I highly recommend. She is the authority on panic attacks

Also try this fabulous book

Embracing the Fear: Learning to Manage Anxiety and Panic Attacks

You may well be thinking "How can this simple method stop my anxiety?"

After all, you go through each day, fighting an inward battle with yourself. Muscles tightened, fists clenched, waiting for an attack to start. If you are constantly in this heightened state of awareness of your own body, how can you ever hope to de-sensitize yourself?

Suffering from a nervous illness is not easy. It can be many years, or even a lifetime of battling with yourself. For me, it was from childhood to around my thirties. That's a long time. Too long.

Do these symptoms mean anything to you?

Churning stomach, fluttering in the chest, chest tightness, feeling of a lump in the throat, sweating, thumping heart that seems to miss beats, trembling, gasping for breath, dizzy spells, feeling sick, tensing muscles.

These symptoms are brought about by adrenaline. The more we react, the more adrenaline is pumped out. You can see the cycle.

Doctor Claire Weekes method works. Facing, Accepting, Floating, Letting time pass.

Facing: You face the sensations head on, allowing yourself to "feel" them.

Accepting: You accept the fact that they are there, allowing you stomach to churn without reacting to it. Do not fight it in other words. Just accept that it is there and do not give it too much attention.

Floating: Dr Claire Weekes describes this as imagining yourself on a cloud. Realisation that obstructive thoughts are merely just thoughts, the churning merely just a sensation, and then "float" past them. It basically means "give up the struggle" Do not fight the symptoms. Fighting makes them worse.

Allow the moment to pass: Without giving it any more thought. Keep busy, dimiss the sensations. Keep doing this until you are de sensitized.

Can you see how by not reacting to the sensations of panic and anxiety, we can actually stop the escalation?

It sounds complicated. Please try it next time you feel anxiety. Don't allow it to grip you by tensing up and causing more adrenaline to rush through you and then reacting again and so on. This is what causes the full blown attack in a senstised person. Gradually, you will recover and your nerves will not react to overstimulation. You will have broken the cycle.

Other advice.

If you have children and want them to be calm, it is a good idea not to build them up regularly to future events as this is something that automatically increases their adrenaline response thus sensitizing their nervous systems.

You know the type of thing. "I have a surprise for you when we get home".

Counting down to Christmas and /or birthdays weeks in advance.

"If you are good, you can have a toy/sweets/milkshake" etc

"Just wait until you get home" or "Wait untill your dad comes in and I tell him what you've done"

"When you come home from school this afternoon, we are going to the dentist" (said before they actually go to school)

"You will be having your injection on Friday" (said on Wednesday)

I know it sounds ridiculous, but it actually contributes to them being highly strung.

But surely it takes all the fun and excitement out of life?

It is really not to build them up to a future event too often. If you have a surprise or nasty dental or doctors appointment for them, just don't mention it. That way they can't get all revved up. It protects their nervous system and stop them being over anxious.

Remember, too much excitement, (good or bad) too often revs them up causing an adrenaline response.

It is simply an observation from my own children who were brought up in an overexciteable way by over-enthusiastic grandparents and relations and who now are quite anxious.

I seldom mention anything now and I have found they are not as revved up as once they were.

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