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[abigail]

im supposed to go on a road trip next month and while it sounds exciting, im scared. i never used to be afraid to ride in vehicles, but now i am. ive had panic attacks in them before, and ive made several excuses as to why i would rather not go here or go there. i dont know if i should face my fears and just go or miss out on some fun and stay where i feel safe. i dont want to miss out on life. when i go somewhere, i have to take a xanax first and that doesnt seem right. im tired of being afraid to live.

[Epictetus]

Oh, sorry. Did the Xanax work on previous road trips. Were there breakthrough panic attacks on the xanax? Have you talked to a doc about this? You can only do what you can do at any moment given all the powerful forces influencing you, and fear is very powerful.
I think you should promise yourself that no matter what your final decision, you won't beat yourself up mentally over it. I know a little trick for reducing anxiety that works for me. I would be happy to share it with you if you are interested. It works for me. Don't know if it would work for you. There is no "ideal" "perfect" attitude about facing ones fears. You will face your fears as you can, when you can. Try not to add to your fears an additional sense of urgency like: "oh, I have to conquer this fear by such and such a date." Just go at your own pace. Make sure to congratulate yourself on your little victories and not just see defeats. Aim for progress rather than perfection. Please feel free to respond back. I can see that you are a good person. Good luck on whatever you decide. best wishes. I like the little sun image under your name. Did you pick it?

[abigail]

thank you for your reply and for saying such kind words. usually the xanax works well enough, although i have had a couple of panic attacks while on them...usually not though. im working my way up to a stronger dose of zoloft. my doctor boosted me to 100 mg from 50 and it was too much for me at once. im on 75 and in another week or so im going to go up to 100. i'd really like to hear about your little anti-anxiety trick, anything is worth a try. i just get so tired of feeling like something is wrong with me and i try really hard to be positive and optomistic. i dont want to miss out on things, or on life in general because of this, and i dont want to end up being housebound. i do feel a bit of pressure as far as the road trip goes. i find times that im telling myself that i have 4 weeks to get it together, and so on. as far as the sunny image goes, i found it on the first day of summer. i love the sunshine.

Edited by abigail, 04 July 2012 - 11:07 AM.

[Epictetus]

Greetings Abigail,

How are you today?

I used to be on Zoloft too and it worked well. I also had some breakthrough panic attacks on Zoloft.

I was taught a little trick for dealing with anxiety. I will tell you about it. But I am not a health care professional, so I cannot give advice.

The trick is called "Flooding." The idea is that trying to stop anxious thoughts or run from them makes them worse; makes them grow larger and more persistent. So one does the opposite by framing the anxiety into words and then repeating those words out loud 100 times.

For example, sometimes I am alone and I become overcome with the fear of being alone and think it is terribly dangerous and I will die from it. So I say outloud: "I am alone and in danger and I will die of it." I say it 100 times. Usually by the time I say it 25 times the anxiety has lessened and I start to feel bored saying it over and over. Boredom replaces the anxiety. After I say it 30-50 times I find the words humorous, might smile, might laugh out loud. At about this time the anxiety becomes almost zero. Instead of running from the thought, image or feeling...I run towards it, so to speak. I flood my mind with uncertainty. And paradoxically, this makes the fear go away. Usually the same fear does not return. But if it does, I repeat the process. If I am with others, I do it silently. I find it so helpful especially when the meds don't work or haven't kicked in yet.

It is sometimes hard to let the anxiety in or to admit to myself I have a certain fear. I had a fear of going completely crazy and ending up in a hospital or homeless for the rest of my life with no friends. So I verbalized this fear 100 times. I usually never get to 100 before the fear goes away.

I find this strategy does not work during an actual panic attack. I have another coping technique for that.

As I said, I am not a professional. I am just sharing a coping strategy that works for me. Everyone is different. I take clonazepam for break through panic and anxiety.

I don't know if my words have helped. I hope so. Wishing you the best today. There are a lot of caring understanding people on this site. They are from many countries and so time zones affect who posts what and where. I would keep checking back on this site for what others have to say. All the best Abigail. Have a good day!

Edited by Ep1ctetus, 04 July 2012 - 11:23 AM.

[abigail]

today was a good day for me, thank you. also, i thank you for all of your advice and encouragement, it's all very helpful. the 'flooding' sounds interesting, i will give that a try. i can see how it could work. i made good progress today, i left the house without taking a xanax first. i wanted to see how i would do, i told myself i could leave the situation if i needed to, that gave me some comfort. i was only gone for an hour or so, but that's a big deal for me. lol. im a bit nervous about my increase next week, but i think it will be ok.

[Epictetus]

Hi Abigail,


Congratulations!!!! You made me smile today. Thanks!!! have a great day!!!

[calicosky]

Ep1ctetus - that sounds like a very good tip, thank you for that.

abigail, I hope that you are feeling okay today. I have found that for me personally - the anticipation is almost always worse than the actual thing that I am worried about.

[LibraryLady]

Hi Abigail,

Maybe you should discuss this with the people you are going to be with on the road trip. Let them know about your panic attacks and talk to them about what techniques you can use when or if you have one while on the road. Many people are very understanding about this sort of thing, so enlisting their help might make things go more smoothly for you and for them!

[abigail]

thanks for the replies, im doing ok today just sleepy. i just increased my zoloft this afternoon then crashed out for a while shortly after, lol. im hoping this will be what i need so i can be done with the xanax. calicosky: you make a good point... a lot of times the anticipation is much worse. i know sometimes expecting the worse can trigger exactly what you're afraid of happening. im trying hard not to let that happen. Library Lady: i ought to discuss this with them, they're family afterall, but im embarrassed.