Panic Attacks...help

[Razur]

You might try walking.
Others said exercise, I find gyms and crowds can raise anxiety, maybe try a relaxed walk, around the neighborhood or if there's a park nearby.
I know there was a thread bashing therapy dogs, but I've seen legitimate positive results.
This gives you a friend around all the time and a reason to go for walks.
Also might try reading instead of gaming, all that twitch response can creep into your non-gaming life.

 

[nofearfactor]

Been there done that. Still there. PM'd you.

 

[grwd]

Wish you the best, man.. Exercise when you can..clears the mind

 

[Glocktogo]

Panic attacks are frequently initiated due to the subconscious fixating on negative circumstances without control. Once the pattern is established, they feed on themselves (fear of the attack itself). What you're describing is a combination of loss and lack of control. You lost something you love and now you have less control over your future, at least temporarily. Both of those factors culminate in one symptom, stress.

You need to understand that you can't control the stress. You can't undo the job loss and you can't force a new job that's equal or better to the previous one. All you can do is manage the symptoms those stressors manifest in you physically. Stress management will allow you to regain control of your own emotions and that will reduce or eliminate the symptoms of panic you’re experiencing.

WebMD has a good basic list: http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-relieving-stress

You’ve already gotten several great suggestions and you’re already doing some of these, but there are a couple you might want to focus on. Writing down your feelings is a great start, but something I think is even more beneficial is to make a list of your greatest fears and feelings of loss, then write an action plan to address your core needs. You can then use that to focus your energy on positive actions and track your progress. Don’t let the list own you and set incremental goals, not grand and difficult to fulfill ones.

Idle time is when the mind is most likely to wander into dark places. If you’re faced with down time, that’s a great time to exercise, clean the house, open the shades and get some sunlight (especially important in winter months), work on projects, etc. If you find you have no energy to exercise or do small tasks, focus your mind on something other than yourself. A really easy trick to lower your blood pressure and stress levels is to watch fish swimming. http://www.seacave.com/poi/fish.php

You don’t even need a fish tank, just a decent sized monitor and Google “swimming fish videos”, click, sit back and watch. A flickering fire in the fireplace works pretty well too. Once you’re relaxed, you can more readily slip into meditation or just tackle bite sized chunks of your core issues. The trick is to avoid looking at the entire situation all at once. That reduces your ability to effectively manage the psychology of the issue and set reasonable goals and priorities.

Also recognize that each day is not the same as the last. Both it and your physiology will vary from day to day. You should consider your biorhythms. Don’t fall into the trap of “charting” your biorhythms. That will only serve to make you a mental captive to an outside influence or stressor. Simply understand that on any given day, your mental, physical and emotional capabilities will vary and all three will not necessarily be in sync. Some days you can move mountains, other days you’re killing it if you simply get the shopping done or pay the bills and that's OK!

Anyway, hope some of this helps, best of luck to you!

 

[cinco]

Praying for you man. I think you have received some good advice - exercise, keeping mentally occupied, volunteering.

Keep a log book/diary on you all the time. Start to note the exact time of day and whatever activities or thoughts preceeded your attacks. After your attack, make as many detailed notes of what your thoughts were and any sensations experienced. Likewise, note the thoughts that may have brought you deeper into the attack or started to bring you out of the attack.

Keep track of all your activities during the day along with exact times. Note your meals and the time.

You should likely start to see some patterns. Perhaps this will help you crack the code of what is contributing to the attacks as well as those things that alleviate the anxiety.

WalMart has those little 3"x5" spiral bound notebooks that fit perfectly in a back pocket.

A guy with your skills would be of a huge assistance to your local high school vocational/technical schools. I know our local Vo-Tech has a CNC machining class. Perhaps you could contact your local HS for your local Vo-Tech campus.

 

[carleb]

I think Xanax is thought to be a last resort type drug by many professionals. It can be very addicting. Ask your doctor about Buspar (I think far fewer side effects). It has helped me a LOT! It might not work forever, but maybe to get you over a hump. Exercise and various other techniques can help. Don't be afraid, or ashamed to ask for professional help. What you suffer from is pretty common. Lots of people handle different stresses in different ways. This has kinda hit you below the belt, so get some help. It can get a lot better soon. Drugs may not be the only answer, but they often can help you weather the worst of the storm.

One last word: Be honest with yourself. If you start to consider harming yourself as an option, get professional help right now! Lots of stuff out there that will help. If your doctor won't step up, then get another doctor.

I'm not a medical professional and only know my own experiences.

 

[kennedy]

I've lost a couple of dream jobs over the years, its tough.
reading here it seems your friends help the most. Have you tried getting out into public sporting events? HS football, basketball, etc, things that get you out with people?
Wandering around Walmart at Christmas time should entertain anybody.

It sounds like gaming and friends help the most. That occupies your brain, so does getting out among folks help any at all if they are not your circle of friends?

I'm almost to the point of not wanting to leave the house. Going out and around others just raises the level of anxiety. I feel safe at home. I think my biggest fear is failure. I don't want to fail my family again. I want them to be proud of me again.

Thank you everyone for all the comments and suggestions. I'm trying hard to get through this.

 

[crazyfish]

You might try Kimray. They have a lot of CNC jobs and have a tech job open right now that troubleshoots CNC machines. Sorry to hear about the anxiety. My wife has struggled off and on with this.

 

[CHenry]

Sounds like this is all based on the loss of the job? So go find another right now. You can make decent money and occupy your time delivering pizza. I know no one wants to deliver pizza but its just an example of a job that you could easily land today.

 

[CHenry]

I was having a lot of anxiety last year for some unknown reason. What I did later on was started being more healthy with diet and vitamins (not because of the anxiety but for obvious reasons) and the anxiety went away. Have blood work done and get a good idea of things like D, B12, etc. and see a nutritionist. I can recommend one if you need.
A lot of times, issue we have are a result of what we are not eating that our minds and bodies need. B12 deficiency causes nervous system issues.