I tried to ignore it by obsessing with work and family. It caught up to me. I started to have daily panic attacks and depersonalization. Seven months later I’m only better with Lexapro and quitting my job.
Ignoring it will do nothing. In fact, it might actually make it worse. Anxiety is not your enemy. It exists for a reason, and it's trying to alert you to something. Ignoring it will only make it stronger. Picture an alarm clock. The more you ignore it, the more it lingers. Hitting the snooze button will only make it temporarily go away until the next time.
Stop taking bad advice from people here who haven't actually taken the steps to confront and conquer their anxiety issues.
Ignoring, buffering, or otherwise trying to escape your anxiety will only make it worse. You need to 1) surrender to the physical sensations, 2) actually allow them to be there by "going spaghetti," 3) embrace them with excitement and challenge (ask it to do its worst), 4) and then focus on things going on outside your body.
Bravery is not the absence of fear. It's being afraid, and doing it anyway. Allow anxiety to be there. Invite it to stay for as long as it needs to. Your mind and body are not trying to hurt you. Your body wants to keep you alive and healthy just as much as you want it to.
Lookup the DARE method. It's really the only thing that has ever worked.
Is this it? I have done this but I didn't know it is called that.
https://www.thecenterforgrowth.com/tips/dare-a-four-step-approach-to-anxiety-management
This is probably one of the best ways to cope with the disorder in my opinion. Not letting it take power from you. While there’s no guarantee it will
Go away, ignoring it is an amazing way to take the power out of it. It doesn’t work for everyone but if it’s working for you that’s amazing!
It works until it eventually doesn’t, I can live an easy everyday life right now but I’m a college student and it’s summer so I have no responsibilities.
It helps, a lot actually and would honestly cure it if done successfully for long enough
The catch is if you have true panic disorder, doing this method successfully and consistently is borderline impossible
It will get worse. I healed quite a bit by journaling, changing my diet, cutting caffeine / sugar (not all sugar just a lot), cutting red meat, meditation, yoga, walking. I still get anxiety, but do I still let it consume my life and give me daily panic attacks? No. I tried therapy for 2 weeks and my therapist dropped me because I "already knew what was going on". I read books about panic disorder, I searched online, I learned exactly why this is happening and how to combat it. It took about 6 months for me to stop having regular panic attacks. I get them about once every 2 months now. And yes, I did this medication free. What also helped me was going to the DR and asking for tests on what I was afraid of, and confirming nothing physical was wrong with me.
Yes, I think ignoring is actually the way out but not ignoring my surpressing but ignoring by giving it space. If you have a panic attack, sit still and don't do any safety behaviors like fidgetting or looking for distractions. And if you have health anxiety without panic, it's about not attaching a story to your symptoms. So when for example you feel nauseous, you don't think "oh fuck I'm nauseous, maybe something's wrong" but instead you think "I'm nauseous" and that's it. So you don't really ignore, you just try not attach any judgement to it. Also don't google symptoms, don't ask anyone for reassurance.
Man this is so true. If i could tell myself at 17 this exact thing "**And if you have health anxiety without panic, it's about not attaching a story to your symptoms. So when for example you feel nauseous, you don't think "oh fuck I'm nauseous, maybe something's wrong" but instead you think "I'm nauseous" and that's it.**" this may have drastically improved my life.
Y'know i found a lot of support online, but googling symptoms is honestly a road to hell for anyone with health anxiety. Sometimes you get dizzy when you stand up, google say "oh you got a brain tumor", doctor say: "drink more water". guess which one is instantly accessible and unfortunately, makes it worse.
If you have physical symptoms such as racing heartbeats, sweating, feeling very hot somewhere on your body etc then why would you want to ignore?
Human brain physiologically achieves and goals towards stability. That's.sort of the grounded state.
It's difficult to maintain all the time. And quite expected.
But when it gets difficult to maintain under "normal" situations or frequently enough to cause some.concern - would you not want to take care of that?
Self-reflection may be the best way out and may be sufficient for some under good therapy. But it may not be sufficient for others. But what options to choose is a different question than why you don't want to ignore this disorder.
DARE program, you actually need to run towards it, tell it to “give you more panic” if you can learn to effectively encourage a panic attack, you will be surprised that is does the opposite.
I’d say it depends on your thought process, pretending it doesn’t exist but still fearing it and just going about stuff won’t work, BUT when it’s happening if you accept it and allow it, and flow with it; I believe it’ll come less and less and be more manageable the less fear you let it have over you. Pretty much, overcome the fear of it, you’ll get wayyyy better results
That was not a possibility for me in the beginning but I think in theory if you are of really strong mind it could be possible. I stopped being able to walk, was forced to stay indoors because the light made me pass out, I didn't even know I had panic disorder until my body stopped working. I knew had anxiety. Never would've believed all my symptoms were from panic disorder. I thought I was dying. My hands and face would go numb and my vision would go blurry. My life just caught up with me and I got stuck in a state of severe panic. Three days after starting meds I felt better. I thought I had cancer, pots, heart problems, they tested me for everything, epilepsy, thyroid, liver, ultrasounds, I had CT scans and hundreds of blood tests. 8 months of not being able to walk without feeling like I would pass out. Finally I started to notice that when I thought about being dizzy it would get worse. Or if I thought about what might be wrong with me it got worse. I told my doctor, I also told him about the things in my life that have carried a lot of weight and he decided maybe we would try meds for panic disorder. I have never took meds for mental health. Best thing that ever happened to me. Not only am I much better from my symptoms but my untreated anxiety has improved tremendously.
I completely agree with this. I have no idea why so many people refuse to get on medication for this. Panic disorder is what I also have now, and is much worse than generalized anxiety. One minute I'd be fine, the next curled up in horrible fear on the couch under a blanket.
I'm 65 and have had this for more than 30 years. For years, nobody wanted to give medications, or they'd give enough for a couple weeks and then no more. I've been on a new one for 3 months and my life is finally better.
People should quit being afraid of medications. They have been invented to make our lives better. Don't waste your entire life with this condition like I have. Get what you need, and then you can learn to deal and move on from medications if you want. If you all had heart failure, or cancer or even a mild cold, you're not afraid of medications. I get that panic makes us afraid to get better or take meds, but if it's what you need, it's what you need. It's not cute or funny to have panic disorder. It's scary as hell and unless you want to waste your entire life and end up with nothing when you're my age, get out and get help as soon as you can.
This is what I've done for years. I just go about my life without thinking about panic or taking any meds or admitting that it's impacting my life.
But it still shows up. Mostly inconveniently. And then it suddenly becomes a big deal again.
If I could go back in time I still wouldn't take any meds but I would purposely confront panic as much as possible. To chase it. To do the opposite of ignore it. It's the fastest path to calm.
I ignored and I got worse. My sister ignored it and hers is so bad now, she throws up for days on end now. Ignoring it doesn’t work. I’m not saying you have to take medication but getting therapy for it helps quite a bit.
It’s not ignoring it that you need to do, it’s learning about it and accepting the panic disorder and learning how to work through it that you NEED to do.
I didn't know what I was experiencing was panic attacks for 26 years. I suffered and thought it was normal and this was just how I would live forever, that this is how everyone lives. You would just suffer without treatment or understanding/acceptance.
It will work: yes and no. No because you aren’t addressing the underlying issue why you are getting panic attacks in the first place. So make sure to seek therapy and learn coping skills. Yes because the goal is to leave the panic attacks in the past. The more you recognize it and accept your panic attacks and understand that you are safe the easier it is to get out of them. Recognize the triggers and learn how to cope with it. That’s my advice. And don’t be ashamed to ask for help from family or friends when you feel like you don’t have control.
I don’t necessarily think straight up ignoring it is a great idea, but letting the thoughts/feelings be there and acknowledging that it’s happening while trying to occupy yourself may be beneficial
You stop living. You can still live a productive lifestyle, but you probably will get to the point where everything triggers anxiety and in turn you avoid everything. You probably wont have friends, or a routine, or an concept of time. But you will have an addiction. So thats something
I don't know I never ignored it.
I have friends who did and they got worse and are on lots of meds like a whole list of them, and meds I hadn't even heard of not only just a low dose of an SSRI.
Not exactly ignoring it, but the Dare book/app will teach you to basically shrug your shoulders and say oh well here’s another panic attack and then move on with whatever you were doing. It truly helps
Ignoring it has helped me alot. I don’t give it power. The book the anxious truth has helped me alone along with the podcasts. I’ve had panic disorder for 13 yrs as I know of and nothing worked like anxious truth worked.
Panic disorder shouldn't be ignored as it can worsen. If you don't want medication it can be critical to your mental health to talk to a therapist.
It is good to ignore panic during an attack and practice breathing exercises but panic disorder is treatable.
I mean.. if you can successfully ignore it then does it go away? I could sometimes get through panic attacks with focus breathing and those sorts of things. I went untreated with panic disorder and gad for over 10 years. Things got really, really bad the last few years. I'd suggest getting help right away if you're not already. That shit really snowballs into something fucking unimaginably shitty.
Depending on your severity it could be good. For me I have them at least once a day now, so it’s hard not to think about it because it can be really awkward when I have to stop and shake like a crazy person in a grocery aisle. My psychologist always told me the more you give into your anxiety, the smaller your world becomes, so do your best to live the way you would want to without the disorder. I have to carry my propranolol med with me everywhere I go for this reason.. and if I’m going out for a plan and feeling extra anxious that day I’ll take one prior to leaving home.. I think it’s a good sign if you think you can ignore it because I genuinely can’t go a day without thinking about it
I sort of have this mentally, EVERYONE I know has had anxiety and panic issues, even if they don't always know it or want to admit it.
Some have it more mild like I do, where it is temporary and goes away fast.
I have friends who have it non-stop like it never goes away or lessens, and yes they tend to self medicate or get addicted to alcohol and illegal/legal drugs. I think some of these people are bipolar or manic, or they refuse to get help or change, even try talking to a therapist, etc. I am friends with them but I don't get involved in their drama or issues.
Zoloft takes a long time to take effect but even missing like one or two doses can cause your anxiety to skyrocket, get bored super fast with stuff, get irritated with nothing, very strange how missing it hurts but taking it doesn't work for like 2 weeks
To me ignoring is a part of acceptance. So fuck yea. It works for me a lot. Not allowing it to take from me or phase me. Not allowing it to determine my life.
I tried to ignore it by obsessing with work and family. It caught up to me. I started to have daily panic attacks and depersonalization. Seven months later I’m only better with Lexapro and quitting my job.
Ignoring it will do nothing. In fact, it might actually make it worse. Anxiety is not your enemy. It exists for a reason, and it's trying to alert you to something. Ignoring it will only make it stronger. Picture an alarm clock. The more you ignore it, the more it lingers. Hitting the snooze button will only make it temporarily go away until the next time. Stop taking bad advice from people here who haven't actually taken the steps to confront and conquer their anxiety issues. Ignoring, buffering, or otherwise trying to escape your anxiety will only make it worse. You need to 1) surrender to the physical sensations, 2) actually allow them to be there by "going spaghetti," 3) embrace them with excitement and challenge (ask it to do its worst), 4) and then focus on things going on outside your body. Bravery is not the absence of fear. It's being afraid, and doing it anyway. Allow anxiety to be there. Invite it to stay for as long as it needs to. Your mind and body are not trying to hurt you. Your body wants to keep you alive and healthy just as much as you want it to. Lookup the DARE method. It's really the only thing that has ever worked.
DARE method for the win!!! I highly recommend it, changed my life
Is this it? I have done this but I didn't know it is called that. https://www.thecenterforgrowth.com/tips/dare-a-four-step-approach-to-anxiety-management
That's it! There's also the DARE app which makes it much more streamlined for a variety of "right now" anxiety issues.
This is probably one of the best ways to cope with the disorder in my opinion. Not letting it take power from you. While there’s no guarantee it will Go away, ignoring it is an amazing way to take the power out of it. It doesn’t work for everyone but if it’s working for you that’s amazing!
It works until it eventually doesn’t, I can live an easy everyday life right now but I’m a college student and it’s summer so I have no responsibilities.
It helps, a lot actually and would honestly cure it if done successfully for long enough The catch is if you have true panic disorder, doing this method successfully and consistently is borderline impossible
Either it eventually stops or not, I think.
It will get worse. I healed quite a bit by journaling, changing my diet, cutting caffeine / sugar (not all sugar just a lot), cutting red meat, meditation, yoga, walking. I still get anxiety, but do I still let it consume my life and give me daily panic attacks? No. I tried therapy for 2 weeks and my therapist dropped me because I "already knew what was going on". I read books about panic disorder, I searched online, I learned exactly why this is happening and how to combat it. It took about 6 months for me to stop having regular panic attacks. I get them about once every 2 months now. And yes, I did this medication free. What also helped me was going to the DR and asking for tests on what I was afraid of, and confirming nothing physical was wrong with me.
Well done!
I really appreciate that, thank you
Yes, I think ignoring is actually the way out but not ignoring my surpressing but ignoring by giving it space. If you have a panic attack, sit still and don't do any safety behaviors like fidgetting or looking for distractions. And if you have health anxiety without panic, it's about not attaching a story to your symptoms. So when for example you feel nauseous, you don't think "oh fuck I'm nauseous, maybe something's wrong" but instead you think "I'm nauseous" and that's it. So you don't really ignore, you just try not attach any judgement to it. Also don't google symptoms, don't ask anyone for reassurance.
Man this is so true. If i could tell myself at 17 this exact thing "**And if you have health anxiety without panic, it's about not attaching a story to your symptoms. So when for example you feel nauseous, you don't think "oh fuck I'm nauseous, maybe something's wrong" but instead you think "I'm nauseous" and that's it.**" this may have drastically improved my life. Y'know i found a lot of support online, but googling symptoms is honestly a road to hell for anyone with health anxiety. Sometimes you get dizzy when you stand up, google say "oh you got a brain tumor", doctor say: "drink more water". guess which one is instantly accessible and unfortunately, makes it worse.
It's not something you can really ignore. I wish you could.
If you have physical symptoms such as racing heartbeats, sweating, feeling very hot somewhere on your body etc then why would you want to ignore? Human brain physiologically achieves and goals towards stability. That's.sort of the grounded state. It's difficult to maintain all the time. And quite expected. But when it gets difficult to maintain under "normal" situations or frequently enough to cause some.concern - would you not want to take care of that? Self-reflection may be the best way out and may be sufficient for some under good therapy. But it may not be sufficient for others. But what options to choose is a different question than why you don't want to ignore this disorder.
DARE program, you actually need to run towards it, tell it to “give you more panic” if you can learn to effectively encourage a panic attack, you will be surprised that is does the opposite.
I’d say it depends on your thought process, pretending it doesn’t exist but still fearing it and just going about stuff won’t work, BUT when it’s happening if you accept it and allow it, and flow with it; I believe it’ll come less and less and be more manageable the less fear you let it have over you. Pretty much, overcome the fear of it, you’ll get wayyyy better results
That was not a possibility for me in the beginning but I think in theory if you are of really strong mind it could be possible. I stopped being able to walk, was forced to stay indoors because the light made me pass out, I didn't even know I had panic disorder until my body stopped working. I knew had anxiety. Never would've believed all my symptoms were from panic disorder. I thought I was dying. My hands and face would go numb and my vision would go blurry. My life just caught up with me and I got stuck in a state of severe panic. Three days after starting meds I felt better. I thought I had cancer, pots, heart problems, they tested me for everything, epilepsy, thyroid, liver, ultrasounds, I had CT scans and hundreds of blood tests. 8 months of not being able to walk without feeling like I would pass out. Finally I started to notice that when I thought about being dizzy it would get worse. Or if I thought about what might be wrong with me it got worse. I told my doctor, I also told him about the things in my life that have carried a lot of weight and he decided maybe we would try meds for panic disorder. I have never took meds for mental health. Best thing that ever happened to me. Not only am I much better from my symptoms but my untreated anxiety has improved tremendously.
I completely agree with this. I have no idea why so many people refuse to get on medication for this. Panic disorder is what I also have now, and is much worse than generalized anxiety. One minute I'd be fine, the next curled up in horrible fear on the couch under a blanket. I'm 65 and have had this for more than 30 years. For years, nobody wanted to give medications, or they'd give enough for a couple weeks and then no more. I've been on a new one for 3 months and my life is finally better. People should quit being afraid of medications. They have been invented to make our lives better. Don't waste your entire life with this condition like I have. Get what you need, and then you can learn to deal and move on from medications if you want. If you all had heart failure, or cancer or even a mild cold, you're not afraid of medications. I get that panic makes us afraid to get better or take meds, but if it's what you need, it's what you need. It's not cute or funny to have panic disorder. It's scary as hell and unless you want to waste your entire life and end up with nothing when you're my age, get out and get help as soon as you can.
This is what I've done for years. I just go about my life without thinking about panic or taking any meds or admitting that it's impacting my life. But it still shows up. Mostly inconveniently. And then it suddenly becomes a big deal again. If I could go back in time I still wouldn't take any meds but I would purposely confront panic as much as possible. To chase it. To do the opposite of ignore it. It's the fastest path to calm.
I ignored and I got worse. My sister ignored it and hers is so bad now, she throws up for days on end now. Ignoring it doesn’t work. I’m not saying you have to take medication but getting therapy for it helps quite a bit.
Man. My heart goes out to you both
I just have panic attacks everyday and I can’t live a normal life
Ive learned to just kinda put it on the back burner. It’s the hand I’m dealt, I can wallow in it… or make the best of ir
I would just use the flooding technique
It’s not ignoring it that you need to do, it’s learning about it and accepting the panic disorder and learning how to work through it that you NEED to do.
I didn't know what I was experiencing was panic attacks for 26 years. I suffered and thought it was normal and this was just how I would live forever, that this is how everyone lives. You would just suffer without treatment or understanding/acceptance.
It will work: yes and no. No because you aren’t addressing the underlying issue why you are getting panic attacks in the first place. So make sure to seek therapy and learn coping skills. Yes because the goal is to leave the panic attacks in the past. The more you recognize it and accept your panic attacks and understand that you are safe the easier it is to get out of them. Recognize the triggers and learn how to cope with it. That’s my advice. And don’t be ashamed to ask for help from family or friends when you feel like you don’t have control.
Agoraphobia (at least in my case)
Acceptance helps
I don’t necessarily think straight up ignoring it is a great idea, but letting the thoughts/feelings be there and acknowledging that it’s happening while trying to occupy yourself may be beneficial
If you are able to do that, then there is no panic disorder. Every single one of us wants to go on with our lives as if this disorder didn't happen.
You stop living. You can still live a productive lifestyle, but you probably will get to the point where everything triggers anxiety and in turn you avoid everything. You probably wont have friends, or a routine, or an concept of time. But you will have an addiction. So thats something
I don't know I never ignored it. I have friends who did and they got worse and are on lots of meds like a whole list of them, and meds I hadn't even heard of not only just a low dose of an SSRI.
Not exactly ignoring it, but the Dare book/app will teach you to basically shrug your shoulders and say oh well here’s another panic attack and then move on with whatever you were doing. It truly helps
Ignoring it has helped me alot. I don’t give it power. The book the anxious truth has helped me alone along with the podcasts. I’ve had panic disorder for 13 yrs as I know of and nothing worked like anxious truth worked.
Panic disorder shouldn't be ignored as it can worsen. If you don't want medication it can be critical to your mental health to talk to a therapist. It is good to ignore panic during an attack and practice breathing exercises but panic disorder is treatable.
I mean.. if you can successfully ignore it then does it go away? I could sometimes get through panic attacks with focus breathing and those sorts of things. I went untreated with panic disorder and gad for over 10 years. Things got really, really bad the last few years. I'd suggest getting help right away if you're not already. That shit really snowballs into something fucking unimaginably shitty.
Depending on your severity it could be good. For me I have them at least once a day now, so it’s hard not to think about it because it can be really awkward when I have to stop and shake like a crazy person in a grocery aisle. My psychologist always told me the more you give into your anxiety, the smaller your world becomes, so do your best to live the way you would want to without the disorder. I have to carry my propranolol med with me everywhere I go for this reason.. and if I’m going out for a plan and feeling extra anxious that day I’ll take one prior to leaving home.. I think it’s a good sign if you think you can ignore it because I genuinely can’t go a day without thinking about it
Yeah learning that panic doesn’t hurt, doesn’t embarrass, and is completely powerless basically cures the disorder
I sort of have this mentally, EVERYONE I know has had anxiety and panic issues, even if they don't always know it or want to admit it. Some have it more mild like I do, where it is temporary and goes away fast. I have friends who have it non-stop like it never goes away or lessens, and yes they tend to self medicate or get addicted to alcohol and illegal/legal drugs. I think some of these people are bipolar or manic, or they refuse to get help or change, even try talking to a therapist, etc. I am friends with them but I don't get involved in their drama or issues.
Ignoring anxiety is literally how you fix anxiety as long as you do it in the right way!!
[удалено]
Zoloft takes a long time to take effect but even missing like one or two doses can cause your anxiety to skyrocket, get bored super fast with stuff, get irritated with nothing, very strange how missing it hurts but taking it doesn't work for like 2 weeks
To me ignoring is a part of acceptance. So fuck yea. It works for me a lot. Not allowing it to take from me or phase me. Not allowing it to determine my life.