“In talking to others who suffer from panic and anxiety It is amazing to note the similarities and patterns that are shared. A large part of setting up our defense for you will be to know what you are and will be facing. By knowing what you are facing, it will enable us to establish a defensive plan that will keep you protected from being taken hostage by this disorder.” Brian Ludwig
The severity of your panic attacks will determine how drastic the measures we use to pursue your freedom. For the sake of instruction, we are basing our information, on the premise that panic attacks have robbed the quality of your life and you are ready to do whatever it takes to obtain your freedom.
One thing that can be very frustrating is seeking support from people who have never struggled with anxiety or panic attacks. Whether these people are friends, relatives, or even doctors, they have a lot of trouble wrapping their heads around what you’re going through and may end up classifying you as nothing more than a “stressed-out hypochondriac.” Most of the time, they will try to offer a simple, rational solution to a very complex irrational situation. Oftentimes, people will say, “Well, when this feeling hits you, can’t you just reason in your mind that it is just another panic attack occurrence and not overreact to it?”
Oh, if it could only be that easy. The problem is that, even though you know you are overreacting, the slightly different circumstances of each situation will tend to mask the obvious pattern. For instance, you might have been shoveling snow, and your mind convinces you that you must have overdone it. Even something as simple as a bad case of heartburn can start the ball rolling. Once, when I dropped something heavy on my foot and smashed my big toe, I was absolutely convinced that I was going to get a blood clot.
Remember, a panic attack can start up for no rational reason. However, people are different, so what comes first? Does the panic attack cause one to overthink and become a hypochondriac about all health issues, or does a person’s personality trait of overthinking make them more susceptible to panic attacks and possibly trigger the initial Level One response? The jury’s out on this one.
One of the first things you must know about panic attacks is that the war takes place in your head.
When repeated fears and patterns of thinking are allowed to develop, the patterns become so embedded and familiar that the patterns of thinking become what we refer to as strongholds.
The body is amazingly complex. However, as we travel the road to your freedom, we don’t have to be trained physicians or psychiatrists; to start to know what is causing the way we feel. This knowledge is imperative in learning how to put a stop to it.
Of course, we encourage a complete physical is what we use to combat speculation ! Especially for those with any health anxiety. When you get a complete physical exam, you take away the fuel that your mind feeds on to race. Again, what we’re doing is establishing a defense against speculation. Remember, the definition of speculation is “the forming of a theory or conjecture without firm evidence.” When we have had a complete physical and have received a clean bill of health, harmful speculations are drastically reduced.
BRIAN WRITES:
“I was one of those pain-in-the-butt people who would rarely forget things, like running out of gas or losing the keys or the phone. I’ve even gone my entire life never getting a speeding ticket. I would like to say that I was just being very responsible, but I found out that my justification for being overly responsible was simply to mask the fact that I worried too much.
The definition of worry is to give way to anxiety or unease by allowing one’s mind to dwell on difficulties or potential troubles. Wow, that was me. I would try to mask it by calling myself responsible, but I just plain worried too much.
Anyway, I now found myself overanalyzing the things I used to give absolutely no thought to. In fact, overanalyzing is putting it mildly. I became an artist of over-analyzation. I would overanalyze until I found myself overanalyzing about overanalyzing. It was like placing my every thought in a blender and turning it on high. Needless to say, I would often feel a little off balance, and I sometimes became downright dizzy. These feelings would not happen consistently or occur all at once. Consequently, I just decided to put up with them, thinking I would soon be back to my normal self, but it was becoming obvious that my “normal” was a thing of the past.
…overthinking, worrying , overanalyzing etc.
Normally, these traits are not a huge problem unless they take you to the point where you are susceptible to a panic or anxiety attack. However, for me, the even bigger problem was that these tendencies encouraged the future events of panic attacks instead of helping me war against them.
The mindset that I had allowed to develop was one that caused me to be overly watchful. I would perceive much more than normal, and then would always analyze and overthink.”
Some of the above has been taken with permission from: Panic Attacks Calming the Storm Brian Ludwig
Now let us look at some of the other common traits that those with anxiety disorders and depression face. What I have observed.
To look at them they appear self-reliant or determined, when actually they feel like they are fighting to survive. They can wear a façade of happiness that covers their underlying emotional state. So, others may think they are ok.
Because they overthink, over analyze, and speculate, and they often have higher than average perception they tend to be creative… So creative it is easier for them than others to conjure up worst case scenarios in their mind.
They may feel this prepares them for what ever comes around but instead it just shores up their mindset that all is not well. This mindset colors their expectations as negative.
- For some life may just be challenging, from having unusual sleeping habits is common as well as eating too much not enough or filling up with junk or comfort foods. Many have these traits and do not suffer from mental torment. But they will not overthink the whys behind everything.
- Often there is an underlying fear that they will be left alone. Many people they do not recognize this. It may come from a real-life trauma or a perception of something they may not even be aware of. Something, that was harmless, but they speculated the worst-case scenario and it is now buried in their mindset. This may drive some people to become clingy, and some controlling. Those that are controlling, or the take charge kind of person think that this will give them an advantage to control situations that may set off an attack.
- As a defensive mechanism they become good a hiding their needs or their cry for help. Because of this “cover up” friends and or family often do not acknowledge that you may be depressed excessively worried and stressed.
Because things are seen with a negative perception,
- health issues often occupy their mindset
- casual comments are taken as offensive
- hopelessness takes root … and the list can go on and on
- this same group will often declare that they desire to know their purpose they obsess about it in search of validation of their life
- they are uncomfortable when they perceive others as judging them even if it only normal conversation.
However, they may become agitated if they are called upon to explain what they are experiencing because they fear negative judgement.
The basis of most of the responses that are common is that of fear. That is why we call refer to the blog and our FB page as FIGHT BACK FIGHT FEAR by author YOUR PATH TO FREEDOM.
Fight Back Fight fear 