If you suffer from panic attacks, how do you deal with them at work? I'm barely functional, and it's showing through in the quality and output of my work.
I'm getting treatment and doing all of the things I should to help myself, but I am also waiting for someone to point it all out and lose my job.
@tonyarnold my trick is peppermint candy. That sounds bonkers, but here's why I think it works for me.
I had panic attacks regularly for several years. I've been almost entirely free of them for almost 10 years ever since I discovered there was a food trigger for me.
Any kind of hard candy helped as it gave me something else to think about, but I do think peppermint candy helped especially because peppermint can soothe GI discomfort.
If I felt like I was going to have a panic attack, I'd pop a peppermint candy in my mouth, breathe slowly, and focus on the mint.
As my panic disorder got worse to the point that it was severely affecting my ability to live a normal life, I started to strongly suspect a food trigger. It took me over a year of obsessive logging to identify the likely trigger and another 6-12 months to confirm it.
@tonyarnold The animal part of your brain taking over and causing hormone dumps and breathing acceleration, etc (as you likely know). One technique for helping the higher order brain take back control is to focus on your breathing. Find your long, slow, calm breaths.
Easier said than done in a panic attack, but with practice it gets easier for many people.
Sometimes accompanying it with a slow calm physical movement might help (think tai chi but can be small hands only if socially easier).
@tonyarnold I’d have thought that after all your years there, work will be supportive and understanding so, if you can, talk to a manager which might break the spiral of worrying about it and it adding to the anxiety.
We’re all rooting for you and hope that things settle down again soon.
@tonyarnold man... sorry you're dealing with that. I can recommend CBT as the one that often leads to improvement the fastest, especially in groups. At work - many ppl deal with that and they do pull through; it's a fact but they do have really tough time. Acc to cbt you have to access based on evidence, prior cases of others having the same situation at that workplace or what happened when you yourself have had issues in the past, etc.
@tonyarnold making assumptions like that "someone is gonna point out" is contra-productive as most "what-if" statements, your therapist should help with that. Would it help to chat sometime? It is super useful just to tell stuff to someone far away 🤷🏽♂️
@tonyarnold not panic attacks but generalized anxiety - I do the best that I can to build relationships and trust when I’m feeling up, so that when things are more difficult people have my back and aren’t worried about flexibility.
@tonyarnold Think of a colour. How many items are in the room with that colour? Count it. Repeat if needed. Might sound silly, but small distraction, small steps. ❤️
@tonyarnold I 100% second the "accept it" and "be open about it" advice. Funnily enough, Dune's Litany Against Fear is some fucking sound advice hidden in flowery language.
Let it come; watch what it does. Don't fight the onset, welcome it- overwhelming emotions are too powerful to fight, but lack staying power. Consciously watch how your mind and body react as if you were watching a neat insect.
It's how I stopped crying when emotional triggers slammed me the hardest.
@tonyarnold to be assertive, this allows you to develop self-esteem, I understand that you are following (cognitive) therapy and if it is prudent, presentation and structured problem resolution, but this will be indicated to you by the professional you visit. And don't worry about what they will think about at work, don't let your mind imagine situations that make you worry more, this feeds your panic. I am not a psychologist, but I work with occupational health.
@tonyarnold Some ways to control anxiety disorders include first learning about your anxiety, in this way we learn to understand how our body will seek to balance itself, thanks to the performance of our nervous system, it knows how to do it, pay full attention, these episodes are like a volcano, let it erupt, after this, you can use relaxation techniques, correct breathing techniques. Have adjustments in your diet (healthy), exercise, drink plenty of pure water (not packaged in plastic) learn
@tonyarnold Being open about it has helped me. People have been incredibly understanding and you'll find that most people have a family member of friend who suffers from it.
Hope you find some relief mate! It's been a struggle of mine for 10+ years and I've yet to find the magic bullet myself.
@tonyarnold if you trust your boss, explain the situation to them, and see if they can work with you. If you don't trust your boss, investigate your medical rights and hire an employment lawyer. It sounds like a really sucky situation, and I'm sorry this is happening to you.
@tonyarnold i don’t have any great advice, but you’re certainly not alone. my kids and i have all always suffered similarly. it’s been THE limiting factor in life. we’ve each tried the various meds to no avail. and mindfulness only gets you so far.
what i tell my kids is to try to recognize the spiraling thoughts and let them pass without acting. go for a walk, eat some chocolate, whatever… until the adrenaline is gone.
@tonyarnold I’m sorry you’re dealing with this 💖 I wish I had better advice/coping mechanisms to share. I ended up cutting out almost all caffeine because I found that it was exacerbating my body’s reactions to things, and that was helpful, but I think that’s more like “helpful around the edges”
@tonyarnold Don’t have advice but boosted so maybe someone can share some. I hope you’ll feel better soon—having MH issue myself I know how rough it can be.
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