Anxiety, Panic and Phobias

I suffered from Anxiety and Phobias for a long time, and I tried almost everything to get rid of them. Some of what I tried was rubbish, and some of it was actually very useful.
People often write and ask me what I think is best, what works, what is painless and above all what is quick.
Here, I will try and expand on the things that helped me and give ideas regarding what might help you.

1. CBT. For lucky people Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is made available to them by their doctor when they first present with symptoms of anxiety or panic attacks which have lead to phobias. CBT is good for anxiety and panic related problems because with CBT you learn how to challenge your negative thoughts. This can relatively quickly and painlessly relieve some of the nastiest parts of the condition: fear of going mad, being convinced that you were about to die, being convinced that you are going to pass out etc. Although it is not by any means always always a cure for anxiety it generally is very helpful, and the skills you learn with CBT can be applied to life in general, not just anxiety.

2. Medication. Medication does work for a lot of people. Whether you take short term tranquilizers like Valium or Xanax for anxiety and panic attacks or a full blown course of antidepressants like Citalopram effects can be had. Sometimes (and always under the supervision of a doctor) you need to try various different drugs before you find the right one. I personally found that some tranquilizers didn’t particularly agree with me, while others were highly effective. Likewise with SSRI types of anti-depressant. In the end though both classes of drug served me well. Drugs are considered controversial and I advise you not to be propogandized by either the drug companies or the alternative therapy brigade. Just speak to your doctor, do some research online, and go with what feels right.

3. Meditation. When I was at my most anxious I had so much trouble with hyperventilation. The only time I was truly calm was when I was so engrossed in something that I took my mind of my breathing. But more often than not my breathing felt continually laboured – sometimes it was annoying, sometimes it was scary. Every time I noticed my breathing it would go out of control, I would hyperventilate, and I would pray for it to slow down or normalize. Through mindfulness mediation I quickly realized that actually my breathing was not going to kill me, that it was under my control, and that it could be normal.

4. Choosing to be free of it. This is a strange one to try and put into words. Sometimes when you are feeling anxious, panicky, or phobic there is just a voice which comes to my head that says “Come on, I am in control of this”. You do chose whether or not to be anxious, and you can chose to feel well. It is a hard choice to make and I will talk more about this at a future date. I have a feeling that this is the best way to beat anxiety once and for all.