I'm Having a Panic Attack

 I use this blog a lot to help myself out when I am feeling incredibly anxious or having a huge panic attack, which is why there are so many entries. I have a panic attack every day. It calms me down to write and keeps me focused on not feeling like I am dying. In the spirit of self help and discovery....... I am going to try a cognitive behavioral therapy technique and see how it works.

This is an exercise called: Realistic thinking
 This means looking at all aspects of a situation (the positive, the negative, and the neutral) before making conclusions. In other words, realistic thinking means looking at yourself, others, and the world in a balanced and fair way.

What am I thinking right now? I am thinking that I hope it doesn't get any worse than it is right now.

What is making me feel anxious? I am having a panic attack.

What am I worried will happen? That it will get worse and no one will help me and I will die right here.

What bad thing do I expect to happen? I am afraid I might really be dying this time, ask for help, and no one will believe me.


1.Am I falling into a thinking trap?(e.g.,catastrophizing or overestimating danger) both

2.What is the evidence that this thought is true? What is the evidence that this thought is not true? My symptoms are evidence that it is true, but I have panic attacks every night and haven't died yet.

3.Have I confused a thought with a fact? Yes
 
4.What would I tell a friend if he/she had the same thought? We have been through this before,
you are going to be okay.

5.What would a friend say about my thought? You are calming down and you are safe.

6.Am I 100% sure that ___________will happen? No

7.How many times has __________happened before? Never

8.Is __________so important that my future depends on it? Well, if I died I wouldn't have much of a future.

9.What is the worst that could happen? Dying

10.If it did happen, what can I do to cope with or handle it? I'd be dead, so why would I care?

11.Is my judgment based on the way I feel instead of facts? Feelings

12.Am I confusing “possibility” with “certainty”? It may be possible, but is it likely? Yes,it is a possibility. It could happen, but it hasn't happened yet. My heart has been checked out and it is fine. I am great on my peak flow meter for asthma lung capacity.

13.Is this a hassle or a horror? It is both, feeling this way is a hassle and it it a horror to feel that I am dying every night.

Well, I think the panic attack is over, mostly due to my taking ativan. I don't know how much this helped, but it definitely made me see how nutty my thoughts get during one. I am going to keep trying out new techniques. Maybe doing this can help one of my readers out at least. I am happy I made it through and hopefully it is over for tonight.