I am really worried I will have another panic attack... (Anxiety Series Part 3 of 4)

When someone has a panic attack they often go to the doctor to get checked out which is always a good idea. It can make people feel better that there is nothing medically wrong with them and put them at ease. Often people do not have another panic attack.

However some people are not so easily soothed. These are people may have anxiety over their health as it is and are sensitive to bodily symptoms causing chronic worry (which leads to more bodily symptoms, round and round we go!). Anxiety unfortunately is extremely physical and experienced in the body! See how this is all a vicious cycle? So the anxiety about having another attack can trigger another attack and more anxiety. For learning about why this happened read post 2 in this series here.

So for you chronic worriers, you are actually my favorite kind of people to work with. Why? If you are very worried about having another panic attack or you are worried that your last attack means you are crazy, then it is likely you may fall into a few specific categories. The categories that come to my mind are : over worked, not in touch with your emotions, feeling uncomfortable talking about your emotions with others, not good at letting other people help them, perfectionistic, high achiever, driven, energetic, go-getter, uncomfortable feeling vulnerable with others, and/or highly ambitious. Do any of these sound like you? Do ALL of these sound like you?

I love working with these types of people because I feel they have the most room for growth and will experience a huge benefit from therapy. Therapy helps you connect with yourself. This sounds a little mushy but as a driven go-getter you are probably doing so many things, love getting things done and are very capable of taking care of yourself, that is great!

You probably also have no idea how you feel emotionally and by connecting with your emotions and the stress that your daily life is probably filled with (such as serious things in your life you may be unconsciously avoiding dealing with) it will help you see that your anxiety magically improves. I’m not saying it’s easy to come tell me all your feelings and deepest thoughts about the most sensitive areas of your life, but I do know that when people get in touch with their present lives and emotions they do not experience panic attacks anymore and their anxiety symptoms begin to melt away. This is by no means a quick or easy fix. It takes a lot of time and mental flexibility but it is a real and lasting solution with serious benefits for your health and your life.