my good habits: 1. i dance everyday 2. i sing and play quitar, especially when i'm sad 3. i take the dog for long walks. 4. i talk to my cats and dog when i'm alone and they help keep me grounded 5. i make sure i do not spend an entire day alone w/ just my animals-- i check in w/ my girlfriends and husband during each day 6. i live far, far away from people who could hurt me 7. i don't smoke cigarettes! (it's been 12 days now!) 8. i do yoga every second day 9. i keep a journal

I do a deep relaxation visual meditation every day for about 30 mins. Whenever I start to feel anxious I'll do a mini-meditation for relief. I truly believe in meditation! I've only done this twice which was last week, but when a panic attack starts to happen, I do my slow calming breath counts from 10 down to 1 and continue to do them until I begin to feel better. Once I know it stopped, I say out loud, "I'm proud of myself for stopping the attack!" (which is affirmation) :) Cecilia

Hi hope everyone had a good day and will enjoy the holiday tomorrow. Good Habits I find that meditation really works for me I do a morning meditation by L. Hay reminding me to appreciate all the good things in life. I also do a relieve stress and anxiety tape which has a good technique when those fear thoughts come up you make a circle with your thumb and forefinger and say cancel cancel with practice it works alot of the time. I also do a bedtime meditation to help relax me and so that I have good thoughts in my head to go to sleep with. Sounds like alot of meditating but it's only a hour or so and it sure helps me. I'm getting anxious just reading this and thinking - so I've end for now :)

wow, you know, i never thought about it, but i've developed some good habits while trying to deal with everything going on. i do yoga at least once a week, along with aerobics, or even just stretching a little to get the circulation going. also, i do all this cause i wanna be healthy. since most of my fears are based around health. i do abdominal breathing whenever i think about it. basically i do it all the time, then i find it easier to do when an attack starts creeping, as soon as my breathing gets shallow i start doing that. my dr says it loosens the chest muscles and it really works!!

Hey Victoria! I haven't heard from you lately, how are things going? I am up in the middle of the night because for some ****ed reason I can't sleep. I have been having trouble with bloating, which probably related to perimenopause. My mouth and noise feel very dry and it makes me feel like I can't breath. Are you frezzing up there in Maine? I don't think I every told you, but I live outside of SLC. UT. I moved here from Arizona (which is warm and sunny most the time to this colder climate) I cannot seem to every get warm. Drop me a note and let me know how things are going and what you have tried and so forth. I recently went off of paxil. I think I feel better overall without it. I still use the xanax. I have been researching and I think I may be unipolar (bipolar type 6). It makes a lot of sense to me it is considered very rare. I have however complained for years of feeling manic without depression. I think I just self destruct into panic disorder because of the constant drain on my adrenal glands. I am not a doctor, but the symtoms seem to line up. Being perimenopausal is all I need about now! Dawn

Hi Ken. Learning how to breathe in a relaxed way from the belly isn't all that easy. Most people have to think about it for a while and use a variety of techniques to help them "move" their breathing from their upper chest to their belly. If you haven't seen any of this material you may find the following resources helpful: Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness. Kabat-Zinn J. Delta, (1990). Wherever You Go There You Are: Mindfulness Mediation in Everyday Life. Kabat-Zinn J. Hyperion (1995). Mindfulness Mediation Practice Tapes Series 1 Tape 1: Guided Body Scan Mediation, Guided Yoga 1. Kabat-Zinn J. Mindfulness Mediation Practice Tapes Series 1 Tape 2: Guided Sitting Mediation, Guided Yoga 2. Kabat-Zinn J. -- Anne-Marie, Site Administrator

Hello Dawn! I hope you are having a good day - Yesterday, I had an "OK" day, a better evening however, I was trying to be aware of my breathing...I think it may have helped me feel calm....I thought I was "ready" for bed at 11:45 pm, went upstairs, laid in bed for 70+ minutes, came downstairs for another 40! I'm feeling a bit frustrated with this, since I've never had it before, I know it is temporary, but I don't like it! Today was "ok", a lot of anxious thoughts...NOT panic, but worrying thoughts, brought tears to my eyes a few times. About 45 minutes ago, I took .5 mg Klonopin, almost spit it out (I get anxious with meds), but I refused to do it! I almost had an PA, but did some deep breathing and self talk, and it prevented a full blown attack -- PLUS, I switched gears, playing a computer game to keep me occupied and minimize my thoughts..... I'm glad I did, hopefully, tonight, I'll fall asleep faster than 2 hrs! ;D Re your message - thanks for the clarification re breathing, I think I need to read more about this, don't know a whole lot about it.... Thanks for taking the time to talk about you taking Xanax, perhaps I may need to do that in the short term. I know, when I was down my sisters, earlier this month, I would take .5 mg Klonopin at 7-8 pm, and would peacefully fall asleep 11-12... I tend to not want to take medications, but I'm trying to work with myself - the meds help, and I don't need to suffer, this is one of my "challenges" For example, for 6 hours I kept thinking off/on about taking the Klonopin! Probably not the best use of my thoughts ;D I agree completely re "going to a specialist" - I recommended this to my patients in the hospital and a general practioner is NOT the same as a Psychiatrist! I would use the analogy of breaking a bone, a GP probably could set it?, but an orthopedic surgeon CAN, that's his speciality! I'm so glad you found a good doctor, and one to whom you can talk to, it is critical, IMHO! My problem, or hesistancy, is that as aclinical social worker (now jewelry designer - I'll tell you about it sometime) is that I know all the psychiatrists and it's hard, I've worked with most, if not all of them. But, I'm thinking that perhaps I need to get on a low level of SSRI, like Paxil, etc

pps Upperchest breathing is when you forget to use your diaphram and your stomach and you take short breaths that do not fill your lungs up with enough oxygen.

Hi Again Victoria! I have been taking xanax every night since last April (2002). I was told by one of my DRs early on that it is essential to get a good nights sleep because sleep deprivation can exacerbate and or cause depression and panic attacks. When I start having anxiety problems especially sleep related I start taking the xanax. I take .05 most of the time except when I have a full blown panic attack at which time I will take 1.0. I will also take 1.0 twice a day before and during my mentstral cycle and I stick to .05 at night. I try not to take xanax all the time if I forget it, I forget it. When my panic is undercontrol, I only take as needed and I have never become addicted. I have been using a Dr. of Physc. since about three months after I started panic attacks, which was when I was 28 years old. I was fortunate that an ER Dr. referred me after several visits to a Dr. he new. The first thing he did was put me on sedation therapy to desensitize me and give me a reprive. I have con't to see physc.'s ever since. This is their area of expertise. I would not trust my mental health to anyone but a specialist! I also recommend setting up consultations and interveiw this people until you find the right fit. My newest Dr. took me two months to find. He is an older man who practices counseling with drug therapy. He admits he is a dinosaur as far as the way he practices but I would not have it any other way. You don't want a Dr. who just gives you drugs and turns you loose and does not follow up. This is your brain we are talking about here! I suspect that my main issue is perimenopause. My biggest complaint is the lack of endless energy I used to have. I have a wedding catering business and this is my busiest time of year and I am struggling just to keep up. My sales are harder to get and I just am not coming across as enthusiastic as I used to. I decided over the summer to trim down my commitments and cut out painting for galleries until I get stablized. I say no a lot to volunteer work which I have historically really loved. Right now, It is all about me and simplifying my life. I have streamlined my home to my favorite things and anything else is just something to have to take care of, so out it goes! Two of my three children have moved out

Hello again, Dawn! I'm still working on my inventory stuff (keeps me busy).... and I decided to check my yahoo email and when I saw the response, I knew it was from you ;D Thanks! Upper chest breathing, is the shallow breathing, not the "belly" breathing (diaphram) that we should be trying for, yes? I've never taken xanax, I was prescribed Klonopin 1-2 mg every 4-6 hrs. I find, and believe, people w/PA, a little goes a long way...I have taken 1/2 mg with good effect (like when my sister's son died unexpectedly 1/5/03 (put me over the top anxiety wise and I called my doctor in Maine from Maryland to get a script. I kept it for 1/2 day and took it the next morning and it did help me to help my sister.... I'm contemplating going to see a psychiatrist re meds, perhaps an SSRI like paxil, low does, helps with panic/anxiety. How does Xanax help you? HOw long have you been taking it at bedtime? Does it continually work without increasing dosage? I don't have nocturnal panic (panic while sleeping???), but lately, as I've said, I'm having a time with falling alseep....new to me...I put on the tv too - watching/listening to Cheers, Cosby, very "light" watching....I think I tend to have more "challenges" in the evening with anxiety.... OMG!!! I think you are my "PA soulmate". I am newly perimenopausal. I think the symptoms I'm having might be partially related to it....not all that sure, but I do know I am hypersensitive to ANY bodily changes...I work to tell myself, what ever I am feeling is "normal" and I'm not so reactive to it. I just got a book on perimenpause. BTW, do you have a thyroid condition? LOL!!! just curious, I have hypothyroidism, diagnosed in 1990 and my resurgence of PA was related to my illness. But one pill a day keeps it all ok. With out similarities, I thought you might have it too! Well, must get back to work....ack! inventory... Talk to you soon, Dawn, Victoria