Ok, i went through the same thing when i relapsed. I coulndt be a thome a lone or anything. There are only 7 things i can think of to say.
1- I always beleive that the help of a trained therapist is a good idea in times of crisis like this.
2- Work the program here. The info they give you is great. And the support of the support group is fantastic!
3- Face your fear little by little and always congratulate yourself for a job well done!. It does not need to be big! What i did is i stayed alone at first for a half hour. And wether or not i panicked i congratulated myself on a job well done. Then when half an hour was ok, i stayed alone 1 hour and wether i panicked or not i congratulated myself on a job well done! and so n and son on. and now i spend a lot of time alone at home because i know that i am ok and i can take care of myself whatever happens.
4- I am learning or more like relearning that the best number one person to take care of me in the situation of anxiety or panic is me. I am my number one safe person in case of panic or anxiety. I am the one with the tools to stop it. I am slowly learning to be more aware of this and feeling safer and safer and trusting in myself.
5- Don't be so hard on yourself. Relapses happen! A relapse is why i found this site lol! Be good to yourself and tell yourself nice things instead of bad ones :)
6- distraction, distraction, distraction! If you are distracted you have less time for negative self-talk and for anxious thinking and rumination. that is how i got through the first few hours, then days of being alone. I distracted myself non-stop! It really did help. At first i was skeptical but lol and behold it really did help me out a lot lol
7- Just remember: This too shall pass!
Take care :)
-Diva
I have suffered from panic disorder on and off for the past 10 years. My anxiety was under control for about the past 5 years through the use of antidepressants. However, I decided that since I hadn't experienced anxiety in so long I would try going off of my medication. That was a big mistake. In December I was faced with the worst case of panic than ever before. I have been put on 20 mg. prozac and have made small changes but very slowly. I have had to take a medical leave from school and can only drive places VERY close to my home. I try to be with my husband as much as possible (luckily he works from home). I am fine going out of the house as long as he is with me and I am fine in the home as long as he is with me. I CAN NOT seem to stay home alone. Even the thought of it brings me to tears. I have a fear that I will go crazy or lose control while I am home alone and do something stupid like run out of the house screaming, drive away to some place, or forget who I am. This has been going on for 3 months now! I know that in order to stop fearing certain things (like staying home alone or driving on the highway) I need to start exposing myself to these things that I fear. I am just so scared I am not sure where to begin or how to calm myself down when I am doing one of these things. Any help anyone can offer about how to stay home alone and not panic would be MUCH appreciated! I feel like this is the strangest thing being that I am 28 years old and am normally very high functioning and independent!
