Anger is a very good form of distraction in a panic situation as long as you can drop it after and laugh about it. Watch this one, if you are angry at the crowd and don't accept it, it will get worse. All the emotions are natural they only become unnatural when we dwell on them. I have used anger in a panic situation and it does work. The thing is to aim the anger at the situation and not any one specific and to let it go after.
I'm very happy to see you could help some one else in a panic situation.
You are doing it right by learning to cope before you jump to exposure. It will be far easier to do when the time comes. I am also glad to see you are not avoiding things you know will cause anxiety. You know that you are already doing exposure and using coping skills.
Oh by the way you know having your heart rate go up is normal, accepting it is hard.
I don't like crowds either. I was at MGM Studios in Walt Disney World for a night event. My brother and his wife wanted to stay till the end and I wanted to leave before getting stuck in the crowd. It was wall to wall people pressed together and moving at a snail's pace. I got squished against a girl who was having full blown anxiety and we were against the cement wall. I told her I had the same problem, but we were going to be okay. I told her we would walk together and get out just fine. What helped was looking up at the sky and the other buildings, like the tower of terror. Just looking up and to the right of the crowd was a good distraction and positive self talk (which I didn't know about back then, God must have helped me). Also, during the day at the same park, the crowd was so massive that I tried to go straight and was literally pushed left by the crowd. I couldn't fight the flow, so I had to take a time out and sit on a bench and take a breather. I was more angry about the situation, but cooled off and forced my way to where I needed to go which was eventually out of the park. We are going to the Aquarium this month and I'm not going to think about it until the day actually arrives. From past experience, I've learned that mostly what I worry about, doesn't end up actually happening. I am going to use the tools I've learned in Sessions 1 and 2. I haven't gottten to the exposure session, so I just have to trust that I can use positive self talk to get through any anxiety and focus on whatever fish in the tank I have to, if it gets really crowded in there. I've done these things before (before anxiety and panic), so I have to believe I can do them again. I think focusing on my physical symptoms of a faster heart rate has to be stopped (the focus, not my heart) to prevent the panic attack from happening. Events are a trigger, so at the Aquarium, I have to tell myself, I am okay, I'm safe, I'm not trapped, I can get out anytime I want to. That's what I'm doing so far. Learning about exposure further along in the course will help even more, I'm sure.
I agree that it is always good to have a escape plan. I planned for my last trip and exposure and made sure I had a escape plan in place before I left. I had a trailer to escape to if the crowds got to large and pushy. I read, and played with my sewing machine which were relaxing and positive diversions. I also found a tent at the show where all the artisans were working on, selling and showing their works of arts. This was my haven away from the circus atmosphere outside with all the tractors and antique farm engines running and people dashing everywhere on their golf carts, quads, etc. Its always good to have a escape plan in place and positive diversions are a must. I am learning how to deal with my anxiety and panic. It takes time to learn and I am learning from everyone else here. It is becoming less and less of a problem. If you are reading this post Don't give up You can get better too.
When I was normal and working in a lot of different towns and shopping in different stores I used to check the escape routes also but I never thought of them as that. I just thought of them as a quick way to get out and back on the road or back to camp. Like checking exit ramps. It is a normal thing to do but we start to attribute these normal things to our condition and they then add to the anxiety. And you know what happens when you do that. I try to look at these things with a Ho Hum attitude but it doesn't always work. I would bet you and me and everyone exaggerate the situation just because. Before I knew what panic attacks were I would feel uncomfortable, now that I know what they are I go oh no I'm going to panic. This is neither here or there as long as you have relaxation and coping skills in place.
Davit, I agree that the "escape" plan can have to do with taking medication too...that is harder to escape from since often the medication is really necessary, but I agree that the best plan in that case is to just train ourselves to be ok with taking it...
When it comes to crowds, I ussually do have more than one escape plan it depends on where I am, but crowds really get to me, and you know I was having a conversation with a "normal" (as in no panic problems) friend who told me that she also looks and takes note of where the exists are in larger crowded places, maybe it's just a safety mechanism...or I wonder if the differnece is that once she looks at it, she can forget about it, but for me at last it's always in the back of my mind....or rather the front not the back....
Not quite! I always have an all or nothing escape plan, you know the just leave one. And then I have the, if I do this I might tolerate it one. And then there is the, I've done this before, I can do it again one. And here in the hospital I add the I've done all I can just take the stupid pill one.
I think we all should have escape plans of varying degrees because if all you have is the just leave one, you have no reserve. Well, not really. There is still the dreaded drug. You can still take a sublingual Ativan, wait fifteen minutes and do it in a fog. This is not my idea of the ideal way to do it. I think you should try all other escapes first. But this may not be what you meant so I would appreciate your comment.
Hi: Yes, I have noted where the exits are - it's supposed to be a safety feature too in case of fire etc. So don't feel badly about that, it's a positive. I can see where it might cause problems when you insist on sitting only by an entrance and nowhere else. Some people when booking hotel rooms what no higher than second floor for safety reasons. We are not alone, lol. Same for air travel, should note where the exits are.
Has anyone ever tried like planning two escape routes? Like basically just taking note of two separate ways you could get out of the crowd if needed. This always seems to comfort me too, because I feel like I have control of that.
I agree with AmJ...taking a break helps. I don't like crowds either and what I find myself having to do is just get away, such as going to the bathroom or outside, but sometimes just walking on the outside of the crowd helps, just knowing that there is an escape is comforting enough for me to be able to just breathe...
I can relate, I've used many a "restrooms" to actually escape if something bothers me out in public. I just think of it as a place to "rest". Crowds can be really overwhelming even when i have my panic controlled at it's best...a restroom is always comforting to me!
