panic attacks effecting my work performance

Hi November,

Welcome to the Forum!

Sounds like a pretty uncomfortable experience you had! You can be sure that it is nothing to do with the polishing part of your work - it only feels like that to you because that was what you were doing when it happened. There is no cause-effect link between the two. That's the first thing.

Secondly, why don't you have a go at the free Panic Attacks course? There's a lot you can do to help yourself, and you may not need any psychiatric treatment.

Panic attacks can start when the different pressures in your life become too much. People often say to me - but everything is fine in my life! However, pressures can build up without our really noticing. So it can help to think over everything that's going on in your life to see if you can identify things that might be troubling you in the back of your mind. Then you can have a go at dealing with those things, and that also help with reducing panic.

Let us know how you get on!

Kathleen

Hi November!

My heart aches for what you're going through I know that you must be quite scared about what's happening to you and your body. Well, rest assured. Panic attacks are completely harmless. They were, in fact, on evolutionary terms, designed to help you escape danger, whether that be fighting a lion off or polishing someones nails. Cavemen used this response as a way of gearing themselves up for fighting a danger or running away from it, but it has become outdated in our relatively safe society. That's why you experience panic attacks when you're polishing nails, and not being chased by a bear.

You seem to really enjoy being a nail tech, and your strong point is polishing as you said, so I think we can be sure your panic attack had nothing to do with what you were doing at the time. It can be caused by simply a thought that you perceive as being dangerous - it can be an imagined danger or a real threat that triggers an attack. For example, I was told I had to attend a prestigous ceremony and represent my school - a couple of minutes later I was panicking, and it was all due to a thought that I didn't even know I had at the time! When my therapist and I picked it apart, we found my immediate reaction to being told this (called an automatic negative thought) was thinking about how, if I panicked, I would get out of the situation. This caused me anxiety by imagining the situation. And though I may have thought considering that was a good thing, I did in fact panic on the night! Not very beneficial! So there we have it, thoughts alone can trigger a panic attack, and they don't even have to be related to external events- And this is where CBT comes in. CBT is a highly structured program aimed at changing your thoughts. When I saw that you wanted to look into a psychiatrist to prescribe medication. Medication should only be used where there is a severe problem that has no relief from therapy. I have tried medications and I would much rather fix the root cause of my panic attacks and GAD, in fact, the first med I tried gave me many more panic attacks and anxiety, and also made me highly depressed, anti-social and suicidal. Drugs are not all they're cracked up to be! I would recommend that you go for therapy first. Other options open to you are learning relaxtion techniques, hypnosis, breathing techniques, and exercise (yoga is particurarly good)

I am really glad to see you're still going to work. Most panickers completely avoid situations where they think they could panic, and your determination through this suggests to me you will make a swift recovery It's amazing how the aftermath of an attack can leave you with fear of the given situation - one of the things I've always strived to make my friends and family understand is that the panic attack doesn't really stop when the physical symptoms disappear. You might benefit, since it only really affects this one situation, from exposure therapy, which gently gets you used to certain situations that provoke anxiety.

All the best

Thanks for the advice! I thought I should mention that I am soart of seeking medication (if needed) as a last resort. I know I am no psychologist myself, but I did try using the CBT techniques on myself while at work, and it really helped allot. That is honestly what I think gets me through. I also just try to focus on the work at hand, and keep my mind off of wandering thoughts of anxiety that may arise. I say phrases to myself in my head to keep my thoughts focused on the work, and away from the anxiety. It really has helped. Also, somthing I did notice was I had been practicing yoga about once a week for a few months, but my work skedule changed, and I could no longer make it to my yoga classes. Right after I stopped the classes is when I had my first attack. Any association I wander? Also, my mother told me that she had panick attacks in the middle of the night when she was around my age, could there be a predispostiion there? Just 2 nights ago, for the first time, I woke up at about 3 in the morning and felt very thirsty, just I got out of bed to get some water, when I got to the sink, my heart began pounding very fast, and then I felt dizzy, and almost as if I couldn't breathe. This was alittle different from what i felt at work, because the nervousness and shaking wasn't there, but would this also be considered a panic attack? Hmmmm, so anyways, I am interested in the medication as a last resort. I am more interested in finding the root of the problem, which I think I can target, and using CBT therapy is also much more appealing to me. It's just, after all these other techniques have been exausted, and I still feel often anxious at work, and could possibly have another attack, which I could lose my job over, wouldn't that be a good time to look into med's since it is hendering my work performance?

Have you sought therapy from a professional or have you just read up on the techniques. While self-help is all good, I feel that the instruction of a professional is essential in learning CBT techniques. Don't seek medication until your condition is so bad that there is no other option. You don't want to become dependant on it, and it should only be considered in the event that you have tried therapy and have had no relief. Medication does not tackle the

You are using a lot of very good techniques already that I am sure are helping you a great deal - You should feel encouraged by this! Panic attacks are generally diagnosed when there are four or more symptoms and you have listed that many when you got up at night - pounding heart, dry mouth dizziness, breathing difficulties. Chances are, the anxiety in your life has become more prominent as you stopped your yoga as you were relaxing less. also, if there was a change in schedule, this would inevitabley cause stress!

Panic attacks/disorder is thought to run in families but it is unknown whether it is a genetic factor or an environmental factor that is responsible for this trend. Your train of thought about you panic attacks was a typical anxious persons, and this is where I think therapy is vital. You have no reason to lose your job! Especially since you are coping so well!

Have you sought therapy from a professional or have you just read up on the techniques. While self-help is all good, I feel that the instruction of a professional is essential in learning CBT techniques. Don't seek medication until your condition is so bad that there is no other option. You don't want to become dependant on it, and it should only be considered in the event that you have tried therapy and have had no relief. Medication does not tackle the

You are using a lot of very good techniques already that I am sure are helping you a great deal - You should feel encouraged by this! Panic attacks are generally diagnosed when there are four or more symptoms and you have listed that many when you got up at night - pounding heart, dry mouth dizziness, breathing difficulties. Chances are, the anxiety in your life has become more prominent as you stopped your yoga as you were relaxing less. also, if there was a change in schedule, this would inevitabley cause stress!

Panic attacks/disorder is thought to run in families but it is unknown whether it is a genetic factor or an environmental factor that is responsible for this trend. Your train of thought about you panic attacks was a typical anxious persons, and this is where I think therapy is vital. You have no reason to lose your job! Especially since you are coping so well!