NYGal: Trying

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I bet if you spilled a cup of coffee in your lap, you would forget the anxiety. NOT SAYING YOU SHOULD DO THAT. But it illustrates how transient feelings can be, and how we can distract ourselves.

This made me laugh! I can picture it clearly in my head. Oh no, I'm feeling anxious *quickly grabs coffee mug and pours in lap* Sigh......ahhhh, that's better. LOL

That may have been amusing to me, but I have had panic attacks and they are not fun. Once I realized what they were and what they felt like, if I felt one coming on, I would immediately get up and start doing something else. Often times it really does prevent it from fully developing. You have to do it before it really sets in though. If you're stuck in one, just remind yourself of what it is and that you're just having a panic attack and your world isn't really about to end. Take some deep breaths and try your best to calm down. Stand up and walk around. Try to take your mind off of it. And always remember that it is temporary and will pass. The more you focus on it and panic because you're having a panic attack, the longer and worse it will be.

As for the antianxiety medications, if you haven't taken one, take a half of a pill when you get off work and are going to be at home. See how it makes you feel. You are on a small dose so you should be fine. You probably won't notice much of a difference in how you feel taking only the 1/2 pill. If you felt fine with 1/2 pill, the next day when you get off work and are going to be home and awake, take a whole pill. Just see how it makes you feel. If you're not falling asleep and dizzy, then you absolutely can take them during the daytime. If they do make you sleepy, watch to see how long it lasts. Usually the sleepy part only lasts for 1 - 1 1/2 hours. If that's the case, you could still take one as soon as you wake up and by the time you left for work, that side effect would be worn off. Antianxiety medicine is to keep you calm during the waking hours so you certainly should be able to use it for that. Everyone tolerates medications differently. It may make you feel sleepy, or it may not. You won't know until you give it a try. And, you don't want to be at work in the middle of a panic attack hanging from the ceiling by your nails when you try it for the first time. When I was first prescribed the medicine, it didn't make me sleepy at all. When they increased the dose, it made me sleepy for about an hour the first 2 or 3 times I took it. It doesn't do that any more. I don't have to take them every day any more, or even every week. I'm relieved to know they are there if I need them though. When I'm that anxious, I take one and then I can actually feel it wear off 8 hours later because that intense sadness, loneliness, constant crying, anxious horrible feeling starts to return. The medicine can really help ease some of this torture that you're going through.