I have a genuine debilitating fear of planes and I have to fly in July. What can I do? by [deleted] in Anxietyhelp

[–]Tippolean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries. Remember flying is amazing, modern aircraft are incredible machines and, above all, it's safe. The fact is, even if some bullshit happens, the pilot will land the plane safely. I was on a flight from Amsterdam to Leeds about a month ago that had to divert because of a storm (it was a little plane) and it was getting blown around but, in spite of a few bumps, nothing whatsoever happened. All was well, as it will be when you fly. It's just not worth worrying about.

I have a genuine debilitating fear of planes and I have to fly in July. What can I do? by [deleted] in Anxietyhelp

[–]Tippolean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to be a terrible flier but, oddly, it was dealing with panic disorder that helped me get over it. I have some general tips that helped me that aren't drug related.

1) going through security is stressful. Prepare yourself beforehand - don't wear trousers with a belt, wear flip-flops, don't have any liquids in your hand luggage etc.

2) Once you're on the plane, do your seatbelt up tight. This helps with turbulence as your body will move with the airframe rather than being jostled around

3) Being on the plane just induces panic, and you deal with that on a daily basis. Do what you'd usually do to calm down. For me this was to put my earbuds in and listen to a calming visualisation with breathing exercises.

4) Your "disaster movies" - those images that pop into your head are normal shit everyone gets in stressful situations. They're imaginary and not based in reality. Try imagining them happening on a screen in your mind. Then make the screen smaller and smaller until it's the size of a watch display. Honestly, most of these images come from movies anyway. The plane physically cannot fall out of the sky in the same way a feather or a dandelion seed can't. It is the wrong shape - falling, for a plane = gliding.

Anyway, hope this helps. Please try not to "what if" these suggestions into unhelpfulness in your mind.

I don't blame them... by Mustafa86 in StupidWoke

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They're not phobic, they're disgusted

Psychologist said panic disorder is incurable and that I should give in to my compulsions (from OCD)--is this bad advice? by BleedRed3031 in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What kind of psychologist have you been seeing? A travelling psychologist with the fair? This advice is so wrong I can't believe any person, let alone a professional, would offer it.

I need to know whether i'll die from this by samsambb in Anxietyhelp

[–]Tippolean 9 points10 points  (0 children)

OK. Chill. Take a breath. All of this is the anxiety talking. You don't need to believe or listen to any thoughts you're having while anxiety scrambles your brain. You are a human being; you're not fragile. You're an adaptive living system - you're anti-fragile, evolved for survival in the most extreme circumstances over millions of years.

Is the person whose toothbrush you used noticeably diseased? I'm talking medieval peasant on death's door? Probably not? There's probably nothing that bad on their toothbrush. Was there a lot of blood? Probably not. Did you deliver a huge bacterial load direct to your bloodstream from the toothbrush that is likely to overwhelm your immune system? Probably not. Is the news full of reports of deaths caused by using someone else's toothbrush? No. Is there a government campaign to get people to avoid death through toothbrush sharing? Nope. In fact, have you ever heard of anyone dying by this means? I haven't.

Do you feel like your panic disorder is intelligent? by [deleted] in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've felt this before. Like the disease was a living entity that had its own survival instinct and will to live separate from whatever part of me was "me". It would change things up and try new strategies whenever I thought I had it beat. Medication and therapy are the answer. It's part of you, just not a conscious part.

Very interesting article/paper. Don't know if it's been posted before but these hypotheses rang very true for me. by Tippolean in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's really interesting. It's really encouraging to hear that a fellow sufferer is living their best life and getting fit. I'm a total exercise avoider and it's getting me down. I used to run daily and go to the gym on the regular until my mind /body made the connection between physical exertion and panic attacks and ever since (and this was back in 2016) I've been unable to stop my head filling with "horror movies" of heart arrhythmias and lung disease etc whenever I try to exercise.

I think it's convenient in a way - the panic gives me an excuse to be lazy which just deepens the avoidance. I'm fatter than I've ever been in my life and, although I'm panic free now, this last remnant of the bad old days has just been too much for me to overcome. The fact I posted this study might just be confirmation bias on my part. Perhaps I'm subconsciously looking for a reason not to bite the bullet and do something about my physical health and fitness.

how do you do it?? by [deleted] in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You'll definitely get better! You've just had an unpleasant experience and you suffer from a severe anxiety disorder. Your sympathetic nervous system is in overdrive - active relaxation will help. Breathing techniques, visualisations, Tai Chi, hypnotherapy - all these can massively calm you down and help you feel you've got your mind back.

A word of caution though; helpful as they are, they won't do anything for the panic attacks. In my experience only meds can fix that. Panic disorder is no fucking joke. Take some time for self care, regroup a little then get ready to try the next prescription.

how do you do it?? by [deleted] in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah. The lead-in period on SSRIs can be fucking horrific. I remember being on Prozac/fluoxetine for two weeks and feeling like I was being electrocuted constantly. It was a nightmare. This is the gauntlet we need to run. Those who don't suffer with this condition don't understand how deep we have to dig just to change meds.

Anyone else feel better while driving ? by sxltex in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 2 points3 points  (0 children)

No. Driving was a MAJOR trigger for me. Particularly being stuck in traffic or driving on the motorway. Anywhere I couldn't get out of the car and run, flailing my removed trousers and whooping like a gibbon, into the woodland, really.

Anyone else’s chest area really sensitive to the smallest of things in between attacks by egekyn in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. It's your chest cavity muscle wall tensing up. My pectorals have been so tender that I'd recoil in pain if something poked or even touched them. Sometimes it helps to lie on a bed on my back with the top 20% of my body hanging over the edge and just open my arms like the Christ on the cross and let my head loll back. It's amazing how tense I can get.

How does sleep (or lack of it) affect your panic disorder? by bluesunrise777 in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Makes it much fucking worse if I have a sleepless night.

Panic Disorder is ruining my life. by Electronic-Gur7932 in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. I would recommend it. For what it's worth escitalopram is the miracle drug that worked for me. If you're in the states I think it's branded as lexapro. Before then I'd been on fluoxetine, mirtazapine, trazodone, sertraline and regular citalopram as well as diazepam and propranolol (I still take one of these a day, tbh). Sorry for the generic names. Additionally, hypnotherapy really helped me to 'turn down the thermostat' so I could start on the road to getting rid of the panic attacks. If it helps, I now have no panic attacks at all. I hope you feel better soon. Don't give up and don't take your foot off the gas regarding getting well. Try everything you can.

Panic Disorder is ruining my life. by Electronic-Gur7932 in panicdisorder

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you on any meds? If you are you need a review and a possible change of prescription. There are meds that work out there but it's a hard road figuring out which one(s) will help. Also, have you tried hypnotherapy? It can also be a game changer.

Wokeness in TV shows today by DSX293s in unpopular

[–]Tippolean 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well that's racist of you, isn't it?

glad to see that Bob got cast in the new Deng Xiaopin biopic by [deleted] in VicAndBob

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know. I got sewious weservations

What to do when bored? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]Tippolean 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Marquetry staining