Social anxiety after panic attack?

[Hurt&Hopeful]

I go for long periods where I feel ok (especially on medication). I don't generally have social anxiety - I work with people and enjoy being with people Then l have a panic attack out of nowhere, and it leaves me debilitated afterwards, with extreme social anxiety. I have trouble leaving the house or functioning. Does anyone else experience these types of ups and downs? Today, it took everything I had to drive my son to school, and now I'm just frozen in fear. Completely overwhelmed by that experience. What are your coping strategies?

 

[triceps]

I go for long periods where I feel ok (especially on medication). I don't generally have social anxiety - I work with people and enjoy be that by pushingng with people Then l have a panic attack out of nowhere, and it leaves me debilitated afterwards, with extreme social anxiety. I have trouble leaving the house or functioning. Does anyone else experience these types of ups and downs? Today, it took everything I had to drive my son to school, and now I'm just frozen in fear. Completely overwhelmed by that experience. What are your coping strategies?

My agoraphobia isn't directly related to my panic attacks. There are times where it will take an hour of agonizing before I push myself to go out to the mailbox. Although these aren't coping mechanisms, I make sure I leave the house a minimum of twice a week. One is is for an AA meeting and a very good friend makes me weekly go to his house for coffee to make sure I get out of the house. These scheduled trips are very important as I think they help me in emergency situations such as taking my wife to the hospital last week. I think your crisis is temporary and would advise to keep going to everything important and things will soon get easier for you. What you're going through I deal with everyday and repetition doesn't make the next event easier. However, I'm confident that pushing yourself now will get you out of your heightened state soon.

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

My agoraphobia isn't directly related to my panic attacks. There are times where it will take an hour of agonizing before I push myself to go out to the mailbox. Although these aren't coping mechanisms, I make sure I leave the house a minimum of twice a week. One is is for an AA meeting and a very good friend makes me weekly go to his house for coffee to make sure I get out of the house. These scheduled trips are very important as I think they help me in emergency situations such as taking my wife to the hospital last week. I think your crisis is temporary and would advise to keep going to everything important and things will soon get easier for you. What you're going through I deal with everyday and repetition doesn't make the next event easier. However, I'm confident that pushing yourself now will get you out of your heightened state soon.

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm so sorry you deal with it constantly. But good for you for having scheduled times to go out and sticking to it!!! It sounds like you have a really good friend there, too. My problem is that I tend to push too much sometimes. I don't have the social anxiety, but definitely the generalized. I think I'm ok, push too hard, then hit a wall and crash. I'm trying to find a healthier balance long-term....

 

[triceps]

Thanks for the encouragement! I'm so sorry you deal with it constantly. But good for you for having scheduled times to go out and sticking to it!!! It sounds like you have a really good friend there, too. My problem is that I tend to push too much sometimes. I don't have the social anxiety, but definitely the generalized. I think I'm ok, push too hard, then hit a wall and crash. I'm trying to find a healthier balance long-term....

My wife of 35 years is someone with as much understanding of anxiety as anyone can have that doesn't have the disorder. She's become a great barometer of whether I push myself too much or too little. She knew I couldn't handle going to her father's funeral, and had no resentment over my not attending. She'll also push me to do or attend things that I'd rather not. She's always right in whichever direction she steers me. Good luck finding your balance. That balance is most of the time not what our anxiety-riddled brains tell us.

 

[Hurt&Hopeful]

My wife of 35 years is someone with as much understanding of anxiety as anyone can have that doesn't have the disorder. She's become a great barometer of whether I push myself too much or too little. She knew I couldn't handle going to her father's funeral, and had no resentment over my not attending. She'll also push me to do or attend things that I'd rather not. She's always right in whichever direction she steers me. Good luck finding your balance. That balance is most of the time not what our anxiety-riddled brains tell us.

So very true!! And what a wonderful wife and life partner you've found. My husband has grown a lot in this journey with me over the past 11 years, but he still struggles with it, especially since we have a little boy now. As a man, he wants to 'fix' it for me. And he can't. We've been through a lot together, and I think we will keep figuring it out together as we go. Each life phase brings new challenges and good things - and they are all worth overcoming and celebrating.