What are some things one can do to overcome sudden bouts of anxiety (panic attacks)? Are there any words of wisdom, techniques or thoughts on how one can ease off the sense of anxiety and gain positive motivation?

To interact with this page you must login. Signup

ask a person to answer this question Ask to answer

I can often feel a gripping sense of dread or melancholy arising from the simplest of mistakes (showing up to the wrong lecture by accident / tripping in public) or even the acknowledgement of time passing (thinking "wow, that happened a year ago!" or "In 5 years, what will I be doing?").

I wonder if I'm spending my time in a worthwhile manner (I read extensively, I have three different books with me almost at all times), I worry that the volunteer work/activism I do will never reach anyone, or that what I write/will write is banal, even laughed at.

Are there any words of wisdom, techniques, thoughts, on how one can ease off of the sense of anxiety and gain positive motivation? Especially when faced with post-modern or existentialist literature?

I've gone to see a mental health counselor, but a) I have had horrible experiences with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Talk Therapy before, and b) I find that they never actually listen to me and just assume any number of things (one councilor thought I was upset because I lost my bank card, not because I have no money despite trying to make it through University and my mother is a marijuana smoking abusive alcoholic and my history of depression mixed with my experience with rape and BDD... needless to say I found her dismissal of my anxiety irritating). I'd rather stay away from councilors altogether at this point.

anxiety

psychology

advice

tynamite

I'll try to break down the confusing mess this question.

I believe your gripping dread from simple mistakes, to be due with you having to low self esteem. Not that you hate yourself, but that you don't think of yourself in a positive light. It might be so, that you put yourself down around others. Our self esteem comes from the perceptions that others have of ourselves and how they treat us, so it can be hard for me to find out exactly where that is coming from, as I don't know about your life.

I'll now give you two possible reasons for why you have self esteem, which could be wrong. It could be because the good you do goes unnoticed, while your mistakes have you condemned; or because you're not accepted by your peers for the opinions and viewpoints that you have. It can be hard to find out where our low self esteem is coming from, as seemingly trivial things that happen to us over time, chip away at us, without us knowing it at the time.

About thinking about your future, I say that you should live your life with no regrets, so you can avert yourself from further disappointment later on, looking at your actions in a positive light. I believe in the uncertainty of life, that the more uncertain your life is, the more interesting and happier it is; as life being unpredictable, provides you with opportunities. What I can say, is that you should become an opportunist, if you are not one already. Being a drifter who inwardly thinks too much, can only get people so far.

About you doing voluntary work, that just depends on your outlook at life. Some people like to do selfless things like charity work, and some people like to do front facing things such as get famous. It appears to be that you do both, with your volunteer work, and your writing. Doing both things alone, are not enough to make someone happy, which is what I've learnt. For someone to be truly happy in life, they need to be given regard for who they are as a person, and what they do. To be more specific, to be happy after a specific time period, you would need to of had something worthwhile happen in the past in that time period, and something you can take with you into the future from that time period. Not everyone is privileged enough to live a good enough life to have that, which is why you should be an opportunist, if you are not one. Some people say "Life every day like it is your last." That is true. But we also can't do the things we wish to do on certain days. So this is why I say "Don't put off for tomorrow, what you can do today." And I try to apply this rule to everything, even though I know I won't attempt everything.

We're all human, and we all seek regard from others in life. This is normal. When people don't have regard and feel marginalised, they can sink into a self deprecating downward spiral of depression. Depression is something that we get, when we don't feel that we have any control over our own lives. Any little thing can make us depressed, such as loneliness or losing a job, as long as we feel that we can't exercise control over our own lives. This is why people get anorexia, because they want to regain their control. This is another reason for why it's a good reason to be an opportunist.

Also as human beings, we all want to make our mark on the world, modifying the world of which we experience. I'm typing words into a computer screen to influence you, hundreds of miles away. You answer questions on Quora to influence others. Paris Hilton just introduced a new signature shoe line for sale at South Coast Plaza, to influence others, as her fame is advertently declining. The difference between Paris Hilton and you, is that she can be happy without her shoe line, because she has a sense of gratitude for her memories with people, and accomplishments for the future.

I can see why counselling doesn't help you. Counselling is for people who aren't self aware, to help them identify their problematic thought patterns and behaviour that they are oblivious to, to help them develop a better approach to dealing with other people. Not everyone is self aware, and not everyone is intelligent, so it's good for me to remind you (and me), of that.

I don't know what much I can say about rape, depression, and BDD; because right now I am only scratching the surface, and I can't really deal with your past, if I don't know you as a person.

The problem with CBT, is that although it's good for changing someone's perception on the world and thought patterns, it doesn't really work for people who think and see things better than the counsellor or the majority. Don't quote me on that, because I don't really know, but it's a feint opinion. I could be wrong about that.

There's lots more things whizzing round in my head that could give you advice on how to help you, but I'm not going to put them in this answer, as it is long enough as it is. I can only say so much in one answer.

What I want to know, is why you read books about postmodernism and existentialism. I just don't get it. Why do you do that? Me personally, I do not understand people who want to learn about everything and anything. I think that people should only learn about, the things that they have a use for. Keeping three books on you at all times, isn't going to help you gain a better perspective on life, or have a cheerful disposition on life. Learning for the sake of learning is a bad thing to do. I don't understand people who like the act of learning. It seems like you read depressing stuff.

I've got a contradictory saying that I've made up that you might like. It might make you happier.

Everything in life has no point, except eating, breathing and sleeping; but influence or reclusive composure is the point.

The more you think about it, the more it makes sense. Try thinking that way all next week starting from Monday, and see what happens. I will not tell you what that phrase means, especially reclusive composure, until next week is over.

By the way, this question reminds me of me - a lot!