Beth - great advice!!!! I totally agree, keeping the husband out of the loop only adds to the problem. I think it's easier said than done though -- there's fear & shame often associated with panic disorders - I still struggle with that. Like somehow I think I won't be accepted or I'll be considered weak or broken - or I'll scare the people who love me -- whatever goes on in the mind that keeps us trapped in our fear..... cuz that's how it feels when I'm "in" it - trapped.
Similar to what Beth stated, the quickest way to take the power out of the fear is to tell someone you trust what's going on and keep walking towards a solution, learning coping skills, learning about what creates your fears --- whatever the specifics -- then try to figure out where it's coming from - the "why's" -- what I know to be true for me is, the more time I spend alone, in my head with my scared thoughts the more anxiety, fear, panic I'm faced with. The more I let others in and "speak" about what I'm doing - be it going through an attack or learning a coping skill - the stronger I get against this debilitating disorder......the things she described, the fact that it's been recent - those are similiar to what happened to me after the traumatic experience I went through in December -- has she been diagnosed by a doc? If she's seeing a psychiatrist she's on the right road - AND - she's found this site, so - if nothing else - we certainly encourage her to join in here and to remember she's not alone in this battle. Allow the people around you to love and support you and just keep moving towards coping skills and knowledge -- we're all learning here....
with luv & compassion,
SCBB
