Posted by Jack Denniston on October 06, 2001 at 11:34:20:
In Reply to: Adrenalin posted by Rick Denney on October 03, 2001 at 15:17:14:
Your experience sounds similar to some I've had, although as I grow older (I'm now in my 50's) this is much less of an issue that it was when I was younger. For a good introduction to anxiety and its treatment, I can recommend "Don't Panic" by Reid Wilson, "Minding the Body, Mending the Mind", by Joan Borysenko, and "The Relaxation Response", by Herbert Benson.
My experience has been that some relaxation techniques work better for me than others, and they work best when I practice them (meditation, deep breathing, progressive relaxation, imaging, etc.) regularly, even when I'm not feeling particulary anxious, rather than waiting until panic strikes and then trying to remember & implement a seldom used & only partially remembered relaxation technique. This regular practice also serves to maintain my everyday stress at a lower level.
Finally, I found that "trying to relax" didn't usually work very well, while "letting myself relax" was much more successful.
One last thought- I think that we are all under additional stress since the events of 9-11. This effects each of us in different ways, at different times. I'm no expert, but I would think that this heightened general level of stress could be connected with many symptoms, including panic attacks.