Monday, May 5, 2008

Some Encouraging Quotes to ponder while managing my panic attacks

A few of my friends seemed to be going through a difficult time now either due to coping with clinical depression or other stressful situations in their life.

I am also learning to manage my mood swings as I have been experiencing them recently. I pray daily that God will give me the grace and strength to manage the challenges in my life so that it will not escalate into either manic or plunged me down into depression. That's the tricky part with having a mood disorder. A simple mood swing which anyone else may experience can trigger off relapses in me due to my bipolar.

This morning several things happened at the same time. I was taken aback by something that happened and it triggered off a panic attack. Then something else needed my urgent attention and it intensified the panic feeling that I was having. In the past years, I have experienced panic attacks whenever I am very stressed up or very tired.

I found myself kind of breathlessness, a little giddy and my heart was pounding away. Thank God for strengthening me. I prayed for grace to calm down. Thankfully, I was able to talk to a friend and she helped me to brainstorm on an urgent decision I have to made. She kindly suggested some ways for me to cope. I spoke my mind out aloud to her and it did helped me to see things from a clearer perspective.

I am thankful to God that the several situations this morning are all settled. But the panic attack didn't seemed to quite go off completely. I realized that this is the reaction of an over-sensitive nervous system and I need to be patient for it to go away. It's just like clinical depression happens when the chemical in our brain malfunctioned. It takes a while for the chemical in our brain to be restored. So in the case of panic attack, there is a surge of adrenaline flooding my brain and giving me this "fight or flight" feeling.

I did a quick search on the internet and found the following useful resources on coping with Panic Attack:

Coping with Panic Attacks by The Counselling Service of University of Liverpool

Coping with Panic Attacks by Merck Source

10 tips for coping with panic attacks by Daily Mail

I can't seemed to concentrate on my freelance work that I need to do. My heart is still pounding. I am taking a break. I am praying that I will feel better soon and can get some work done.

I am going to spend some time to pray and read the Bible. I hope to get some rest too. I am going to pray for some of my church friends, blogging friends and penpals as they are going through very tough time now. Maybe that's what God wants me to do now :-)

Meanwhile, I am going to leave you with these encouraging quotes. Hope you have a blessed day.


Courage
: the power to let go of the familiar.

Happiness : it is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.

Friends :

~ your friend is the person who knows all about you, and still likes you.

~ a friend is the first person to come in when the whole world goes out.

~ in my friend, I find a second self.

~ I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.

~ we do not remember days, we remember moments.

People:

~ the greatness of a man can nearly always be measured by his willingness to be kind.

~ great people are ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of determination.

~ tough time never last but tough people do.


















Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

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