Reply To: Irrational Fear Taking Over My Life…Please Help

[blackdog]

Hi @sarahlinb 🙂

If you are having panic attacks that are so severe it’s hard to breathe, you need to get medical attention for it, no matter what the cause is.

I believe it may be related to the ADD in some way. Because we have difficulty turning our brains off and will think about things constantly.

I get sort of stuck in a loop sometimes, where I will just think about the same thing over, and over, and over….

And I’m afraid of zombies. Completely, irrationally terrified of zombies. I will actually hear them in the room at night. I can picture them vividly, know exactly what they look like and where they are. And sometimes it freaks me out so much that I have to get up and go sit in the living room with the lights on.

The way I got over this was by deliberately thinking about it. I was sitting on the steps outside one night, trying to meditate, and I heard a noise, like something scratching. It was probably a tree branch or an animal, but in my mind it instantly became a zombie coming around the corner of the house.

I almost freaked out and went back inside. But then I told myself I was being irrational, shook the image out of my head, and continued my meditation.

Which is when another zombie appeared on the other side of the house. And then another on the roof right above me.

And I started to try to block the images. But then I changed my mind and I just let them come. I listened to the sounds they made, watched the way they moved, saw the colour of their clothes, every detail about them. I stopped them from reaching me, just let them wander around and watch me while I studied them.

And now I’m not afraid of zombies any more. Most of the time. 😉

We all have our demons, both real and imagined. And sometimes you just have to face them and be brave. If you try this though, I recommend that you don’t do it alone, because of the panic attacks. And again, I strongly recommend that you see your doctor.

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I began typing this before Larynxa had posted her reply. So it is completely accidental that I am giving the opposite advice. If you feel avoiding things that you are sensitive to is better for you, then that is the way to go. (It doesn’t work for me. I have to face them head on. Otherwise those irrational fears never go away. And I am afraid of practically everything, not just zombies.)

The HSP thing is interesting. And it explains a lot. When I was a child everyone said I was too sensitive. And I could not stand those stupid tags, or anything rough or scratchy against my skin. And my epithet could be “I told you so”.

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