I Can't Control My Shaking

[3yrsPTSD]

Does anyone have tips for serious anxiety attacks. I tend to have multiple anxiety attacks in the middle of classes. What's worst is I can't figure out what their trigger is. I need a way to quickly diffuse the uncontrollable shaking in public, without fleeing the room (as I can't always make a quick getaway). It's extremely embarrasing as my classes usually have 100-300 other students. :wall:

 

[cookie]

hey, 3yrs., fleeing will only make it worse. i have trouble still with shaking, usually it's not as noticeable as it feels. most of my friends can't tell, unless they hug me and feel it, too. breathing seems to work the best, maybe even close your eyes for a few mins. , go to that "safe room" if you have one in your mind. hang in there.

 

[Deleted member 93]

You do not have to know your trigger to control your attacks to an extent. This is my experience and would strongly suggest trying it before you knock it and do not expect it to happen the first time.

I am assuming you are speaking of an attack that feels like it goes on for hours? That is what multipule attacks felt like to me... Like one long ass attack, not the 10 or 15 minutes that one actually lasts.

First you MUST realize it is simply put fear of fear. The fear of another attack can trigger the next or the fear of having an attack in the classroom since you have had one there before can be your triggers to multipule attacks. It happens once so it contiues to do so since you fear having them in there now. Your post demonstrates that.

Go into your attack. Do not "relax" "ride it out" "distract", welcome it. Go into and beg to make it worse, tell your mind give me all you got while knowing you are just fine. Panic attacks won't kill you. Feel like it but you must learn they are harmless. Let your hands tremble and tell yourself there are nothing wrong with my hands, they are still good strong hands. You know there is nothing actually wrong with you because I bet soon as you are out of the setting you find relief. Relief to what though? Yourself, you are scared of yourself and your own mind because once you feel "safe" it subsides. When there was nothing physically causing this and no actual danger.

Once you face your attack down and dare it instead of looking for an escape route you learn there is nothing on the other side but a calmer self. If you have a panic disorder only chances are emplementing this can make them go and not come back. PTSD brings PD. I don't have them out of control anymore. I still get them often, but I know damn well I am fine, anything and nothing can trigger them it seems, but they are short lived and capable for the most part to just brush them off thinking I don't have time for this now and continue what I am doing, massive improvment. Your body will go through the symptoms and throw a few extra your way like it is saying this doesn't work I will try this. Just remind yourself it is harmless and dare it. Bring it on as strongly as you can, attempt to make it worse everytime. You can't. Only fear can, fear fuels them, lose fear of them and you can and will lose the multipule attacks and they will ease up off of you. Learn it is fear of fear; learn daring them you are facing the fear of multipules and can break the cycle. It is a mind control game you must play with yourself and know you can win.

When you can break the cycle of multipules and get progressed in therapy and involved here and learn, you can start to learn your triggers once the attacks subside enough to recognize what fires you up. And then start to face those fears to ease them.

My multipule attacks were compounded by my fear of when and where it would hit next or if I anticipated one. Since you are anticipating one in class you most certainly have set up the prime opportunity for it to happen and it will.

 

[Miander]

Only thing that worked for me

I hate to be the med promoter but when I was suffering from my PTSD the worst, the medication Zanex really helped me deal with the panic attacks, shaking and crazy mood swings. I think it mellowed me out and desensitized me to everything, which was what I really needed at the time. You just have to be careful though, your tolerance builds and I found it addicting too, but I do have an addictive personality. Just one option.

 

[Nam]

I found "grounding" to be the best technique if you are already in the panic mode. Take a deep breath with eyes open. Look at something that keeps you here in the present. A chair. Chalk. something. And concentrate on it while still taking deep breaths. At the same time, plant your feet firmly into the ground and breath as if you are breathing air from the floor into your feet, all the way up your body and out. Do that until pulse goes back down and the feeling subsides. Continue doing it even if you still have a job to do. You can do your job or at least the essential parts and continue to breath in that fashion. I have done this technique while helping deliver babies while mothers were screaming or whimpering in pain. That whimpering is a huge trigger for me. But this technique works if you work and perfect it. Good luck.

 

[Deleted member 93]

I will throw out there, they had me up to 10 mg xanax. Currently I am down to 2 mg a day. It may be helpful as a temporary tool for some but keep in mind coming back off, which you will have to do, can make it worse than where you were to begin with. I get rebound attacks, sick as a dog, throwing up, muscle spasms, muscles in my back and neck knotted and hard as a rock to the touch so much so they feel bruised, shake like a leaf, so much more dizzy... All and every symptom of an attack. I learned for me that it was the most wonderful drug in the world, stopped them in their tracks but doc had to keep upping the dose until it messed me up to much. Could not count money! I had to learn to control them coming off the meds and with withdrawals. Not fun. Very addictive drug that I would be against anyone starting, just from lessons I learned the hard way... The answer is not in xanax. But it is a personal choice, and I am just giving you my personal experience, and my husband regrets me going on it before finding out how to do it on my own. He has to care for me during the withdrawals and it pains him to see me get so ill on top of all the other shit I deal with. I hope you find something that works for you, for me it was facing it down.

 

[fragile_4_life]

Shaking - Is this common?

I was wondering if anyone else physically shakes when they get really stressed out, upset, dissociate, or talk about things that are really hard for them?

This happens to me a lot. It happened to me today. I am involved in a small group in my church, basically it’s a group of 7 people and we get together every week and hangout and have fun and but we also having very serious person discussion and we share our struggles with each other and cry with each other and encourage each other. I really love the people in my group and I trust them. I had a really bad day today. I have 3 huge projects due next week and my computer broke down and I lost everything on it today and I have to send it in to get fixed and I won’t have it back until after school is out. I ended up cutting today after I had made it over a month without cutting. I told the group about it. It’s hard for me to be that vulnerable with people and tell them something I am so ashamed of, especially because it happened just a few hours before. I started physically shaking a little before I told them. I think because I was cold and because I was feeling really stressed and depressed and kind of “spacey”. But once I started telling them what happened and how I cut and was feeling I started shaking more intensely and I kept shaking for quite a while after we were done talking about it. When I start to shake it feels like all my muscles tense up and uncontrollably contract and shake. I don't know if anyone could visibly tell that I was shaking. It's like it starts on the inside but then it gets so intense that I'm almost positive that people can see it. It's hard to expain. I try really hard to make it stop but I can’t. My muscles get really sore and hurt from shaking so much. It will stop for a moment and I feel so relaxed but then it starts up again within seconds. Once it’s done I feel exhausted and sore.

I don’t think it was because I was afraid or scared about telling them those things. It was uncomfortable and scary but not terrifying enough to make me shake over being afraid…if that makes any sense.

Another time it happened was when I was overwhelmed with this feeling of hurt, loneness, self hate, and pain. I can’t really explain what I was feeling but I was very intense and it hurt a lot. All I could do was cry and shake and shaking hurt so much but I couldn’t make it stop.

I was wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this and if anyone knows what it is caused by or associated with if anything….like is this common with dissociation, depression, or PTSD at all? I have depression and I’m pretty sure I have some form of a dissociative disorder. I dissociate a lot….I zone out and “disconnect” from reality and just go away for awhile. I also depersonalize and derealize often. I also have had some issues with anxiety. I haven't been dignosed with PTSD but I think I may have Complex PTSD. I'm going to a psychiatrist for the first time ever on Thursday and I was wondering if this is something I should even bring up or if it's just normal.

 

[NotDepressed]

The only time the shaking happened to me was right before I was diagnosed with PTSD. Before it started I just felt intensely nervous and panicky. I thought maybe I was having thyroid problems (my sisters have them). It was over a vacation, and doctors' offices were closed, so I went to the ER. Since my PTSD is partially due to doctor issues, that's why I guess it happened in a medical setting. Anyway, I was shaking uncontrollably and visibly for several minutes, and my husband was really concerned. I just kept asking for blankets and after awhile, when all of my blood work came back normal and I checked myself out (they wanted to keep me), I calmed down and the shaking stopped. I'm not sure, but I think the feeling of having control over the situation helped stop the anxiety and the shaking.

It felt good to type that for some reason.

 

[Trent]

seizures

Couple days ago I revealed for the first time an incident of early childhood sex abuse. There were tears, panic attack, and shaking ... i was shaking so hard i thought i might be having a seizure. The terror is real. This is probably not wht you're describing, but i have to tell you that i understand.

 

[Cecilia]

I shake horribly and have learned to accept it. It was very embarrassing when I was younger, but now I am in my 40's; it is more of a nuisance than anything. Most of the time it is not noticable, even when you think it is. I seem to shake more when tired or stressed, but there is always a little shake.

The doctor prescribed beta-blockers a few months ago because I was trying to make Halloween costumes for my kids and it literally took 2 hours just to thread the needle. I may have an essential tremor rather than just anxiety because my hands and jaw shake more than the rest of my body. Beta Blockers do help but they have to be taken every 6 hours and I am not into taking pills that often; so I just live with the tremor unless going somewhere special or trying to do a task that requires steady hands.

 

[Lucky Laser]

I shake when I have an anxiety attack. I end up telling people I'm too cold (which usually isn't too much of an exaggeration). I've taken my blood pressure and heart rate during anxiety attacks as well and they increase big time.

I'm not exactly sure how I do this but when I am in class or somewhere I have to be professional, I quickly divert my mind to other things and sort of put the feeling off for the moment. Then when I am free, I take a walk outside, or go to the bathroom and cry if I need to. I'm not sure if that's a good thing to do though...

 

[Auburngirl]

I shake too. Sometimes nothing helps but the things that do help are:

I often find I'm 'holding on' and really tense, if I let me muscles relax it passes more quickly
I try to breathe deeply
I usually then start to dissociate, so I do grounding exercises as well, and things like deliberately tensing and releasing muscles, drinking water, observing the room, etc.

Also, general stress-reducing things, like eating well,, exercise and getting enough sleep lower the number of attacks for me.

After the attack I usually try to figure out what happened and talk myself through it - often in really simple terms (when so and so said this, it reminded you of x and that made you sad). Often I won't have realised the connection and it is an opportunity to get in touch with my feelings again (which I've been disconnected from).

Hope some of this helps.