I’m conscious that I’m always wading in with some ‘holier than thou sh!te or another’ but if I may pile in on this again I hope you don’t mind.
Just based on what I remember from last time, here are some strategies I factored in as I had a brief period of having panic attacks.
- Tell your mates that you may be better physically, but you’re far from fixed, and they need to keep on caring for you the way they have up to now.
- Get some mindfulness breath techniques together.
- Have an escape plan for everything you do when you do go out. Communicate that with the people with you. You may find you need to bolt and find a quiet spot. Tell them where you will be and what you need them to do. Use this time to do some breath work and calm yourself. If you’re in a busy pub, just stepping outside for five minutes might be all you need.
- You hold control when you go out. If it is too much, you get to go home. My husband and I did a lot of going to gigs locally. The rule was that I would come, but if it was too much for me, I would go home after the first set, but that he was to stay for the whole gig if he was enjoying himself and not to feel guilty. I would contract with him every time we went out.
- Be willing to push yourself a little bit. Having an escape route and the breathing will help you.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you do have wobbles. They’re natural and they will go.
I don’t want to put the fear of God in people, maybe lots of people sail through. This is just advice that will help if you find you’re not one of those people…and that’s ok. x