coping skills for obsessive-compulsive and anxiety disorders

Perhaps trying the Jesus prayer may help.

Saying the Jesus Prayer

This reinforces the anxiety. It's not a real help, but a band aid on a broken arm.
I've experienced anxiety attacks and had numerous close friends deal with it as well. So I definitely understand the struggle. Hopefully you can learn the benefit of challenging your anxiety to overcome it, and not give in to it.

sub, you are the obvious 'mocker' here, and most will discern this, even though they choose not to speak it -
your simple lack of respect for an 'elder', who has such an amazing history and powerful testimony, yet you
lack the ability to comprehend this - your constant self-defense is claim to your un-kind acts -
our prayers are with you, for you are in a place that anyone who claims to be a 'christian' would never
find themselves in!

your irreverence and dis-respect only show your lack of Christ's Loving, understanding, forgiveness,
His tolerance for those who never understood Him in His life-time until this very day.

I think sub was defensive because he was concerned that some people on this thread are minimizing or misunderstanding mental illness. This isn't an issue of disrespecting an elder, but a genuine concern that mental illness is continuing to be misunderstood or stigmatized in Christian spaces. He's allowed to disagree with someone regardless of their age... that doesn't suddenly mean he isn't a Christian. He disagreed with another person, not God. I'm not going to say I agree with the way his posts are worded, but I share his concern that mental illness is being ignored and swept under the rug by Christian communities. Someone's disrespectful comment on the internet doesn't indicate that they aren't a Christian, all it tells us is that they are distressed. Please refrain from making assumptions about whether or not someone is saved... that's not our job as Christians! Continue to pray for him though because everyone needs prayer

It seems a very strong lack of faith not to put all in our Father's hands, including our knowledge for there is the knowledge from our Father and what is calaled false knowledge.

I did mention being followed about campus by a Phd. in Psych. Actually besides my friends in the Astrophysics department, again Phd's, all of the graduate students who frecuented the Illini Union were somehow drawn to me, and I was continually conversing with them until the HOly Spirit entered into me, and after they would ask me of the experience. I discovered each one of them, all had taken up psychology due to each's own problems, finding the fact they were students of psyichology some kind of cathartic remedy yet ignoring the fact that the problems yet continued.

I had the same expereience with a practicing psychiatrisst who would dfrecuent a café where I would dgo for coffee near the Chateau de Vancennes in Les Bois de Vincennes in Paris. He would seeek me telling me how he became a Psychiatrist because of his own problems. At one time he had wanted to kill his morther, a hooker in the presence of a priest and the priest. These folks all seem to have greater problems then those who put their understanding and lack of understaning in our Father.

If this faith is challenging the field of psychology, fine. I am the same with Astrophysics, oh, and with geologic theory. I cannot be blamed for understanding, nor can ayone else.

If individuals wish toput their faith in dthese factions of the creation, I will not fault them, but I cannot take these fields seriously.

Hi paisley,
No real panic attacks here... but if I may suggest something that helped even when I had depression, it is God's word in song. Altho I also read the Word, having hidden His words in the heart when you cannot read allows u to 'quote' what God says against what the enemy is whispering in ur ear. The simpler the songs, the easier they are to remember.. like "I cast all my cares upon You...", "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart...", "Let us not grow weary while doing good.."

I hope that helps.

As a child I would pace back and forth in my bedroom at night feeling like a trapped animal after I had found my mom dead and living away from my dad. Only later did I recognize that it had probably been panic attacks.

In my 30's I had so many responsibilities as a single parent that one night I felt like I was having a heart attack and ended up in the emergency room only for them to tell me I was having a panic attack. Once I knew that I would breathe in a brown paper bag when I felt an attack coming on as they say you hyperventilate. I would also go and lay down in bed with my young daughter not that she was in anyway able to help me but just lying down listening to her breathe would calm me down and I would feel better after a while.

I feel as though I was fortunate in that my panic attacks always happened at night and did not affect my work or ability to do so. I learned I bottled things up inside and they would come out at night to torment me.. Not every night but several times more than I liked I would be in a sound sleep and wake up suddenly terrified with a full blown panic attack.... Not fun..

Around 45 they really just stopped probably because my daughter was grown and I wasn't under as much pressure as before. I like this side of life as it has been most enjoyable for me. At 65 I wouldn't want to go back to being younger and doing it all over again....Thank God for old age....less pressure or maybe I don't care as much as I used to and don't let things bother me at this point most of the time.

I don't either but I still have to go to work, appointments, shopping, etc. so I don't have the option to simply stay home. I pray each morning before I go to work to calm my fears and ease my mind. My coping mechanism is to simply step out the door and deal with it.

PANIC ATTACTS!!! = can't breathe, can't move, can't focus/see, can't BE anything!!!
yes, I've been there, and here is my saving Grace, my husband put his hand upon me,
not even knowing what was going on, and 'moved me, pulled me over to face him in our bed
out of my paralyzed 'position'!!!
(how did he know at that particular moment, (he had been sound asleep)???
but, God intervened in my distress, and I probably would have 'died' from an heart attack if He had not)...

Oh yes!!! I absolutely love music that is based on the Word! Especially songs based on Psalms.... One of my favorite worship bands is Enter the Worship Circle. If you haven't heard of them, you should check them out! It's so much easier to learn scriptures when they are in a song.

I'm so sorry that you have had all these horrible experiences! I often wake up to panic attacks as well. They are so troubling. It's really hard to calm yourself when your brain is just screaming "DANGER! DANGER!"

I'm glad that your symptoms have improved with age. My mom always says "I would rather be older than younger" and that "being young sucks" lol. I guess she's right!

I wish I have been closer to God but I wasn't during these times maybe as a kid but I really didn't understand God as a helper when I was a kid. I probably never prayed enough or knew what to pray for.

I went through a rough learning period I guess some of us have to walk a rough road to end up knowing that God does really love and care about what happens to us.

If I had known Him better when I was younger or trusted Him more. I probably should have been praying to Him when I was having a panic attack but it never entered my mind to do that at the time.

If I were to give advice now it would be learn to lean on God when this happens talk to Him and ask Him to take it away. I think I was trying to do everything on my own and didn't trust anyone and it was hurtful for me inside and out... God was probably there just waiting on me to cry out for help and now I wish I had...

I am so grateful to Him though because they did go away as the stress was less as I got older and I did learn to lean on Him more and still learning as I want to have a relationship with Him just hard to not to keep trying to do things on my own.... maybe someday I will learn to totally lean on Him.... I'm 65 with me it has taken time.....

Indeed sometimes you have drag yourself out of your bed and just do it. The first step is the hardest. It usually gets easier with every step.

I agree wholeheartedly with your estimation.