Thanks Iwona, I have been trying to do the 30 minutes worry time - but sometimes the worries just creep back and I cant stop thinking about them. My worries are usually about me health - if I go out with the kids I worry that I will have a panic attack or collapse or something. It is just learning to challange the thoughts. I have been working through the program and I do feel it has helped me when I think back to how I was before I started it. So best of luck with the Program, and I hope we can all over come this. Ann

Sorry, Ann Marie:)

Dear Ann and Mary Ann, I can relate to what You, Ann, are saying - i also obsess about my health. I have read that post by MaryAnn and I have just started doing long worry times.I have scheduled two worry times a day if possible, about 30 minutes each and promise I will stick to it. Just check me once in a while:))) (kidding) Today I had an awful panic attack when I went out and I was absolutely convinced I was dying. My neighbor thought I was having a heart attack but I tried to explain, which isn't easy when you're in the middle of a pa. My fears also evolve around any form of losing control there is. I am trying to write down all my anxous thoughts but i think it'd be easier to write down non-anxious ones. Ann, I hope worry time will work for us both:) Hang in there:) Iwona

Thank you Anne Marie for your quick response and your advice. I know I am a worrier, but I will try to schedule half an hour a day to really worry. Is health anxiety common? My panic attacks started when my youngest daughter was 4 months old. I was diagnosed with post natal depression, and within 1 week of starting antidepressants, I had my first panic attack. My sister drove me to the hospital as I was convinced I was dying. Since then I have been worrying about having panic attacks (which I have, unfortunately, on a regular basis) and I worry about my health due to thinking I was dying the first time I had a panic attack. It is like a vicious circle which I cant break. I am finding the Panic Program very helpful, and I am hopeful that I will be able to overcome this. Thank you for your time and advice. Ann

Hi, Ann. The kinds of concerns you are describing are often considered to be symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder or "health anxiety". You are right, these kinds of anxious thoughts are very difficult to challenege on your own. It is very difficult for someone to "prove" to themself that they don't have cancer or a heart condition that the lab tests just haven't detected yet. However, you can try to challenge these kinds of thoughts. A few pointers. 1. If you know that you are a "worry wort", then you likely have a long history of worrying about bad things that never happened. Think about all the times you thought something terrible was going to happen and it didn't. Make a list. What were you worried about last week or last month or yesterday that didn't happen. That is good evidence that probably nothing bad will happen this time either..or next time. If you are using the Panic Program use that kind of evidence in your thought records when you are challenging your anxious thoughts. 2. Ask yourself "What does my worrying do for me?" "Does the extra worrying help me? Or is it mostly a waste of time?" Most people discover that when they ask themself this question and think about it, their extra worrying never really gets them anywhere. A little worrying is a good thing, it helps us prepare for an uncertain future. On the other hand, a lot of worrying doesn't do us much more good than a little. Worry has a cost that you may not be paying attention to and the benefits of extra worrying are hard to find. Make a list of pros and cons of extra worrying and see what you discover. 3. Some people find that scheduling worry time is helpful. Schedule a half an hour or an hour a day to REALLY worry and then spend the rest of your time on the rest of your life. Don't do it just before bed! 4. Make a half-hour worry tape. Write a script. Tell the story of what you are worried about. Make the story have a beginning, a middle and an end. Make the end of your story as grim as you can. Make your worrying as bad as it can be and then listen to it over and over and over again, until listening to it doesn't make you anxious any more. This is exposure work for worry. Follow all of the rules for exposure work in the Panic Program. 5. Keep in mind that

I have been suffering from panic attacks for over 2 years now, and I am still finding it hard to understand. I have tried numerous antidepressants which seem to make me worse, so now the doctors have decided that I will need to try to overcome this on my own with the help of a clinical pyschologist, although I am still awaiting an appt to see him. My problem is that I still dont believe that it is panic attacks, and that there must be something seriously wrong with me. I have had blood tests done, and they always come back okay. Whenever I get a new symptom, I dwell on this symptom and come up with all sorts of explanations for the symptom, ie cancer etc. I get myself into a right state. I have signed up to the panic program, but I am having trouble challanging my anxious thoughts. Can anyone please help? My anxious thoughts seem to revolve around physical illnesses, and I cant seem to challange them! If anyone has any suggestions, I would be very grateful. I feel as if I am on my own! Thank you for your time.