In Grief: Coping with Anxiety and Panic Attacks

Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.  ~ C.H. Spurgeon

A reader writes: I am trying to figure out if what I am going through is normal. I am thinking that it is probably some kind of panic or anxiety attack. It started when I had something upsetting happen totally unrelated to the death of my friend. Everything went okay with that situation but things seemed to get worse as the evening went on. Yesterday it was like I had tunnel vision all day. I felt shaky and detached. I have been restless, anxious, and feeling like I am sleep deprived when I have actually been sleeping.

Anxiety and Panic Attacks in Grief

A reader writes: I am trying to figure out if what I am going through is normal. I am thinking that it is probably some kind of panic or anxiety attack. It started when I had something upsetting happen totally unrelated to the death of my friend. Everything went okay with that situation but things seemed to get worse as the evening went on. Yesterday it was like I had tunnel vision all day. I felt shaky and detached.I have been restless, anxious, and feeling like I am sleep deprived when I have actually been sleeping.

Last night I had very bizarre nightmares that were very upsetting and frustrating and I am going through the day feeling odd. I have taken my blood pressure and it is low normal, cause I actually thought maybe my blood pressure had shot up or something. My heart rate is up though, close to 90 bpm. I have the sensation of panic. That's the only way I know how to describe it. Which is one of the reasons why I think this is a panic/anxiety attack. Has anyone else experienced this under the stress of a loss?  Read on here >>>

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 22 - January 28, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Lessons Learned: After Son's Sudden Death, Shock, Grief And Coping http://n.pr/wGcVC0 from @IDidNotKnow via@TheGriefToolbox
  
  
• Supporting the bereaved by having the courage to listen, http://j.mp/zeQDDV
  
  
• Beautiful! Parents of stillborns struggle with grief, http://bit.ly/yJxgRv from @JenMarsh2 via @dcexaminer
  
  
• How Long Should Grief Last? http://j.mp/x7yjWA
  
  
• Film Review: The Descendants | SevenPonds Blog, http://j.mp/zyfFgj

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 8 - January 14, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Effects of unresolved grief can be devastating, http://j.mp/Av3Qug

• How faith changes through grief « Memoirs from Widow Island, http://j.mp/x5V0Nh

• Gloria Horsley: 4R’s of Recovery For Those Who've Experienced #Loss http://j.mp/xHngHA
  
  
• Teen loses step-dad, now making a documentary, http://j.mp/Aa8ZTL by @jetlifefilm via @LosingParents
  
  
• How Twitter can act as a social support group in mourning and grief, http://j.mp/xsZqPz by @mysendoff

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 22 - May 28

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Ann Faison: No Timeline for Grief, http://dlvr.it/TDMsB via @houstonfunerals

• Deb Kosmer: The End of Winter Sometimes Comes Slowly, Open to Hope, http://bit.ly/kPMGXT

• Coping with Disastrous Events, http://bit.ly/kf8kQ8 via HFA blog

• Book review: 'Shift Happens': Making Sense of Life After Job Loss, aol.it/ldRKvk via @AOL @DrDignity

• 7 reasons why it's good to cry your eyes out, http://to.pbs.org/ihDxhs via @EmotionalLife

Using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in Grief

[Reviewed and updated May 1, 2022]

When the Crying Won't Stop, Try Breathing - In this interesting article from Open to Hope, Gloria Arenson, MFT, DCEP, expert in using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), describes a simple technique for lessening the pain of negative emotions in grief -- one that can be used "one or more times a day to calm yourself any time you feel as if your despair is too much to bear."

Guided Imagery expert Belleruth Naparstek offers her opinion about EFT in her response to a reader's question, Does Emotional Freedom Technique Work for PTSD? See also EFT for Combat Veterans and Sue Hannibal's transcript of her EFT session, A One-Session Wonder: EFT Heals Combat Trauma in Sgt. Joshua. (Did you know that EFT is also effective in healing traumatized animals? See Healing Traumatized Animals with EFT.)

In this fascinating video, EFT Master Barbara Smith demonstrates how EFT can help, as she gently guides a bereaved mother in using the tapping technique to relieve the pain and suffering of her daughter's tragic death:



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Additional Resources:

• Carol Look, EFT Master
• The Tapping Solution
• EFT May Look Weird, But If It Gets The Job Done, Do We Care?
• Navigating Pet Loss (with EFT tapping video)

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, BC-TMH