Anxiety/Panic Attacks - But I really wanna do it!

[tacocarp]

I am 20 years old. Absolutely love the idea of SAR. I love to camp, backpack, etc. Just love it! Unfortunately I have fairly severe anxiety and get panic attacks often (I am working on it, have been going to therapy for a few weeks now). I really want to volunteer with my local SAR group, but I am torn. I could definitely make it through training (it wouldn't be easy, but I know I could), but long backpacks deep into wilderness areas would be tough. Also, if we had to respond to anything far away, like another county, I wouldn't be able to go because I would get extremely anxious about being far away from home and in unknown territory. Like I said, I really want to do this, but at the same time, I don't want to make a fool of myself. I'd be fine on local calls, its really the far away ones I wouldn't be okay on. And any training far away too. It is so frustrating!

What do you guys think? Should I just go for it? Any advice?

 

[007]

Seems like you have a dragon to slay, or you can let him haunt you for the rest of your life.

 

[joker2041]

What????....................................



Dude...........

 

[CSG]

If your SAR unit is volunteer you do what you're able to do. I'm not sure you sound ready yet though. You might want to talk to the local commander.

 

[joker2041]

I would suggest some therapy and all...

I know if I was in an emergency, I would not want people suffering from personal things like anxiety and panic attacks coming to my rescue and that is just being honest.

You have good intentions if serious. Find a better format for your desires or get over them before you commit to something like SAR.

 

[Verde Rat]

Be Honest

I would recommend talking to your local SAR group and ‘lay all your cards on the table’, tell them what you have told us and ask them what they think. I would imagine there are some logistic/ support roles you could start off with.
We all have our battles to fight and some are harder than others, so remember to keep focused on your goals and not on other people’s success. Good luck.

 

[MNDodge]

In all honesty, you need to get past the anxiety before even considering doing this. If you don't you could go from rescuer to needing rescuing in the middle of a mission, meaning fellow rescuers would need to tend to you before continuing the mission at hand. That is not something you want....

 

[Lynn]

I concur that you really need to get this resolved. First off for your own good...

You could, as Verde Rat suggested above, talk to your local SAR commander (and possibly the Sheriff, if your SAR falls under his authority). However, from my experience (I was on an alpine SAR including the High Angle Team, but only for a couple of years) there aren't really any positions that don't have the potential to be very stressful.

As MN Dodge mentioned, the last thing you or your team wants is for one of the rescuers to become a liability during a search.

The idea of rescuing someone is appealing, but the first body recovery will re-align your perspectives. You have to be ready for some gruesome stuff, as well as the glorious. I'm not trying to be gross here, but just to make sure you know what you are in for: We had a snowboarder that went off of a really high cliff and splattered blood and gray matter for more than 20 feet.

There may be some behind-the-scenes ways you could help out, but I would suggest you stay away from the SAR response, including command support, without getting a good handle on your problem.

They could probably use some non-response help, though, like fund-raising.

 

[brushogger]

I had a friend years ago that was in the same situation as you. It took me a while to realize what a real and debilitating thing this was for him. With the blessing of his therapist, he started with short trips, and gradually kept moving out farther. It wasn't easy, but after about three years he could go virtually anywhere he wanted. The positive reinforcement of adventure was his savior. 007 is right. Kill this monster while you are young, and you can have a great life. Also remember you aren't alone. Each of us has our own "dragon".

 

[billyzj]

take a couple zanex and have at..lol just dont go overboard with them! then u can enjoy what ur doing ..i got to take em wen i go trailing,camping,etc i just take half that way i can enjoy without having any anxiety.....

 

[Tucson T4R]

take a couple zanex and have at..lol just dont go overboard with them! then u can enjoy what ur doing ..i got to take em wen i go trailing,camping,etc i just take half that way i can enjoy without having any anxiety.....

Some might think this was just to be funny but from experience I know it is good advise.

I'm 54 now and never had any anxiety problem while growing up. In my late 20's it hit me out of nowhere like a ton a bricks with symptoms that felt like I was having a heart attack. I literally spent thousands on diagnosis and ER visits until I finally found a doctor that understood what it was. It turns out for me at least it's a gentic gift from my family tree. :sombrero:

Luckily therapy with someone who specialized in panic attacks, learning biofeedback skills to know how to calm your inner self, and yes Xanax has kept my challenges under control now for decades. Over the years I have worked my way down to a minimum does of only .25 mg once a day which is close to nothing. Several times I thought I could wean off of even that low dose but when I do my internal neurological chemistry start kicking off the panic attacks again. I and my doctor have resigned ourselves to the fact that at least for me the minimal .25mg dose of Xanax once a day manages my problem and I expect I will need to live with that for the rest of my life.

The good thing to remember is with proper therapy, guidance and getting to the understanding of your personal root cause, you can absolutely manage the challenge down to a minor, fully managed inconvenience that does not effect your life any more.

My suggestion is in line with others. Focus on understanding and managing the anxiety attacks down to where it is not a problem for you and then any opportunity you want to pursue will be an option.

Good luck with your battle. I know how challenging it can be.

 

[109 Pretender]

The fact that you were able to reveal your situation on a public forum indicates that you will have an excellent chance of overcoming this hurdle in your life. You have already recognized it, sought out pro guidance, and now ask for fellowship from us. I'd say you are already on the road to recovery...

However, you're not quite there yet. You obviously desire to help others hence your interest in SAR. But that's at the extreme end of many, many ways to help your fellow man. Put SAR as a desired end goal for later down the road. Continue your therapy and get involved on a less committed level to begin with. Something that satisfies your inner need to help - but that is not so threatening to you that it hinders your own needs and development. I think if you go slow and continue to 1st take care of your situation, the rest will fall into place in it's own time.

I'll say this about you - YOU are courageous and enthused enough to be a SAR person. Spend the time to have full control of your dis-ability and I believe that you will one day join a SAR operation.

Best of Luck!!