Hey Snoopchic!
Glad to see you registered and you are giving this a try. That is a big step towards feeling better!
So, I really have had some problems with closed in feelings and the air at first bothered me too. Full face masks and I were not friends. Still aren't really goood friends if you know what I mean, but I have gotten to a mutual respect with my full face mask. Took trying about a dozen different full face masks, but one just came out in the last 6 months that fits my face and doesn't set me off. So I wanted to let you know it *is* possible to get to the point where you can handle more mask and different pressures.
I also have GAD and have had a lot of panic attacks in the past. And I work with my therapist. But I know you are saying money is tight, which I totally get. I had gotten my sleep study when I was between jobs, and still living with mom and dad right after graduating...they were able to help with a place to stay and since it was the same price to insure my brother as it was to insure him and me they helped me with that, but I had to pay all the copays and deductibles and stuff myself for my medical stuff. This is a book my therapist and I have been using when she gives me therapy homework.
https://www.newharbinger.com/anxiety-an ... workbook-0
I have seen older editions at my public library, take a look and see if it is there. A free way to get going could really help, I think, and that workbook has been pretty helpful for trying to tame those jerky brain loops that get all panicked and freaked out and then you start panicking and...yeah. That book helped me identify the loops and help me see when I was getting caught in one way sooner. And my therapist helped me come up with non-medication ways to get back out of them too. One thing that helps me is visualization. For me? A beach is my grounding calming happy place. Yours might be a room by the fire in snow. Or a bouncy house....whatever floats your boat. So then the idea is to focus on recreating the scene in your mind. The sights, the feel, the smell, the sounds...focus on that, and it can distract your brain enough to get the loop stopped. One of those quick round phone games like bejeweled blitz helped too in that regard, or a round of Tetris.
If you like the beach? Well, your cpap with a mask is now snorkel gear. That flip in mindset and thinking of going to some really cool beach in Australia or the Caribbean and the mask is allowing me to go underwater and see some cool fish is a nice way to fall asleep. It took a lot of tries. I will be honest.
Another thing is maybe on the website here the Pur-sleep aromatherapy. Instead of smelling the plasticy hose smell, you can smell oranges or bubble gum or strawberries or whatever you like. That helped me get used to it too...my own personal strawberry field smell to sleep in, Another nice visualization idea. Or an orange grove. A hose cosy so you feel less plastic and more fuzzy helps too. These are things not required by any means but they do help the transition be easier.
Are you ok with glasses around your ears? The Swift FX with Bella Loops might be a nice mask for you. No headgear on the top of your head, the little prongs don't go in your nose much at all, I put my glasses back on after masking up and then I can watch tv with the mask on to have a thing to fall asleep to...and That has been my primary mask since i got started. It also doesn't mess up your hair. A nice bonus to not have headgear hair with curly hair
Just gonna toss a few ideas out that have helped me, and I hope the book or something helps you too!
And feel free to PM me My inbox is open and I have email alerts set up.
