How long do EFs last?

[Inky]

I'm assuming it varies, but I've had day-long episodes with waves of panic and anxiety along with feeling small and helpless. I've used some of the coping methods on here and feel slightly better, only to have it flare up again. It would help to hear others' experiences in terms of length. 

Recently I've noticed a really telling sign that I'm in an EF. Whenever I start to feel incredibly guilty about the amount of time I spend with my pet rabbit, that's when I know I'm vulnerable and likely in an ef. I have a single bunny, and they need more attention than bonded bunnies. I also was neglected as a child. I spend time daily with my bun George but I also struggle with depression, so I often want to hide in bed. George has a big old cage and he has a whole bun-proofed room with hay and toys that he gets the run of from noon to 8 or so daily.

Anyway, no matter what, when I'm in an EF, the effort I put in is never enough. I'm a terrible bunny mother and my dude is horribly lonely. Even writing this out makes me feel guilty and upset, and I just hung out with him all afternoon and evening. When I am healthy or in a better emotional place, it doesn't affect me as much. It's become a helpful indicator, even though I still experience the guilt and sadness. 

[sanmagic7]

as a kid, our family had a bunny, named him sam till we found out he was a she, and her name changed to samantha.  she was paper trained and would sit up and beg at the refrigerator door for lettuce.  she was some kind of cute.

as far as ef's go, you're right, they vary.  i've had ef's last for several days, but my biggest one lasted for 8 mos.  that was a horrible time, and this forum was what helped me finally be able to put it behind me.

it sounds like george is getting plenty of love and caring from you.  one lucky bunny.  keep on keepin' on, inky.  if george is eating, drinking, and not displaying anxiety-produced behaviors, than i believe you're doing a great job with him.  big hug to you. 

[Inky]

Awwww, thanks so much for responding SanMagic! My eyes unexpectedly got teary reading your comments. Your name always makes me think of San Miguel de Allende, a very pretty town in Mexico. Big hugs back.

[Blueberry]

George might be lonely, Idk, but otherwise he seems to have a great life. A whole bunny-proofed room to himself to run around in for 8 hours a day! I used to have a little group of Little Furry Creatures and they never had that much running around time outside their cage. Their cage was ginormous, but they sure would've liked a whole room with amusements every day in addition.

I get EFs of varying intensity. Some of the lower intensity ones have gone on for weeks. Such long ones aren't so common any more. What I get instead is a few days of EF, come back out of it for a couple of days or maybe even a week and then land in the next one. Or sometimes I seem to have 2-3 at once. Different layers so to speak. EFs to different things all going on at the same time.