I don’t know if you know this about me or not but I have suffered with a horrible case of anxiety and panic attacks lately. I have actually touched on the subject here. They have become a bit more frequent than they used to be and over the summer it was to a point where I did not want to drive anywhere by myself. I would cry and throw myself into such a panic over it that I seriously thought I was either 1. going to die, or 2. go crazy. I didn’t do either but it was a pretty traumatic experience. I am getting better day by day but I am also forcing myself to go out places so I don’t get into the habit of never leaving my home. I don’t have anxiety on a daily basis but mine is more geared towards driving. I haven’t pinpointed why exactly, and I have had a history of anxiety tendencies in the past usually geared around big events such as my wedding, moving out of my parents home, having a baby, etc. This time though I am not sure what is triggering them but I am making every effort to make them stop without the use of medication. I have a wonderful book that I use and I have noticed, that for me, 9 times out of 10 it is a result of little sleep and lots of stress.
Having anxiety attacks can be very debilitating. I wouldn’t and couldn’t go out with friends for fear of driving long distances by myself. I just couldn’t do it. My biggest fear is having an anxiety attack miles from my home with the huge sensation that I would pass out or die because I couldn’t get enough oxygen. I would and still do, have to blast my air conditioning on my face because it becomes so overwhelming that I need to have that distraction. SO, if it’s the middle of winter, I don’t care, I’ll wear gloves, hat and scarf but that air will be blowing on my face…full blast!
One of my tribe {that is basically a small group or what I call a support system for bloggers} sisters suffers from anxiety and panic attacks and I really would love to share a post she wrote because it is like taking a peek into the body of someone who suffers from this disorder. It truly sucks and I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone! You feel, or at least I do sometimes like you are a prisoner in your own mind.
Check out Lisa’s post. If you suffer with anxiety, please know that you are definitely NOT alone and that the more people that talk about it and share their experiences the more we can help each other. So please, feel free to share your anxiety story with myself and show my friend Lisa some love by sharing your story on her blog as well. One can’t ever have too much support!
Speaking of panic attack, these techniques saved my life! http://methinks.info/panicmicro
Please, please know that you are not alone! My therapist tells me anxiety problems are as common as the number of people who wear eyeglasses. I hope you can get the help you seek.
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