Yesterday I posted about my first panic attack and some tips for pushing through them.
I reread it this morning and it felt too disjointed – there was no transition between the story of my panic attack and tips.
And that has been bugging me all day *grin* …
I don’t feel as though I did the topic of tips for pushing it back a good service, so I plan on writing about it more, and compiling much more.
With that in mind, I want to write briefly about anxiety.
Anxiety is extremely common, especially in women. It usually comes and goes, but in many people, it comes and stays and takes up a place at the table and makes itself comfy – that guest that lingers way too long, even after you’ve asked it to leave.
It seems obvious to tell someone who is feeling anxious to stop worrying.
If only it were that simple.
When someone struggling with anxiety is in the cycle of anxiety, thoughts begin to feel real. But it is also that very same thing that starts the cycle: the brain gets caught on repeat.
And when you hear something enough, you begin to believe it, and your emotions begin to dictate your perception of reality.
Which is what I started to do with yesterday’s post. It’s (still) driving me crazy. I keep telling myself it isn’t good enough, that I didn’t do the topic justice, that I failed.
Yet, I received so many emails and comments on various social media platforms telling me something completely different from what my mind was telling me.
And so, I leave you with some basic advice for now:
Don’t believe everything you think. – unknown.
Do you find yourself in that cycle of anxiety? Stop and ask yourself if what your mind is telling you actually lines up with what others are telling you, or what you would tell someone else if they were facing the same situation.
This is the 3rd post in a 31 Day Series: 31 Days to Peace: Finding inner peace for anxiety and panic attacks. Start from the beginning here.
For me I am still trying to understand my triggers. I think that it always starts off very slow for me, until it’s something I can no longer control. I can recognize when an attack is starting. I can usually try and focus on something else and the feelings will subside. Even though I can do this. I don’t think it actually goes away. It can take 2 weeks of small insignificant events that can lead to a panick attack or anxiety attack. My first time I realized I was having a panick attack I was getting my kids ready for school. It was my day off so the kids were at home that night. I worked the night shift for a testing lab and they were usually at my grandmothers and she would get them up and I would drop them off at school. But, this day it was my job fully. It was raining outside that day there are five of them at the time ranging from ages 5 to 11. I got into my van started it up, put it in gear proceeded down the driveway and the steering wheel of the van comes completely off. I was able to stop and No one was hurt. We lived on a dead end street so traffic was minimal. It’s raining I have theses children who need to get to school and a van in the middle of the street with no steering. With no one around to help I had to move this van out of the street. Never dawn on me to call a tow truck. I guess I panicked. Cause I moved the van. Oh, did I mention that I was wearing a moo moo dress and slippers. I got all of the kids out if the van and walk the block and half to my grandmothers to borrow her car to take the kids to school. While walking I started to cry, it was raining so no one could tell. My daughter points out that her younger brother shoe had a big rip in it, I cried harder and kept walking. I get to her house and she was not there. This sent me into overdrive and I completely lost it. Another family member was ther that could have helped me but, I could not Control it anymore. I was incoherent cring uncontrollably and scared everyone who saw me. The next thing I remember is being awaken by my father at 2 in the afternoon in the hospital. I was dehydrated and sleep deprived. That was almost twelve years ago. I’m struggling to keep control til this day. I do know that I have to remind myself to take deep breaths because I have an attack it affects my asthma. I to have to drink cold water and usually I have a fan that I would turn on for cool air, this also helps me. So I am looking forward to reading your post and tips that may aide me in this battle.
Thank you for this. I just found this and I hope to learn some clarity. “Don’t believe everything YOU think” is something I need to tell myself.