ANXIETY

ANXIETY

Jonathan here… I had my first panic attack in 2009.  We were on a road trip and I was driving.  A rush of heat came over my body. My breathing became restricted, my head throbbed and my heart was about to explode.  I pulled over and had no idea what had just happened. Blakley took over the driving.  I had my second panic attack while getting a haircut a couple months later.  Once again, my heart beat uncontrollably, I started sweating like I had just sprinted a marathon.

I survived both of those attacks, but lived in fear of having another one at any moment.  That fear controlled my life.  I didn’t want to go do things in public places with large crowds.

I was having serious undiagnosable digestive issues.  I did an elimination diet, had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy but nothing.

There were things going on in life that I let lead me down a path of worry, stress and anxiety. That stress lead to the panic attacks.  Once you have a panic attack, you live in fear of having another one, which only makes you worry more.  It’s a vicious cycle.

I was prescribed anti-anxiety medication but didn’t take it for long.  It wasn’t until I learned to let go of the worry and the things that are not in my control that my symptoms really started to subside.  I had to learn not to let that fear of having another attack control me.  I had to decide that even if I had another attack, I’d be ok.

I haven’t had another attack, but that doesn’t mean that anxiety doesn't creep back in on me.  I have to stay vigilant to not worry about things that are not in my control.  I do my best to take care of myself because ultimately, that’s the only thing that I have control over.

If you want to share your experience with anxiety feel free to send us a message.

Matthew 6:34  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is it's own trouble.”