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Wednesday, October 28, 2009

My Battle With Anxiety

June 15, 2009-"My mind is about to burst! Recently I've been experienceing some of the most bizarre thoughts and feelings. These feelings are different than my "usual" worries. For some reason, I can't seem to stop thinking about death. This fear consumes my mind to the point that I literally cannot focus on anything else. My entire being is plagued by fear. Seriously."

This is a real exerpt from my personal journal. Unfortunately, I am one of the 40 million adults in the United States that suffer from anxiety. I wrote this journal shortly before I came to accept the fact that the excessive worrying and fear had gone too far. Unfortunately, This realization came long after the headaches, the inability to sleep, the body aches and the acid reflux; all symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was literally miserable. So why did it take so long for me to realize that I needed help? Shame!! I was too ashamed to admit that despite how "together" my friends and family thought I was, I was dealing with a problem that I couldn't fix myself.

Once I overcame the shame, I saught help via counseling. I remembered my pastor saying in church one sunday "we think we're crazy for seeking mental help, but we're crazy if we don't seek the help. This is what we pay insurance for." I knew that message was for ME. Seeking counseling initiated the start of a new life for me! My "friend" (as I like to refer to my counselor) has helped me put my life back into perspective. Surprisingly, I haven't learned anything in counseling that I honestly didn't already know. It was a matter of "accepting" the things that I can not change, understanding that GOD is ultimately in control and then trusting GOD to do HIS job! I am currently on my journey to a "worry-free" life. I'm taking steps that fear would not have premitted me to take before!

For more information on anxiety, visit the sites below. Please also feel free to share your stories of anxiety and how you were able to overcome it.

http://www.medicinenet.com/anxiety/page3.htm
www.anxietypanic.com/understanding.html
www.webmd.com/anxiety.../understanding-anxiety-basics

2 comments:

Ashley H said...

So proud of you Tissa! Its not easy to seek help, and it's even harder to share your struggles with others. But hopefully in doing so, you will encourage someone else to seek the help they need as well. I hope you will continue to feel better. You are such a wonderful person, friend and mother!

Ashley

@FABMOMCLT said...

Thanks Hashy!! The most difficult part about sharing my story was determining the length of detail to share. I always knew I would share. I know for sure that I touched at lesat one reader. Hopefully, I've touched more.