Category Archives: Personal Experience

My Factors

So, you really don’t need a “why” to feel anxious. I’ve struggled with that idea sometimes because as an analytical person I always want to know the reasons behind what I’m feeling, but I also know that sometimes searching for the “why” can add even more stress to whatever you’re feeling, especially when it’s notContinue reading “My Factors”

The Diagnosis

F41.1. GAD, or, Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It’s a helpful code for medical professionals, for insurance companies, maybe for Therapists. It’s not the most helpful code for the person being diagnosed. At least it wasn’t for me. When my anxiety got really bad, right after my wedding, I remember telling the Doctor that I thought itContinue reading “The Diagnosis”

The Weird Symptoms

Heart racing, dizziness, sweaty palms, nausea, heightened senses, feeling like you’re losing your mind or about to die – unpleasant to say the least, but these are some of the symptoms that most people think of when they think of anxiety. The more “common” ones, if you will. That’s not to say that they don’tContinue reading “The Weird Symptoms”

Climbing Beehive

My palms were sweating. My whole body was tense. I was hyperventilating. I couldn’t catch my breath. My heart was beating so loud I could hear it in my ears. I could actually feel the adrenaline and cortisol coursing through my veins. My hands shook. I cursed. I prayed. I cried. I took a deepContinue reading “Climbing Beehive”

The Powerful “I Can’t”

I say the words, “I can’t” far too often. Even if I don’t always voice them out loud I certainly think them plenty. Whenever I watch TV shows or movies with a survivalist theme I am the first one to think/say, “I would die,” or, “I could never,” or just, “Nope.” It’s actually become aContinue reading “The Powerful “I Can’t””

Double Footed Landings

I used to be a figure skater. Actually, a pretty good one. I started in Thailand, of all places, in the heat of the tropics. Sometimes the rink would have an inch of water on top of the ice but it didn’t matter because I loved skating more than anything. I had a Russian coachContinue reading “Double Footed Landings”

Maggie

I have a dog. Her name is Maggie. I also have a dog named Molly, but this post is solely about Maggie, and you’ll soon see why. A little bit about Maggie. She’s a beagle mix. She’s a rescue from Alabama. She’s nine years old. She’s brown and white and has little speckled spots onContinue reading “Maggie”

A story of Me and My Antidepressant

Folks, I’ve struggled with anxiety for years. And not just the mild, temporary, fleeting kind but the kind that makes you afraid to leave the house. The kind that makes you feel like you’re losing your mind, makes you nauseous, makes it nearly impossible to function and accomplish the most basic, normal, everyday tasks.  IContinue reading “A story of Me and My Antidepressant”

The Illusion of Normal

For years I believed there was something wrong with me. I can’t quite pinpoint when this thought started, but I suspect it was sometime in early childhood, probably due to some combination of a variety of factors including my sensitive disposition, moving between two drastically different cultures, a traumatic experience at boarding school, and beingContinue reading “The Illusion of Normal”