I’ve written about this before but I used to feel a lot of shame about being diagnosed with GAD (Generalized Anxiety Disorder). Even though I was struggling, there was something about the official diagnosis that didn’t sit well with me. Then, when I finally got used to the idea of that diagnosis, it changed toContinue reading “Morphing Anxiety & Labels”
Category Archives: Wisdom & Lessons Learned
A Change is Coming
I met my husband when I was 12. We started dating when I was 17. I married him when I was 24. Our families are friends and we come from similar, almost identical, backgrounds of the same faith and values. We are financially stable and live in a house with plenty of rooms for anyContinue reading “A Change is Coming”
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 Fox Who Survived
It was early morning, around 6am, on a cold, winter day. I was up watching the sun rise over our farm, savoring my coffee, my toes snuggled into cozy slippers, feeling peaceful and enjoying the view when I saw him. A fox appeared by the large evergreen trees to the right of our property. AtContinue reading “The Fox Who Survived”
“Easy” Courage
There’s no such thing as easy courage. If there were, it wouldn’t be considered courage at all. This may seem like an obvious statement, but it wasn’t obvious to me for a long time. In my mind, courage and bravery came easier to others than it ever would for me. I would watch people giveContinue reading ““Easy” Courage”
Message over Discomfort
I’ve mentioned this before, but anxiety, for years, has been an incredible source of shame for me. It was my silent struggle, the thing that made me feel weak, not good enough, deeply flawed. I so wanted to appear confident, unafraid, capable and just normal. My struggle with anxiety, often debilitating anxiety, was my deep,Continue reading “Message over Discomfort”
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”
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”
The Hope Antidote 