For people that do not suffer from Panic Attacks, or any form of anxiety disorder, it is hard to understand, just how debilitating and terrifying they can truly be!! As a former sufferer and having a parent whose attacks have become so bad, they can barely leave the home anymore, its a horrible condition to live through. I am one of the lucky ones, I have managed to deal with my anxieties, I now live a happy, healthy and panic attack free life, but for my parent, watching them become a shadow of their former self, its just heart breaking.

People will play down these attacks, like they are nothing, but when you are in the grip of one, the only way I can describe it, is it’s like being out on stormy seas without an anchor, nothing to stop you from being swallowed up in that sea of panic and despair. I have not suffered an attack in many years, yet still…..I remember the feeling helplessness, truly believing I was going to die as I struggled to breathe, feeling my heart crashing against my chest, so watching someone I love with all my heart suffering, even worse than I did, on a daily basis, causing them to become so lost and depressed, makes me feel so torn. I know that if I allow myself to feel guilty for not being able to help them the way I helped myself, that its a downward spiral from there and I have come too far to do that. Yet…if I don’t try to help them somehow, I will lose them altogether, no two panic attack sufferers will have the same recovery, so what do you do, well I will do whatever it takes to help my parent through this, I will be there every step of the way.

 

This is my way of embracing my fears and not letting them fester inside my mind, I know there are so many people out there suffering from anxiety, or watching someone they care about do so, never judge them, be there for them anyway you can, never be afraid to reach out for help, it’s not weakness, it takes a strong person to admit they need a hand to get them through. We are never truly alone, there is always someone out there who will care, who will listen and be there, we, you, just have to let them.

Thanks for reading – Lisa XOXO