In this week’s podcast episode, we have another amazing anxiety success story! I always hear how much the A Healthy Push community enjoys these success stories; the feeling is mutual! Emily joins us today to talk about her decade-long journey with driving anxiety and panic attacks. She recently finished my 10-week program, Panic to Peace, and has made incredible progress with the lessons she’s learned. You’ll want to stick around to the end to hear how far Emily has come on her anxiety recovery journey!
Anxiety Success Stories: Emily's Journey to Overcoming Driving Anxiety
Let’s start by getting to know Emily a little bit! Emily is a wife, dog and cat mom, sister, and friend. She loves adventuring, spending time in the mountains, kayaking, biking, and fitness… so guess that she and I have a lot in common! One day in 2013, Emily and her husband were driving on the highway when she experienced her first panic attack. While her husband was driving, she started to feel dizzy and feared that she was going to lose control.
If you’ve ever experienced a panic attack, you know how terrifying they can feel. So often, people tell me that they had no idea what was happening when they had their first panic attack, which, of course, makes them that much more scary. Emily also had no idea that she was experiencing a panic attack at the time, which added to her fear of being on the highway.
Over time, Emily started avoiding highways altogether. She would only drive on backroads with her husband, and eventually, the roads and circumstances she would drive in became more restricted. I think it’s important to note that the situation and the panic aren’t the issue, it’s the unhelpful thought process behind it. And once Emily started my program, Panic to Peace, she realized that she was capable of breaking free of these unhelpful responses!
The Lessons That Helped Emily Begin To Heal
During our conversation, Emily mentioned two of the lessons she’s learned that have helped her heal the most. The first was learning to be vulnerable about her struggles, and understanding that she’s not failing because of these struggles. Emily shared that she had lots of fear about being in elevators, and when she shared this fear with her family, she realized she wasn’t alone. This vulnerability gave her the courage to take an elevator to the 18th floor of a building for her sister's wedding. I couldn’t think of a more beautiful example of the power of vulnerability!
The second lesson that has helped Emily is learning that she doesn’t have to respond to panic in order to be safe. In our conversation, she told me “That was one of my big things to say to myself, I am safe. And I don't have to do anything. I love when you taught us that in our class (Panic to Peace), just the art of just not doing. I don't have to try to escape”. This lesson led to so much healing for Emily, and I know it will for you, too. Because when you realize that you don’t have to do anything in order to be safe from panic attacks, you open up a lot of new doors for yourself!
Where is Emily Now?
Emily had some pretty major milestones to share on the podcast. For starters, she went on a road trip across the country for her sister’s wedding! She shared that she experienced some anticipatory anxiety and panic on the drive, but she chose to remember her why and see how capable she was! On this trip, she took the elevator and got to stand by her sister at her wedding. And recently, Emily took her car to get the oil change alone! This is such a major shift and I couldn’t be happier to see Emily leading the life of freedom she has dreamed of.
If you’re curious how my program, Panic to Peace, can support your anxiety recovery journey, click here to read more. Each lesson is intentionally designed to help you create more peace and joy in your life, along with the actionable steps you can take in your daily life to overcome anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia!
Make sure to listen to the full podcast for all of the details about Emily’s anxiety success story for all of the inspiration and goodness!
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