In the most recent round of my Panic to Peace program, I had so many awesome students. (Honestly, they're all awesome!) But one of those was Hannah. She joined Panic to Peace after years of trying medication, therapy...everything! She knew she needed some extra support through the process of facing her fears.
ANXIETY RECOVERY SUCCESS STORIES: MEET HANNAH
Hannah had her first panic attack at a very young age. As she got older and her life got crazier, the panic attacks would happen much more often. Several years ago, Hannah was dealing with some serious changes in her life! And ultimately, the stress of those changes caused her to fear driving and leaving home. She would look for any and every way to prevent panicking: taking Ubers, avoiding stores, and working from home. You might hear this and say “Hey, that sounds a lot like me!”, and still believe you will never recover… But what if I told you that today Hannah is no longer living in a place of fear? Yes, really! Hannah is going to stores, driving, and living a life with lots less restrictions and limitations!
Hannah's anxiety recovery journey is so inspiring, which is why I wanted to share it with you. I feel so honored that Hannah chose to join my program, and I'm so happy to hear how it has helped her to gain her life back! And if you didn't know, Panic to Peace is my ten-week program that's designed to help you heal your relationship with anxiety. We meet for live sessions every week where I teach the tips and tools, answer your questions, interact as a community, and so much more! Our conversation was really insightful, so I want to share some of the main points we discussed here.
You Might Be Unconsciously Avoiding The Fears
Hannah mentioned during our conversation that she spent years avoiding the things she feared. But at the time, she didn't even realize she was actively avoiding anything! And I think that is pretty common, too. When we've been struggling with anxiety for so long, we might not even realize all of the ways we are avoiding the symptoms and fears. As Hannah started to recover, it became clear to her that she was avoiding lots of things because of anxiety.
For so long, Hannah had convinced herself that she simply didn’t enjoy shopping, going to the movies, or working out of the home. But in reality, these were just situations that triggered the anxiety. And as she recovered, she learned that she really does enjoy these things! When Hannah got honest with herself, she began to realize that avoidance wasn’t protecting her, but keeping her stuck.
Finding The Courage to Make A Change
Like so many others, Hannah felt that she lacked the courage and bravery to make a change. And at the beginning of Panic to Peace, she was sure that she would be the exception or the one that would never recover. And this might be a bit of a shocker... but most of us are convinced that we are the exception to recovery! At a certain point, I think Hannah realized that the courage she wanted wouldn't just come from nowhere! She had to start showing herself just how capable she was. And that's exactly what she did!
In our conversation, Hannah shared that reaching her lowest point was ultimately what gave her the push to face everything she’d been avoiding. And I love that she shared this because anxiety recovery so rarely begins with courage or bravery. Most often, it’s not until we’ve taken some healthy action that we can start to feel the courage to keep going. Sometimes, it’s reaching our lowest point that shows us that we have to make some changes.
Join My Email Newsletter for Some Anxiety Recovery Support
I hope that Hannah's story helps you to see just how capable you are, friend! But I also want you to know that sometimes, learning to ask for support is a part of the recovery process. I mean, it's only natural to want some hope and assurance! And after listening to Hannah, I think it's pretty clear how powerful asking for support can be. For her, it changed everything.
And because support is so important during the anxiety recovery process, I want to personally invite you to join my weekly email newsletter. Each week, I'll land in your inbox with tips, tools, and affirmations to support you along this journey. It's completely free, and I promise to never send you any junk!
I've shared lots of anxiety recovery success stories on A Healthy Push podcast, but if you learn anything from Hannah’s story, let it be this: it doesn’t matter how long you’ve been struggling, or how small your life has become…you are capable of recovery! Don’t forget to check out the full episode for all of the details of Hannah’s story.
Want to join the next round of Panic to Peace? Jump on my waitlist and I'll let you know when doors open. *If you're on my waitlist, you'll get early access, as well as a pretty awesome discount!