In this week’s podcast episode, Kristina joins us to share the details of her anxiety success story! Kristina finished my 10-week Panic to Peace program over the summer of 2023, and I can’t wait for you to hear her journey and all of the inspiration packed into this episode!
Sharing your story can be so dang hard, so I’m super proud of Kristina for joining me on the podcast and getting vulnerable! These stories are so inspiring, I know you’ll enjoy this episode.
Anxiety Success Stories - Kristina Learns the Power of Vulnerability and Self-Compassion
Let’s start with getting to know Kristina a little better! Kristina is a married mother of three living in the Midwest. She loves to cook, entertain and volunteer her time. She’s often known as the person who will say Yes! to everything to support those around her, which may sound familiar! Lots of people who struggle with anxiety disorders will keep themselves as busy as possible in an attempt to avoid the discomfort that anxiety can bring.
Kristina’s Journey So Far
Looking back, Kristina recognizes periods of anxiety in her formative years, and noticed a pattern of lots more anxiety and panic during times of high emotion, both good and bad. Life's big events can be overwhelming, even the joyous ones!
To cope with these feelings, Kristina tried to keep busy and suppress to avoid experiencing the anxiety and panic that was showing up, and explored medication as a tool with her doctor.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down back in 2020, Kristina’s anxiety didn’t have anywhere to hide and things really came to a head. She started to struggle more and more with panic and agoraphobia, experiencing symptoms when doing daily activities like driving and grocery shopping.
How Panic to Peace Has Helped Kristina Begin To Heal
After taking Panic to Peace, Kristina worked hard on her relationship with anxiety, and it now looks so much healthier. She took a lot of benefit from the program, and especially the support network and community it provided, taking inspiration from others sharing their journeys and wins each week.
She learned the value of self-compassion in anxiety recovery, showing that support that she easily gave to others, to herself. Kristina started to change her focus around the ways she supported herself, giving herself compassion and grace when needing time to recharge or experiencing overwhelm. Letting go of the guilt and simple acts of self-support like taking time away to enjoy a hot tea, or diving into a good book are some great examples of the small healthy steps we can take to support ourselves.
Finding Purpose in Vulnerability
One of the most important parts of Kristina’s recovery journey was finding the power that came with getting vulnerable, and I’m so proud of her for this! Expressing vulnerability and opening up to others granted Kristina permission to truly see and accept her own truth. It has proven to be a really valuable and empowering aspect of her journey. Powerful stuff!
Kristina's Advice To Anyone Struggling With Anxiety
When we spoke, Kristina shared some really great advice to anyone that might find themselves in a similar position.
Have self-compassion! Treat yourself with the kindness you should show to others
Celebrate those small-wins. They are truly the things that lead to healing
Get vulnerable. Grant yourself the space to open up, connect with your own feelings, and acknowledge what's truly happening within
Make sure to listen to the full podcast episode for all the details about Kristina’s anxiety success story. It’s a heartwarming episode and I hope it brings you some hope, inspiration, and joy!
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