Fully Recovered: Maria Update - Freedom From Toilet Anxiety After 30 Years
Welcome to another Fully Recovered episode of A Healthy Push podcast! I love these so much and I am so grateful to Maria for coming back to share more of her amazing story. I last spoke with Maria on Episode #60 - so would encourage you to listen back first. Since then Maria has made some amazing progress and found freedom from toilet anxiety. I can't wait for you to hear our conversation!
What Did Things Look Like Before Panic to Peace?
Over the years, Maria has struggled with anxiety, panic, depression and in particular toilet anxiety, which started to take its toll on not only Maria's life but her family. As things got worse, Maria's world shrank and her day-to-day life was filled with worries and coping mechanisms.
When Maria took my 10-week program Panic to Peace, she felt like she had tried everything to deal with the anxiety and panic she had been struggling with for 30 years. She was skeptical anything could help. Instead, it was a real turning point in her recovery journey that connected her to a community that knew exactly what she was going through.
What Advice Would You Give to Others?
I asked Maria what advice she would give to others on a similar journey. The biggest takeaway, was practice, practice, practice. Taking small healthy steps, consistently showing up for yourself, and being ok with failing sometimes (we are only human) were all so important for Maria in her journey to recovery.
Maria found a lot of value in the A Healthy Push community, finding likeminded people on the program who truly understood what she was going through who held her accountable and supported her along the way.
Finally, being open to try new things was so helpful for Maria. When starting Panic to Peace, Maria really committed to trying lots of different tools to see what worked best for her. She found positive self-talk was one of the most helpful tools, but learned along the way that journaling was not her thing (which is not a tool in P2P)!
How Did You Know You Were Recovered?
Recovery happened gradually for Maria, as it often does. Eventually, Maria felt she was having consistently good days where she could feel at ease, was able to follow a schedule and anxiety wasn't constantly crossing her mind. Coping mechanisms are a thing of the past, she can eat a meal before leaving the house without worrying about needing the bathroom!
Self-doubt definitely crops up, and is one of the trickiest parts of recovery, but Maria has been able to push through these thoughts with all she has learned and trusts that she will be ok. It's ok to feel like your recovery is fragile, but you are so much stronger than you think!
If toilet anxiety is something you are struggling with, you'll want to check out my Freedom From Toilet Anxiety mini course. This course teaches you how to say goodbye to the fear of not making it to a bathroom in time! You deserve peace and freedom from the symptoms and fears and to start actually living your life! You've got this, friend.
Feeling like you've tried everything but you're still struggling with lots of anxious thoughts, symptoms, panic attacks, and fears? Take my FREE 60-minute masterclass today and learn 5 shifts that will actually help you to overcome anxiety, panic disorder, and agoraphobia. And I promise, you won't hear any of the usual stuff from me - like doing breathing exercises, grounding practices, cutting out caffeine, and doing more exposures. Let's get you the peace and freedom you deserve without it being so hard!
Check out my masterclasses here and start experiencing lots more peace, joy, & freedom!
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