I've shared parts of my anxiety recovery journey in the past, but today I'm going to answer your questions about my recovery! Annie is joining me for this week's episode, and she's going to ask me your most frequently asked questions. And you won't want to miss it, because there were some pretty great questions in this episode!
In all honesty, I've held back from telling some of these parts of my story. They're extremely emotional for me to talk about, and I also never want to scare anyone. But I think it's important to be honest about where I've been so that you can see just how far I've come in this journey. And you can know with more peace that recovery is just as possible for you as it was for me. So let's get into it!
My Personal Anxiety Recovery Journey
The Most Difficult Parts of My Anxiety Recovery
Many of you were curious about what part of my anxiety recovery was the hardest for me. And this was such a hard question to answer, because there were so many points when I felt like I had nothing left, and thought that panic disorder and agoraphobia were things I'd always struggle with. But one of those moments had to have been during the worst panic attack I've had, which happened at the hospital I worked at. I felt so much doom and fear, I was shaking, vomiting, and had to call my mom for help. To this day, it's still so hard for me to talk about because it was one of my lowest points.
Another one of the most difficult parts of my recovery was when I went to a psychiatrist to start taking medication. I had so much fear around the idea of taking medication because it felt like a last resort for me. I worried that if the medication didn't help, there would be no hope for me. And I thought that if it didn't work, there was something seriously wrong with me. And despite medication not being a helpful tool for me, I still recovered.
Turning A Corner In My Anxiety Recovery
I get asked so often if there was a point in my anxiety recovery where things just "clicked", and I was recovered. But honestly, there wasn't an exact moment when my relationship with anxiety was healthy. I took healthy action often, I kept living a life that aligned with my values, I stopped letting fear choose, and anxiety recovery was something that happened as a result. And over time, anxiety became something I paid less attention to, and so it stopped showing up as much.
What My Relationship With Anxiety Looks Like Today
I always say that anxiety is a normal, human emotion and that the goal is to never make it go away. Instead, we need to focus on creating a healthy relationship with anxiety! So of course I experience anxiety from time to time, but never in the way that I used to. Sometimes when I'm trying something new I'll find myself wondering "Am I really doing this?", because these were things I feared for so long. But fear no longer makes any of my decisions in life!
My life used to be filled with so much fear, and I never thought I'd be able to do half the things that I do today. I'm a mom, I drive, travel, fly, and do all of it without panic and fear. And I want you to know that it's possible for you too! If you want support in a healthy relationship with anxiety, get on the waitlist for my program, Panic to Peace! In this ten-week course, I'll walk you through the tips and tools that will lead you to a life filled with peace, joy, and freedom!
Don't forget to listen to the podcast episode filled with goodness!