Anxiety success stories can be so inspiring, and that's exactly why Stepy is here to share her personal journey with anxiety! Stepy struggled with panic disorder and agoraphobia for 15 years. And just a year ago, she was pretty convinced that she would be stuck living in her childhood bedroom for the rest of her life. Fast forward to today... (big spoiler alert), she moved out of her childhood home, drove over 6 hours back to her true home in Los Angeles, and has been living her life and showing herself just how capable she has always been!
I met Stepy back in April of 2022 and did some one-on-one coaching with her, and I have been blown away by not only the amazing human being she is, but by the amazing work that she's done over the past several months. Her story is truly a testament to the fact that recovery from panic disorder and agoraphobia IS absolutely possible! And I can't wait for you to hear her amazing story for yourself.
Anxiety Success Stories: Stepy Goes From Housebound to LIVING and Thriving
Stepy's Journey With Panic Disorder and Agoraphobia
When Stepy reached out to me for coaching, she was only a couple of months into her anxiety recovery journey. She was looking for some extra support, and I'm so glad she came to me. Stepy had dealt with panic attacks since high school, but things became worse in 2019. When she started to have panic attacks every day, she became housebound. And she'd experienced many of the symptoms and sensations as soon as she left home.
Stepy had made some progress by the time I began coaching her, but she also dreamed of moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles. She felt like it wasn't possible for her, but knew that Los Angeles was where she needed to be! And I knew that Stepy was capable of making the move. She just needed to start believing how truly capable she was!
How Stepy Recovered From Anxiety
So let's talk about the million-dollar question... how the heck do I recover from panic disorder and agoraphobia?! I asked Stepy for her thoughts, and she had so much wisdom to share from her journey. She said that if she could sum it up, time and consistency were the two biggest factors in her healing. Learning to change and replace old habits isn't easy, and it's important to be patient and kind to yourself.
Stepy said that in the beginning, she would get mad at herself for such small aspects of life feeling so hard. Things like driving, getting groceries, and so on! But once she started letting it be hard, without it meaning anything about her, she felt so much less ashamed. And that created room for her to keep pushing and taking consistent, small steps. With a combination of coaching, acceptance, and exposure work, Stepy made that drive to LA. And she made LA her new home!
Stepy started to believe that she would always have to live in her childhood home in the bay area. But she surprised herself when she consistently took small, healthy steps. Through these steps, she realized that she was capable of overcoming panic attacks and making the move she'd been dreaming of. And I want you to take this as a reminder that although you might not feel capable of healing from panic disorder and agoraphobia, you are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.
Make sure to tune in and listen to the full episode to hear all the details of Stepy's story! And until next time, friend, keep taking healthy action!