From Panicked to Power - 40 Days

After my mother passed away, my anxiety became so severe that I was afraid to leave my house. I would panic thinking that if I went too far from home, something might happen to me and I wouldn’t be there to protect my four little boys.

For almost an entire year, I barely left my house.

Eventually, I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t afford private therapy at the time, so the hospital recommended a clinic that offered free group talks and sessions for people dealing with anxiety and panic.

I went.

There were about 15 people in the group, all struggling with anxiety in different ways. We would sit together and talk about what caused our panic, what it felt like, and how it affected our lives. I remember listening to some of the things other people were afraid of and thinking, Oh my God, that sounds strange.

Then I had to look at myself and realize, I wouldn’t even leave my own house.

That was when I started understanding that everyone’s anxiety looks different. What may seem unusual to one person feels completely real and frightening to another.

Those free sessions gave me tools I still remember today. They taught us that panic would pass, that it wasn’t going to kill us, and that we could learn to breathe through it instead of letting the fear take complete control.

And little by little, that is exactly what I did.

And these are the tools I want to share with you, because I want you to know that you can get through this too.

For the next 40 days, I’m going to try to be consistent and share the things I went through — the panic, the fears, the challenges, and the little tricks and tools that helped me get through them.

Some days may be emotional. Some may be hard to talk about. But if sharing my story helps even one person realize they are not alone and that they can keep moving forward, then it’s worth it.

This is From Panicked to Power — 40 days of looking back at what I overcame, what I learned, and how faith, determination, breathing, redirecting my thoughts, and believing in myself helped me keep going.

You can get through more than you think you can.

One day at a time. One step at a time. ❤️