Quick Update

Hi, everybody,
Just a quick little update.. I had a little anxiety attack this afternoon. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for staying in control and keeping my cool! I noticed right away when I began to feel anxious. I had/am having the following symptoms...
~Stomach discomfort (I don't really like the term nausea)
~Chills
~Shaky hands
~Feeling like I'm losing control
~Feeling like this will never end
~Tense legs
I like to look at each anxiety/panic attack as a 10 step ladder. You start on the bottom with 0, which is no anxiety and you keep going up. 10 is maximum anxiety/full panic mode. I say this one got up to a 5-6. To me, 5-6 means that it is very uncomfortable and you feel like you are losing control, but you can find something to keep you occupied and you can sit at a comfortable 3-4. The key is reminding yourself that you won't be on the ladder forever. You have to eventually come back down to the ground, or 0. With that in mind, you have to also remember to be patient and keep in mind that you have to go up in order to come back down. Right now, I would say I'm at a 3-4 comfortably. It feels really bad and it sucks, but I am in control and I can manage. I recently learned that panic attacks can only last 5-10 minutes at their peak, and that is always encouraging. In the moment, I am trying to focus on what I'm typing to you as well as happy memories. I am trying to encourage myself that this might feel uncomfortable now but this can't hurt me or make me throw up. I know God is taking care of me and I'm doing his will! This will end soon and I finally feel in control of my anxieties! Thank you for listening and I hope that this helped you a little bit in coping with your own anxiety!