And today, my panic starts with the fear that I’ll die with a dirty house. Like that heart attack can’t wait till I get the laundry folded and put away?
All joking aside, panic attacks are really quite real, and affect 3 million people. Panic often occurs after long bouts of continuous stress. Panic attacks can be life changing. Symptoms include racing heartbeat, chest pain, difficulty breathing, near paralyzing terror and feeling of dread, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea, trembling, sweating, shaking, hot flashes or sudden chills, tingling in fingers or toes, a fear that you're going to die. A person with repeated attacks (panic disorder) reports angina, asthma, irritable bowel, vertigo, hypertension, among others. Most sufferers really believe they have a serious physical illness, and go from doctor to doctor for several years as physical symptoms occur. Left untreated, about 10% of panic sufferers will be unable to leave their home alone. After a few years, about 30% will lose their job due to the onset of agoraphobia. The majority have marital problems and practically non-existent social lives. Panic disorder can make life a prison.
What to do? For extreme cases, it's professional therapy and prescribed drugs. For most of us, we just need to calm down and deal with the stress in our lives that brings on bouts of anxiety and panic. Eating right and getting ample rest is a start, followed by relaxation techniques like diaphragmatic, or deep breathing. However you do it, you must find a way to control stress everyday.
Don’t let stress escalate into a life threatening problem. Think about it. When you die, who's going to really notice if the laundry was folded or if your panties were ripped?
Do you honestly believe THAT’S what they’ll talk about at your funeral?
