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I’ll never forget the first time I had a panic attack. I was standing in the living room with 4 kids all talking to me at the same exact time. Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe because it felt like I had an elephant on my chest. I just knew that at the moment I was going to fall over, leaving my 4 babies to fend for themselves. A couple days later it happened again and I knew that I had a serious problem which led me to a trip to the doctor.
While talking to the doctor I realized that my life is insanely busy which had gotten me to this point. I was so busy rushing around and tending to everyone else that I had forgotten that I needed to take care of me. I was prescribed medications. However, I decided that now that what was going on with me had a name I would attempt to deal with it without medications. (This does not mean that you should follow my lead on this one. Talk to your doctor before deciding anything).
It was at this moment that in order to get my panic attacks in order I needed to get my life and schedule in order. After all, for me, it was the overwhelming areas of my life were exactly the main triggers of my panic attacks.
So How Am I Handling Things Differently:
Mind you my life has not slowed down at all. In fact, there are moments that I am almost certain that I am busier than ever. Yet, I have learned a few things that have helped me not only manage my panic attacks it is actually helping me to become a better wife and mother to my family.
First and foremost I had to remember who is in control. My days are filled with chaos but I know that God is right there beside me. He is right there holding my hand and leading me throughout the day. Something I seemed to be forgetting is that in motherhood we are never meant to handle everything. We are meant to lean on God more!
Secondly, I needed to check my priorities. With all the things that I was doing I needed to figure out what it was, that was most important to myself and my family. When I wrote down all my various activities I realized that some of the things on my list I was doing were strictly out of the feeling of obligation. My hands were in things that my heart was simply not in and they were not benefiting me or my family. Of course, once I removed those items my schedule started to free up a bit more and I was able to actually breathe.
Thirdly, I learned that I needed to let things go and focus on the important things. Our family needs us they do not need a bunch of added fluff. Things do not have to always need to be perfect in order for us to have fun and make memories. Therefore, I learned to stress less and enjoy the little moments more. The fact is my kids enjoy playing an impromptu board game together than have a well planned out and executed day any time.
So many times we think that motherhood and anxiety are supposed to go hand in hand and that is simply not the case.
Until Next Time Just Keep Soaring 4 Him,
I would like to invite you to my Facebook group Christian Homemakers in Training where we dive into homemaking, motherhood, marriage and group devotions. After all, we all need a safe place to grow together, right?
I used to have panic attacks, but I also got them under control. For me, it was less about focusing on my busy life. My life wasn’t all that busy, if anything my life was too empty, which was what was scaring me. What I did seems less spiritual, but God was definitely involved in teaching me to pay attention to my body better. When I started having panic attacks, there was a lady at my church who I had known had problems like this. She was the one who helped me notice that what I was actually afraid of changed as soon as the attack began. The attacks were misguided coping mechanisms, helping to take my mind off of what was worrying me and put it on what was happening with my body. Once I realized that my mind was telling me lies, I started calling them lies when I heard them and refusing to believe them. I refused to let my body take control of those panicky moments. When my body said “I can’t breathe,” I listened to my breaths and said “Yes, you can. If anything you’re breathing too much.” Sometimes I started to feel dizzy. My mind tried to tell me that this was because I wasn’t getting enough air. I told my mind that this was nonsense. I was dizzy because I was getting too much air. When I started talking back to my mind and taking charge of the situation, the panic attacks started to let up. I didn’t take back control all at once. It was like a learning process, teaching myself that I could take control back and that I wasn’t a victim of whatever was going on in my mind and body. Slowly, the tide of panic receded. Occasionally, I still get short of breath; but I pay attention to that symptom as my body’s way of telling me that I need to slow down. So long as I pay attention to what my body is trying to tell me, it doesn’t feel the need to try and hijack my conscious mind anymore, and i don’t have to go through this whole power struggle between my mind and my will every time. In retrospect, the whole panic attack battle left me a richer woman. I feel more able to control my mind and body. I hope this helps someone.