Hey my loves,
Long time no speak, sorry for my ridiculously
long absence.....I have been so busy with my new job and life in general that I
have let my blog slip a little bit, naughty me! But I'm back and I am back with
a very controversial post,
Panic Attacks and Anxiety is widely spoken
about in the blogging/YouTube community and I understand that readers/viewers
may HATE these types of posts as some are seeing this topic as a
"trend". This is NOT a trend and it is a serious issue in our world
today,
Panic and anxiety attacks are a mental health
issue and it is not a subject which is to be taken lightly. In society today
this is still a very taboo subject and some feel people use this illness to
seek attention or because they are a depressed mess and that really is not the
case.
Back in the summer of 2013, just before my 18th
birthday, I suffered from panic attacks and anxiety quite badly that I was
actually taken into hospital for 4 days. I can't give you the answer of why it
happened or how it started because I really don't even have those answers for
myself.
It was just an ordinary weekend and I woke up
feeling fine, I had my shower as usual and went on to my room to get ready. It
was only then that I suddenly came over all funny and felt really strange and
not myself at all.
I had this unexplained feeling of emptiness and
I felt nothing. I couldn't pinpoint on why I felt down or not myself, and due
to this I became really worked up and had my first panic attack. (Panic attacks
can be really scary things, especially if you have never had one before.)
I tried to carry on my day as normal but
I couldn't concentrate on anything and I just felt so low and couldn't stop
crying. Throughout the evening I had several panic attacks which led me to
shake constantly and rub my eyes continuously (not even realising)....god my
eyes were so sore after.
As I had never experienced this before and
neither I or my family knew what was wrong, we went to the hospital and was
told that it was normal to have panic attacks and anxiety, and they discharged
me. Later that evening I got worse and hysterical and couldn't shake this
feeling - so I got admitted to hospital and was in there for a further 4 days.
During my hospital stay I had an ECG and an
echocardiogram (heart scans), I had these as there is a history of heart
problems in my family so they wanted to make sure my heart was okay and
healthy...thank goodness it was!
If I am being honest, my stay at the hospital
was awful, I was literally left for 4 days with no help or support - in my eyes
I felt that there was no point in being there.
After my short stay in hospital, I still
continued to feel low and have several other panic attacks but was not
re-admitted.
A couple weeks after I had my episodes I was
sent to my GP to see a therapist and my god it helped me so much. I only had 2
sessions and I just spoke and spoke for about an hour a time. My therapist
ended up coming to the conclusion that my panic and anxiety stemmed from
bottling up my emotions and feelings for so long during my brothers illness
that it overcame me all at once.
Thankfully, since 2013 I have only had about 2
other panic attacks due to health anxiety and I no longer have a therapist. I
feel I am pretty much over it, but for some cases it doesn't always work that
way.
There is so many people out there who suffer
from this horrible illness and it is so important that we remove this
preconceived idea that people who suffer from mental health issues are
"crazy" and "psychos" because that really isn't the case.
My advice to anyone who is suffering from panic
attacks or anxiety is to talk, talking always helps. DON'T keep things bottled
up because that won't help you at all, I learned the hard way!
So please, when you hear that someone has a
mental health issue, don't be judgmental!
I hope that one day mental health issues will
be taken seriously - they are not taken as seriously as they should be and this
makes me feel really disheartened. Just because you cannot physically see the
problem doesn't mean there isn't one there.
No person ever should feel unloved and feel as
though they have nobody to turn to, nor should they feel like they are not
worthy of a life, which is sadly the case in some people.
Please remember if someone starts randomly
talking to you one day....a stranger - converse with them too. You could be the
only person they speak to that day and you don't know their mental state at
that point. You could be the person who changes it that day.
I really hope this post helps at least one
person out there, or just makes you look at life a little differently.
See you all soon.
Victoria-Ann xx
This is the second post I've read about mental illness today, and I think these posts are SO important. Like you said, mental illness is not taken seriously enough, it just gets brushed to the side like it isn't real, when in reality it can be just as debilitating as a physical disease or injury. I actually suffer from anxiety myself and recently it has gotten quite bad - it's taken a year of doctors appointments to finally get referred for CBT, and there is still a three month waiting list! If it was a physical thing it would be treated straight away... Mental illness needs to be taken so much more seriously!
ReplyDeleteThe Velvet Black | UK Style & Beauty Blog
I have been contemplating doing this post for a long time, but it is so important that people stand up and realise what is happening! I hope you feel better soon, just remember, things will get better :) if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask....I know how hard it can be! Thanks for reading.
DeleteVictoria Ann xx
I love that you wrote a post about this, I feel like there is so much stigma surrounding things like anxiety that it makes it really difficult for people suffering to feel open enough to express what they're going through. I've suffered from some really bad anxiety over the past few months and had a few panic attacks (god, not fun at all), so it's comforting to read others experiences in the sense that I don't feel so alone. Love that you're bringing more awareness to mental illnesses, great job!
ReplyDeletewww.thesundaymode.blogspot.com.au
There is way too much stigma around it, you're right! Hence the post, it is so important that people understand it is a serious issue and does effect peoples lives so drastically! Thanks for reading, I hope you start to feel better within yourself soon! If you ever need any help, don't be afraid to ask! Thanks for reading :)
DeleteVictoria Ann xx