My Story
I would assume that you’ve gathered something about me from the About page: I am Denise, a 40 something divorced school teacher, who, until recently suffered from major panic attacks after much of my life lay in ruins (financial, marital, job related stress got the better of me). I would ideally like to put up a picture, my real name, my real age, even my phone number up here, but the dynamics of the internet and my personal quest for privacy make that impossible. I do, however, appreciate if you contact me directly through email at the form listed on this site’s “Contact” page.
In the Beginning
Nevertheless, my life story, beautiful as it was, was hampered a few of years ago by a messy divorce that drained what little I had in terms of savings and sanity. Anybody who’s been through divorce after age 40 and being married for over a dozen years would know how stressful, how pathetic, and how bitter such an experience can be. I wouldn’t say I had a lot to begin with, but my ex-husband took a big chunk of it – including my kids.
So in the middle of my 40s, I was forced to begin life anew. Start afresh, forget everything of the past dozen years. That is, of course, easier said than done. And with the looming recession and financial insecurity, I, for the first time in my life, felt like going under – “drowning” would be the word I would use. That’s a feeling I assume a lot of my readers feel too.
This site is, of course, not an obituary to my marriage or my past life. It is about panic and anxiety attacks, and well, how I battled through them. Suffering, I believe, ought to be shared. We, as human beings, are closer in suffering and pain than in happiness, for there is a lot more to learn from each others pain than from each others joy.
First Attacks
In the beginning there were a few mild bouts of anxiety – “What if I don’t have enough to pay the rent this month?”, “What if I can never see my kids again?”. I ignored them, thinking them to be the mere byproduct of such life changing events.
But these little bouts of anxiety persisted, escalating soon into major panic attacks. Shortness of breath, palpitation, a nauseated feeling of impending doom – these attacks were easily the worst moments of my life, lasting from anything between one to ten minutes.
What were these? Panic attacks? I’d never had them before. How could I have them now? I was strong, I thought, and tried to ignore them – out of either foolishness, or a false sense of bravado.
Soon, these panic attacks had developed into all out bouts of heavy anxiety that kept me from performing well at my job, from going out and meeting new people (which I desperately needed after the divorce), or mixing with friends. I would stay locked up in my house, ignoring all duties. I knew the solution – go see a doctor, a specialist, take medications, psychotherapy – whatever it takes.
Searching For Solutions
Drugs were an obvious solution. Just pop a few pills, and you are done! What could be easier?
Unfortunately, when I looked at the side-effects of most anxiety controlling drugs (insomnia, heart problems, etc. etc.), I had to change my mind. I didn’t want to get rid of one problem and brew up another dozen. Moreover, the drugs could only relieve the symptoms temporarily. As soon as I stopped taking the drugs, the symptoms would reappear.
But I wanted REAL solutions that would last permanently.
The answer? Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
CBT is the most commonly used method of treatment for most psychological ailments today. It essentially involves educating the patient of the illness, helping him understand and recognize the symptoms, and finally, reprogramming his mental responses to the thoughts or actions that trigger the illness.
Essentially, CBT involves educating, understanding, and finally eradicating the symptoms of any psychological illness (including panic attacks). CBT has the highest success rate – over 65% in clinical trials – when compared to all other treatment options available today.
Best of all, you don’t need the active participation of a doctor or therapist to do CBT. You can do it in your own living room, with nothing more than a book to guide you through.
Thus, I decided, to finally take care of my illness and took the help of various self-help books on this subject.
The first books I bought were Panic Puzzle and The Root Cause. Unfortunately, these two books promised a lot, delivered very little. Their instructions were hard to follow, and after more than two weeks of using them, I felt I was making no progress.
The next (and the final book) I bought was Panic Away. This is a very, very amazing book that has some of the best methods to control panic attacks. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the instructions and the effectiveness of the method. Within a week, I felt more in control of myself – a feeling I hadn’t felt in years.
After spending about 2 months with the book and practicing the CBT methods given in it, I felt more confident of myself than I had felt in the past 10 years. I felt re-born, as if someone had given me a new lease of life. I had never felt better.
Today, after 6 months, I can happily say that I do not suffer from panic attacks anymore. I have my social life back again, I am doing great in my job, despite the economy, I am dating a wonderful man, and to be honest, I don’t think I have been in a better position all my life.
Best of all, I feel I did it all on my own, without taking the help of any fancy, expensive therapists who would’ve quietly bankrupted me. I got rid of my panic attacks sitting in my living room, with just the help of a guide.
To you, my friends and readers, I would strongly suggest that you please check out the Panic Away book. You owe it to yourself and to your loved ones. STOP depriving yourself of a happy, fulfilling life.
STOP living a life of fear.
STOP everything that you are doing RIGHT NOW and take control of your life.
START living the life you have always wanted to live. Get up and get rid of your panic attacks for life.
Click here to check out the Panic Away book take control of your life.
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