The other night I met a great group of girls from my anxiety support group for dinner. One of them brought another friend whom I was just meeting for the first time. She had suffered with anxiety as well. Even thought she was a very pretty girl, but the first thing I noticed was how confident she was - the way she walked in, the way she held herself and her mannerisms were very impressive. I wanted to ask her if the Panic Away Program helped her to become so confident? By the end of the night we were all talking like we’d known each other for ages and I finally had the courage to ask her what her secret was. She laughed and told me I wouldn’t believe it but not even a year earlier she was a totally different girl. This is what she told me:
After being laid off from her job of 5 years she began to feel overwhelmed with anxiety and was not able to find another job. It became so extreme that it was hard for her to even think she could experience any relief! She said she had such intense anxiety over anything and everything and it began to affect every area of her life. After losing her job her self esteem dropped remarkably, she had always been quiet and reserved but now she started to shy away from friends and family. She covered up her pain by eating and gained 50lbs! She cried every time she looked in the mirror.
She felt so embarrassed and ashamed of her anxiety attacks, she wouldn’t tell anybody about them and she didn’t know how to make it better . She still felt no relief even after trying a few herbal treatments. When she went to the doctor and he suggested medication she didn’t want to take it even though she felt desperate. As more time passed the attacks got worse and she couldn’t bear when the next one would occur.
Her mother finally approached her and said she wanted to talk about ‘anxiety’ after seeing her daughter seem so overwhelmed and stressed. As soon as she said the word anxiety she burst into tears, but a part of her was glad it was finally out in the open. She said she came across an anxiety program that she thought could really help - and that’s when she told her about Barry Joe McDonagh’s Panic Away Program.
That was 10 months ago….now she’s lost the 50lbs and she’s won the battle against anxiety! When she starts to feel the odd bout of anxiety she is now able to handle it calmly and it quickly dissipates when she applies the things that she learned through the Panic Away Program. And as an added bonus she has gained a whole new self-acceptance and self confidence!
She is now so passionate about helping other people with their anxiety attacks through support and encouragement. She said if she can do it anybody can! As an added bonus her confidence has soared to new heights and she loves being back to her care-free self!
