If your heart races in dread at the thought of going outside and meeting friends, strangers or just to get something at the corner store, read on. Call it what you want, it is a debilitating feeling that sometimes requires super human will to get out the door. It is commonly called anxiety or panic disorder.
Many of us have tried everything. Medication, counseling, exercise, meditation, cognitive behavior therapy, positive thinking, group therapy, religion and not so wholesome addictions. Some have helped, even for years, but the darkness always seems to come back. This leaves our work history filled with holes and our confidence shattered. Some of us have had contact with the police and have tarnishes on our records. What then? Our families don't know what to do. Neither does society at large as the understanding is not there.
Where is our place in the world? We want to work and love like everyone else. What is it that we have to do to flourish instead of just survive? Must we just scrape by month to month on a disability cheque or go into massive debt? There might be a better way.
What if the very fight to be well is a large part of the problem? The struggle to fix our problems becomes the very source of pain that might have gone long ago if we had just let it be. The very idea of being ill has become part of who we are. When you are stressed, the last thing you need is to stress yourself about it.
Does this mean we shouldn't want to change or ignore our suffering? Not at all. Just give it some space to be. Try not to struggle with so much. It might be trying to tell you something important. Acceptance can lead to dramatic change as we relax our efforts to be well. Our experience is important. To us and to others as well. It can give a meaning and depth to life that would not have been possible otherwise.
There is no magic pill and we as individuals have different needs. What works for someone might be harmful to another. The one thing we can remember is that we are not alone with these feelings and by realizing this we start to have comfort and hope.