- Date posted
- Yesterday
This stuff harder than I thought it was....
So for context, almost two weeks ago I had my first ever, full-blown panic attack over lab results (blood work was taken the day before, and that was already a very stressful event on top of a heavy depressive period I've been dealing with since the new year) I barely understand other than that I had high cholesterol, LDC, A1C, and a high percentage risk for a cardiovascular event. I literally woke up, NOT well rested mind you, at 7:00am in the frickin morning an u wanna kno the first thing I did? Look on my phone for the time, and there it was, the dreaded lab results. Fast-forward through a then stressful morning of almost being late to my dentist appointment, I was basically ruminating like crazy thought out everything, I even felt myself getting overwhelmed mid-cleanup but still somehow persevered. Now, the warning signs. For some reason, my feet was itching. And I was like..that's weird, why is it itching? And then after I got in the car, I wasn't able to talk to my mom and pay attention to her (my ma took me to my appointment that day) and then on the way to dominos to get something to eat, that's when I processed the weird feeling I was getting and told my mom exactly this, "Ma, I don't feel so good" And then all hell broke lose. On one hand I knew right off the bat it was a panic attack, but on the other hand, I kinda felt like I was having a heart attack (cuz of the lab results thing). Didn't help that my ma was driving throughout all of it, but nonetheless I managed to calm myself down enough to make it to domino's before doing the very thing u shouldn't due after coming down from an OCD-induced panic attack: looking up how to come down from it. Imma spare the details of the rest of that day cuz honestly it was basically the worst day if my life so yea. Now im here weeks later expecting myself to be over it, but nope, no matter how calm I am, if my collarbones creek, heart attack. If I feel distracted, heart attack. Eyes blink too quickly, heart attack. MOVING at a NORMAL PACE, heart attack; or a stroke or cardic arrest or whatever. I've been on edge ever since that happened, but then I feel okay and say "hell yea, I got this!" Then one weird body thing and now all of a sudden the bravado leaves me. I'm literally only 20 years old, my lab results weren't even THAT bad since they're similar to my past one, and the only reason why im having these issues is because of my mental health. But no matter how many people reassure me (with and without me seeking it) no matter how much I try to use the tips I've learned, I still feel like im waiting for the other shoe to drop. I can't even relax for a whole DAY without me suddenly hyperfocusing on how my body feels, checking my heart to see if it's beating too fast or slow, walking slowly, scared to eat. I keep telling myself I could do this but honestly? Right now? I don't feel like I can. I just feel so frustrated that I want to cry but I'm scared to do even that. Like, I need to go to college away from home soon, I need to drive soon, I need to find an apartment to live on my own soon; all this year. How the heck am I supposed to feel capable of all these things when I'm scared about not being real? When the thought of being outside scares me? Life frickin sucks bad right now, man..