Diet, Exercise and Panic
I have been dealing with frequent panic attacks for a while and I don’t know how to stop them. One friend told me to try a gluten-free diet. My brother believes that daily exercise is the only cure. My mother wants me to cut out sugar and white flour. My doctor has been on me forever to change my eating habits and exercise more. Will any of these really work? Does lack of exercise cause panic? I cannot keep going through this because I am a mess.
Your Thyroid & Anxiety
My thyroid has been causing me grief since I was a child, when my neck first starting looking puffy—like I had been stung by bees on both sides. My swollen glands protruded so much that doctors used to stop my mother on the street and tell her I needed to see an endocrinologist right away. […]
Dental Anxiety
Going to the dentist is really hard for me. I get into the chair and, within minutes, I am shaking and crying. I can’t seem to control myself. Because it is so tough for me, I avoid the dentist for a long time and then I need even more work done when I finally get […]
How to Help Someone with Anxiety: A Letter to Family & Friends
Last week, we asked the Anxiety Sisterhood what you want your friends and family to know about your life with anxiety, and you told us quite a lot. We tried to put it all together in letter form so you can share this with your people and add in your individual concerns: To [Anyone […]
Grief & Anxiety
My mom died a few months ago and I am devastated. In the last few weeks, I have begun to have panic attacks, or at least that is what my doctor calls them. I’ve never had these attacks before. Why now? First of all, we are so sorry to hear about your mother’s death. We have been through it: My mother died 12 years ago, and I am still struggling to process the loss.
Anxiety Management Technique: Acceptance
This week, a few members of our community really struggled with believing their anxiety diagnoses. Mags and I understood exactly how they were feeling—we’ve both been there, done that, and literally wrote the book on it. In fact, most of the hundreds of Anxiety Sisters we have interviewed spoke of some form of denial or […]
Eating My Anxiety
Eating plays a big role in how I cope with anxiety. I don’t mean that I reach for quinoa, blueberries, and almonds whenever I feel anxious (how I wish). I mean that when I am anxious, I reach for food to numb my anxiety. Since anxiety both makes me uncomfortable and increases my penchant for […]
The Anxiety Loop
What brings on your panic attacks? For many of us, ironically, a common cause of our anxiety attacks is….well…our anxiety attacks. Yes, it is kind of the chicken and egg scenario. But, since panic attacks are so physically and emotionally difficult, we often become most anxious about the idea of dealing with another attack. We […]
Phobias vs. Fears: An Important Distinction
The only thing worse than my flying phobia was listening to everyone explain how flying is statistically safer than driving. During my most phobic years, I always wanted to turn to these good Samaritans and say, “Listen, you idiot, I am a semi-intelligent adult; I know planes are the safest mode of transportation and I […]
