Well, it’s been one of those banner weeks: I’ve had a panic attack just about every single day for the past seven days.
Thank you, thank you. I know.
Allow me to thank my triggers, without which none of this would be possible: bridges, low blood sugar, being more than ten minutes from home, and driving at night. You’ve all been instrumental in my lack of success this week.
If only snark and sarcasm could ward off anxiety, right?
That’d be perfect (for me, at least), but it can’t.
And you know what else isn’t all that great at warding off anxiety?
Well-intentioned sentiments like “just calm down” and “there’s nothing wrong with you” from well-meaning friends and family members. Their intentions are noble, obviously — but, as a panicker, you know exactly why those phrases aren’t helpful. Right?
Perhaps you’ve seen these videos before. I originally recorded them for the World of Psychology blog, but I would be remiss to exclude them from Panic About Anxiety (where they fit like a glove).
See?
And of course, I recorded a follow-up video — inspired almost entirely by the comments section in the first video. So many of you had amazing contributions to the “what NOT to say” list:
What else would you add to the list of what NOT to say to someone who is having a panic attack?
Let me know in the comments here on this blog post or on YouTube itself.