Breathe

Yesterday, I woke up in full blown panic mode. Ready to pack up and leave. I was completely overwhelmed by everything that has been going on. For those of you who know me, my signature move is to run away when things get rough.

This time, instead of running, I called the Veteran's Crisis Line, then went to the VA and talked to the staff there. About 2:30, I got in to see my regular psychiatrist. I figured she would prescribe something stronger for my anxiety. Want to know what she said?
Take your meds (as already prescribed)
Get some rest.
Talk to a friend.
Get some exercise.
Watch your diet - pay attention to trigger foods.

I am posting this because sometimes, there is no magic potion or designer drug needed to fix the situation. Sometimes you just have to be reminded to use the existing tools: Stop. Be mindful. Breath. It's going to be okay. This morning I woke up and started over, reset all of the switches. The panic attack was gone, the anxiety was at a low level. The threat was still there - too much to do, etc. But I was able to change how I processed it. So simple to do, so easy to forget when you get spun up.