Panic and anxiety can be overcome
By April Scott-Polson, Special to the CitizenOctober 2, 2009
During Mental Illness Awareness Week I am often reminded of how many people in our day to day lives we meet who are affected by mental illness.
At four years old I was fearful. Feelings of sudden debilitating terror would come over me on rides at the local fair, the merry go round and even the swing set. Over time this fear did not go away. As a teenager I would experience this same fear in many more situations. Public speaking being one of them, forget it! I would come up with every excuse possible not to present a paper in front of my classmates. This avoidance led to future employment situations where I would miss opportunities because of my debilitating fear, ultimately feeling angry and ashamed of myself.
These symptoms would appear in many everyday life situations, like the grocery store, appointments and social gatherings and events that were things I really enjoyed doing. With sudden fear and panic I would stop doing these things I loved and start feeling suffocated by fear.
I would become frustrated and angry with these feelings, not understanding them or why they are taking over my life. I would think that I must be "weak" or "emotional" and I just needed to suck it up. It was never that easy though, my fears and panic were debilitating and, at times, completely paralyzing.
May 2004 is when I was told I was experiencing generalized anxiety disorder and panic attacks. Having a name to these feelings was a huge relief, which was only temporary. Now what do I do?
Trying many alternatives over the past few years have been at times helpful, mostly unhelpful and often stressful and expensive. I've done just about anything and everything that I could find to help me.
I've made some personal changes in my life that have contributed to gaining my life back and not letting my anxiety take over. While it has been hard work that takes dedication, I feel much more relaxed and at peace with my anxiety now. One thing that has made a huge difference for me is working in an environment where mental health is supported and not looked at negatively.
Working for Canadian Mental Health Association as a Bounce Back Coach, my work is both fulfilling and gratifying. Every day I am reminded that so many people are experiencing fears, worries, panic and depression. I value the work I do and am grateful I am able to relate on such a personal level to the people I work with. I really can say "I understand" and mean it.
One of the things that I found helpful to me was the Bounce Back program. For more information on how Bounce Back can help you gain more quality out of your life visit our website at
Bounce Back: Reclaim Your Health | CMHA BC Division call your local coach at 1-866-639-0522 or talk to your family doctor about being referred.
© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
