I had my first panic attack in March of this year, I had my second panic attack on August 6th of this year. I laid in bed that whole weekend of my second panic attack feeling like the world was crumbling around me. I thought to myself this is it, I won't ever be able to work, or finish school, and I will have to cling to my parents for the rest of my life. Everything I enjoyed just didn't make sense anymore. I believed that I had to pop pills for the rest of my life to just feel some small piece of normal. Later that weekend I found this subreddit and made a post asking about other people's recovery. Someone in my post recommended DARE by Barry Mcdonough. This book changed my life and how I view Anxiety and Panic disorder. I learned that Anxiety and Panic Attacks aren't the problem. The real problem is how I respond to Anxiety and Panic Attacks. Any person can have a Panic Attack and not develop a panic disorder. In fact, the average person might experience 1-2 panic attacks in their lifetime. That being said people like us have a panic attack and we fear the sensations and when the next panic attack might strike. Trust me I know the physical and mental sensations suck, but instead of fighting them, you have to allow these sensations. The fear of fear is what keeps us in this loop. The DARE response is all about being comfortable with uncomfortably. By doing this Anxiety and Panic Attacks start losing their power. Barry explains this way better than me, but trust me it works. I have been practicing the DARE response this whole month and I can confidently say I am in a way better place. I no longer fear feeling Anxiety or Panic Attack symptoms. I go to school and sit in a room with strangers for four hours straight. I go out to stores and don't rush out the door anymore. I am starting to enjoy all the things I used to like. My point is recovery is possible and if I can do it so can you. There is no eradicating Anxiety or Panic attacks. There is only deciding how we perceive them. If we don't perceive Panic Attacks as dangerous then Panic Disorder will slowly start to reverse itself. I encourage you to go against what your anxiety says, if your anxiety says you need to leave a situation then stay a little longer. This way you call its bluff and start to realize there was nothing to be scared of. I know this post is all over the place, but thank you for reading. With confidence, you can do anything, and remember to be kind to yourself and others.

"Recovery is possible. You are the cure."

DARE by Barry Mcdonough

He has an amazing app that has helped me a lot too. Please check out the DARE channel on Youtube it has amazing content to help with panic disorder recovery and understanding Anxiety.