If you have ever experienced crippling anxiety, you know what I mean. The worst part is the shame of it all. I have lived with extreme anxiety since I was a child. Most everyone in my family shares this disorder, and I have unwittingly passed it along to my daughter. It breaks my heart to see her suffer the way I have.

Inescapable Fear

I know friends who suffer also. I am not talking about a little worrying over public speaking or a big event, this is daily, for no reason whatsoever, extreme discomfort. You desperately want to escape your own skin just to get away from this awful feeling. I believe the technical term is “extreme anxiety disorder” and “general anxiety disorder, ” but those words mean nothing in the real world. The reality is constant, inescapable pain and suffering.

Years ago it got so bad; I couldn’t leave the house for months. I would spend each day in a shaking, obsessive fit of fear over nothing. I cannot even imagine the damage this did to my body being in this state sometimes 7-9 hours a day. I tried everything just to escape that feeling for a few minutes. When I did have some peace, and it died down, I started worrying about when it would return. I created a whole host of body symptoms which went along with it and made my life hell.

I know a lot of people who live with bipolar disorder, and they always say the depression is the worst. For me and anyone with anxiety, feeling anxiety is way worse than feeling depressed, even deep, dark depression.

The Shame of It

After my surgery when I would go grocery shopping I would have a panic attack in the store while checking out. I would feel the fear rise, my face would get hot, and I felt like I might pass out, but you know what I feared the most? It was the embarrassment of anyone finding out I was having anxiety. The fear of being “found out” was worse than anything physical which might actually happen to me.

The crazy stuff that goes through the head of someone with anxiety is amazing, but we all do it. People who do not have anxiety have no understanding and can sometimes make unkind and hurtful comments which make it worse. Even though we did not choose this, we feel guilty as though we did. The logic that this makes no sense is irrelevant.

Real Lasting Recovery

Over my lifetime I tried medication, tapes, books, and even hypnosis with very limited results. Anxiety remained a constant in my life, and I never knew when it might strike and leave me debilitated and unable to enjoy life.

Then two years ago I started practicing EFT with my energy coach and everything changed. Sometimes I would have sessions where I felt anxious the entire time. Sometimes I dreaded my sessions, and that caused me anxiety. Now that I rely heavily on my EFT and daily meditations, I live my life anxiety-free! This freedom is the most profound miracle I have experienced and truly a life-changing gift.

Life Opens Up Without Anxiety

My life is very different now. I go on trips, speaking events, and drive in crazy city traffic all without a hint of anxiety. I do things I would never even consider doing before. I confidently tackle situations, conversations, and projects that I would have shied away from before and I put myself in situations where I have no control, and yet I feel completely at ease.

I want to tell you if you suffer from crippling anxiety, there is hope. With a little work, you can rid your life of this awful disorder. You don’t have to live like that anymore. Learn all you can about EFT and how it can resolve past traumas, events and health issues to relieve all the anxiety for your band, new, shiny future.