RECOVERING FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Menu

blog

Navigating My Anxiety Attack

3/4/2020

2 Comments

 
Navigating My Anxiety Attack: Anxiety after abuse
​Last Saturday I heard myself snap at a comment my 18-year-old daughter said. My reaction to her was unemotional, insensitive, unnecessary, and extremely rude. Definitely not deserving.
 
I quickly recanted: “I am sorry sweetheart, I am not really mad at you. What I really am doing is fighting off an anxiety attack. Can we work on this later?”
 
I am not thrilled my daughter has to navigate her day around my anxiety attack. Just a few weeks ago she commented on how happy she was that I was able to get through shopping for her prom dress on a busy Saturday morning in an extremely noisy and busy store! She said she was so proud of me for not having to have to take “quiet time” to sit away to calm my nerves; she was so excited I could enjoy the entire experience of trying on dresses with her. Hearing her tell me this breaks my heart. 

Anxiety from Abusive Relationship

​Fortunately, I know the main source of my anxiety attack; I attended a funeral for a little child and found myself drifting back to the horrors of my daughter’s fight against her cancer. For me, knowing the source is a great indication of the growth I have encountered during my transition to survivor.
 
But identifying the trigger and controlling the anxiety are two separate things. Feeling stronger than other times in the past, I confronted this anxiety attack with a deliberate approach:
 
I felt the attack. Knowing that my ability to fight off previous anxiety attacks hasn’t usually been successful, I instead tried to identify it for what it was: a painful trigger from my past. But, I also have learned that pushing the attack aside, plowing through it, brings the memories back stronger at another inconvenient moment. So, instead, I identified the source and let my mind remember that the horrors I experienced watching my daughter fight her cancer battle are real. My anxiety attack had a source and it had a “life.” Once the anxiety hormones shot up within me, there was little I could do to stop the rush. But, I now know that if I work on regaining control of my thoughts, the anxiety hormones will reside and I’ll regain my non-anxious thought pattern again. 
 
I prayed through the anxiety attack. Instead of praying God please take this away from me, I prayed God please get me through this. This deliberate shift in my prayer from God take this away from me to God walk me through this greatly calmed my spirit. I felt empowered; I could get through this anxiety attack if God walked through it with me. The attack was still debilitating, but my fight against it wasn’t lonely.
 
I kept pressing forward knowing the harder I stayed in tune with the anxiety, redirecting my thoughts and actions as quickly as possible, the smoother the attack will run its course. Common sense told me to avoid doing certain things, which I did. I activated my coping skills. I isolated myself to avoid any further unnecessary stimulation and agitation.
 
Within 48 hours, I started to feel my mind calm down. By the next day the residual anxiety hormones were still there, but barely affecting me.
 
Thank you, Father, for carrying me through this anxiety attack,  
 
Blessings to all, Sue
John 9:3 and Navigating Anxiety from Abuse
2 Comments
Rochelle
3/6/2020 08:51:50 pm

Could
You share a few more of your coping strategies you use during your attacks?

Reply
Sue
3/8/2020 12:31:48 pm

Rochelle,
Thank you for asking and I will expound on some suggestions on my blog on Thursday! Years of working on my anxiety have taught me a few things: anxiety is not my identify, it is a part of who I am. Talking to God throughout the anxiety attack is a great way for me to refocus my thoughts and energy. Realizing the attack is real, I need to rest my head as I would rest another part of my body if it was injured.

I'll send more thoughts on Thursdays blog,

I love specific questions!

Blessings, Sue

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Hi, I'm Sue

    Author Sue Parisher
    Welcome to my blog! I served twenty-one honorable years on active duty, living a double life of capability and accomplishment in the service while enduring brutality and abusiveness in my twenty-one year oppressive marriage. Today I'm happily married and have three children who are my inspiration and motivation.

    My goal is to help combat the lies of abusers with the truth of God. I hope you find my words to be healing and helpful through your own life experiences.
    More About Sue

    Subscribe

    * indicates required
    Picture

    Sue's Story

    Being separated from my abusive husband didn't make me a domestic violence survivor. It surely didn't release me from the grip of his brainwashing control and the innate power he had on me.

    Read the full raw story in my new book, Rock Bottom and Faithless.
    Order on Amazon
    Rock Bottom and Faithless: Defeating the Lies of Domestic Abuse with God's Truth

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Anxiety From Domestic Violence
    Emotional Abuse
    How To Deal With Domestic Violence
    How To Get Over An Abusive Relationship
    Importance Of Faith In Domestic Violence Recovery
    Transforming From Domestic Violence Victim To Survivor
    Triggers After Abuse
    What To Expect After Leaving An Abusive Relationship

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017

"You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." GENESIS 50:20 NIV

Rock Bottom and Faithless

Available Now
Order Amazon
Order Barnes & Noble
Rock Bottom and Faithless: Defeating the Lies of Domestic Abuse with God's Truth
  • Home
  • About
    • Site Map
  • Rock Bottom and Faithless
  • Resources
    • Deflating my Triggers
    • Overwhelming Anxiety
    • Tackling Depression after Leaving
    • Book Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Site Map
  • Rock Bottom and Faithless
  • Resources
    • Deflating my Triggers
    • Overwhelming Anxiety
    • Tackling Depression after Leaving
    • Book Resources
  • Blog
  • Events
  • Contact