Member-only story
Anxiety Attack: There Was No Help On The Internet
What do you do when you can’t trust Google
I’m a therapist. I have read over 65 books on mental health in the last year. I think I know what the fuck I am talking about, but I haven’t known what to do for the last two weeks straight.
My anxiety came in the form of a thought. It could be my OCD, it could be associated with my trauma, it could also be a real threat, and perhaps most terrifyingly it might be a combination of all 3 things. But as soon as that thought entered my mind, I haven’t been the same since and it’s 14 days later.
I haven’t been sleeping well. I have been waking up 2 times throughout the night ruminating.
I haven’t been eating more than 1,000 calories a day for the last two weeks. I tried Googling “How long can you go without eating?” and “Can’t eat from anxiety.” Google just auto-populates “Need Help: Eating Disorder” articles.
I tried Googling: “What to do for anxiety” and the only thing that came up was “Exercise, get fresh air, take deep breaths, and try to simplify your life.”
Today, I literally started sweating and then had to go to the bathroom to shit my pants from fear. I can’t breathe. Can’t stop chewing my nails. Can’t concentrate.
