I started writing a blog post about anxiety yesterday, and perhaps ironically my own was so strong that I ended up deleting it.
I spent most of yesterday hiding: hiding from the world, hiding from myself. I was supposed to be going for a run… with a half marathon fast approaching it would be silly not to. And yet despite getting out of bed and putting on my gear I just could not bring myself to leave the house. I spent half of the day trying to distract myself from Dark Thoughts that can only mean my period is fast approaching. I ended up having a long hot bath, a hot chocolate and finished reading Amy Liptrot’s The Outrun (more on that another day though)
By the time Gaz got home, despite having talked myself out of going to taekwon-do, he talked me back into it and so I got changed, and we set off. As we approached the community center, I glanced in through the windows and saw something I did not want to see: our principal instructor was taking class.
Now, I have a lot of respect for this guy. He’s obviously passionate about taekwon-do, he’s very good at what he does and he has clearly worked very hard to get to the grade he’s at. But he scares the shit out of me. Absolutely terrifies me. If he said jump, I wouldn’t just be asking ‘how high’, I’d be asking ‘how high, Sir?’; I’d be asking if he wanted fries with that, Sir, and whether or not there was anything else I could help with… Sir.
(And I say that as someone with an abject — and obviously completely inappropriate — disregard for people of authority.)
So usually this makes me nervous, and a bit wobbly on my feet, but I crack on. Because that’s what you do, isn’t it? Crack on. Unfortunately yesterday I forgot how to “crack on”. Perhaps exacerbated by missing a few lessons, but almost certainly because a day of Dark Thoughts had left me without the reserves to fight the demons. So I started to shake, and my heart rate quickened, and my breathing became shallow. I tried to control it, but it wouldn’t go away and so I started to panic. Tears welled up in my eyes and I had no choice but to flee.
It’s the first time I’ve been unable to bring it under control in public and that scares me more than anything else. I don’t care about crying or making an arse of myself, I don’t care about people knowing that I have these issues with anxiety or that sometimes shit overwhelms me, but I do care about losing control. Losing control is not an option. I need to be able to just “crack on”.
23 Feb at 1:47 am
I totally understand this post. I had my moment where I pretty much broke down at work because I had at least two patients shout at me and it brought me back to darker days. That night I went home and cried myself to sleep. This breakdown may also be because I’m close to my period… eh only time will tell because I’m so irregular.
23 Feb at 12:15 pm
Sorry about your shit day at work :(
23 Feb at 8:49 am
I totally get the feeling but there is no shame in just hiding away for a while and let the feelings and the anxiety wash over you. Cracking on and being strong all the time is overrated :)
23 Feb at 12:14 pm
You’re right, of course, but hiding away doesn’t get stuff done and then I beat myself up for not achieving what I want/need to do. Can’t bloody win.
25 Feb at 11:24 am
I’m sorry this was so hard for you Jem. Anxiety can be crippling. Much love x
28 Feb at 11:14 am
Thanks Mel, appreciate it :)