I had to leave the meeting room very quickly and walked into a vacant office.
I shut the door and slid down, heaving and gasping for air and felt that my lungs would explode.
The walls felt like it was closing in and I felt like I was being buried alive, and I called my husband in total panic.
That was my first panic attack.
I had just been handed a programme that was a plane whose trajectory was a screaming descent with only one outcome.
There were many jobs on the line, and I had very little influence to the outcome of this particular programme.
Panic attacks are overwhelming feelings of powerlessness, and it is crippling and debilitating.
Luckily I had my lovely husband at the end of the phone on that day.
Otherwise I don’t know what would have happened. 😔
Samaritan’s is a 24×7 helpline that provides support for people who are experiencing emotional distress, and that includes taking calls from people who are in the middle of a panic attack.
The Government’s second lockdown is bound to cause not only financial and material hardship to so many people, but also the invisible suffering of those in terms of their mental health.
People are being plunged into situations which is totally out of their control, and having the rug pulled out from under them is a very harsh and terrifying situation.
There is no shame in reaching out and asking for help. 🌹
#YouDontHaveToBeAlone
#JustAsk
#ReachOut
#MentalHealth
#onthepeiroll