9. I Had an Episode of Anxiety Yesterday and This is What It Looked and Felt Like

Today I talk about an experience I had while filming one of my early guest
episodes this past week. I had what I would describe as a social anxiety
panic attack. I experienced these reactions frequently in my teens and
twenties, and although they became less common in the past 25 years or
so… they can still appear without any notice.

For me, the onset of one of these attacks has been closely related to
having to introduce or tell about myself to others like in the beginning of the
year or semester or classroom, or meeting type of situation. The second
situation that I saw a pattern in over the years was when I would have to
read in front of others. With the Podcasts, I sort of have to do both of those
tasks and my mind and body reacted strongly yesterday. These attacks
are characterized by a racing heart, sweaty palms, a feeling of desperation,
and difficulty speaking… because I struggle to get enough air in my chest
and lungs to form words in a natural way. It literally makes talking feel
terrifying and nearly impossible.

I went into the specifics of sharing this encounter because I want to
normalize talking about uncomfortable things, inconvenient truths, and
discuss what it’s like to do hard things on this podcast. One of my recent
guests shared her thoughts that vulnerability is connection, and I couldn’t
agree more.

I also talk about how many of the things that we experience in our minds,
brains, and body don’t seem logical, but we are complex beings… and we
can be negatively impacted by major events in our childhood or our pasts
that trigger traumatic responses in our nervous system. I mention ACE’s
also known as Adverse Childhood Experiences and how they are
scientifically linked to irregularities in our brains, minds, and bodies.
I discuss the importance of learning to manage the moment with curiosity
and potentially somatic techniques when dealing with something like what
happened to me yesterday. When we open up about our perceived fears or
the things we believe we fail at, we take it out of the dark and bring it into
the light.

Towards the end of the show, I offer my perspective of the culture we live in
and how a heavy emphasis on winning, success, and being at the top can
sometimes overshadow the value and benefits of struggle and strain.
Losing and failing can teach us too, especially if we are willing to pay
attention and learn. One of the ways we can learn more about things like
trauma and the way our physical and emotional beings react to it is through
reading and research. In this particular episode, I mention the book “The
Body Keeps the Score” Brain, Mind, & Body in the Healing of Trauma.”
This book is written by Bessel Van Der Kolk.

Links & Resources:

-         Schedule a free discovery call with me: email eric@ericslivoskey.com

-         Leave your rating and review on Apple Podcasts.