The Last Eight Years
I've had panic attacks and social anxiety since I was a little kid. I didn't tell my mom about the panic attacks because I didn't know what they were. I tried to ignore them and would just hope that they wouldn't happen. Growing up, I struggled with speaking to people on the phone, even to relatives and people that I knew. Standing in line to order a sandwich, the panic attack would hit me and sometimes parts of my body became paralyzed, usually it would by my neck and head, sometimes a leg. I would desperately try to calm down, breathe, and act normal. Being accompanied by someone who I knew out in public would help keep the panic attacks at bay. Alone, however, I was fair game. Unless I was with a friend or someone I knew, I avoided doing things out in public and going places. After high school, I briefly went to a community college, but alcohol and friends got in the way. After one term of community college, I made the choice to live a pastor and his family instead ...