@@PatriceCarvajal-nl6dk thank you so much Patrice!! I certainly needed the hip release 🩷

@@sarahlynn7447 can I just tell you, I am bloody grateful for your support and your lovely words 🩷 I’m really glad you’re enjoying the calm community vids! I have fun making them ☺️

You’re welcome!! ✨

Hi CC, I think parcopresis is a different type of anxiety, I believe it’s difficulty having a bowel movement/urinating in a public setting? (Correct me if I’m wrong!) The toilet anxiety I’m referring to is more the fear of having an accident, often related to conditions like IBS or similar where there is urgency.

The podcast is still on Spotify! It should come up if you search Us Anxious Folk

I'm glad to have helped ❤️ I agree, I think community and shared experience can be really healing and helpful.

@LaurenRose. Keep up the amazing work loving your videos 💚

it sure is, good spot!

​@@LaurenRose.awesome! thank you for what you do. ive been watching your videos the past couple days and this evening here in the states i was able to accomplish an agoraphobia goal i had that therapy alone wasnt able to do so thanks a ton

Thank you! Of course, your video and words were very inspiring 🦋

Me either. I'm keeping it in the forefront of my mind as I take on some more challenges!

It sounds like you're doing so much, and doing it so well, especially with the pressure of family life. I posted a quote the other day on IG that said "I finally found my rhythm when I realized that even the steps backwards were part of the dance". It made me feel a lot more soothed about the idea of setbacks and that recovery DOES some times seem as if its going 'backwards', but honestly as long as you keep moving in SOME direction of growth, it's all going to add to the experience in a positive way.

@@LaurenRose. thank you!

That's very kind of you to say! I hope things start to improve for you ❤️

I'm glad it resonated!

Thank you!

Oh gosh. I just want to reach out and hug you through the screen. Your life is not over!!! Please seek help. Please keep going. When we are in the thick of it, it always feels like it will never be better again. But it WILL. You have got so much life left - so many vacations to take and places to go and people to meet. Maybe I could be one of those people one day. You cannot predict what the future will hold, you can only dust yourself off, and take one more step forwards, and another, and another. Keep me posted - I’ll be thinking of you!

Thank you for validating small steps! I feel like it's either people never recovering at all or others saying we should just "face it all" with no balance

You're doing so well!! And yes, you are most certainly not alone - I'm sure that there are many who would benefit from hearing your story, too. Sometimes we need to see how it can work through others before we are brave enough to try it ourselves.

Firstly, I want to remind you that it is most definitely an anxiety that you can handle! In saying that - I don't think it's necessary to 'push' yourself during those times. One of the more difficult lessons I had to learn along the way was how to differentiate between an intuitive communication from my body (such as a 'slow down, you need to rest') and a fear-based communication from my body (such as 'I can't do this today'). They often felt really similar and I was so confused whether or not to listen to my body or not, because 99% of the time it seemed to be saying no 😂 I'm sure its different for everyone, and I'm sure you'll come to your own understandings with your body, but I don't think its worth adding extra tension and stress into your body while you're menstruating. Your body is already doing so much! Maybe just before your period begins when you notice heightened anxiety that feels 'different', let that be your call to go inwards instead, and spend the next couple of days just going easy on yourself physically but taking time out to journal and get curious about where you want to go when you get back out there again 🥰

i’ve also had absolutely terrifying panic attacks from weed. i’ve had many panic attacks before but the weed induced ones are a whole other thing, the existential panic is indescribable. i understand the feeling of having no control over your body and having a dysphoric perception of reality. the weed could have triggered some sort of extreme altered perception of yourself and your life, which could become something positive and transformative if you can learn to surrender to the feelings while also still staying grounded. but of course it’s also a good idea to see if there’s anything medical going on. is there any way you can start off with a telehealth appointment first or does the agoraphobia limit you from phone calls?

@nev6215 I'm actually working on that. I have really good insurance. A month ago, I got my bloodwork done, and my estrogens are high, and my testosterone is low but not crippling. I've also lost a ton of weight in the past 6 months. 205 to 165. Yesterday, I tried out some nose strips to help breathe, and I realized just how bad my breathing has been. An ENT a few months back confirmed I had a deviated septum.

This really hit home. It’s definitely not all in your head, but in your body. It’s uncontrollable for your mind, I’ve also had to learn this the hard way. Something triggers your body, you enter a stress response, the brain is feeding into that response by giving you horrible thought which in turn trigger your body even more. It really just spirals out of control from there. You’re not weak, don’t ever think that. You’re stronger than anyone around you who doesn’t have to deal with this. I’m sure you can remember what it was like before the panic attack, you didn’t have to be this strong to leave the house or hop on a plane. It simply wasn’t a problem back then. That’s what it’s like for others, just pure calm. The amount of energy you have to invest to just survive the same situation as them is incomparable. There are definitely things you can do to massively improve your body’s response. Like you said: getting your bloodwork done. There will 100% be anomalies, because such regular stress response exhaust your body’s resources which in turn makes you feel worse and worse. Again, I’m talking from experience. I myself struggle with estrogen dominance, my progesterone levels are beyond horrible. Just like my cortisol levels are near zero. I’m like 90% sure your progesterone and cortisol are not ideal either, and both of those things can cause some massive anxiety BUT there’s also lots of things that can be done to improve your levels. Same thing goes for nutrient deficiency. You’re likely going to be deficient in most nutrients, but still you should get it checked. Supplementing stuff like magnesium and vitamin d3 will likely improve your condition, but still i urge you to do your own research. I’m just going to give you some keywords: hormone imbalance, nutrient deficiency, nervous system regulation, somatic therapy. And please get as much sleep as you can. Don’t give up. There’s hope