what ifs

[Mskitty21]

I have all of my kiddos coming for Christmas and also my mother in law 😬 My youngest just came home for the Christmas break today from college ❤️ I’ve enjoyed getting the house ready by cleaning everything and decorating 😊

my concern is the anxiety in the back of my mind is ‘what if’? What if I have a realllly bad panic attack while everyone is here? What if I have several panic attacks while everyone is here 🥵

I’ve been doing the work and trying my best but the what ifs can really get me. How do yall handle the what ifs?

[LadyZen]

When I start to go down the "what-if" road, I come up with solutions for myself in advance on how I will handle the scenario.

[Agora1]

Mskitty21, You can and you will be okay at the Christmas gathering. Don't allow

the "what if's" take control of your mind. Whenever our thoughts start with "what if"

you can bet your boots that it's Anxiety trying to take over our mind. It's just a random

thought and not real. Actually it's a lie which can put us into a state of fight of flight.

Soooo, what we do is boldly tell Anxiety, you don't have time for his nonsense. You plan

and will have a wonderful time with your family. Kick any thoughts to the curb.

Instead of thinking about anxiety when your family is over, focus on the memories

you are making and the joy of the holiday season. Merry Christmas to you!

[Mskitty21 in reply to Agora1]

Thank you 😊 The confidence you have in me boosts my own confidence. One of my biggest fears is my family really seeing how bad my panic attacks are, so before these big get together I always get anticipatory anxiety.

I feel better today and I believe I’ll be fine. And I know I have some ppl here to reach out to if I get to feeling to anxious again. This site and the ppl here have been a God send for me ❤️

Hope you have a Merry Christmas too hun ❤️❤️❤️

[Agora1 in reply to Mskitty21]

Thank you Mskitty. I'm always happy to know that this forum has given others

the confidence and hope they need in taking that step forward.

Stay positive. I know you can do this. You will not be alone, there will be many

virtual friends on that day including myself. Enjoy the season xx