Stressed to death

All of a sudden it feels like the room is closing in on you and there is nowhere to run. Your heart is racing so fast that you feel as though it is going to jump out of your chest. Brushing off the sweat from your forehead, you cling desperately onto something as you close your eyes, wishing that the pounding in your head would stop. Your breathing is laboured, you are fighting back the nausea; and your immediate thought is of the occurrence of a heart attack or even impending death…but no, this is not the case, you’ve just had a panic attack.   That’s what happened to me one day while I was sitting at home watching TV. The next thing I knew is that I started to have a panic attack. I was feeling extremely dizzy, tense in my muscles and suffering a headache.     I realised that, because of the stress I had acquired as a result of overworking, I could not handle the strain. I was working long hours and constantly feeling exhausted. That also affected my relationship with my mother, which was very volatile. There were constant arguments and disagreements. From the age of twelve I was smoking weed and by fourteen, I would leave the house, without my mother’s permission, failing to return for days on end. I was rude, obnoxious and full of loathing for other people. I always found a reason to disrespect, rant and swear at my mother.   I became depressed and the panic attacks became more frequent. After consultations with my doctor, I was referred to a psychotherapist. The panic attacks were as often as three times a day, and would trigger the fear of death in my mind constantly.    I believed that my life was in danger. I was afraid every day that I was going to die. I was afraid of being alone and I could not sleep at night.    After four weeks of seeing a psychiatrist nothing changed. The panic attacks, the headaches, the insomnia and the fear of death remained in my life. I was ultimately living a nightmare. It had made me a prisoner in my own body. I believed that I had a cancerous tumour and even feared a heart attack because of daily palpitations.    Knowing that I had the option to change my situation, I began to attend the meetings on Fridays. Through the messages, the counselling and the strong prayers, real changes started materialising in my life. The panic attacks eventually stopped, and so too did the anxiety and fear of death.    Today, I am totally free and happy and have become an active member of the Victory Youth Group of the UCKG HelpCentre in Tooting.   My short temper has disappeared; I am grounded, sensible and considerate to others and today many people marvel at my change.   God transformed me and totally changed my life. I am ashamed of how I was and how I behaved towards people including my own mother, who through all of this, was praying for me at the UCKG. The spiritual problems that people go through like panic attacks, depression, anxiety and insomnia can be removed through faith in God. My life now is a living testimony of that and I thank God every day.   Anneka Marston