My new normal

You may have noticed that this blog has been fairly radio silent for the last few months. Trust me, it wasn’t for lack of desire. There have been many things that I’ve wanted to write about, but I just… couldn’t. Back in January, I became sick. I had no idea what was going on, only that I was nauseous, couldn’t get out of bed, had heart pain, was losing weight at an incredibly rapid rate, would wake up drenched in sweat which would stay with me all day, and generally felt awful. After multiple tests of every sort it was finally determined that it was severe anxiety. I had never been diagnosed with anxiety before and it took me a long time before I allowed myself to believe that all of these debilitating and very real physical symptoms were cause by “just” anxiety.

And yet they were.

So, for the last few months I have been adjusting to what I call my “new normal.” It’s been a roller coaster of medication, therapy, exercise, acupuncture, and more. It’s been learning how to live my life with new feelings and thought patterns and not feel overwhelmed or guilty or sad that it probably won’t be quite the same anymore.

Me & Matzy. Our daily walks have been incredibly helpful

And, I’ve been writing about it. Parenting site Kveller gave me the space to write a 5 post miniseries on my anxiety. Feel free to read up and dig in to the details (both dark and light) of everything that’s been going on:

#1 Facing Anxiety as a Mother, Wife & Woman

#2 Public Meltdowns: When They Happen to You, Not Your Kid

#3 Parenting With Anxiety: Embracing My New Normal

#4 I’m Losing Weight Because of My Anxiety & I Hate It

#5 Writing About My Anxiety Made Me Realize I’m Not Alone

 

As I navigate this new normal, I will do my best to be more cognizant of updating this blog, but please know you can always find me tweeting @TheMamafesto and writing weekly for both SheKnows and The Frisky.

While I know everyone’s journey is different, especially when it comes to anxiety, I’m always up to hearing about things that have helped you, and I’m not above trying anything at least once to see if it will help, so feel free to share!