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    Panic: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety
    Panic: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety
    Panic: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety
    Ebook68 pages1 hour

    Panic: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety

    By Harry Floyd

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Anxiety and panic are a part of life for almost everyone. They can come without warning, and for many people, facing and overcoming these conditions can be a lifelong battle. In 'Panic,' author Harry Floyd shares his own struggle with anxiety in an effort to guide others who suffer with this often debilitating condition. To combat anxiety in his own life, for years he explored myriad approaches and treatments, including counseling, medication, behavioral techniques, meditation, and spiritual practices, all of which he shares in these pages. Join Harry on his personal journey from anxiety and the paralysis of panic, to self-understanding and acceptance.

    Among other topics, 'Panic' discusses:

    - Anticipation and its role in anxiety
    - How to react when anxiety strikes
    - Understanding the life cycle of a panic attack
    - Trying new habits to combat the condition
    - Trusting oneself
    - How openness can make a difference

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrandylane Publishers
    Release dateJun 5, 2014
    ISBN9781939930286
    Panic: One Man's Struggle with Anxiety
    Author

    Harry Floyd

    Harry Floyd received both his B.A. and M.P.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University, where he studied religion, psychology and public administration. Harry continues his work to help others confront their anxiety, and to promote open, healthy discussion about anxiety and panic disorder. He lives and writes in Richmond, Virginia.

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      Book preview

      Panic - Harry Floyd

      Panic

      One Man’s Struggle with Anxiety

      By Harry Floyd

      Published by Belle Isle Books at Smashwords

      Copyright 2014 Harry Floyd

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Belle Isle Books, a division of Brandylane Publishers, Inc.

      ***

      For my loving parents and sister

      ***

      Contents

      Acknowledgements

      1 Introduction

      2 5th Grade

      3 Time to Perform

      4 Trichotillomania

      5 Fluoxetine

      6 Habits

      7 Why Panic?

      8 Anxiety & Society

      9 Openness

      10 Peace

      ***

      Acknowledgements

      My anxious mind made this book possible. It would never have been written had I not experienced so many episodes of panic and anxiety.

      Thank you to my friends and family for being incredibly supportive and encouraging during this undertaking. I have been blessed to have such a loving and understanding family. Knowing that they will always be there for me gave me the courage to complete this book. Everyone who has played a part in my life played a part in creating this work. To my many friends, new and old, you have made my life enjoyable enough to take a topic such as anxiety and have fun with it. Writing this book was a true pleasure, and it would not have been possible without friends like you in my life.

      I would also like to thank the teachers, professors, and staff of Clermont Elementary School, St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, and Virginia Commonwealth University for training me to reflect on this subject matter in such depth. Without your efforts I would never have been able to articulate the feelings expressed in this work.

      A tremendous thank you to everyone at Brandylane Publishers and Belle Isle Books who played a key role in making this book happen. You all have brought the words of a first-time author to light. I will always be grateful to you.

      My intention is to encourage understanding and openness surrounding a topic that many people encounter. It is my sincerest hope that every reader will take something of value away from this book.

      Enjoy.

      ***

      Introduction

      The lecture hall was packed when I walked in.
I headed for the front of the room and looked around as I took my seat. I recognized no one immediately. The first days of anything, especially school, have typically been filled with anxiety for me. In the massive lecture hall, I dreaded having to introduce myself to well over a hundred students. I could feel my anticipation build, knowing with each and every introduction that I was one student closer to my turn. This day, however, was different. As Dr. Perdue introduced the course, I began to feel at home. I had found a subject that not only addressed my academic interests, but also my personal growth.

      I sat back, relieved, and prepared myself for the semester.

      It was a brand new class, in a brand new semester, with a brand new professor. At the time, I didn’t know that I would go on to take many courses with Dr. Perdue as I redirected my studies over the following years.

      He began the class with a statement he would go on to repeat at the start of every session: People want happiness and don’t want suffering. The statement resonated with me. Its simplicity was beautiful. It sounds like a fairly obvious observation, but it’s a message that may get lost from time to time in our many daily interactions. Perdue seemed keen on reminding us of it at every single class, just in case we had forgotten. I later learned that Perdue would begin every single class I took on the subject of Buddhism with another simple yet profound statement. It reached the point that we could anticipate when he would utter the words, and we often attempted to beat him to it.

      Another popular lead he used over the years was, Having been born as we have, we now face death. This also stuck with me. These two statements emphasized two key points:

      1) Life is a struggle and search to find happiness

      and

      2) Life is impermanent

      The main suffering I have identified in my life has been related to my internal struggle with anxiety, panic attacks, and the resulting stress these have caused. But each person has his or her own struggle to go through. A comforting thought occurred to me as I was sitting in that lecture hall years ago: despite our differences in suffering, everyone is searching for happiness in one way or another.

      Life will not last forever. Like everything else, it is impermanent. But in our lifetime we all seek to take advantage of the time we have and hope to find more happiness than suffering in the end.

      At times, anxiety has crippled me to the point that I was unable to enjoy what I was doing. When it’s at its worst, its grip is tight and hard to break free from. When it’s at its best, anxiety is a figure lurking in the back of my

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