Anxiety is a serious thing. Sometimes, however, it is okay to look back at a moment in time in which you experienced anxiety and maybe laugh at yourself a little bit. Let's be honest, sometimes when we are in moments of extreme anxiety or panic, we may seem or feel totally out of our minds. We do and think things that are totally irrational, and sometimes, ridiculous. When we experience high states of anxiety, our body goes into fight or flight mode. This mindset can make us feel like we would be safer jumping off a moving train, rather than safely sitting in our seats. Fight or flight mode can also have physical repercussions and make us look like a sweaty mess in the middle of 30 degree weather.
My point isn't to make you feel ridiculous. When you experience these crazy sensations, it can be pretty embarrassing, especially if you are in public around people you do not really know. It can take some time to get over this embarrassment too. No matter how confident you may feel in yourself and being open about your anxiety, it is tough to come to terms with the fact that you may have been out of control for a few minutes in public. Despite this, I encourage you to try and laugh at yourself a little bit the next time this happens to you. It is embarrassing, but you must remind yourself that you did the best you could in the moment of panic, and your reaction to your anxiety was completely natural.
To give an example, I will gladly reveal a moment of panic that I had and embarrass myself, in order to maybe get a few laughs from any listeners. This past summer, I went to the DMV with my mom to renew my license. Any DMV is expected to be crowded and, of course, crowded areas tend to make my anxiety peak. After nearly two hours of waiting in this crowded space, it was finally my turn to go up and fill out my paperwork and get my picture taken. Two hours worth of feeling anxious seemed to peak at the perfect time as I got up in the front of the line and passed out in front of 50 plus people... all because of my anxiety! Thats right, I was so anxious that I just completely blacked out in the middle of the DMV.
Now, don't get me wrong, I was mortified when I came-to and realized what had just happened in front of all of these frustrated strangers that just wanted to get out of there. Yet, despite some tears on the way home due to embarrassment, I am now able to laugh about the situation. I mean... who else can say that they passed out at the DMV in front of 50 people and provided the most excitement that a DMV has experienced in years!?
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