Today’s podcast episode is really special because you meet Susanne, a former Panic to Peace student! Susanne is a product developer and teacher from Austria who has struggled with panic disorder and agoraphobia for 16 years. And now she’s here to share her anxiety recovery success story with you! These anxiety success stories always offer so much helpful advice and inspiration. There’s so much to unpack here, so let’s start with some background on Susanne!
Anxiety Success Stories: Meet Susanne
Susanne had her first panic attack at the age of 20, seemingly out of the blue. She didn’t understand what was happening to her, which was really scary. Susanne dealt with dizziness, heart palpitations, and balance issues, and her fear of another panic attack made her not want to leave the house again. But with her family’s help, she started a new job. And as hard as it was, it really helped her start facing the panic!
Unhelpful Behaviors That Kept Susanne Stuck
Susanne shared that when she would leave the house, she’d carry a bag filled with safety objects like medication, gum, essential oils, and so on! And ultimately, all of the safety behaviors that Susanne would engage in left her feeling even more stuck. But when Susanne learned that these safety behaviors weren’t keeping her safe, she slowly started to let go of them. She mentioned today that her bag is 5 pounds lighter now that she doesn’t carry around all of the safety objects!
Learning To Take Healthy Action
During Panic to Peace, Susanne started to do the difficult work that she’d been avoiding for years. For the first time, she understood what she was struggling with…and knew what she could do about it! And during Panic to Peace, I started to see Susanne do the things that mattered to her, regardless of the presence of anxiety. Susanne started allowing anxiety to come along for the ride, and even began taking trips with her husband! One of the biggest moments in Susanne’s recovery happened when she made a trip to Vienna, to visit her sister for the first time in 16 years. Susanne had avoided traveling to Vienna for years due to a big panic attack she experienced there, so I was incredibly proud of her courage to make the trip!
One of my favorite parts of my conversation with Susanne was when she mentioned the importance of two words during anxiety recovery: thankfulness and consistency. Susanne said that she was thankful that anxiety is something we can learn to overcome. I couldn’t agree more! As much as it might feel like it won’t ever get better, we always have the power of taking healthy action. I hope you enjoyed hearing Susanne’s story today!
If you're curious to learn more about Panic to Peace, my ten-week program that's designed to help you create a healthy relationship with anxiety that leads to lots more peace, joy, and freedom, you can learn more here! This program will be perfect for you if you're looking for some support from someone who's been where you are, extra accountability, motivation, and long-term healing!
And, of course, don't forget to listen to the full episode to hear even more about Susanne’s inspiring story!