12/11/2025
I recently spoke with a friend whose family member experiences anxiety attacks daily. From ages 14 to 24, anxiety completely crippled me. Doctors kept prescribing one medication after another, only to make matters worse. Finally, a support group at St. Mark’s Methodist Church turned my life around completely.
To this day, I firmly believe that—regardless of the problem—the best help comes from those who have faced the same demons, endured the pain and failure, and persevered to become a stronger, better version of their former selves. I will never change my opinion on this.
If you have a loved one suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, and you simply can’t understand what they’re afraid of, let me help you.
Imagine you’re out late one night—bowling, playing pool, at a club, or anywhere else—and you have a fantastic time. On your drive home at highway speeds, a huge deer suddenly appears in front of you. Out of reflex, you swerve to avoid it, but unfortunately, you crash right into a large oak tree. The next thing you know, you wake up in the hospital with two broken legs, numerous facial abrasions, and all your ribs fractured.
After you’re released, your rehabilitation is slow but steady. Several months pass, and eventually you’re walking, reading, cooking, and handling various tasks around the house again. Because of your absence from work, workers’ compensation only covers a small portion of your previous salary. Your spouse has had to pick up the slack, working double or triple shifts to make ends meet. They see you as recovered and able-bodied, ready to return to work. With so much weight on their shoulders outside the home, everyday tasks like grocery shopping have fallen by the wayside.
One afternoon around 2 p.m., your spouse calls and asks you to go to the grocery store for a few essentials because the refrigerator is nearly empty. You think nothing of it, grab your keys, and head to the garage for your first trip out since the accident?
The garage door opens, you start the car—and suddenly your heart begins to palpitate. Your hands sweat profusely. Anxious feelings flood over you as memories of that horrific night come rushing back. You try taking a few deep breaths and proceed to leave the neighborhood. But as you slowly drive down the street, the symptoms worsen. Your vision blurs from rising blood pressure. Your heart feels like it’s about to explode. Your hands and face drip with sweat. The anxiety from recalling the crash overwhelms you completely.
Finally, in tears, you pull into a stranger’s driveway, turn around, and head home. Once there, you down a few shots of whiskey and several glasses of wine just to numb the terror.
Now imagine your loved one heading to the store, overcome by the exact same symptoms—with the same severity, or possibly even worse. There was never a deer, never a tree that destroyed their car, never a hospital stay, and never any rehabilitation. The symptoms arise for no apparent reason at all. Their life is, for the most part, completely normal. Yet anxiety and panic rear their ugly heads, crippling them daily—sometimes hourly.
You often ask, “Why are you feeling this way?” They can’t give a direct answer because they truly don’t know. The next time your loved one experiences an anxiety attack, remember this story. In their mind, the worst thing imaginable is happening right now. And the saddest part is that they have no idea why they’re enduring such horrific fear.
This is why seeking help from those who’ve walked in these shoes—who’ve battled the same invisible enemy, fallen to its pain and failure, yet persevered to emerge stronger—is so powerful. Their hard-won experience offers understanding and guidance that no one else can provide
