I sat across from a young woman Roz, who seemed cheery without any signs of the emotions she had described whence called for the appointment. About twenty minutes into the session, she was telling me about her new puppy that she (“loved to death!)
Roz told me that her best friend had stopped communicating with her (Ghosted her) for no reason that she was aware of. At this point, I noticed That her hands were trembling and small beads of sweetness were visible on her face. She then asked me if I could turn the heat down. I went to the hall and reduced the heat. When I came back she was extremely agitated and alerted out before I got back to my chair, “I thought you weren’t coming back!” She told me that since the pandemic her life had become unmanageable. She was extremely lonely and felt there was no hope, even though she had a good job and was financially secure.
She read that getting a dog could be helpful during this time. Even though the dog was a “God send” She would wake up numerous times at night to see if the dog was breathing. She went on to say that she loved the dog so much that she wouldn’t leave him alone for fear he’d die.
I then noticed that redness was starting to come up from her chest and then to her face. She started adjusting her dress and blouse and kept forgetting what topic we were on.
Most of these symptoms are classic signs of a full-blown Anxiety attack. We made a plan to meet again, and I told her if her condition seemed to get a lot worse between sessions she could contact me.
Some of the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and fear are:
- Fatigue
- Feeling restless and on edge
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Head and body aches
- Difficulty controlling feelings or worry
- Sleep problems- falling asleep, not being able to. Waking up, exhausted in the morning
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, I have a five-step process to learn how to identify, treat, and begin a program to remedy many of these problems. Don’t wait until things get worse. Call today for a free consultation (310) 963-5038.
