Happy Valentine’s Day, good people!

It may not seem like a very hearts-and-flowers kind of conversation to have on Valentine’s Day, but this is close to my heart and comes from my heart.

This is an issue that affects so many women I know, myself included. It’s often a secret kind of pain and fear that we hold onto and don’t think other people can understand.

It can keep us from living certain parts of our lives. It affects how we sleep. It affects if we eat … or don’t eat. It affects us in social situations. It affects options and opportunities we have and what we do with them.

It’s anxiety and panic — and it’s something worth talking about whether you’ve been diagnosed or have experienced episodes of it; or maybe you know someone who has.

So, with love, here’s is a therapist’s story — my story — about anxiety and panic disorder, and some things I’ve adapted into my life that I hope will help you in some way if this is your struggle.

Foremost, I work with a great doctor who helps me, so if this is an issue for you, too, and feels too heavy to bear alone, I urge you to make that your first step.

And even if anxiety and panic are not your struggles, I’ll bet you know someone who’s been there. If this will help them, pass it on:

“It was January 3rd and I’d just arrived in Kona, Hawaii for a five day writing retreat. It was a total fluke that the opportunity to go landed in my life just a couple of weeks before.”

Click HERE or the PINK ICON to hear the rest of the story in today’s audio post along with five of my strategies for managing anxiety: