A parasite of the mind... self help advice

by Maureen
(Alberta)

No one would know more than me what panic attacks mean. I know anxiety like the back of my hand. A couple of years ago, my mom developed breathing problems. All of sudden, she would be out of breath. In perfect health otherwise, no one could figure out the problem.

Ultimately, the doctor diagnosed her with a case of extreme anxiety. He said that there was nothing wrong with her physically, only that she was under emotional stress and that anxiety was causing all these symptoms inside her body.

Similarly, I developed a horrible eczema patch on my left leg, near my ankle. For three years, I visited dermatologists and doctors and faith healers, but the patch wouldn’t go away. It would lessen and deepen but, it would simply not disappear.

I also got the same reply from all specialists; this was an anxiety prone illness and there was no such cure. I used to scratch it so viciously; it would invariably start to bleed.

Then, slowly and gradually, things changed for me. We moved to a different city, my husband got a better job, I started teaching in school, and on the whole the quality of our life improved immensely.

And one fine day, I was just sitting idle, and unconsciously, my hand went up to the same spot to scratch and I realized that the patch was gone. It had simply disappeared!

That’s when I realized that the doctors were right. This disease was directly related to my stress level and mental disturbance.

So, I guess the best solution in these cases is to put your mind and energy elsewhere. That's my self help advice.

Instead of fretting and pondering over the same issues to which you have no immediate solution, it is better to do what you can, and leave the rest up to God. After all, he is sitting up there for a reason. Why not let Him worry instead?