PtP Series, Part 2: Living Hidden and Afraid

This is Part 2 of 7 in a series of blog posts about the book Panic to Peace: Living Free from the Grip of Fear (CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE).

I shared with you in the first part of this series that, over a decade ago, intense anxiety and accompanying panic attacks took over my life. I lived in a constant state of fear, sometimes paralyzed by it. There was no escape, as the anxiety weighed me down both day and night.

That was not the true beginning of my story of fear. I thought it was at the time, as I could not remember ever really experiencing anything like it before. However, I was eventually made aware that the feelings I was suffering with were the result of something that had been snowballing for years. Although the root problem had been with me for a very long time, it had remained hidden for the most part, not causing enough trouble to get my attention until I had my first panic attack.

My journey exposed me to some information that surprised me. I had actually been living in fear for as long as I could remember. There were some key events along the way that fed my fears, but I had found ways to cover them up. The problem with covering up fears is the harder you try to suppress them, the bigger bang they make when the damage they do inside of us is finally unleashed.

Many of the events in my life that ignited my fears fueled something else that was very damaging to me: shame. Behind all of my fears, I discovered I believed deep down that there was something inherently wrong with me. I did not like myself very much. That’s actually an understatement. Not only did I dodge my fears, I also hid my face behind a mask. The mixture of shame and fear that I carried with me through life was an internal storm that I did not even know was brewing.

If I was ever going to be set free from the symptoms of panic and anxiety, something would have to be done about the shame. Also, I would have to learn how to deal with my fears in a healthy way, rather than the tricks I had been using to work around them. However, before any of that could take place, I would have to make the very difficult choice to face whatever was behind the horrible symptoms that were controlling my life. I will discuss that part of my story in the next blog post in this series.

In the book, Panic to Peace: Living Free from the Grip of Fear, I share the full story regarding the panic attacks and anxiety that engulfed my life. My hope is that it will find its way into the hands of those of you who can benefit from reading about what God did in my life. Please get your copy here: Panic to Peace: Living Free from the Grip of Fear.

Don’t forget to email me if you purchase two or more copies of the book, so I can send you the Bonus Chapter of Panic to Peace, not included in the book. These will be going out shortly! And subscribe to my email list below: