Looking for an Exit

Download or read book Looking for an Exit written by Lisa Tucker and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2011-08 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your heart is pounding. You feel as if you can't breathe. A strange uneasiness takes over, and your body rages with fear. Your mind is engulfed with one overwhelming thought: I must be dying. If those words strike a chord with you, you might be suffering from panic attacks. If you've began avoiding any place or situation because you feel these sensations, you may have agoraphobia. It's important to know that you are not alone. Author Lisa Tucker invites you to take a glimpse inside the walls that held her captive for years: a life of panic attacks that led to agoraphobia. Terror paralyzed her. When her grandmother was hospitalized, Lisa was unable to go upstairs to the hospital room. When her friends asked her to go with them to the mall, it couldn't be too crowded, and Lisa had to know where all the exits were. When her daughter's school had activities, Lisa held on to the hope that they would be outside. Many told her to 'get a grip.' Many, including Lisa, didn't understand what was going on with the debilitating panic. It destroyed relationships, ended her career, and kept her on the outskirts of everything—until she found power over the panic. While struggling with this gripping fear, she desperately searched for answers that would bring freedom from her self-made cell—sometimes even meeting with a counselor outside in the freezing winter to avoid a panic attack. Looking for an Exit: From Panic to Empowerment sheds light on her experiences and reveals that peace is truly on the other side of the panic.