This article talks about mental health and some of the symptoms that come along with it.
If you’re having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.
Mental health was never something I thought about or talked about much growing up, but it became something really important to me by the time I reached college. I realize that everyone has a different experience with mental health, but I wanted to share what my journey has been like. I will dive into what I experienced during my first panic attack, the process of getting the help I need, and some resources that are available for mental health.
The initial attack
It was January of 2021. I was living with my roommate and best friend of about two and half years in a dorm on the campus of the University of South Alabama in Mobile. We finally got the two-bedroom, apartment-style dorm, and we loved it. There were many late nights playing online games, grabbing Cook Out at 1 a.m. and watching movies, and just enjoying time with friends. At the same time, though, I was balancing my classes, marching band, and other obligations. There was one night that really shifted my mental state. I was just getting ready for bed like I normally do, and I was thinking about a lot of different things at once. I then started to feel an extremely heavy weight in my chest. My heart started to race, and I started sweating.
Was I having a heart attack? What is going on?
I took some deep breaths, and after a while, I finally got myself to calm down. I went to my bed and just laid down.
What in the world was that?
I still felt kind of weird, but I just decided to try and sleep and brush it off.
For the following week after that initial moment, I had several more moments where I felt like that. There were even times when I would just sob at how horrible I was feeling. I ended up making myself sick, and I just slept on the couch in our apartment while my roommate slept on the floor one night. I am so thankful for him being there to make sure I was okay. I thought I might need to go to the emergency room because I was worried that there was something wrong with my heart. The ER was packed, so I ended up going to urgent care the next day.
They checked my heart, took x-rays to check my lungs, and did many other checks. Nothing. I was perfectly healthy. The doctor came back, and he told me that he was diagnosing me with anxiety disorder. He explained that those moments I was feeling were likely anxiety attacks.
At the time, I really did not know much about what that meant. I was prescribed some medication to take when I was having panic attacks, and it really just made me sleepy and helped me relax or sleep through them. It was not a long-term solution. I decided to try therapy. I was hesitant at first. I felt like going to therapy meant that there was something wrong with me and that I was sick.
Would I be able to do the things I always did because of this?
Going to therapy was one of the best decisions I have ever made in my entire life. It did not mean I was sick; it just meant that certain feelings overwhelmed me a little more. I needed to find a way to manage it. I learned that anxiety does not just go away. It will always be there, and I just need to figure out how to take care of myself when I am feeling anxious.
After going to multiple therapy sessions over the span of a handful of months, I learned to manage it a lot better. I still had anxious moments like I was having before, but I could control my breathing, my thoughts, and focus on the tangible and not the unknown.
I went about five years without having any more anxiety attacks or significant anxious moments (or at least I thought at the time). Yes, there were times that I would get very nervous or anxious, but it was never overwhelming (again, I thought).
It’s back again?
It was now January of 2026. It was around the time of the second winter storm. I had some recent changes in my personal life, but I was doing well and was working with my team to cover the storm over the weekend. I was about to go on TV for a weather segment, and I started to get the symptoms again. I was sweating, my heart was racing, and I was thinking about a million things at once.
Really? Again? It has been so long since I have had to deal with this. You have been on TV before!
Right up until I started to speak, I was feeling these symptoms. Then, after I got into the meat and potatoes of my weather segment, they went away. Now, if this just happened one time, I would understand it. After that attack, I proceeded to feel the same thing before a LOT of the weather segments. Again, I would do just fine once I finally started talking through the forecast. It was before the segment that was getting to me. I was thinking about anything and everything.
What if I have an attack on TV? Will people notice? Why am I feeling this way? You’re good! You’re good! You’ve done this before!
I had a conversation with my older brother that really made me realize that I needed to talk to someone again. I had been so reluctant to talk to someone because I was genuinely nervous at this point.
What would this mean for my career? Would this ever get fixed?
I finally scheduled the appointment. Once again, that was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. After a long time of worrying less about myself and my own mental health and caring a lot about how others were feeling, thinking, etc., I was reminded to think about myself and what I needed. I was also reminded that it is not about fixing my anxiety. It is about management. I needed to take care of me.
Taking care of me
To this day, I am still regularly going to therapy even with major improvements in my mental health. I learned that I also have ADHD recently, and I am learning how to navigate that. Instead of it feeling overwhelming, though, getting that diagnosis, I have felt comforted. I now know more about how my brain processes information and feelings, and I get to find out what kind of self-help works best for me.
Therapy has also helped me to understand why I have felt certain things that I have felt in my personal life, career, and more situations. I can talk through those tough emotional moments for me, and I can figure out how to best approach them moving forward. I realized that in my last job I had attacks similar to the ones I had recently. Being able to identify those moments and learning HOW to approach and handle them better instead of focusing on WHY they are happening has been so beneficial.
The reality is this: working in TV is stressful at times. There are deadlines and expectations to meet, and I want to be able to get the best information to the viewers as possible. As a meteorologist, I am never going to be 100% accurate. People sometimes remember your inaccuracies more than the times you get it right. During one of the snowstorms, I even received a death threat. I have to remember the facts, though; while I am not 100% accurate, my forecasts are very accurate. Giving my everything to this job is more than enough, and there are a lot more people sending positive messages than negative ones. Focus on what you can control, and the rest will fall into place. My forecasts are out there for everyone to see, and people will naturally have their opinions.
For me, I find that going on runs or doing other exercises, spending time with friends, watching some Canes hockey or Bulls baseball among other sports, playing video games, playing guitar and singing, walking around Costco aimlessly, and talking through my thoughts among other things, help me to regulate my mental health. Sometimes, I have to set a lot of reminders on my phone or write out a list to remember everything, and this is okay. My thoughts like to race, so anything to focus on one task at a time and what I can control is very helpful.
This has been my mental health journey, and I know everyone has different experiences. I hope that by my sharing of this, you know that you are never alone in having mental health struggles. Everyone experiences them, and it is okay to find the help you need. I have had some people say “you just need to exercise” or “just practice breathing”. In reality, that may work for others, but it does not work for everyone. Yes, breathing and exercising are great things, but also talking to someone who can help you figure out what works best for your mental health is important too. Sometimes, like it was for me, it is about just taking that first step and talking to someone. I know that it can feel daunting; I have been there! I promise you that you can do it, and you will thank yourself for figuring out how to take care of you.
Help is available
There are many resources available. Whether you need someone to talk to or need tools to overcome a situation in your life, help is available.
Other resources can be found here.
Treating mental health is not always affordable, though. Triangle Family Services offers free mental health services to those in need. Dial 211 to be connected with a professional who can assist with finding local mental health services.
The Anxiety and Depression Association of America offers resources like grants, sliding scales and other options to help pay for mental health treatment.
There are many grants available to those in need of mental health assistance. Local health departments can assist you with finding care providers.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a federal resource that helps locate treatment providers who work on sliding scales.
There are free support groups available around the country.
And remember, if you’re having suicidal thoughts or a mental health crisis, call or text 988 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
Veterans can press “1” after dialing 988 to connect directly to the Veterans Crisis Lifeline. For texts, veterans should continue to text the Veterans Crisis Lifeline short code: 838255.
Source: www.wral.com
