About an hour before writing this, I woke up in a sheer and utter panic. It’s been awhile since I’ve suffered from panic attacks at night, which I guess means that I was overdue for one. I don’t think that should ever be true, but last week was a rough one and it only makes sense that my anxiety levels would be sky high.

It’s been a little while since I wrote about something terribly personal on my blog. I’ve found that while I’m more than happy with my life, writing about it isn’t necessarily what brings me joy. Most of my days are the same; get up, go to work, come home, cook dinner, work on a blog post or relax. What brings me joy is helping others, whether it be encouraging someone to try a new trend, a bold lip color, or just sharing a new place to shop. Sure, I’m not changing the world, but in a world full of struggle and sadness, I like to write about the things that bring happiness.

Things were a little quiet around here last week. I often turn to writing for comfort, but honestly, last week I just couldn’t blog. After having some alarming digestive systems over the past couple of months, I had to go in for a diagnostic test that I was beyond terrified about. What the final results were was what I was most dreading. What if I had something seriously wrong? What if I had to take a step back from life as I knew it?

I’m so relieved to have found out that nothing is wrong with me, which while still frustrating, means that I can move forward and work on my stress levels. And then, of course, that same stress that you’ve been bottling up for a week straight knocks you in the gut 2:40 AM on a Sunday (time of writing this!) and you realize that not dealing with the emotions you’ve been internalizing is clearly not working out. Enter those pesky panic attacks at night.

5 Ways to Cope with Panic Attacks at Night

I know I’m not the only one who deals with panic attacks. I’m sure many of you do as well, and I’m sure some even more often than I do. I’ve discovered a wide array of things that help me on a day to day basis: exercise, eating well, sticking to a somewhat normal routine, self-care, and talking to someone when I’m feeling overwhelmed. But, when you find yourself in the middle of a full blown attack, these things really aren’t of much help. So what’s a girl to do? I have a few suggestions that help me, and I hope they can help you too.

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