To answer this question, I have to admit some vulnerable stuff. I feel more in control of my life than ever now, at 53 years old, but it was not always this way.
My struggle with anxiety and overwhelm started when I was very young. It was mostly a need to be perfect and in control, to begin with, "the perfectionist" mentality. Unfortunately, that was only the beginning.
This way of thinking became routine and habit. Continuing to do this over the years became very detrimental to my health.
I started having pains in my stomach and migraine headaches in the fifth grade. I started public school, switching from a private school in which my family was very involved. I couldn't control things anymore. So I started making myself sick with anxiety.
By the time I was 17 to 18 years old, doctors had put me on medication for anxiety, and all the GI issues began to be an everyday occurrence along with panic attacks; those are fun.
My first ulcer was found at 18 years old. I went on to have debilitating anxiety and panic attacks. To the point, I couldn't be in a car after dark without being able to be home alone at night and many other random anxiety-causing situations. I never understood any of it. It just started and stopped and shifted to something else overnight.
Fast forward to my mid-30s, I now have 42 bleeding ulcers. Yes, 42! These eventually led to a significant stomach surgery in 2013. My ulcers were from pure stress and anxiety. No bacteria are responsible for it. I internalized all my anxiety, stress, and being overwhelmed. I now have gastroparesis, which means my stomach is paralyzed. I don't digest food without taking a pill before everything I eat. So it's pretty extensive all that goes with it, but I am still living with the effects of my anxiety and the lack of control it has done to my body.
I had conversations with my children, who both told me familiar stories of feelings they were experiencing due to anxiety. This tore me up.
At that moment, something inside me screamed, "they are not alone, and I must do something to stop this epidemic."
I committed to figuring out how to live and control my anxiety and help my children and others who suffer from debilitating anxiety and feel overwhelmed.
I decided to do something about it. Get educated and become a life coach. I want to help people across the globe create an entirely new relationship with anxiety and overwhelm with my Total Life Transformation system.