Tracey is very kindly running in the Birmingham half marathon on 1st May with the aim of raising £500 for No Panic. We are extremely grateful to Tracey for choosing No Panic to run for.
This is Tracey’s story: “I became ill in 2019 with very severe panic attacks related to a very stressful job and the beginning of the pandemic. I went to a very bad place mentally and it was only because I have such a supportive husband, daughters and friends that, well, that I’m still here really. One of the things in my ‘crisis box’ (as instigated by my CPN) was the No Panic crisis message about getting through a panic attack with help with breathing and reassurance that it was going to be ok. I cannot tell you how much such a simple message meant to me. I must have played that message a hundred times. Then I started using the Body scan message- that lady has such a lovely voice! I clung on to that voice as if she were my mother. Gradually, I was able to uncurl from the tight knots of anxiety and depression that gripped me. I used to jog years ago and something in me just wanted to run again. On one of my solo runs (rather more like a stagger at that stage!) I met a group of friendly fellow runners from a club that I’ve since joined and now it’s an integral part of my life. Don’t get me wrong, I still get overwhelmed very easily, I’ll never work again, and there’s a toll that’s been taken on my mental health that means I have to live life in a careful, gentle way. But each time I do something positive, it’s like flying- exhilarating and nurturing. I know running isn’t for everyone, for others that feeling might come through completely different things. Anyway, I thought I’d like to do something to give something back to those kind women who recorded those messages, and the people who write articles for the No Panic newsletter who are kind enough to share their experiences and knowledge, which I read with interest. And I hope No Panic will be able to continue helping more people like me.”
You can donate to Tracey’s fundraiser by following this link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/tracey-wedgbury
