"Breathe"

I love traveling, it gives me that breath of fresh air I crave but, there isn't a time I go to the airport and this memory doesn't haunt my mind. It was an extremely hot summer day in a Vegas airport when this traumatic event occurred. The trip was a great stress reliever and was amazing until I reached the airport. After boarding the plane the pilot explained we needed to get off immediately because of technical issues just as we left the runway. I was a little worried but I thought to myself "Well at least we didn't take off yet". Just moments after this they decided we should board the same plane and a burst of worry just took over my body. It felt like everything was happening so fast and I didn't know what to do. The fear of the unknown is what haunts me I love to be in control but at the moment none of this was in my hands. Before I knew it It felt like my world was crumbling, tears were rushing, my heart was pounding, and my mind was racing, but I couldn't stop it. The first thing I knew to do was call my therapist. "I'll never go back to Vegas," I say, but the thing is vegas wasn't

the issue. I've traveled to Vegas many times and I've traveled alone many times but this time was different. "You are so brave you are only 16 and you travel completely alone", I always hear, but only this time brave wasn't the feeling I felt. It was fear. While on the phone my therapist was trying to calm me down "BREATHE" she yelled but that wasn't what I was worried about. I've had panic attacks so many times its not too uncommon for me but this time I didn't know the trigger which was the scariest feeling I've felt in a long time. These moments happen frequently. When my mind causes me physical pain, the cause and the intensity are always different but the only thing that seems to be the same is the steps I take afterwards. Talking to my therapist. People think of therapy and think you have to be crazy to go but there is nothing I disagree with more than this. Just like when your health is not well you go to a doctor, when you feel some uneasiness with your mental health see a therapist, it isn't too much different in my eyes. I've never experienced a heart attack but I've read anxiety attacks feel very similar. That may seem like an overexaggeration but the pain is real, the feelings are physical. Going through your day-to-day life without having a way to cope with this seems like complete insanity. This is why I always say to talk to someone. I can't remember my very first anxiety attack but I can remember the ones where I was able to identify was I was going through. My mind was restless, my chest hurting, and my breathing was so

inconsistent I didn't know which one would be my last breath. Through each of these incidents, I've always had someone to talk to. From just texting my friend to my coach picking me up from the bathroom in school and hugging me so tight to the point my breathing slowly returned to normal. I've always seen mental health ads and thought I could never let someone in my business enough to actually talk about what I was feeling, all that seemed completely silly to me. When you having a moment of intense anxiety not even just a panic attack sometimes the notes app on your phone or a journal isn't enough. I can remember a time of having anxiety and going through my contacts realizing there wasn't anyone I could text to just stay on the phone while I corrected my breathing made the pain last so much longer. I've been able to pinpoint and acknowledge my issues and that's all because I've had someone to talk to. Having to go through things alone has shaped who I am now, it makes it hard for me to open up to people but when you find that person everything flows out like water. Especially in my community, you aren't supposed to let anyone know your next move or you're don't supposed to ask for help but ive come to terms with the fact that asking for help is okay. We're all human and we deserve support just as much as anyone else. When I say "talk to someone" it doesnt just have to be a therapist. Ive been able to talk to a friend and a coach and they don't have to be qualified and give you the

perfect advice sometimes all you need to hear is "BREATHE". That simple 7-letter word could give you a complete reset. Life is too difficult to go through alone and ive found that talking to someone makes everything extremely easier. Don't knock it til you try it.