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Praveena experienced her first panic attack when she first started out her internship, and it started to get worse, allowing her to hyperventilate. She also states that it started to get worse when she entered university.

Praveena started to self-isolate herself from her family and friends and even dreaded going to school due to her feeling stressed over her academics and suffocated over some family dysfunctions that were still stuck with her.

Thankfully, some of her friends that still kept in contact with her encouraged her to see a counsellor, but she rejected it at first in fear of asking her parents. However, after constant begging, her parents finally agreed to take her to see a counsellor.

She was reluctant to share her stories at first, but knowing that she was in a safe space with her counsellor, she slowly started to let go and allowed herself to grieve and rewire herself, although it was tough. Normalising mental health issues and wanting to encourage mental wellness is something Praveena is now passionate about, and making a career of.

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by Praveena, 26 years old

When I got my first panic attack, I wasn't sure what it was exactly. I just got chewed out by my boss during my internship, and attributed how I felt to my extremely shy personality being shaken by the encounter. I related the anxiety to what I experienced when I had to speak publicly in secondary school - the shortness of breath, panic rising through my body, and cold sweats.

The initial symptoms of fear spiraled down to hyperventilation, the inability to calm myself, and alarms going off in my head like everything was ending. As time went on, I felt as if I was having a panic attack for days on end. It made me over analyse everything and everyone, all in regards to my self-worth. Things got worse when I entered University.

The social environment I faced in an arts school proved toxic for me. That, the general stress of higher education, and family dysfunctions present since childhood suffocated me.

I would often miss classes, wake up into a panic attack and find it impossible to get out of bed. If I did get out of bed, I would collapse onto the ground and stay down. I didn't feel like I could tell anyone; even I didn't truly understand what I was going through myself.

I started to feel useless and leaned into the narrative. I began to avoid everyone and barely made it through school. I overate, rarely slept, and carried my growing fear to graduation. I was barely in contact with any friends and family and had lost myself.

A few friends I had remained in contact with had encouraged me to go for counselling while I was still schooling. It was a suggestion I had initially rejected because I couldn't envision myself asking my parents for permission to. In my mind, asking them for something, and even more so, admitting that I needed help, was proof of my perceived incapability - a thought I (pridefully) fought against by proving I was mature and independent in the ways I related to them. But when the anxiety hit a crippling point, I knew I had to seek their consent.

It took me a year and a half of constant begging, and a huge breakdown on my very first day of work before my parents agreed for me to see a counsellor. I had assumed their reluctance was due to their fear of public opinion and the social stigma that revolved around going for therapy. To a degree, it was, but ultimately it was the fear of facing the truth that they had hurt me and being in denial that I was hurt, that made them refuse.

For a year, my counsellor guided me to process my past trauma and figure out ways I could best retain my mental health considering my environment.

My counsellor taught me to help my inner child to grieve, and the necessity of it, so I can heal from my past traumas and wounds.

I discovered a part of myself that had never grieved all the traumas I had experienced as a child. It was hard but in the safety of my relationship with my counsellor, I began to allow myself to grieve and also learn how to help my inner child to grieve so those childhood wounds in my heart can finally heal. Through the process of grieving, I discovered my inner strength and capabilities, and it also opened my eyes to see new perspectives of the past and the present I never saw before.

The hardest part was cutting myself loose from unhealthy thoughts and attachments. I had to rewire and build myself from the bottom up all over again, this time in a way that was for my good. There were moments of relapse and times when it was hard to practice the lessons I had learnt. It made me feel like I was taking one step forward, two steps back.

Mindfulness, meditation & caring for my inner child continues to be a part of life now for maintaining mental and emotional wellbeing. As I tried my best to fully commit to the process, I discovered a lot about myself. My counsellor gave me recommendations based on the strengths she saw in me, like asking me to journal more and encouraged me to pursue my passion of writing.She also helped me come up with a practical career plan based on my aspirations and mental health condition. Even after I stopped seeing her for counselling, she had inspired me enough to continue healing and growing by myself.

My biggest fear was going back to the workforce. As I experienced a lot of stress that had worsened my mental state in the industry I was in, I felt I had to move on. Normalising mental health issues and wanting to encourage mental wellness has become something I am very passionate about and am making a career out of.

Without my counsellor's help, I dread to think about where I might be now. I am eternally thankful for the help I received and hope she, and other counsellors out there, know that they have changed many lives for the better.

ThriveSg - Thrive Significantly

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No air: Praveena's road to recovery from anxiety | Cru Singapore

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She helped me discover my inner strength and capabilities by opening my eyes to new perspectives of the past and the present. She taught me to grieve, and the necessity of it, to allow me to heal from each wound.

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Exercise burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation.

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"My name is Deborah and I am a person recovering from bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder. I had extreme mood swings since lower primary as mental illness runs in my paternal family so it is likely genetic. I suffered in silence for more than 20 years and was diagnosed only about 4 years ago after having postnatal depression and eventually suffered a burnt-out due to work stress, which affected my functionality."

She finally sought medical help from IMH and was directed to a psychiatrist, Dr. Poornima. Active use of medication has helped to stabilize her mood and she was connected to a Peer Support Specialist - Mr Julius Chan, as Dr. Poornima saw the potential in her to also become a Peer Support Specialist.

"My Mentor Julius encouraged me to attend a Recovery Wellness & Sustenance (RWS) workshop that he was conducting and I was greatly inspired by his recovery story. I was hungry to recover and was very determined to stay strong for my family, so I attended his workshop faithfully and eventually graduated from it. It then prepared the ground for me to be enrolled to Peer Support Specialist training conducted by NCSS. The Certified Peer Specialist programme has reinforced my recovery and increased my resilience tremendously. It has equipped me with competencies to perform the role of a Peer Support Specialist and taught me how to abide by the ethical standards."

Deborah is a firm believer that recovery is possible. Having benefited from peer support, she decided to use her recovery journey to help and inspire others. Deborah is now a certified a Peer Support Specialist, supporting other persons with mental health conditions in their recovery journey.

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- shortness of breath
- feeling of impending doom, difficulty controlling feelings of worry
- sweating
- mind goes blank
- being irritable
- trembling
- feeling weak or tired

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Support groups allow people with anxiety to meet in comfort and safety, and give and receive support. They also provide the opportunity to learn more about anxiety and to develop social networks.

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breathing exercise

Meditation causes a person to relax and develops the ability to endure all thoughts and feelings calmly.

yoga

Music to relax and ease the mind

Make time to do self-care

Look for people for emotional support and talk about your feeling.

Stay active (help to divert the attention away from something that's making the person anxious

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learning about anxiety

cognitive therapy

behaviour therapy

counselling

learning to be assertive

building self-esteem

structured problem solving

medication

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Easily identifiable habits of those with anxiety (when you first see them):
-hyperventilation or breathlessness
- being especially skittish and shy around new people

> you would just think they are naturally shy; harder to talk to but they probably just don't speak much due to the large amount of worries they have inside that stems from anxiety