(Note: this post is part of a series about navigating my way through the 10 Rules for Coping with Panic, which is a nifty little list I keep in my wallet. To read the introduction to this series, check out this post: Coping with Panic: Why I Can’t, and Why I Can.)

It’s been a long time — maybe about a month or so — since I wrote about these rules.

And why?

Truth is, I’ve been doing pretty well. I’ve had a few panic attacks here and there, but nothing I couldn’t get through with a little breather and maybe a phone call to my supportive husband.

And when I’m doing well, I fill my days with thoughts of cooking, walking, reading and writing — not with thoughts of anxiety.

To a degree, that’s a good thing. When I’m feeling well, it feels so darn good to focus on that wellness and completely forget the fact that, a year ago this week, I went on LOA from the full-time job that was a breeding ground for anxiety and panic.

You know me as the blogger who, once, had to run out of a wedding because dancing to Come on Eileen was too much for my panicky little bunny-rabbit heart. So…why in the hell am I feeling fantastic? Why do I suddenly feel like a new person?

Well, it’s amazing what twenty-four hours (and an army of internet rage) can do to someone’s ego. Take a look at the weepy apology video that the performer posted to YouTube yesterday.

No matter how many times the class bully stuck gum in your hair or called you names, you don’t magically inherit the right to reciprocate those actions on random others when you grow up.

Can you even imagine the anxiety these city workers must be feeling right now? How will they support themselves and their families? How will they pay their bills?

As a teenager, Jemima was diagnosed with OCD and has discovered that her anxiety manifests differently now as an adult. Her main triggers are interpersonal conflicts and romantic relationships.

Jemima lives in Brooklyn and deals with anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. She was officially diagnosed with OCD when she was a teenager.

Jemima is in her late twenties and works in television production. She describes herself as a “lover of anything with a beating heart”, but quickly notes that bears are the sole exception to this rule.