on wednesday, i was invited to the bolingbrook chapter of the anxiety and panic support group. it was founded by jack benton, a former firefighter who looks exactly like the calm, collected guy you want with you in a fire. . . or a panick attack. the group has over two hundred members and meet on the first and third wednesday of every month. but not all the members show up at one time because, well you could probably guess this, some of them are housebound. but just knowing the group exists is a comfort for those.
i was impressed at how friendly everyone was and i thought there was nothing about them that could have tipped off anybody that they were having problems. but once they started talking about the anxiety that plagues them, i knew i was in the right place.
they even welcomed by friend bonnie bradlee who went to high school with me and came to the meeting just to be "my support".
if you want to join this group, take a look at their website at http://www.meetup.com/Anxiety-Panic-Attack-Support-Group-Of-Bolingbrook-Naperv/ and if that’s too far away for you to take advantage of, you might consider visiting the adaa at http://www.adaa.org/
next week i’m visiting a facebook friend in pennsylvania who has trouble leaving her home. we’ll see if we can figure something out to make her more comfortable. in the meantime, i thank all my new friends in bolingbrook! i learned so much!
arlynnpresser 
January 20th, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Thank you again for coming to and speaking to the group. You have a gift to share with others and your story is a true inspiration. Maybe you’ll come join us again sometime?? 🙂
I will stay in touch and thank you again Arlynn!
Jack
January 21st, 2012 at 8:22 pm
wow, that is great 🙂 I think people get so good at hiding anxiety and panic, and even though i live in a small town, since i started talking about it, i have found so many others that i would NEVER have imagined were going through the same thing ! that sounds like a great group !
January 21st, 2012 at 9:06 pm
fizzy,
i think you’re just the person to organize a group like that! you are ONTO something really big and when we talk about it we make it okay. i’ve noticed that especially this year if i just say “look, i’m having a panic attack can i just get out of here for a minute?” people are really understanding. or at least, they TRY to understand which is ninety nine percent of the battle. our lives, our world is so complicated i’m surprised more people aren’t having trouble with alcohol, panic attacks, sedatives, overexercising, overeating, over . . . . oh, wait, we are having trouble.
wasn’t there a movie called “stop the world i want to get off?” sometimes i feel that way!