The Ceasefire in the Mirror After Months of Treating My Own Mind as a Criminal

Dear Delyara, I had a breakthrough in my therapy session this afternoon. For years, I have spoken about my panic attacks as if they were a malicious enemy trying to destroy my life from the inside. My therapist looked at me and asked, "What if your panic is actually just a terrified younger version of you trying desperately to protect you from being hurt again, but it just doesn't have the right tools?" Something shifted in my chest. I came home, looked at myself in the mirror, and instead of feeling disgust for my anxiety, I felt a deep, overwhelming wave of compassion. I am not broken. I am just a person who has been carrying too much weight, and I am finally learning how to put it down.