Panic attacks to the extreme
Hi
This year I experienced severe anxiety and panic attacks to the extreme I couldn't go out or be alone. I couldn't drive and resulted in me selling my business of 5 years. After practising cognitive behavioural therapy by myself with support from my family and fiancé, I feel now I have come out a better person and "almost there. "Because of this "warning" to slow down and feeling like I have been given a second chance, I really want to help others in similar situations as there is so much demand on everyday living and being told it is just "stress" as I was informed at the beginning, all the help and advice people can get regarding anxiety is helping people recognise they are not going mad etc.
I have almost completed training to be a helpline volunteer for an organisation that specialises in anxiety/panic attacks/phobias and am also considering doing a counselling course. I love to write and am also doing a writers/journalism course which I am busy submitting articles to magazines mainly on health issues. I feel I have good knowledge of basic health matters, I was an overweight child, am qualified as an aerobics teacher and carried out a diet and nutrition course also. It would be an ideal opportunity for me to combine both writing and helping others and become an agony aunt. I can appreciate you do not get many requests like mine, but would you please be so kind and give me some info/tips/advice/contacts on how to get started. I would really appreciate and welcome any help from a professional. Many thanks in advance and I wait to hear from you.
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Most Agony Aunts are people like you and me who have experienced a variety of setbacks, dilemmas, and problems throughout our lives. We get degrees in social studies/education/social welfare/philosophy/ etc... and get some form of training via courses and experiences through our working life too. All these give us the right background and grounding to become an advisor of some kind, in your case, health related issues combined with knowledge of nutrition and exercise makes you a knowledgeable contact for those experiencing problems with weight/dietery matters affecting health.
I would suggest that you carry on writing to magazines and submitting your health/dietry /exercise articles to them as this is where your field is taking you, and you can benefit others by passing on your knowledge of why having the right diet and exercise can help you remain healthy and stay healthy. Im quite sure that alot of people would appreciate reading your articles as most of peoples problems are related to weight/diet matters. By passing on your knowledge in this way you'll be giving a lot of people a better understanding on these issues and you will also find it very rewarding too.
You just have to look at Rosemary Connolly? (I've got all her diet/exercise books!) Health/Dietary guru and see how successful she is and you know that you're heading down the right track.
I wish you lots of luck,
Best regards
Caroline. X