Anxiety and Panic Attacks Q&A Continued

Hello, my lovelies!

So a little while ago, I wanted to make a video with the topic of 'Anxiety and Panic Attacks' and the more I thought about how to film it, the more I realised how hard it would be to make just one video. In fact, I realised that even in these two videos, I wouldn't get everything I wanted to say in, even with the amazing help I got from Arez in the Q&A video. So I promised you guys a blog post with new answers and answers that were not mentioned in the video (due to the video being filmed a day earlier than I told you guys it would be filmed).

Before I begin, I just wanted to say that Arez and I (and maybe others if they ever would like to help with a video like this) are more than happy to make more of these videos IF YOU FOUND BOTH OF THE VIDEOS USEFUL IN ANY WAY. I don't want to overload you with information because it could make you feel a little unsettled, however I just want to help as many people as I can that are going through or know somebody who is going through this situation.

There was a certain question that we didn't use the answers for in the video since the answer to it seemed to be coming through all of the other answers we were giving but since there were some of you who were willing to answer this question, here are the answers you gave in :)

Question 5
What would you recommend to a person who believed they may be suffering from panic attacks or anxiety but are not sure?
- "Find somebody who can understand your point of view or a group of people who are willing to listen to you (preferably your best friends but you can also attend support groups such as CAHMS). If you find this difficult, go to a teacher, your parents, or the doctors (with somebody or without somebody, although it would be probably best to take somebody with you for support) to talk it through."
- "Do NOT bottle up your feelings. This could potentially make things much worse."
- "If your panic attacks are extremely frequent, you could potentially be provided with medication and an opportunity to attend and gain the services from a place like CAHMS."
- "I saw a psychologist and a councillor over varying periods of time, and even though it can be really uncomfortable and/or upsetting, it is so much better to have it out in the open."
- "I would tell them that they are not being weak, or oversensitive, or just to 'cheer up' - that everybody needs help now and then"
- "I would say that if you think you're suffering from anxiety, you probably are. Do NOT second guess yourself and don't be afraid to tell friends, family, school, doctors, etc. what's going on so that they can confirm things for you and give support.

So now I'm going to add the other questions and the other answers that were given to me for those:

Question 1
When you experience anxiety or are having a panic attack, what are the feelings you get and how do you physically react usually?
- "Having a panic attack feels as if you're having a heart attack or like you are going to die. I want to cry, scream, run away from it - but trying to get away from it only prolongs it instead of facing it head on which in the long run is the better way to handle them. My breathing is very fast; my heart is racing and pounding, there is an overwhelming feeling of terror and dread. The anxiety itself was just a constant feeling of slight panic, which led onto me not eating much of anything a lot of the time and also not sleeping properly. I found it difficult to function normally from day to day for about 8 months.
- "I fidget quite a lot, shake my right leg and I get really quiet. When I'm having a panic attack, I suddenly feel like my throat is closing (even though I know it isn't). I get either really hot or really cold, shaky and just generally feel out of it, as if I'm really drunk. I'll either cry uncontrollably or not cry at all until afterwards. The worst thing though, and this is only if it's a really bad one, is that my hands can cramp up and I can't move them until I'm totally calm again."

Question 2
Do you remember your first panic attack? If you do (and are 100% comfortable talking about it) what triggered it OR how did you react? (For example what did you think of yourself and how your body was coping?)
- "The first panic attack was not the start of when I actually had panic disorder. My first panic attack was at 13 years old. I was scuba diving and over 20m underwater when I got separated from my instructor. I was really scared and just felt I had to get out of there. I shot up to the surface even though that's really dangerous  from so far under the water. At that point though, it felt like something to genuinely panic about and I just assumed it was a natural reaction to getting lost. The first time I had one and they started to become a real problem was when I had one on stage during a performance. I had to hide it until I got offstage at the end of the first half, then cried so much I couldn't go back on."
- "I don't remember my first panic attack because I didn't realise I was having panic attacks until a year later."

Question 3
What methods have you used and which ones helped most?
- "I took anti-depressants for about 8 months which did help although I really didn't enjoy being on them as they took so long to get used to and funnily enough, one of the side effects is anxiety! I went to a psychologist for CBT. She gave me a lot of breathing exercises which I found very helpful. It was also good to gain knowledge on what panic attacks were. Every time we would get into it, she would ask me what there was to be logically afraid of and it really challenged me, I think in a good way."
- "I'm quite mushy and needy! I like having a friend there telling me it's okay and reassuring me that I'm not wasting their time and hugging me, and I try to think about something funny that's happened recently and there are some times where I've actually managed to make myself laugh out of the attack."

Question 4
Have you found that the methods that have helped you most put you in a better position and gave you a better understanding of yourself and your anxiety?
- "By demystifying panic attacks and giving me ways of coping with them and with anxiety, I have felt a lot better. Sometimes even now I will still get anxious but I know that I don't necessarily have to address it and panic about it - just acknowledge it and wait for it to pass. It does't always need to be a big deal or my main focus at that point in time."
- "I like to write a lot about my experiences and because I'm an English geek, I like finding quotes from books I read that I can analyse in a way that makes me relate to it."

Question 6
Do you think that it is right to class 'panic attacks and anxiety' as 'mental illnesses'?
- Yes, I don't see a problem classing them as that. It is not calling them that which is the problem. It is the stigma that people associate with it which is the problem. It is an illness, just not always a visible one, and you need some help to get better."
- "I'm in two minds about this: I feel like it is a mental illness because although it exhibits itself physically, it is mentally triggered. However, I feel like panic attacks and anxiety, along with things like depression and OCD should not be in the same category as things like schizophrenia and psychosis yet they're all under the branch of 'mental illnesses' and I think that is unfair."

Since there are more answers to come, and I will always leave these questions here to answer if anyone who ever reads this blog wants to answer, I will be updating this blog post whenever it needs updating so that it helps some of you in some way.

I would also like to say that if you would like to see anymore videos like this or you would like to read another blog post like this, let me know below in the comments or email me at meganroseguyblog@hotmail.com

THANK YOU SO SO SO MUCH TO THE PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED TO THE MAKING OF THE VIDEOS AND THIS BLOG POST! You honestly have absolutely no idea how much this means to me, and hopefully how much it will mean to a person watching or reading the videos or this post.

Again, I love you all very much.

Speak soon

Lots of love
Megan xxx

P.S Here are the links back to the videos I made:
'Panic Attacks & Anxiety - My Story': http://youtu.be/BNkP5xAgcXg
'Panic Attacks & Anxiety Q&A': https://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_581890003&feature=iv&src_vid=BNkP5xAgcXg&v=BNkP5xAgcXg

I'm Back!

Hello, my lovelies!

I can't believe how long it has been since I have posted anything to this blog. It's gotten so bad that I almost forgot how to start writing this post!
Exams have been CRAZY tough these past few months; the lead up and the actual exams themselves. So I hope that explains why I have focussed my time on my YouTube channel rather than my blog.

Just to clear up a few things before I go on to the main topic of today's post:
1. I have NO intention of stopping blogging just because I now have a YouTube channel to think about as well. I LOVE writing as a surprising number of you have personally and cyber-ly told me that you have been able to connect with both my blog AND my YouTube in positive ways. That feeling is unexplainable and I don't want to loose it for either my blog or my channel.
2. I am going to try and upload to this more often. It can be quite the challenge on top of all of my college work, but if I'm honest, it is lovely to have this alongside my life outside the internet because it is an amazing hobby and is a great escape from the challenges of life.
3. I don't like to see either my blog or my channel as a chore to upload to. I just found it difficult to juggle both alongside exams and so I focussed on my YouTube channel as I was extremely eager to get it up and running!

So yeah…with those three quick points out of the way, let me tell you about a new blog that has just come about. :)

Okay so one of my best friends, Claudio, has just posted his first ever blog post! I know you guys probably think I'm going to be very biased with this since he is one of my best friends but honestly, his blog is frickin' brilliant!

His blog is completely dedicated to music. It is about both new and old music from a wide variety of genres. He discusses all of the musical techniques used throughout the songs and how they have or have not benefitted the track as a whole. He also rates the track's vocals, production, lyrical content, and artwork (and rapping if it occurs in the song) out of ten and then gives an overall rating using stars.

His blog is called SoundClaud (inspired by 'Sound Cloud' however he has cleverly changed it to fit his own name, Claudio) and I honestly think it is worth taking five minutes of your time to check out :)

CLICK HERE TO GO TO HIS AWESOME FIRST BLOG POST!

Okay so that's all I have for you guys today! I hope you liked this post and are happy that I am going to try my best to get back to blogging :)

Love you all so much. Thanks for sticking with me!

Lots of love
Megan xxx

Easter Playlists!

Hello my lovelies!

So although our Easter holiday is sadly ending (sorry to remind you. I want to cry just as much as you, believe me.) I thought I would give you a little Easter Sunday 'gift' if you will. I'm actually getting nervous as to whether you'll like it; it's like getting a family member or best friend a Christmas or birthday present and then doubting yourself and telling them "If you hate it, you can change it" just when they've torn the tiniest piece of wrapping paper from it :').

Throughout Easter, I have been putting together two music playlists on my YouTube channel. One is called "Easter 2014 'Feel Good' Playlist" and the other is called "Easter 2014 'Chill Out' Playlist". Each of these playlists contain all of the different songs I have been loving this Easter including some very recent chart songs, some old club classics, some old and new ballads, and some bands/groups I recommend you check out that you may or may not have heard of beforehand.

I would like to quickly tell you about a group I put into BOTH playlists and that band is Pentatonix. I have fallen in love with this a cappella group over the Easter and you REAAAALLY need to listen to them. Seriously they are flipping amazing. I'll leave a link to their channel after this post.

I am also uploading another YouTube video today and this video is the first in (what I hope to be …when I can think of another topic for it) a series called 'Ginger Rants' where I am ranting as a wannabe ginger. :') So yeah, I hope you find that cool and stuff.

I love you guys so much and thank you once again for all of the amazing feedback and stuff you have been giving me. I cannot explain how cool it feels.

Alright I'll check in with you all soon.

Megan xxx

P.S It is probably best if you listen to these playlists on a laptop as SOME (not ALL) of the videos for the songs are not available on mobile devices. I will fix this issue soon but, for now, these are what will stay on the playlists.

Playlist 1: "Easter 2014 'Chill Out' Playlist"
Playlist 2: "Easter 2013 'Feel Good' Playlist"

P.P.S Here is PENTATONIX's channel.

P.P.P.S Here is my THIRD video (I'll stop doing the counting thing soon too I promise!)

Update & Second Video!

Hello, my lovelies!

So since it is the Easter holidays (FINALLY!) I thought I would write a quick post letting you know about a small change I've made.

I have wiped my YouTube account clean (apart from the upload I added on my birthday). I have removed my cover of Almost Is Never Enough for the one and only reason that I didn't feel proud of the effort I made. I will be starting YouTube from scratch starting with the video I uploaded on Sunday. I have managed to film 5 more videos since my spontaneous last upload so I'll be releasing them slowly for the next few weeks however there will be a link to a new one at the end of this post.

It will not always be a YouTube video by the way. There will be blog posts too but just whilst I'm launching my channel, it would be awesome if any of my lovely readers could bare with me. I WILL be writing properly again!

I just wanted to quickly let you know before you go straight to the video that I didn't make the video to 'show off' everything I got, it was just to make you aware of the products so that you can get them for yourself if you like the sound or look of them.

Thank you so much for the lovely comments you have made on my last video whether you wrote in the comment section or told me in person. Love you all so much. Also, thank you so my subscribers! I didn't expect to get any at all for my first video so that was also a lovely birthday treat :)

Okay so here you go, my second video, "'Burfdai' Gifts and Haul"!

Hope you enjoy
Love you all so much

Lots of love
Megan xxx

It's ma burfdai & CHANNEL LAUNCH!!

Hello, my lovelies!

IT'S MY BURFDAIIIIIIIIIII! I can now take my first ever driving lesson …everyone please stay away from the roads for the next year or so because I will most probably be a dangerous driver :')

So I thought, on my birthday, I would launch my first ever YouTube video and embarrass myself as a little birthday present to myself!

This won't be a long written post today as I thought I would just let you get to watching my video but there are just a few things I wanted to say before you have a look…
I want to thank my cousin, Lucie, for agreeing to let me share the…interesting footage with you guys. I would also like to say that if you happen to like the video, it would be great (and also humiliating on mine and Lucie's part) if you could Share, Like, and Comment on the video and also if you would like to be updated when I upload, Subscribe to my channel :)

So here you go…my first YouTube video. Hope you enjoy and do not love me any less because of my embarrassing behaviour.

Love you lots guys!
Megan xxx

Westfield Haul!

Hello, my lovelies!

Hope you're all well! Today I wanted to tell you about the products I purchased on my most recent shopping trip to Westfield so I'll get straight into it!

Lush 

I have been in Lush a few times before and I have only just begun to purchase things from there (I have no idea why I hadn't been practically living in there before). This time, I got four things which smell bloody AMAZING. I hope you enjoy me attempting to describe their scents :') 

1. 'Honey Bee'

I have bought this one before and so I already know that this bath bomb smells lovely. It's quite sweet but not sickly sweet (in my opinion) and smells of honey (my capability of description is on point today as you can tell). All you do is run a bath and then put the whole thing into the bath. I do have to say, however, that this does not look very attractive when fizzing up in the bath due to the yellow colour but I promise it's worth it. These bath bombs cost £3.25 each.

2. 'The Immaculate Eggception' 

Since this is an Easter-time special, I thought I would give this bath bomb a go. Once again, this is quite a sweet smell but I quite like it. Apparently, there is something inside the bath bomb so I was very intrigued to find out what the fuss is all about. This one was the most expensive product I purchased as they are sold at £6.95 each. 

3. 'Green Bubbleroon'

This is another amazing product I have already tried out. This is basically a bubble maker. You basically have to put the product under the tap and rub it into the bath. It smells more fresh than sweet which makes having a bath using it very relaxing. This product is sold at £3.50 each (but I think I may have only had to pay a cheeky £3.50 for two pieces). Buy this! It's soooooo good. 

4. 'Dorothy'

I went for something different with my second bubble/soap product and this smelt a little different to the others. It smells quite fresh too with a little sweetness. It basically smells of rainbows…hence the rainbow on the top. This costs £3.25 per piece. 

Clothes

When looking around all of the clothing shops, the colours that seemed to be frequently appearing were coral and lime green - colours you would usually associate with spring. This made me feel like I had to have these colours and so I bought a few tops from different shops:

1. Topshop

Front of T-Shirt

Back of T-Shirt

This shopping trip was all about the tops even though the main thing I am in desperate need of is jeans. I have, in the past, got a few nice bits and bobs from Topshop but this time, I bought the most flattering and pretty top I have had in a long time! It is a floral-patterned t-shirt with dark blue, hot pink and lime green colours all over it. This item is £34. 

2. Dorothy Perkins

Front of Vest Top

Back of Vest Top

For this item, I was thinking about the transition between spring and summer as vest tops are perfect for this time. I LOVE the lime green coloured stripes and the zip at the back of this vest top as these give it a bit of an interesting edge. This item was £20. 

Front of T-Shirt

Back of T-Shirt

This is the final item I bought and it is another floral-print t-shirt. As you can see, both coral and lime green colours are all over this and so I loved it instantly. When I tried it on, I felt really comfy and I am one of those types of people who loves to be comfortable. This t-shirt was £18. 

So those were all of the items I bought. I am so excited to try out the Lush products and I am planning to get a lot of wear out of all of these new tops. 

Hope you enjoyed my awkward modelling attempt! Vogue better be in touch soon :') Love you all lots!

Megan xxx

P.S Here are the links to all of the products I have mentioned in this post: 

Lush Links (Home Page of Wesbite - https://www.lush.co.uk)

'Honey Bee' - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/202/Honey-Bee-Bath-Bomb

'The Immaculate Eggception' - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/5837/The-Immaculate-Eggception---Pink

'Green Bubbleroon' - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/5659/Green-Bubbleroon
'Dorothy' - https://www.lush.co.uk/product/132/Dorothy-Bubble-Bar
Topshop (Home Page of Website - http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12556&catalogId=33057)
T-Shirt - http://www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/tops-443/t-shirts-2290019/blue-orchid-tee-2582374?refinements=category~%5b256506%7c208524%5d&bi=1&ps=200
Dorothy Perkins (Home Page of Website - http://www.dorothyperkins.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/TopCategoriesDisplay?storeId=12552&catalogId=33053&cmpid=DPSS10_L_2650&_$ja=cgid:1693933948%7Ctsid:19766%7Ccid:52283188%7Clid:1279005594%7Cnw:g%7Ccrid:35745692428%7Crnd:621850737922880555%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1t1&gclid=COGrouafp70CFeKWtAodensA1w&geoip=home)
Striped Vest Top - http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/clothing-203535/tops-t-shirts-1974337/limewhite-stripe-waffle-shell-2779306?refinements=Colour%7b1%7d~%5bgreen%5d&bi=1&ps=20
T-Shirt - http://www.dorothyperkins.com/en/dpuk/product/clothing-203535/tops-t-shirts-1974337/petite-1929563/petite-floral-quilted-tee-2767125?refinements=category~%5b1163172%7c208650%5d&bi=1&ps=200

'Cause I have some bad days

Hello, my lovelies!

Gawd I can't believe I haven't spoken to you all for over a month! I really miss writing on here so I want to get back into the monthly routine so I can give myself a break from college every once and a while.

Today, I wanted to go back to one of my previous posts and just tell you a little bit about why, at that point, I may have been wrong in some ways (NOT COMPLETELY). In THIS blog post, I said this;

"I know some people may read this blog and think “this girl is so strange!” Yes. Yes I am strange. But I am incredibly proud to say that I no longer care". 

For the past few weeks, being at college and with friends and at parties etc. has made me realise that of course I care! I am an incredibly paranoid person and so when somebody even does as much as mention my name, I come to the conclusion that this person dislikes me or is bitching about me or wants me to remove myself from the face of the earth. I suppose that is quite a dramatic approach to what I'm trying to explain (I'm not that bad, I promise!) but sometimes that is a dramatised version of how I feel. 

I wonder sometimes, "what if I were a sporty person?" or "what if I had really curly hair instead of boring dead straight hair?" or sometimes even "what if I were a completely different person? Would people like me more?" However, I then remember some of the things I have been taught growing up such as "your real friends will be the ones who love you for who you are no matter how crazy or shy or funny or even GINGER you are" and "you shouldn't live your life trying to please people who, at the end of the day, won't be there forever. Be yourself, and you'll please the people who will stick around." Those things make me feel like I don't have to change, but sometimes I do go on my 'wild' fitness programmes (like at the moment, I have put a fitness playlist together for myself on YouTube and I'm going swimming every Saturday morning haha!) or my 'be a better human being' goals just because I feel like change can be good sometimes.

 I don't know one person, not even one, who doesn't care about what people think of them (even if they pretend they don't or cancel the bad thoughts out) but I know that unfortunately, some people can't deal with their paranoia and cannot cope with being themselves. So on that note, I thought I would finish by saying if one of those people happen to be you, remember that you don't have to change for anybody whether they are your family, friends, enemy, boyfriend, girlfriend, the popular people in your college/school, or even your pet. If they care about you, they wouldn't want you to change for the world. 

Thank you for reading, lovies! 

Megan xxx

P.S Thought I would end on a high note and show you this image of a baby kangaroo I saw on Twitter. :) xxx