This isn't a further political rant.
I want to talk about something that I didn't expect my antidepressant to help with.
It wasn't on my radar at all. (unintended pun)
Antidepressants help with depression and anxiety.
I didn't know they can also help with phobias.
I have had a severe weather phobia for as long as I can remember.
I know I have blogged about it previously.
Was it a coincidence that my phobia improved when I started taking the antidepressant?
I don't think so.
My weather phobia made my life very difficult at times.
Living in Texas, severe weather can happen year around.
I would obsessively check weather forecasts, worry for days, and go to great lengths to make sure I wasn't alone during a storm.
It was exhausting, frustrating, and negatively affected my physical and emotional health.
I am not cured of my weather phobia, but it is SO MUCH better.
I don't check forecasts like I used to, and I understand that forecasts can change, so there is no reason to worry days in advance.
I rarely have the physical symptoms like a racing heart, restlessness, and feelings of fight or flight.
I have finally learned to feel safe. The wind can howl and the rain can beat on the windows, but I know I am protected, even if I am alone.
Weather doesn't rule my life anymore, and I am grateful every day for the calmness I can experience, even in the height of a storm.
librarianintx
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