I'm a stay-at-home working mom of two lovely boys and a junior project manager at a small startup. Last month, I had what I now know was a panic attack. It started with a small chest pain. I couldn’t breathe, my chest felt heavy, and there was some discomfort in my left shoulder. For a few horrific seconds, I thought something was seriously wrong with me. Thank God my mom was there to help and take care of everything. Funny thing, my doc confirmed it wasn’t a heart attack but a panic attack due to severe stress.
Stress? I told him I had no stress. I was perfectly fine! I was handling it all, work deadlines, my kiddos, laundry, meals, and keeping the house semi-presentable. But my doctor strictly advised me not to take it easy: have two weeks off, go for a short vacation, and prescribed me some antidepressants and meditation exercises.
The thought of taking two weeks off was stressful on its own. My OM wasn’t going to be happy about it. :/ But I did it. I took the two weeks off, and for the first time in months, I sat in silence. That’s when I realized how disconnected I had become from myself. I played with my babies, enjoyed being a mom, and decided to complete all my unfinished books.
The first thing I picked up was Ikigai from my mini library at home. I started reading it during my baby’s naps, and somehow those short chapters calmed me down. It wasn’t even about finding “my purpose.” It was just… slowing down enough to breathe again.
So I’ve started going for 10-minute morning walks around my neighborhood before everyone wakes up. I put on my slippers and hoodie and stroll through the quiet streets. I use apps like Calm or Headspace, or I play short YouTube sessions from The Honest Guys for guided meditation. Sometimes it’s just soothing sounds: rain, ocean waves, soft piano, whatever helps me slow down for a few minutes.
Being a mom has taught me to always be prepared, so I keep a fanny pack with my iPhone, a napkin, my reading glasses, hand sanitizer, keys, lip balm, an iniu mini power bank for charging my phone, gum, a glove, a pair of socks, batteries, a lighter, some body spray, earbuds, and some peanuts.
It’s actually been a few weeks, and I’m already noticing real changes. My mornings don’t feel rushed anymore. I stopped checking Slack before sunrise. I even got back into journaling, just 2–3 lines about what I’m grateful for. The anxiety still shows up sometimes, but it doesn’t control me the way it used to.
If you’re reading this and have been running on fumes, please pause. You don’t need to change your life overnight. Start small. Read a page, take a walk, breathe. And if you can find even one moment of peace in the chaos, hold on to it; it’s the beginning of everything.
Hope this helps someone, and thank you for reading this far 🙂
Didn't know the importance of slowing down, until now!
byu/Traditional-Way-8097 inFrugal
Posted by Traditional-Way-8097
9 Comments
This post couldn’t have come to me at a better time! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve known I need to make changes for a while but it’s all been coming to a head. Life is short, be present!
Helpful post, thank you.
Honey, I honestly think your Dr might be gaslighting you. Panic attacks generally do not present as shoulder and chest pain…
There are tons of people passing from “SADS” or Sudden Adult Death Syndrome in recent years because something is destroying people’s hearts that the medical community refuses to acknowledge. There ARE professionals studying it and trying but too many doctors a running the MOST basic tests and saying “it’s not a heart attack so it must be stress” when there are hundreds of other things that can actually stop the heart or cause it to struggle. HELL, even other organs failing can trigger referred pain to these areas because our biology knows that this specific pain gets us help.. instead the ignorance of modern medicine is failing the majority of us..
Do NOT allow them to medically gaslight you.. too many of us have been medically gaslit our whole lives.. imagine how your children will feel if they find out mommy dropped dead from heart failure (or liver failure, kidney failure, undetected cancer, etc) because she let the doctors convince her it was just stress…
I am so happy for you! You sound like a weight you couldn’t see has been lifted from you. I have had these breaks and slowly but surely I return back to where I was. I nee to figure out how to stay in check and avoid the return.
I think you need r/slowliving
I’m 57 and completely burned out. It’s been coming for years but I ignored all the signs. I applaud you for listening to you instincts and taking care of yourself.
What does this seemingly-ChatGPTed post have to do with frugality?
Good for you! Thank you for sharing, and for your encouragement. I have realized I’m in need of a similar break, and have resolved to take the rest of the year off to slow down and soul-search.
I don’t have a job. I’ve been rejected hundreds of times the past 10 months. Maybe, just maybe, I’m realizing that this is a blessing in disguise. An opportunity to attempt something greater.
Best wishes to you and your family!
> I was handling it all, work deadlines, my kiddos, laundry, meals, and keeping the house semi-presentable
Yep you actually *weren’t* handling it all, because self-care is an important item that didn’t make your list. It’s important to find time in the day to care for yourself, even if it’s just a 10 minute walk in your slippers.