First of all I wanna say I wouldn’t have gotten my life back if it wasn’t for DARE.
4 years ago I had my first anxiety attack driving my car ever since then panic attacks and anxiety kept coming frequently.
I was desperate for answers, I couldn’t leave my house nor do daily normal activities. I felt trapped, lonely, and lost all hope until I picked up a book in the library called DARE.
I read it and as soon as I finished it, it made sense. It changed my perspective on anxiety and panic attacks so I downloaded the app and practiced the DARE steps every day with exposure and I’ve gained momentum every time I would accomplish a dare. I felt like my old self again.
I made a promise that I would get my first tattoo of something that saved my life and brings me light, so I got a reminder on my arm of DARE and a powerful quote about comfortability.
Trust me, it’s not easy but you have to put that work in. It gets better and slowly you’ll start trusting yourself again.
The compass in the tattoo has the words DARE in it. Basically the compass has led me to the scroll therefore finding my treasure and teaching me that we are more than anxiety
UPDATE:
I wanted to share my trip to Pittsburgh that I took to see one of my favorite music artist’s murals and the beautiful scenery. There is hope for anyone out there who thinks they will never live their lives again.
I want to share my story—anxiety has taken four years of my life from me, living in fear and sadness until I mustered up the courage to expose myself to my fears, such as driving, traveling, and everyday activities.
With every exposure comes a step closer to freedom, and we get stronger from this. DARE really helps; we will have our setbacks, but we don’t give up. We get back up and keep going.
On this trip, I had complete freedom. This was one of my biggest exposures. Not only did I have to face my fear of getting on a plane, but I also rented a car and drove in a new state where I wasn’t familiar. I’ve gained 100% trust in myself from this, daring all the way through.
I was drownin’, but now I’m swimmin’
Through stressful waters to relief
Lets begin to swim again and enjoy our freedom
❤️ Jamir V.