When I tell you
I had a panic attack,
I don’t want you
to seek solutions.
I don’t need you to fix
the broken spoke in my mind.
Any answers you search,
I have already come across.
The techniques,Â
the distractions,Â
the comforts,
I already know about them.
I have been applying them.
They are not foolproofÂ
They are not a godsendÂ
They are not the grand answer
that will rectify everything.
I will struggle with my anxiety.
I will cry through my panic attacks.
I will burrow under a blanket to hide from the world.
But… Â
I will also trudge through the trench of worries and fears.
I will continue on with my life,
improving upon myself as I do.
So when I tell you
I had a panic attack,
just listen.
I am telling you,
not for your solution,
but because this is my coping method.
Talking is my process.
And what I need from you
is to say “dang, that sucks.”
Or “I get it, I’ve been there.”
Don’t laughÂ
or poke fun at
me
Don’t diagnose
or categorize
me
just listen.
please…
just listen.