Does anyone else feel like weird things always happen in the mall? The mall can be a recipe for disaster sometimes. There’s just so many people all together at once. Anyway, I digress.
It was a Saturday afternoon when I decided I needed to buy a new outfit to go out that night. Because we all know females can’t wear the same things twice.
So I decided to go to the mall. Willowbrook Mall to be exact. Now, if you’re from New Jersey you know this is the mall to come to if you are trying to avoid massive amounts of people. That is why I stay far away from Garden State Plaza.
I know The Willowbrook Mall off the back of my hand. If you ask me to walk around the mall with my eyes closed, I bet I could find every store. This was my go-to mall for all my last minute needs.
As I was walking through the mall everything seemed okay. This wasn’t anything new. I walked around the mall all the time. That was until now…
Everything got dark, everyone got tall, and I felt small. I froze in the middle of the store, Cotton On and I dropped my clothes on the counter. It felt like the walls were closing in on me. I just knew I had to get out of there.
I got out of there so fast. It felt like I was running. Everything got so blurry as my eyes welled up with tears, so I couldn’t tell if anyone was staring at me or not. Even though it sure felt like they were.
As I got closer to the exit it felt like I had completely lost all of my senses. I couldn’t hear anything. Just a piercing ringing sound in my ear. I couldn’t see anything. My throat felt closed shut. I felt like I was a tiny little girl in this gigantic mean world where everything felt like it was falling apart.
This is what my panic attack looks like. Other times they can be a lot more tamed. Did I make it out of there? Yes, of course, I did. Time moves so slow when anxiety kicks in. It is so easy to feel helpless. Think of it as a wave that comes and goes. Try using these grounding techniques!
As always, thanks so much for reading! Questions, comments, and feedback are always welcome. If you enjoyed this post, please comment, like and share! Make sure to check out my Instagram; @T_scorner 💋
Tiani Angela 