Rough Nights

I haven't had a panic attack in nearly a year. Last night was a bad one. I went to bed relatively early for me, when I awoke in the middle of the night feeling as if I could catch my breath, it scared me so bad that feeling which triggered the panic attack. Since the death of my niece I have been baracading myself in my room at night which is something I did not used to do. I always slept with the door open, but as of late this is how it's been. I remember when I was diagnosed with my panic disorder I was instructed to avoid stimulating triggers, smoking, coffee anything with caffeine in it and chocolate, those were my triggers when I was overly stimulated, if you have never had a panic attack you wouldn't know what I deal with when it happens. It can last from a few minutes to as long as a day and I'm powerless to stop them from happening, then it dawned on me. I have been spending a lot of time up at my cousins and have had my fair share of sugary drinks which is something that I don't do when I am home. I don't keep that stuff in my house, but for the last month and a half I have been drinking up to three cups of tea per day. Tea also has caffeine, but not as much as coffee but it's still a stimulant at least for me. I have been good about watching what my triggers are and absentmindedly I have been helping it right along. I 'm still a little shaky, but with God's help I will beat this thing.