When Panic Feels Real: How to Regain Control of Your Mind and Heart
When Panic Feels Real: How to Regain Control of Your Mind and Heart One Thursday afternoon, as I prepared for my next class, a colleague knocked on my office door. Something about him felt off even before he spoke. His posture was slouched, his movements unsettled, and his presence carried a quiet kind of chaos. When he finally opened his mouth, the words did not come , they rushed out all at once, tangled and urgent. “Brother… I am finished.” I paused and looked at him. “What’s happening?” I asked gently. He stood there , defeated, mentally cluttered, and emotionally drained , as if his thoughts had turned against him all at once. I immediately recognized that my colleague was emotionally and mentally overwhelmed. At first, I couldn’t make sense of what he was saying , his words were rushed, scattered, and competing with each other. By this time, he was sweating profusely. I gently slowed him down. “Pause,” I said. “Just for a few seconds.” I asked him to breathe in and then out...