Something happened today that has not happened in a long long time.
A friend called me early this morning - actually I was just waking up and still lounging in bed. He wanted to meet at a local coffee house and have breakfast before he went home to sleep (he works nights).
I freshened up a bit, dressed and went down to the coffee house. An hour and a half later, I was on my way home.
Now, I have been able to navigate through a visit to the coffee house before. But here are the differences:
1) I didn't even THINK about possibly having anxiety or a panic attack as I was getting ready or while I was driving to my destination.
2) I had almost no anxiety while there - and it was not with me the entire time, just a couple of short spurts that lasted no more than a few minutes each.
3) I did not feel as if I had to fight to maintain control of myself - instead I actually relaxed a bit and enjoyed the visit.
All in all, this was probably the most normal I have felt in longer than I care to think about.
I know I am not out of the woods yet, but this morning was soooo encouraging. Even this afternoon, I still feel pretty good.
To make the day even better, the sun is out - it has been dreary the last few days, what with tropical storms marching across my state. But I think even if it was raining cats and dogs, I would still fee pretty sunny today.