Yahoo News Little Mix's Perrie Edwards opens up about her panic attacks in moving post
Little Mix star Perrie Edwards has opened up about her panic attacks in a moving Instagram post.
The singer went into detail describing her experiences over the past few years with anxiety, saying that when she first started experiencing the symptoms she felt as if she was losing her mind.
Describing her first panic attack, Perrie wrote: "I felt like I was having a heart attack, I was so scared and confused and had no idea what was happening to me. I’m not sure what triggered that first one but it soon spiralled & I found myself in a really dark place, feeling alone and scared.
A post shared by Perrie Edwards ✌️🌻 (@perrieedwards) on Apr 17, 2019 at 8:55am PDT
"It affected me so badly that I didn’t even want to leave the house. I would step foot out the door and feel the overwhelming need to go straight back inside. It completely took over my life."
Perrie went on to say her physical attacks have stopped but "unfortunately the anxiety still lives on. The reality is it probably always will."
What helped her the most, Perrie revealed, was discovering she was not alone and that there were other people who were feeling the same way she was.
The singer also credited therapy and talking to others, as well as working out coping mechanisms and 'learning what the triggers are so that I can fight the attacks before they take hold'.
Perrie ended her post by stating: "I don’t want to hide it anymore. I suffer from anxiety and I want you to all know if you suffer from anxiety you’re not alone."
The singer's bandmate Jesy Nelson has also been opening up about mental health as she prepares to tackle the subject in a BBC documentary.
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Announcing the project last month, Jesy said: "It's a subject that's really close to my heart. One in four men and women suffer from mental health.
"It's a subject that I personally think that we don't speak about enough. I'm making this film because I really, really want to make a change and a difference to other people's lives.
"More details will be coming soon, but I'm so happy to finally say that I am doing this."
We would encourage anyone who identifies with the topics raised in this article to reach out. Organisations who can offer support include Samaritans on 116 123 (www.samaritans.org) or Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to visit mentalhealth.gov.
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