Purple Moon Blog Tour!

1:00 AM

 Today I am taking part of a blog tour for a wonderful book Purple Moon by Tessa Hall (you can read my review here). I have followed Tessa for a long time and was so excited to see her book finally published. She is on my blog today talk about how she dealt with anxiety



Dealing with Anxiety: The Spiritual IV
(The previous fact or fiction was TRUE.)
It was the summer of when I was fifteen, and my family was staying with another family at their beach house in Florida. We decided to start the first day of our vacation off by running along the shore. After a while of running, I started feeling weak, and I just couldn’t seem to keep up with everyone. The morning Florida sun was beating down, which only made it difficult to keep going. And as I started realizing that everyone was getting further and further ahead of me, I started to panic and hyperventilate.
Somehow, I was able to get my mom’s attention. She and her friend immediately came to me and tried to calm me down—but it was too late. My face was pale, and my lips were already turning blue.
There weren’t many people along the beach this early June morning, so I was very fortunate that a couple sat underneath an umbrella right next to us. Since we didn’t seem to have a choice, we asked the couple if they had anything for me to eat or drink. I’d never been so grateful to see a bottle of Gatorade in my entire life.
I sat underneath the umbrella and sipped on the Gatorade, trying to focus on breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth as my mom placed a cool, damp paper towel on the back of my neck. Meanwhile—after we called for beach patrol, a guy apparently witnessed this scene. He quickly ran to a nearby gas station and soon came back with a candy bar for me.
The snacks definitely prevented me from passing out. However, I still couldn’t seem to stop hyperventilating. After the beach patrol came, they took my blood pressure and realized that I needed to go to the hospital.
It was very difficult to keep from panicking, especially since I was already short of breath—but somehow, as I sat in the back of the Beach Patrol truck on the way to an ambulance, the rush of the wind seemed to relax me as I closed my eyes and prayed.
As soon as I was transferred into the ambulance, I remember the nurse telling me that she was going to stick an IV in me.
“Will it…help me breathe?” I asked in between breaths.
“Yes,” she replied, “but it might hurt a little.”
At that point, I didn’t care how much pain it might cause. I just wanted to breathe clearly again.
Later that day, I found out that I had dehydrated. I was also told that I had vagal response syndrome, which is when your body overreacts to certain triggers, and is common in small-framed teenagers.

(Standing on the beach where I almost passed days before)
Unfortunately, this would be the first of a few more similar episodes (only one of which I had to go back to the hospital). For a long time afterwards, I was terrified of having another episode. I couldn’t even go to the movies to see an action-packed movie without feeling claustrophobic and short of breath.
Of course, the fear of having an episode only made it worse—especially when I was on the verge of hyperventilating and would start to, simply because I was so afraid. I got to the point where I wouldn’t work out much since it caused me to be short of breath.
Not too long ago, I found out that I am also hypoglycemic (which is caused by low blood sugar). To put it short, I start shaking and feeling very weak only a few hours after I eat.
I haven’t had an episode in a few years, which I am very grateful for. However, I was very close to having one on Labor Day of this year.
I was visiting my sister who lives at the beach, and we were planning on spending the day riding bikes on an island. I’d had cereal that morning—but a few hours later, after we ordered our rental bikes, I noticed that I was shaking…a lot. And it didn’t help that the humidity was extremely high, either.
We had to go on a ten minute bike ride just to find a place that sold food. Although I was pedaling way slower than I usually do, the rush of the wind helped cool me off and calm me down enough until we reached a place that sold Luna Bars.
It wasn’t until we got off the bikes and went inside did the panic really hit me. I was shaking even more than before, and it was all I could do to prevent myself from hyperventilating.
I sat down with my two Luna Bars and a Gatorade (seriously, those drinks are a life saver) and tried my best to calm down. Now, I’m sure the breathing part was just due to anxiety, because it wasn’t until I started thinking about how badly I did not want to go to the hospital did I start to experience the most trouble.
And if I hadn’t learn how to focus on God and His peace, I’m almost positive that I would’ve had to go to the hospital again.


(Later that day. As you can see, I felt much better =)
Every time I come close to panicking, I force myself to recall when the hospital put an IV on my arm—or in other words, “the machine that calmed me down and helped me breathe”. I believe that hooking myself up to a “spiritual IV” is the very thing that can help calm me down when I start to feel anxious.
I’m sure we’ve all struggled with anxiety at one point or another in our lives. And not to give away any spoilers—but in Purple Moon, Selena frequently suffers from anxiety attacks. Honestly, I’m not even sure when I decided to incorporate that into the story, but it was definitely God’s doing. Because of Purple Moon—not only was I able to relate with those who suffer with anxiety, but I was also able to write from experience and find healing in the process.
 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
~
Philippians 4:6-7
In the midst of anxiety, hook yourself up to a spiritual IV by calling upon God. As mentioned in the above scripture, His peace will immediately come and still your anxious heart. Set your mind on Him only, and nothing else. That is the secret that I have learned, and I believe that this is what prevented me from hyperventilating during my last episode.
You have control over your mind, body, and emotions. Don’t let anxiety hold you back from experiencing your life. Instead, overcome anxiety by showing it that it is not going to have any power over you.
Besides, why would you pay for a trip to the hospital when a free spiritual IV is available to you 24/7?



Fact or Fiction?:

Guess this fact or fiction, and be sure to stop by the next blog tour stop to see if you guessed correctly! (You’ll also receive one extra entry for the “Purple Moon” Prize Pack if you send me your guess.)

"Purple Moon” Prize Pack!

Purple Moon” Blog Tour Stops:
Don’t forget to stop by the blog tour’s next stop to increase your chances of winning the PURPLE MOON Prize Pack!
Wednesday, September 18th: Purple Moon Blog Tour Launch: The Story Behind the Story: Christ is Write
Thursday, September 19th: 5 Facts about Purple Moon: Kim Vandel
Friday, September 20th: Character Sketches + Character Cast Contest: Who YA Reading?
Monday, September 23rd: Behind the Scenes: Why I Chose Lake Lure: Words to Dreams
Tuesday, September 24th: Release Day! Selena’s Diary Entry + Creative Photo Contest: Writing for Young Adults
Wednesday, September 25th: Austin’s Diary Entry: Amy’s Book Blog
Thursday, September 26th: Q & A: Notebook Sisters
 Friday, September 27th: Purple Moon Playlist: Ashley Carr  
Monday, September 30th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Wooden Swings: Heather Brice   
Tuesday, October 1st: Dealing With Anxiety—The Spiritual IV: The Destiny of One  
Wednesday, October 2nd: Q & A: Saved by Grace
Thursday, October 3rd: Behind the Scenes: Name Meanings: Labor Not In Vain
Friday, October 4th: Is It Okay To Be An Introvert?: Alex Inks It  
Monday, October 7th: Story Behind the Cover Art: Candy Apple Books
Tuesday, October 8th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Cherishing the Sunrise: Author Casey Bond
Wednesday, October 9th: Q & A: Writing While the Rice Boils
Thursday, October 10th: Behind the Scenes: Christian Human Videos: Writing in Wonderland  
Friday, October 11th: Teenage Substance Abuse: Emily Rachelle  
Monday, October 14th: Behind the Scenes: Lake Lure Academy of the Arts: Worthy 2 Read
Tuesday, October 15th: My Middle & High School Experience: Hello Highlights  
Wednesday, October 16th: Purple Moon Excerpt: Meatless Turkey Sandwich: Diane Estrella  
Thursday, October 17th: Body Image Laurel’s Leaves
Friday, October 18th: Behind the Scenes: Brewer’s Coffee: A Splash of Ink
Monday, October 21st: Purple Moon Excerpt: Farkle at the Park: A Slightly Nerdy Bookworm
Tuesday, October 22nd: Teenage Dating: Tell The World
Wednesday, October 23rd: Q & A: The YA Book Stack
 Thursday, October 24th: How Much of My Personal Life Did I Put Into “Purple Moon”?: Read For Your Future
Friday, October 25th: Fairy tales & Happy Endings + Contest Winners!: Inspiring Daring

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3 comments

  1. Thank you for sharing. One thing about suffering from anxiety attacks is that for me it always made (makes) me feel alone in it and that I'm messed up in some way. It's a help to know about other's who struggle- and conquer!- this same issue. God is good, and He is my strength. Looking forward to reading your book! Thanks again for the guest post. ^.^

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