Debbi
No worries, you are just emotionally exhausted. You have been running on adrenalin, anxiety, threats, fears, and feeling bad about what you think are your failures.
Number one you are not a failure either as a mom or a person. You are having a perfectly normal reaction to all the stress, hurt and pain in your life.
Being afraid to wake up the next day, I KNOW how that feels. The dread of trying to live thru another day of anxiety, tears, tension, fears, its like you are overwhelmed. Well girl you are overwhelmed, you have to concentrate on making yourself feel better. I know right now this seems impossible, so many issues pressing in on you and you feel like you cannot cope with one more thing!
Take just five minutes when you wake up to center your mind and harmonize your emotions, just sit quietly and breathe, think of nothing but following your breath. Notice your chest rising and falling, notice the air in and out of your nose or mouth, and everytime your thoughts wander, gently bring them back to the breath.
Then begin the day and know that within you is the power to be calm and unafraid of the things to come. Dont think about tomorrow or the next day but live in the moment. Keep your mind occupied with tasks around the house and with your child.
Whenever you begin to feel anxious relax towards that feeling, know what it is, you have had it before and it has never killed you. It is uncomfortable, yes, but it is just a feeling, do not fear it and it will pass.
If the panic monster is lurking there also, relax your body, just go limp in a chair and tell the panic to come, tell it to come and do its worst. Even if you can manage this for a minute or 2 you will begin to know that you will be okay and it will all pass.
Fearing the symptoms is what keeps the anxiety and panic alive. Thoughts generate the symptoms, so change your thoughts whenever you notice that you are worrying that another panic attack might happen, snap it off like a light switch.
It might not happen right away, but try this everyday and soon it will get easier. Learn to let it go. Take care of the now and present.
Know that healing takes time. You are very tired, oversensitized and fatigued. Dont push yourself too hard and dont get into the negative talk.