Dancer Free

Hi,

Firstly, I want to explain my online name: Dancer Free

I know what you're thinking, and I agree, it is a very strange name to sign a blog post off with, but hear me out.

I came up with the name Dancer Free after reading the book Girl Online by Zoe Sugg (a.k.a Zoella)

In Girl Online, the main character Penny, suffers from anxiety and panic attacks, just like I do. In order to work through her anxiety, she creates an alter ego. Whenever she feels anxious, Penny simply takes on the persona of her alter ego, Ocean Strong, who is confident and courageous. 

Dancer Free is my alter ego. To people who don't suffer with anxiety and panic attacks, the idea of this may seem strange and maybe even a little silly, but in the past few weeks, in any situation in which I felt uncomfortable or anxious, all I had to do was act like Dancer Free. I have not had a panic attack since I read Girl Online, because every time I feel the panic rising up inside me, I am able to shake it off.

I chose to call my alter ego Dancer Free because, as somebody with very severe anxiety, the one thing that I want is to be free;  to go wherever I want without having to worry about having a panic attack; to get on an aeroplane without having to worry about having a heart attack or the plane crashing; to do what I want to do, without a care in the world. Dance is something that allows me to feel free. When I dance, I forget about my agoraphobia,my asthenophobia and my acrophobia. Dancing is my way of escaping from the anxiety that follows me like a shadow. 

This is the first blog post that I have ever written, so you're going to have to bear with me as I try to develop a sense of what I want this blog to focus on. 

I still don't really know a whole lot about where I want to go with this blog, and its definitely going to take me a few weeks to get the hang of it, but I hope I will eventually be able to provide entertainment and advice to anybody who chooses to read my blog.

I hope this blog post hasn't been too rambly or long, but I've done my best.

If you have any feedback, tips for coping with anxiety, similar experiences or questions, I would love if you shared them in the comments below.

Thats all from me,

Dancer Free xx