The Dos and Don'ts Of Helping Someone During A Panic Attack

Excuse my crude drawing but this is something really important that really needs to be talked about. I have panic and anxiety attacks on a weekly (sometimes even daily) basis and they are normally in public for that is when I am usually in my biggest state of panic or anxiety. Being around others can make the attack even worse for some people don't know what to do while I am going through this. I am not saying that these people are bad or anything. I am sure they have good intentions but just aren't used to these kinds of scenarios. Here, I have created a list of dos and don'ts of what you should do when helping someone during a state of panic. Remember: I am not a professional and though I know from my own experience and research, I am not able to fully cure a panic or anxiety attack.
Do:
Try and understand the situation. This DOES NOT mean press the person for questions but at least try and figure out what is causing this person to panic. Even if you don't get it fully, tell this person that you understand how they must be feeing. A lot of the time, I get really upset for I feel as though my emotions are stupid and as though I am just blowing everything out of proportion.
Don't
Do not joke around. One time, I had a panic attack on my friend's bed while another friend was over and the two of them just kind of began joking around about me having an attack and almost making fun of the things I had told them about what panic is. I did not tell this story so I could rant about how thoughtless they were acting (they are lovely people just a little clueless when it comes to this) but to say that I felt really terrible that my friends didn't realize how serious this was.
Do:
If this person is in a crowded room, tell people to back away and take the person out of the situation. No one likes being crowded around especially in a situation like this. If there is not another room this person can go into, inform people what is going on and clear out the space around the person having a panic attack.
Don't
NEVER tell someone having a panic or anxiety attack to "just calm down". Breaking this sentence down, every word counts. The use of the word just is extremely impactful. "JUST calm down." as though calming down is some extremely easy activity to do when you're brain is rushing and you're in such a state of panic. You should help this person calm down but merely telling them to will not just do nothing but hurt them even more.
Do:
Ask the person if there is anything you can do to help them. Sometimes, the thing this person needs the most is just to be left alone. If this person just wants their space, respect that and leave them alone. In some cases, the most helpful thing you can do is leave.
Don't:
I realize that someone breaking down like this can be rather frightening but saying that out loud to your friend who is going through this attack can make their experience even scarier. What you have to realize is that this person is going through a lot all at once and really shouldn't be focusing on what their friends and the people around them are saying. If you are scared, though you shouldn't be, get someone that can actually help instead of making it worse.
Do:
Tell this person you're here for them. A lot of times, people really don't feel as though others care for them. Telling someone this can really make a person feel better.
Don't:
Don't ever tell a person going through an anxiety or panic attack that it is nothing or what they're feeling is stupid. Though anxiety attacks only last for a few minutes, so much goes through you when you are having one. Though it may be hard to put yourself in the shoes of this said person, telling them that their feelings are invalid is not the way to go.

These are just a few things that are really important to learn about what to do when someone around you is having one of these attacks. To learn more about them, I suggest going to Psych Central.com I also have an amazing song the lovely, Peej Liguori covered that really gives you a good understanding of what an anxiety attack is.

-Ann

The Best Thing Ever: Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!

During hurricane Sandy, Vivi and I found probably the stupidest yet best show I have ever seen in my life. This beautiful show was Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job. Though Vivi has already talked about it in a post here, I felt it needed yet another post to follow up with. When people ask me what this magical show is about, it is seriously hard to describe it to the point where all I can say about it is that is that Tim and Eric is a skit show with extraordinarily stupid yet hilarious sketches that I cannot even explain why they are so funny. The reason why Viv and I love it so much is just kind of for the all out horribleness of the show. I am yet to see a part of that show that I can say made sense. Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim don't even know what their show means. Everything just seems to come out of nowhere and has no connection to what was previously shown. One of Vivi and I's favorite skits would have to be a man with a terrible quality puppet singing a song about how he is the best dad and his puppet is the best son to the point where it out of nowhere becomes a fight when both party could have achieved what they wanted. There are also just such good moments to quote with friends. Vivi and I will constantly laugh about the 100 Years Of Jackie Chan episode or just kind of out of nowhere quote Zach Galifianakis's memorable character, Terri Green, (who is known as a big star within the show) who for some reason runs an acting class and tells a boy that his new name is Fix The Fern Back and calls out
"Answer me fix the!". Stupid things that make no sense. How could you not love this show?
All in all, Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job is about the stupidest show on television and that is exactly why it is so lovable.
-Ann

I'm Sick Of Being The Bitch You Think I Am

So I have been going through a serious Kate Nash obsession lately and I found a lot of pretty things on Tumblr the other day and well so this happened....

-Ann

She Must Have Been Extraordinarily Beautiful Because The Mask She Wore Was Hideous

Here are my thoughts lately. I apolagize how unorganized and random they can be. Lately, everything seems to be mixed up in my head.

I really don't feel satisfied with myself at the moment. Not in the way that I hate myself but in the sense that I can't stand what I am making. I love blogging don't get me wrong but I am upset and unsatisfied for I just don't exactly want to wait for the things I want to do. You could possibly compare me to the song "Vienna" in which Billy Joel musically describes a child who is just so excited to start life. I am no doubt in the mindset of just a young girl who doesn't want to wait for life to begin.

I want to paint and write and take photos and make photo sets and videos. I want to write poetry in a cemetery or something or suddenly become a good singer and be in a band that wears an insane amount of eyeliner and makes you think of death and gets you all sad and stuff. I want to write songs and monologues and short videos and watch as the performers make my own work come to life and get all the credit so I can just sit there and be happy. 

With the theme of things that I want to create and experience in my time here on planet Earth, I am going to go to the ending paragraph from one of my favorite novels of all time, "Its Kind Of A Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini "Okay, I know you're thinking, "What is this? Kid spends a few days in the hospital and all his problems are cured?" But I'm not. I know I'm not. I can tell this is just the beginning. I still need to face my homework, my school, my friends. My dad. But the difference between today and last Saturday is that for the first time in a while, I can look forward to the things I want to do in my life. Bike, eat, drink, talk. Ride the subway, read, read maps. Make maps, make art. Finish the Gates application. Tell my dad not to stress about it. Hug my mom. Kiss my little sister. Kiss my dad. Make out with Noelle. Make out with her more. Take her on a picnic. See a movie with her. See a movie with Aaron. Heck, see a movie with Nia. Have a party. Tell people my story. Volunteer at 3 North. Help people like Bobby. Like Muqtada. Like me. Draw more. Draw a person. Draw a naked person. Draw Noelle naked. Run, travel, swim, skip. Yeah, I know it's lame, but, whatever. Skip anyway. Breathe... Live." 

So after having made a list of things, I am realizing what I really want to do: I want to breathe. I want to live. At the end of the book, Craig, the main character comes to the same realization I just did. These actions were given to me to complete and I should take them for they are mine. As groan worthy as it sounds, you can set anything you put your mind to. 

My head is kind of just mixed up at the moment and I don't even know what I am like anymore to the point where I become almost like a mirror in which I reflect what others want to see. I dress and act differently around different people to the point where I have almost lost a personality and just been a chameleon towards others. 

This post could be renamed "Ann Gets Really Random and Writes Her Mixed Up Thoughts Down Alongside Pictures Of Girls"

Picture Sources: Me, weheartit, me, Tumblr, me, Tumblr, weheartit

The Girl Who Never Sleeps

OK so I seriously am wide awake and it is one o'clock in the morning and I cannot go to sleep and I have a new room for I moved up to the attic and I just don't know what to do with myself. Oh my God and I have no idea what to do with myself. Bed selfies? Why not.

Ok look at the middle picture and tell me I do not look exactly like Carrie Hope Fletcher. Try to forget the giant Edward Cullen poster above my head... I am having a serious problem in which I cannot choose between listening to Sleeping With Sirens or All Time Low or just watching Supernatural. So I have this giant jar of trail mix that I'm binging on right now. Ok I seriously do not deserve to exist if this is what I do at 1 am. Now I want to light a candle but I don't have a match or lighter. Life is not OK. It is seven O'clock in the morning in Italy. I'm hoping Pietro is up so he can make me feel a little less pathetic. Wait, who is up at seven in the morning on a summer day? OK pause for a second to show how perfect my room looks. This was taken a couple days OK by the way so it doesn't look exactly like this.

I think I should go to sleep now....

-Ann

Dream Girl: Ramona Flowers

Being the antisocial and rather lazy and unproductive person I am, you can imagine the amount of movies I have been watching over the couple weeks that I have been home. One of the many films that I have watched over and over again for the simple reason that it never gets old has been "Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World" aside from Michael Cera being perfection and the entire movie being completely ridiculous in every way possible, a little piece of utter perfection is the female love interest, Ramona Flowers. Not only is Ramona the most angst filled person, she has probably the coolest fashion sense and style I have ever seen on a movie character.
Ramona's signature thing has to be her hair. In the entire film, she changed her hair color from pink to blue to teal to green. Her explanation for the quick and impulsive color changes is "I change my hair color every week". Instead of asking how the hell she can afford to have her hair so professionally dyed every seven days, the audience kind of falls in love with her weird and impulsive traits.
Though most people I know at least are not able to copy or even pull off, Ramona's unique tresses, makeup and clothing is fairly easy for this interesting character. Ramona is not caught for most of the movie without a rather rugged yet lovable jacket (probably for the reason they are in in Canada). To mimic this rather tomboy and casual look, just take an old jacket of yours. I grabbed a wore out jean jacket that I haven't worn in months and decorated the entire piece with random patches and pins. I even sewed random buttons in weird places just to add onto the weird charm.
Makeup was even easier. Ramona Flower's eyes are simply lined and don't seem to have all that much to them. I did curl my lashes and added mascara to them just to make them a bit more interesting. Ramona's lips are the real attraction. She is usually wearing a red or bright lip tone that grabs attraction to her face.
Lastly, the hair. Though most people aren't able to pull off the brightly colored locks, Ramona's hair style is rather easy to copy. Though her hair is cut in the back, this style can work for all hair lengths. Just take your hair and leave two small chunks in the front as you put it up in a bun.
"I'm In Lesbians With You"
-Ann
p.s Is anyone else as excited about Hopeless Records signing The Kick Drums? Aside from me being somewhat disappointed it wasn't Late Nite Reading or Seven Minutes In Heaven, The Kick Drums are pretty rad.

They Tweeted Me: Conversing With Celebrities

Cherry Wallis

Though I have not had major celebrity encounters in real life, I have had a handful on the Internet on the handy website Twitter. Though I mostly use Twitter for my annoying tweets that one or two people look at and for blog updates, my account may or may not have been originally for the purpose of stalking One Direction (I made it in December). Now that I have moved on from that obsession, I will mention celebrities subtly. Maybe if I made a post about Alex Day, I will tag him in the update tweet. Little things like that. So, when I tagged Emma Blackery and Cherry Wallis in my update tweet about my Lazy Little Me, article you can imagine my excitement when Cherry not only told me that she loved it and it made her happy, but she retweeted the post (giving me TONS of reads!). I tried to be cool. I mean I was completely starstruck! So I told Cherry Wallis (eep!) that it really meant a lot to me and as if she hadn't interacted enough with me, she wrote right back saying she liked my writing and what I said about Lazy Little Me was extremely nice. Right there when a girl you look up to so much tells you those words your heart kind of stops and you have to stare at the screen a bit re-reading the entire message.
After experiencing a full put conversation with a girl I absolutely love, a question went through my head that I am not sure I can answer for myself. What do words of people we look up to do to us? Can they impact us more than your friend or your parents telling you that? I have come to the conclusion for myself that the answer is in fact, yes. Don't get me wrong, when I am told that I am pretty by my friend then I really do love it but (back during my One Direction phase) when Danielle Peazer told me that I was her look alike and that I was beautiful, your heart kind of stops. Fangirling thoughts take over your head most of them go a little something like this "OH MY GOD. SHE KNOWS I EXIST! SHE MUST BE MY BEST FRIEND!" yes, the all caps is necessary. That complement mixed with the shock of being recognized creates this sensation of pure joy and craze.
Later that night, I write Cherry a tweet telling her how much it meant to me for her to retweet my blog post and how many views I got. I wasn't expecting anything back from her when my Twitter notifications beeped telling me that Cherry had told me "you're welcome." she even put a smiley face emotion in there. How thoughtful.

Fiona

I guess celebrities give us a different rush and feeling that just brings a different impact than any other person.
-Ann
Read Me!

Emma

Hey guys! Remember last week when I began talking about getting more writers for How Fitting? Well I am extremely excited to tell you about our two newest members: Fiona and Emma! You guys may of heard of Fiona as my Twitter Twin and one of my closest online buddies. She will be writing on Mondays about films which I have never done here so yay change is fun. We also have one of my best friends (not online) Emma! Emma will be writing makeup and accessory related posts every Thursday. From what we have talked about, I am guessing most of her weekly posts will be more tutorial format even though sometimes, I am guessing some of them will be in the regular blog format. Yay surprises are fun. OK let us just say everything is fun. You may also have noticed our brand new writers page where you can learn a bit more about the lovely people who make this entire blob work which if you haven't seen, you can find at the top of the page or click the link right here

A Memoir Of Music In The Car

My family used to take long car rides back when I was between the ages of four and eight. We'd pack up the car with my suitcase, my parents duffel bags, and my little sister Rachel's pink camo rolling case. The four of us would drive for hours to places such as Vermont and Pennsylvania. Now that I think about it, we didn't go to a large variety of places. We'd visit my cousins and grandparents and my mom's best friend, Gretchen. You'd be surprised at how many songs could for into two hours. How many albums. My Dad is always a fan of Bob Dillan and The Gourds and I'd be forced to listen to them on the tapes of our old car.

The Coolest Guy On Earth

It wasn't until a couple years later that we actually caught up with everyone and traded our cassette player in the station wagon for a CD player. When we finally got the shiny mechanism I saw hope for not having to listen to my Dad's favorite musician. But just as we caught up with the CD player, my Dad caught up with converting his tapes to CDs. My parents would sing along to the words to the songs and I'd put on my best five year old pouty face to guilt my Mom and Dad into shutting off their music and replacing it with my crappy kid's singers. 

The transition from listening to kid's singers to actual music was rather fast. One night when I couldn't sleep and I tiptoed down to the living room in my old home, I saw a man in the most bad-ass leather jacket jamming out with a guitar. An alarm rang inside my head telling me that this man was the coolest guy on earth. No joke. I begged my Dad to make a CD of him so we could listen to this singer in the car. Relived that he'd get a break from my crappy kids music, he agreed and created one so I could listen to the biggest bad ass on the planet. This guy was Bruce Springsteen or as pronounced it "Bruce Springstee". Although I have seen some pretty awesome people out there, I still stand by the fact that Bruce is the king of cool. 

I Will Not Be Afraid Of Women

My next big phase was Dar Williams. I am not exactly sure how I got into her but I found it mind blowing that she was a female singer due to the fact that I'd been listening to men for most of my life. Dar was automatically one of my favorite singers. I must have had a things for bad asses for I absolutely loved the angst in "As Cool As I Am". I am telling you, if you've never seen six year old Annie performing that song with an attitude that could kill, you've missed out big time. My family mostly listened to "Mortal City" even though once in a while, we'd pop in "The Honesty Room". This was my soundtrack to life. Later on, I took up a great liking to "When I Was Boy" for the magical vibe and the mentioning of my favorite Disney character, Peter Pan. I found "February" funny for the idea of throwing some body's keys in the water was just silly. I guess my six year old brain didn't really get the story line. What little kid does?

Even though I just broke my three year record of not listening to Bruce about ten minutes ago, the lyrics clicked with me and I was instantly singing along. I still got it.  I don't bother plan on checking out his newer albums. I want to keep my image of Bruce as the best person ever and if I don't like the recent songs, I could single handily ruin my six through eight year old life.  Then comes Dar. My god. I remember feelings like the most angst filled six year old jamming out to my (still) favorite song: "As Cool As I Am". You'd be surprised that I still know all the words. Last year, when I went to my second year at camp, one of my counselors sang us "The BabySitters' Here" and my excitement  took me over. The next day we had a camp wide singing of "Iowa". That right there is my jam. 

-Ann              

The "It" Girl- Bridie Mcdonnell

Bridie McDonnell is one girl that just like her older brother Charlie, we've all seen grow up. All Charlie McDonnell viewers over the years have seen Bridie go from her long messy locks, to her sleek bangs and shoulder length locks, finally to her sophisticated bob. Most of us has seen what was Charlie's cute little sister become a gorgeous young adult and pretty amazing fashion icon.

Bridie has appeared in a handful of Charlie's videos including: The Hoedown Throw down, Drinking Ketchup, and Understanding Teenage Girls. In most of his YouTube uploads, Bridie has always played the shy little sister by refusing to come on camera and being rather quiet. I find Bridie McDonnell to be most like her brother by keeping to herself. 

Bridie's hair is one of her best features and something that makes me jealous everyday. She happens to be one of those people who can wear their hair however they want. She's gone through about every stage. Long hair, medium length, bangs, and currently her flattering short bob. 

The one thing I admire most about Bridie McDonnell is her edgy outfits. She is so different and looks gorgeous in about anything! Her style is very conservative and stylish. As you can see in the picture to the right, her outfits have elements of vintage and modern style. At the moment, her clothing is rather flowy and looks carefree yet elegant. Bridie has a very thin frame and even though I would suggest tighter clothing to show off her gorgeous body, she still look stunning in her looser pieces. The long, draping, dresses and shirts also flatter her recent bob cut.
Bridie has gone from the shy little sister to an edgy role model for fashion and style. To this day, she is still young but seems to own it. I can almost bet you she gets more and more beautiful everyday.