Meet Your Neighbor… Angela Brittain

By DONNA NICKEL

Fear isn't a factor anymore for Angela Brittain. When she began suffering from panic attacks nearly 20 years ago she never dreamed that one day she'd one day be traveling around the country and even overseas, teaching others how to manage anxiety and stress, and how to eliminate fear from their lives.
A Louisville native, Angela graduated from Louisville High School and enrolled at Kent State. In 1988, while brushing her teeth before class one day, her heart started racing and she began shaking. “It came on very suddenly and it was very frightening. I attributed it to stress and told myself it would pass, and I went on to class.” Three or four days later, the symptoms reoccurred. This time, Angela knew what she was facing. “My dad had suffered from panic attacks a few years before, so I knew what it was. Right away I went for medical help.” She said besides the hereditary factor, she had other behaviors that made her prone to the panic disorder she was eventually diagnosed with. “I tend to be a Type A person, I try to do everything, and everything has to be perfect. Like most moms, I put performance pressures on myself.”
She said that short term medication was necessary to get the panic attacks under control. “Back in the '80's stress and panic attacks were not as freely talked about as they are now, so there was a stigma attached to using medication. But I had to use medicine at that point.” Besides entering counseling, she also made lifestyle changes. “I had to settle for a couple B's instead of A's and I learned to go with the flow and relax my standards a little. It took me about six months to get it under control, between the learning curve and getting the right balance of medication.”
In 1989, Angela graduated Kent State with a degree in journalism and went on to work in public relations and marketing. Twelve years ago, she married her husband Randy, a juvenile parole officer for the State of Ohio. The Brittains moved to North Canton in 1993. Their son Luke is a fourth grader at Northwood Elementary.
Angela went off medication when she became pregnant with her son and she hasn't had an anxiety attack in 11 years. “I've suffered from some of the symptoms here and there, but I know to tell myself, 'hey, watch it, you need to balance things.' I believe I walked through that time of panic and fear in order to step into my purpose. More than 40 million Americans have been diagnosed with anxiety disorders, and I want to help as many as I can to overcome and conquer fear.”
She now works out of her home as a freelance writer and speaker. Her website www.overcomepanic.com helps thousands of people each year with a variety of resources relating to anxiety, panic and fear. “I hear from people from as far away as South Africa, New Zealand and Singapore. Fear doesn't know any boundaries; it touches all demographics.” She has spoken at the International Conference on Panic Attacks at the University of Westminster in London, England, and at the Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA) conferences in Miami and Seattle. She is also a frequent radio and television guest, and the Director of the Care Ministry at Cathedral of Life in Canton. “Years ago the idea of me doing all this would have been hilarious to me. I could barely go to the grocery store for fear of having an attack.”
On the flight back from London, Angela met the commander of the U.S. Army's 82nd Chemical Battalion. He put her in touch with the base chaplain at Fort Leonard Wood, MO who made arrangements for Angela to conduct a series of briefings for the soldiers before their annual two-week holiday Exodus. “They were so young; it was an eye-opening experience. They were dealing with a lot from deployment stress, missing family, relationship strains, and transitioning from one environment to another.” As an icebreaker prior to the briefings, she filmed first graders at Northwood Elementary as they talked about soldiers.
In 1997, Angela published her first book “Don't Forget To Look Up: A Christian's Guide to Overcoming Anxiety and Panic Attacks.” She is currently working on her second book “Your Miracle is Behind You” a look at past traumas and how healing can have an impact on the present. Because it fits in with her freelance schedule and family time, she works as a substitute aid and monitor for North Canton City Schools.
In her spare time, Angela, plays second base for Cathedral of Life's softball league. She also enjoys running, reading and writing, and a variety of church activities. Devout Cleveland Indians fans, the Brittain family travels to Winter Haven, FL each spring for training camp.
Angela credits her husband with helping her maintain her balance. “If he sees me starting to stress, he tells me 'you're getting like that again.' I just have to remember to keep the main thing the main thing. At this point, I'm glad to say that I really, really enjoy my life.”