Big Brother alum Nicole Franzel is opening up about her battle with panic attacks over the last two years. On Instagram, Nicole went in-depth about what the past few years have truly looked like for her as well as how she has gotten to where she is now. Nicole revealed that she is now the happiest she has ever been.
Although Nicole has played the game three times, she has become known as a controversial player within the Big Brother fandom. Through this, Nicole has received a ton of backlash and hate online following her most recent time inside the house last summer. The feedback Nicole got after leaving the All-Star season notably affected her mental health. Following her arrival home, she took some time away from social media to readjust back into reality.
Nicole is finally opening up about her mental health battles, which dates back well before the All-Star season. She shared a lengthy post to Instagram late Monday in which she went into details about her battle with panic attacks. The post was intended to acknowledge those who may be struggling or have struggled in the past with, what Nicole called, "brain pain," better known as mental health. Nicole included side by side photos. One was of herself now, 26 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, which she claims is "truly the happiest" she has ever been. She described the other photos of herself as "lifeless on the couch recovering from one of several panic attacks that day." For a year straight, Nicole dealt with daily panic attacks, some of which sent her to the emergency room to ensure she was okay.
Nicole recalled the feeling of her heart racing each night, almost as if it was going to "explode." At the time, Nicole could not go anywhere by herself nor could she socialize or get good sleep. She wrote, "I was a zombie, trying to survive one minute at a time." Each and every day Nicole would find herself in a pattern of praying, crying and praying some more. While it is still unclear what caused her so much anxiety, Nicole believes that the first panic attack caused her so much fear of it happening again that it did. Once she began to piece this together with the help of the book "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind," Nicole began to "get [her] life back." On top of this, she went on anxiety medication after signing on to be on television for a fourth time. Nicole also got the support from fellow BB alum Victor Arroyo, who she recently tied the knot with in Florida, as well as her family and her adorable puppies seen laying next to her on the couch following a panic attack.
Through it all, Nicole is proud of where she is now, overcoming a difficult — and not to mention public — past two years. She assured her followers that if she can get past this "horrific cycle" they can too. Many fans related to Nicole, sharing their own experiences in the comment sections. Others sent their support and words of love and encouragement to Nicole, including some Big Brother alum such as fellow winner Jordyn Lloyd.
Source Nicole Franzel