About Erin
I know, I know, you came here for the adorable puppy pictures. But in the off chance that you guys want to know about me too, I figured I’d give you a little background about me. Hey, maybe even a few of you will be able to relate. I’m a pretty typical person I think. I love food, being outside, playing video games and having fun. I have however been plagued with pretty severe anxiety my whole life. When I was younger, anxiety wasn’t something that was as recognizable as today. You were just deemed as shy, or introv
erted, which I was as well, don’t get me wrong. But for as long as I can remember, I’ve had issues with processing thoughts and emotions because my brain will go into fight or flight mode at completely random, unexplainable times. My heart will start racing, and my mind will go absolutely wild with an endless amount of possibilities, outcomes, and scenarios in any given situation. What’s known in this industry as “catastrophizing” has been a part of my life since I was a child. I would quite literally break down in the classroom if I was called on, because my brain immediately went into panic mode, envisioning every kind of horrible scenario that would be coming next. The tears would start, and no one, including myself, would know where they’re coming from, and they would then have no other option but to call my older sister in to the class to come calm me down. My grades were always great, and I didn’t ever get into trouble, so no one thought much about it, other than I was a little sensitive.
As an adult, my anxiety actually played a role in my success with my career. I loved animals, so working in an animal hospital was clearly just the right call. Because of my need to constantly analyze and check myself, I didn’t often make mistakes. I could predict the way animals were going to react because of the constant worst-case scenarios always playing in my head, almost always knowing when a fractious cat was ready to lunge or a dog about to nip. The same goes for the opposite too; I would know when a cat WASN’T going to lunge, or a dog that WOULDN’T actually be a danger, which makes everyone (pet, owner, and staff) more at ease.
But these constant thoughts wear on you, more than I can even describe. Every moment of every day playing over and over in your head of every mistake you COULD have made or MIGHT have made, even though you know you checked everything 6 times over. I knew I had to find a way to cope. To somehow relieve some of this catastrophizing and try to live for a few hours like a normal person.
In comes Anna, and hiking, and the incredible relationships and life that we have put together for ourselves. That’s why I’m starting this blog. Not only to chronicle our adventures and ups and downs but to share with the world what I’ve experienced, past and present, for the chance that someone out there is living through the same thing. Someone who is in need of understanding and the feeling that they’re not alone. And if that’s the case, then hello, I’m Erin, and I know exactly how you feel.