AnxietY? PANIC?
Yes, they can be scary especially when the over thinking mind gets the upper hand. Let the conscious mind have its way and it will take us round and round the mulberry bush. People can live in fear, wondering when the next attack will occur.
I speak from experience. Years ago I would get anxious when I stopped at a red light. I’d grip the steering wheel and there were times when I felt like I was leaving my body. I dreaded having to drive anywhere and I avoided long red lights which was hard to do while living close to a large intersection. Living with a panic attack was like having on board a screaming baby that wouldn’t be quiet.
One of the things I learned was not to ask why. Asking why is a waste of time. And letting the head take charge is an exercise in futility. Even though it sometimes feels like a panic attack is the end of the world, I learned that it couldn’t kill me. I was probably the safest person on the road considering how vigilant and aware I was of all that was going on around me.
I was fortunate to have found a therapist who studied with the late Dr. Claire Weekes, an Australian doctor who was an expert in panic attacks because she lived with them. The first thing the therapist had me do was get in the car and drive across a bridge that terrified me. Feel the fear and do it anyway, she told me, and I did. I knew I was the safest driver out there. I was stronger than my sensitized nervous system. When I’d stop at a red light, I’d talk to the panic and tell it, “Is that all you got? Bring it on.” I had to face my fear and it worked.
Twenty years later, I have found other ways of dealing with panic and anxiety which include Emotional Freedom Technique tapping techniques, self hypnosis and Mindscaping (see my latest blog entitled Mindscaping). If I ever feel anxious these days, I don’t bother to ask why or where it’s coming from. I just deal with it because I am in charge, not my over thinking mind. It feels great to know what to do and to embrace one’s power. We are not helpless. And worry is a total waste of time.
A great starting place is to have compassion and to stop berating oneself. To tell the conscious mind, the worry mind, to take a seat in the back of the room and press the snooze button for a while.
Alexis Rotella, Licensed Acupuncturist,Dr. Clinical Hypnotherapy, Certified Hypnotist
www.gethealthyacademy.com
You can embrace your power too. I’m happy to show you how. 336 676 4555