I remind my clients, as well as myself, that anxiety is about living in the
future. One of the tough questions I then have to ask is this: "What's so difficult about living in the present moment right
now?" Sometimes the present moment feels unbearable, especially when uncomfortable
feelings arise. It may not be enough to tell yourself to breathe. But what is
causing the anxiety or panic? And in those unbearable moments, what can you do? According to David Burns, M.D., in his book When Panic Attacks, there are four main theories about the causes
of anxiety. The causes he names include negative thinking, hidden
feelings, avoiding what you're afraid of, and a chemical imbalance. Three of
these causes are things we can work on by ourselves or with a therapist, and
one of them, the chemical imbalance, is addressed by medication. While
medication can help greatly, it doesn't take away anxiety—we all have it. That
means that even if you take medication, it's worth addressing the other causes.
One of the first steps is to breathe, even if you don’t want to. Focusing on
your inhale and exhale, and breathing more deeply than normal, will
physiologically calm the nervous system. If you’re having a panic attack, open
the mouth as wide as possible and breathe in and out through the mouth. This
may sound and look strange, and you may want to do this in private, but it
works—the wide opening of the jaw signals the nervous system to calm down. Keep
breathing in this way until you feel yourself relax. The body can’t stay in a
state of panic if you use this technique. As for the causes other than biochemical, let’s start with negative
thoughts. Begin questioning your negative thoughts about yourself, and if you
can, share them with a trusted friend or therapist. Getting an outsider to
point out that your negative thoughts are either wrong or not based in reality
can be helpful. See if you can begin to turn those thoughts into positive
affirmations that you begin to use. Believe it or not, we do have the power to
change our thoughts. When it comes to hidden feelings, many of us have emotions that we stuff
away over time, believing that they will disappear. They don’t. They just get
stored in the body when they aren’t expressed, and as they build up, they become
a source of anxiety for some people. Uncover the feelings you’ve kept hidden
and share them. You may find that old sadness, grief, anger or fear has been
locked away and releasing it can provide relief for mind and body. Releasing hidden emotions
can relieve anxious feelings. If you're avoiding the thing that makes you anxious, all that does is build
your anxiety into a skyscraper. Sooner or later, you will probably have to face
the thing you’ve been avoiding. Consider working with a therapist to build up the
confidence to face whatever it is you avoid. Once you see that you are able to
face it—and you have been able to all along—you will experience a reduction in
anxiety. By the way, research shows us that meditating just 10 minutes a day for 8 weeks can significantly reduce your anxiety and help you be less reactive to people and the environment. Peace really is possible. Anxiety seems to be the fast-moving vibration of our culture, but
we don’t have to live that way. You deserve to feel calm and tranquil. With kindness, Carmen |
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CategoriesAnxiety and PanicBasic Body Psychotherapy Depression Illness Mindfulness |
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