*(Panic attacks and anxiety attacks are serious
conditions, and professional medical advice should always be sought.)
Can we turn anxiety and panic into a positive experience? Can
we transform fear into excitement with one mental switch?
I believe we can and I am going to explain how it is done.
Anxiety/panic is an experience everyone tries to avoid and run
from. Our instinct is to fight against the feeling and find some
way to end
it quickly so that we can return to feeling calm.
All our mental and physical effort goes into trying to feel calm
again.
I believe however that people get much faster results if they
learn to turn anxiety into excitement, -rather than trying to
create calm.
The reason for this is because being anxious and excited are
actually the same physiological states for your body (the aroused
state) so your mind can
make the switch between those states much easier than it can between
feeling anxious and calm.
So by turning your anxiety into excitement, you can quickly remove
the fear factor while still feeling physically aroused. Because
the fear has been removed
you will then feel more in control and a state of calm will come
about naturally.
Let's use the example of a panic attack. A panic attack is almost
always triggered by bodily sensations. Maybe your heart starts
pounding or your chest feels tight.
Maybe you feel dizzy or your body shakes. You know very well
when it's about to kick off and in a split second your mind reacts
with fear to these bodily sensations.
"Oh no here we go again, I am going to have a panic attack,
-I might lose control, -I might die".
That initial reaction is so split second it is almost impossible
to control but at least now you are aware of what is happening
and NOW is your moment to stop reacting and to choose a new response.
Instead of reacting with resistance and fear to the sensations,
you are going to respond with curiosity and excitement.
Here are the actual steps you need to take:
1. Do not fight or resist the bodily sensations. (Remember,
you are safe these sensations will not harm you)
2. Befriend the sensations and anxiety you feel instead
of thinking of it as an enemy.
3. Embrace the sensations fully and observe them with
a compassionate curiosity.
4. Now PLAY with the sensations. Encourage the bodily
sensations to intensify. Get excited by this heightened state
of arousal. Push the energy out and
run with it. Let your heart pound, let your chest feel tight,
let your mind race, let your body shake. Do not try and control
it, experience it fully and feel really
excited and alive because of it.
By taking the above steps you are doing something completely
different. You are no longer resisting but embracing and moving
with the experience. This
movement is one of pure excitement as you ride the wave of fear
instead of letting it toss you around.
Some people like to compare this to a thrilling roller coaster
ride. Something exhilarating that they are willing participants
in.
By becoming really excited by the anxiety you feel, you diminish
the power it holds over you. You are placed back in a position
of control.
That is the benefit of turning fear into excitement!
Article written by Barry Joe McDonagh (Joe Barry)
For more from Barry visit his Panic
Away website
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treatment information including articles, product reviews…
