Panic and Setback
Why do you panic ? and then feel and believe you’re bound once again to head into the dreaded state of Anxiety where your fun life falls apart and your lonely introverted life, chock full of avoidance is taken on ? Do you know why this happens to you ? You might think this shouldn’t be happening to me, but how can I stop it from happening ?
If you’ve been dealing with this scenario for years, decades even, where you cherish the good times even though in the back of you mind it (panic) could strike at any moment, you know all the familiar warning signs, electric impulses perhaps, or a building feeling of impending doom.
For me it was most commonly a twitch in my left eye which would start the cycle. Recall that your mind is a word machine which will link together words based on experience, feelings, thoughts and then it creates evaluations.
When my eye twitched, all of a sudden the relationship with a panic attack was brought before me for a decision on what to do. This decision whether to run (from myself) or stay with it is packed full of intense uncomfortable thoughts, emotions, body sensations.
I was getting a barrage of thoughts, images, reminders of all the other times where I wound up previously. I would feel (my mind working here) it’s too much and give my mind control or in other words I would buy into my mind’s thoughts and begin thinking from within those thoughts like they were the literal truth.
To free yourself, there are a combination of several realizations, not just better control of that magic panic trigger response. Some of the other realizations you aren’t aware of will be during the study of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and after much practice. You will draw your own conclusions from it, which will make sense and be a comfort to you.
Your individual solution may not be spelled out for you in the books, nor could it be, but if you stick it out, the solution will come to you.
What I offer is my own realization, put in my terms (mostly in Tools and Tips).. Hopefully it will help you. You are bound to recognize what I am referring to, as Anxiety is pretty much the same flavor of pain for everyone.
Remember some Anxiety is normal. Calming the relationship you have with your mind is of utmost importance, and the belief that you do have the major role in this relationship though you may not believe it now.
Part of it is breaking the Anxiety struggle you’ve built up through force of habit. This may not sound simple to you or you would have already done this.
It is after all possible to break habits as we all know. Your response to panic is a learned behavior. There may be several factors influencing it. Some of which were your pre-disposition to stress, a sensitive nervous system, early age language skills and ability to express oneself, shyness, introversion, childhood experiences, comfort or discomfort with your appearance, belief system taught to you by your parents or friends. These factors are covered in ‘How you Developed this Habit and Condition’. They will all be overcome through acceptance and by applying the ACT techniques and exercises.
Whether you’re about to panic or you’re in the Anxiety state, the way out I’m sure is a puzzle to you since you’re reading this. ACT will teach you. When I used to pull out of a setback I was never really sure why. Now I know.
Gradually realizations will dawn on you and you’ll think “I can’t believe I’ve been duped so long”. But nevertheless, the realization will be a huge relief, and something you will undoubtedly be ecstatic about, given your every waking moment quest for it since your so called problem with excessive Anxiety began.
Are you ready to change your habit of Panic ? ACT tells you to ’stay with it’ but don’t fight it. Welcome it, invite it into your heart and make room for it.
Think kindness to yourself, to your experience, and to your mind’s thoughts and evaluations. Look “at” your thoughts not from within them. There is so much more but that is a starter. ACT will teach you many things.
