Dealing with Anxiety and Panic

3:28pm

I’ve been reading through various resources and watching a few YouTube clips on general anxiety and panic attacks, and how to deal with them.   They all seem to say relatively the same thing. 

To summarise:

There are two main parts of your brain that play a key part in your anxiety: the amygdala and the cortex.

•    The amygdala is the more primitive, instinctual part of the brain.  The amygdala can be ‘re-wired’ to respond differently to a situation (eg. eating ice cream) but it needs experience with the object or situation for the new learning to occur.  You must use exposure therapy to teach it it is safe to go through the situation it is afraid of.  Design exposure exercises to help modify your amygdala’s response to your triggers of fear and anxiety and practice these until you notice a decrease in anxiety. During exposures it is vital not to leave the situation in fear-this will strengthen the fear circuitry. You need to stay in the situation until your anxiety decreases, preferably by half.

(NB: New circuitry is less likely to be developed if you're taking benzodiazepines)

•    The cortex’s interpretation of the situation is what leads to the emotional reaction.  This means that it's your interpretation of a situation rather than the situation itself that causes your anxiety.  Recognising the difference between thoughts and actual events is essential in managing cortex based anxiety (the cortex is the more intellectual part of your brain).  Cognitive fusion is the term given to the action of treating thoughts and emotions like they're an ultimate reality that can't be questioned.  This is something you want to avoid.

Two examples of exposure based treatment:

1.     Systematic de-sensitization (approaching feared objects or situations in a gradual manner)

2.     Flooding (jump headfirst into most feared situation)

Flooding is more intense, but it does provide relief from anxiety much more quickly.

Key points to overcoming both general and intense anxiety:

1.     Observe – notice the anxiety level within you as it rises

2.     Embrace - fully accept the bubble of anxiety; don't fight it or resist it. Own the experience, but recognize that it is in your mind.

Wrap yourself up in the ‘blanket of anxiety’ that is settling upon your shoulders.

3.     Allow/demand more - when you remove emotional resistance to the anxiety and make space for it your body can move through it.

"I am open to experiencing any feelings that come through my body"

“I know these sensations can't harm me. I feel my heart thudding, that's fine, feel free to pound more lets see how fast you can pound”

By giving your body full permission to experience the symptoms of anxiety no resistance is created, and your sense of control is not completely lost.  The tension and anxiety only heightens when you fear and try to control the sensations.

Anxiety

Here he comes

The familiar hot flush of anxiety

Encapsulating me like a bubble

Creeping up behind me

He’s so close

I can feel his breath on my neck.

Instinctively,

I want to resist –

To shove him back into his corner

To squash him down

And ignore him,

And if all else fails

To flee –

To run as fast

and as far as I possibly can.

But

I know that unfortunately 

That doesn't really work

(at all)

He’s not really gone away

Instead he lies in wait

Gaining strength and power

Waiting for the opportune moment

To attack with even more force.

He feeds off my fear

Drinking in my discomfort

With delight.

I know deep down

The only way out

Is through.

Like a child

Who feels the pain

Of a stubbed toe,

The discomfort 

Of a lost mother in the store

Or a dropped lolly on the ground;

Like a child

who doesn’t even know how

to suppress this ‘yucky feeling’ inside,

So instead,

 Cries

And gets over it.

So simple

Yet so difficult...

I must no longer stifle,

Resist or push anxiety away -

Instead,

I must allow him to do as he likes

To make my heart pound

My palms sweat

My head spin …

I must observe all these sensations

With a sense of openness

And acceptance;

Not controlling

But not engaging.

I must remember

The anxiety is not me

But my brain reacting

And feeling unsafe;

In fact,

I am not in danger

I am not my thoughts

Or my feelings.

He cannot

And will not 

Truly harm me.

So I will breathe 

Into the discomfort

For as long as it takes

For him to get bored

with my lack of resistance,

To lose energy

from being unable to gain nourishment

from my fear ...

And eventually to dissipate

into thin air.