Barry Joe McDonagh

[Zuena]

A while ago I subsribed to some service where I get these e-mail from Barry Joe McDonagh about anxiety. I have found it most helpful and wanted to share this:

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 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 immediately diminish the power it holds over you. You are placed back in a position of control.

http://www.facebook.com/BarryJoeMcDonagh

[Zuena]

That is so true Kev.

I see people on here DAILY getting so caught up in symptoms.. I'm blinking too much, my head hurts, my heart is beating too fast... and they go into a flat panic about it. Yes, it is stressful but you can't sort out anxiety by trying to get rid of the symptoms. Everytime you worry about symptoms, it is a little bit of kindling you add to the fire that is called Anxiety. The main reason why I am not on meds is because I realised that the moment I go off it, the anxiety will return. It is pointless surpressing the symptoms. I decided to face this head on. When I feel woozy or my heart beats fast I ignore it. I think back on all the thousands of times BEFORE I had anxiety when my heart beat too fast and nothing happened to me.

Get used to the sensations - don't try and get rid of them, change the way you respond to them and they will go away.

Z

[mamadrama1985]

yes i get those emails all the time too. they are very informational but the thing that gets me is all these companys sell a story more or less and the ones that dont charge or want you to buy something dont have as many day to day symptoms as the others. anyone else noticed that?

[Zuena]

Mama, at some point you have to stop doubting the world and start believing in something. Stop looking for the flaws in each treatment plan and start using what is available to cure your anxiety.

[elgrande]

Great post. Very much the linden method type of thinking. One of the first things he says is that whilst uncomfortable, the symptoms of anxiety will not do us any physical harm.

[olia10]

"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."

In other words, accept it, don't fight it. Let it go. Once we accept fear/anxiety, it goes away. The biggest problem is people resist the feeling of fear and thus making it worse. With that being said, it's a lot easier said than done. For a lot of anxiety sufferers, their mind is simply stuck in a loop, and they simply cannot consciously get out of it. In those cases, outside-in methods are needed.