WHAT IS ANXIETY & WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT IT?
Anxiety is a Primary Emotion produced by the emotional (limbic) brain. In my work as a thera-pist I describe two general kinds of anxiety.
The first kind of anxiety comes from “a lack of confidence in one’s own ability to deal with an im-agined situation or event”. The antidote, easier said than done, lies in reminding one’s self that you will deal with whatever occurs in the future as you always have dealt with events in your past, learning to breathe properly to lower your arousal level and recognizing that your OK right now, in the present. *, **
The second kind of anxiety appears when one “dismisses one’s own instinctive, intuitive advice to ‘do the right thing’ (the Voice of the King or Queen”, because we get anxious when we don’t listen to our own best advice. (See Dispatch article published on 10/28/16). The antidote lies in first recognizing the Voice of Right Action, identifying consequences of disrespecting one’s inner voice, identifying resistances to doing so, and then taking steps toward achieving the intended outcome.
As I mentioned in last week’s column on Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), I believe that anxiety lies at the foundation of all addictions and can become more prominent in Recovery and maintaining sobriety.
To reduce the first kind of anxiety I suggest the following “walking mindfulness meditation” to many of my clients:
1) First establish for yourself that you will deal with whatever comes up in your life because you always have.
2) Then walk for five minutes, every day, alternately repeating, silently or aloud, the following two phrases: “I will deal with it” and “I’m OK”.
3) Repeat the phrases to yourself when you are aware of experiencing anxiety.
The intention of this exercise is for the client to internalize the message by repeatedly teaching it to their subconscious mind. Once the message has been established as a familiar concept, it can serve as a foundation to be called upon during times when the individual is in fact experi-encing anxiety.
4) Next, practice and learn an effective breathing exercise to remain centered and reduce your arousal level when you become anxious. ***
To reduce the second kind of anxiety which happens when we dismiss or disregard what we know to be “Right Action”, the antidote lies in:
1) Recognizing the Voice of the Queen or King
2) Then recognizing the internal and external consequences of disrespecting your inner voice
3) Taking a step(s) toward achieving the intended outcome.
This often “feels good” and reduces general anxiety, at least until it’s time to take the next step after that.
Please send your questions and comments to steve@shrinkdifferentradio.com .
Dr. Steve Wolf
Founder
Wolf Training Institute
www.tamingyouranger.com
*Folks who suffer from PTSD often require additional professional support to lower their arousal levels.
**People who suffer from C-PTSD may also benefit from professional assistance to reduce arousal levels
***Footnote You can listen to “Belly Breathing” at ShrinkDifferntRadio.com