Self-help resources for generalized anxiety disorder, written by clinical psychologists at the Centre for Clinical Interventions in Perth, Western Australia.
At this point we all have a deep
understanding of fear and sacrifice. We all know what it feels like to be alone
and afraid. Perhaps these emotions are stemming from something deeper. Perhaps
our fear and sadness are a result of feeling powerless. Many of us do not yet
understand the power that lies within us, the change we can insight, and the
transformation just waiting for us at the other end of this pandemic.
Before anything else, we must
acknowledge where we feel powerless. If we want to transform and heal, we must
first accept where we are in pain. What part of this pandemic is the most
stressful for you? Where do you feel a lack of control? Acknowledge how that
makes you feel… Breathe deeply. In this moment, just be, with your
feelings of powerlessness.
What we once knew as normal is
changing. Shifting. Transforming. How is this an opportunity to transform? …
How are you willing to shift?
Our world is evolving. This
experience is transformative for each and every person individually. And we're
all connected. Linked. Intertwined. Thus, this will change our world.
· Be aware of how resilient you have been in this
time.
· Be aware of how resilient your community has
been at this time.
· Be aware of how resilient each person has been
in this time.
Within the world there are the
communities. Within the communities there are the individuals. And within each
individual there is such power and compassion. Power to incite change. To grow
and shift. To transform. Even in the most painful situations.
“ This is a guided meditation
to take you on a journey of relaxation. Help Clear your mind of clutter and
calm you. It is designed to help reduce your stress level and improve your
overall health and well being.” - Power Meditation
YouTube Channel
have problems related to anxiety, caused by the rampant
stress in their lives. Anxiety is one of the most pervasive mind states psychiatrists encounter.
From time to time, in even the hardiest of us, feelings of fear surface. They may be about
losing someone or losing something or about feeling pain or being alone
or being sick or disabled, or about someone you love being hurt.
We may have fears of failure or fears of success, fears of
letting other people down or about the fate of the earth.
Most of us carry such fears within us. They are always present but they only
surface under certain circumstances.
The word fear implies that there is something specific that is causing this emotional state to arise.
Under certain threatening circumstances, all of us experience fear, even terror. It is a
major characteristic of the fight-or-flight reaction.
We are overwhelmed and this experience can easily lead to a state of panic, driven by desperation and
feelings of complete loss of control. To panic in a threatening situation is a dangerous and unfortunate reaction, because it is disabling just at the time that you need to react with rapidity and clarity.
Some people handle feelings of fear much better than others do. Commonly, we cope with our fears
by ignoring such feelings when they surface or denying them altogether, or concealing them from other people.
Many people find it difficult, if not impossible, to deny or ignore or conceal their anxiety. Without effective means for dealing with it, their anxiety can have significant effects on their ability
to function. And of course, it causes people to pursue many of the maladaptive coping avenues.
When we speak of "anxiety," we are talking about a similar
strongly reactive emotional state but without a clearly identifiable cause or threat.
Anxiety is a generalized state of insecurity and agitation that can be triggered by almost anything. Sometimes
it seems as if there is nothing triggering it at all.
You can feel anxious and not really know why.
It is possible to wake up feeling shaky, tense, and frightened. If you are plagued by anxious feelings, your anxiety
may frequently seem out of proportion to the actual pressures you are under. You may have a hard time putting your finger on the root cause of your feelings. You may find yourself worrying all the time, even when there is nothing the matter or there is no major threat.
If this state of mind becomes a chronic condition, it is
referred to as generalized anxiety. Its symptoms may include trembling,
shakiness, muscle tension, restlessness, fatigue,
shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sweating, dry mouth, dizziness
or light-headedness, nausea, the feeling of a "lump in the
throat," feeling keyed up, being easily startled, difficulty concentrating,
trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and easy irritated.
In addition to generalized anxiety, some people suffer from what are called anxiety attacks, or panic attacks. These are episodes in which a person experiences a period of intense fear and discomfort for no apparent reason. Often people who suffer from panic attacks have no idea why they get them or when one will happen.
The first time it happens, you can think you are having a heart attack since it is frequently accompanied by acute physical
symptoms including chest pains, dizziness, shortness of breath, and profuse sweating.
There may be feelings of unreality and you may also think that you are dying or that you are going crazy or that you
may lose control of yourself.
Unfortunately, many people with panic attacks continue to visit emergency rooms and wind up being told that "there is nothing
wrong" and being sent home with no assistance or with a prescription for tranquilizers. If you are cared for by a doctor who can
recognize these symptoms as a panic attack, you may be on the road
to getting the right kind of help in bringing them under control.
While it can be reassuring to know what a panic attack is and that you are not going to die from it or go crazy, what is most
important is that you know that you can work with these mind-body storms by changing the way you see and pay attention to the very processes of thought and reactivity within your own mind.
As you might imagine, the application of mindfulness to chronic anxiety involves allowing the anxiety itself to become the object of our attention. We intentionally observe the fear and anxiety when they come up, just as we do with pain. When you
move in close to your fears and observe them as they surface in the form of thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations, you will start to recognize them for what they are and know how to respond to them appropriately.
Then you will be less prone to become overwhelmed or swept away by them or to have to
compensate in self-destructive or self-inhibiting ways.
Mindfulness changes the structure and function of your brain, these
changes can be tracked and measured. It rewires your brain how to respond to stress and be more focused.
You learn to recognize and stop “mental time travel” — worrying about
the future and ruminating about the past.
Instead of following a worrying thought down the path of all possible
negative outcomes, you learn to recognize it for what it is
— one thought — and then let it go.
This trains your brain to be less anxious.
Mindfulness meditation changes the balance of chemicals in your brain,
It increases the levels of GABA (gamma-amino-butyric-acid)
a neuro transmitter essential for feeling happy and relaxed
Mindfulness also elevates mood by increasing levels of serotonin
another neurotransmitter vital to happiness
At the same time mindfulness meditation reduces
the stress hormone cortisol which significantly contributes to
anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and memory loss
The amygdala, the area of the brain associated with fear, anxiety
and stress decreases and becomes less reactive
as it improves neural connections between various areas of the brain
Meditation doesn't have to take a lot of time
As little as 10 min a day is a reasonable goal
Even two minutes per day because it will help form a habit you'll stick with
When we talked about Emotions I told you when the arousal within us is very high we can have problems identifying
what the exact emotion is that we are feeling. When you go into a roller-coaster you have the same bodily sensations
as the ones we feel in a panic attack, yet at that moment we do not perceive it as something negative but even exciting and do not have the accompanying worrying thoughts. Where the same sensations during a panic attack induce so much panic.
Important: For anxious people meditating can make the anxiety worse because of the breathing practice.
Mindful meditation is not about regulating your breathing or fighting thoughts or feelings, bring your attention to the sounds
and use those to bring yourself in the moment. Just as thoughts and sounds, the sensations of an anxiety attack are a cycle of coming and going. An attack usually takes 5 to 20 minutes. Observing the impermanence of the anxiety experience can strongly reduce the power. Fool your brain into safety thinking by chewing a gum as soon as you feel the first sensations.
When we chew our brain thinks we are eating and therefor safe and will stop firing off chemicals for the fight/flight response.
Eating more healthy, exercise like walking or running help and enough sleep will help you long term. IF you have anxiety attacks
that disable you from functioning make sure to seek help.
"I stayed in the sort of places that are awe-inspiring and make your hair stand on end, such as park-shrines, forest-shrines, & tree-shrines. And while I was staying there a wild animal would come, or a bird would make a twig fall, or wind would rustle the fallen leaves. The thought would occur to me: 'Is this that fear & terror coming?' Then the thought occurred to me: 'Why do I just keep waiting for fear? What if I were to subdue fear & terror in whatever state they come?' So when fear & terror came while I was walking back & forth, I would not stand or sit or lie down. I would keep walking back & forth until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was standing, I would not walk or sit or lie down. I would keep standing until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was sitting, I would not lie down or stand up or walk. I would keep sitting until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was lying down, I would not sit up or stand or walk. I would keep lying down until I had subdued that fear & terror."
~ The Buddha
Most of us, when there is fear, are apt to run away from it, or suppress it, control it, or turn to some form of escape. We do not know how to look. We do not know how to live with that fear. Most of us are, unfortunately, afraid of something, from childhood until we die; living in such a corrupt society, the education that we receive engenders this fear. Take your particular kind of fear, if you are at all aware, watch your reactions, look at it, look at it without any movement of escape, justification or suppression, just look at it.
You know it is most difficult to look at things simply, for our minds are very complex. We have lost the quality of simplicity. I don't mean the simplicity in clothes, in food, in all that immature nonsense which the saints cultivate, but the simplicity of a mind that can look directly at things; that can without any fear look at oneself as one actually is, without any distortion, so that when you lie, you see you lie - not cover it up, not run away from it, not find excuses. When you are afraid, know you are afraid, be clear about your fear.
~ Jiddu Krishnamurti
"Happy the man who has learned the cause of things and has put under his feet all fear, inexorable fate, and the noisy strife of the hell of greed."
-Virgil (70 B.C.-19.B.C.)
The gift of the Dharma excels all gifts;
The taste of the Dharma excels all tastes;
Delight in the Dharma excels all delights.
The eradication of Craving overcomes all sorrow.
