inCOGnito
14-04-13, 10:17
I was thinking about anxiety, Claire Weekes and some other stuff this morning to remind myself of these things and this writing arose all by itself. Thought I would share :hugs:
Tackling anxiety
1. A firefighter doesn’t defeat a fire by turning his back and hoping it goes away. He turns toward it, faces it, and confronts it directly. Anxiety does not go away by turning yourself away from it. It can only be defeated by turning your attention toward it, facing it no matter how hot the flames.
2. When facing the fire the firefighter does not go in unarmed. He is equipped with fire fighting clothing and water. Likewise facing anxiety is brave but does extinguish it unless you are equipped to deal with the heat and flames that face you. Your tools are understanding and acceptance.
3. Sometimes the flames may be too high and the firefighter must take a step back or try a different route. So too must you be wise and rest when the time is right. However being wise does not mean avoiding tall flames. Sometimes the only way forward is through the fire with the highest intensity.
Acceptance
Acceptance is allowing what will happen to happen. Acceptance is the very opposite of resistance. Acceptance is like falling without trying to pull yourself back up, without struggling, without tensing. There is freedom in that. Acceptance is a complete letting go to what is at that moment. No muscular tensing and no mental tensing. This means no complaining and no wishing that things were different. All this is is resistance to what is happening. After all, however you feel right now or whatever is happening right now IS happening right now. What use is it to resist what is already happening?.
Acceptance isn’t something you do with thought. It is what you do with your whole body. There is no benefit in telling yourself that you accept the symptoms and thoughts that arise if you do not let everything else go. Because then it is only another thought and you still resist mentally and physically. It would be like repeatedly punching a brick wall while telling yourself that you’re not doing it. It is a lie. There must be a complete surrender.
Acceptance isn’t easy. Our minds are like untrained dogs who keep jumping on the sofa and barking at passers-by. The mind is conditioned to resist, to not accept. So don’t be angry or condone yourself if you accept one moment and resist the next. It takes time to recondition the mind’s patterns. Thoughts will still arise but they are thoughts borne out of a conditioned mind. Recognise them as conditioned thoughts. Acknowledge that they are only trying to protect you. Then drop them. You can imagine a pink gorilla with green spots and a purple hat in the room with you but this is only a thought and is not real. Drop anxious thoughts like you would the thought about the gorilla by recognising that it is only imagination.
If your heart beats fast let it beat fast. If you panic let yourself panic. Whatever comes let it come without trying to stop it. Let the storm pass right through you. During these times I like to ask myself how am I resisting this moment?. It is a question that doesn’t need a direct answer. It doesn’t need to be thought about nor analysed. The body is an amazing thing and there is intelligence outside of thought. The answers will reveal themselves. And it gives insight into the mechanics of resistance and gives you another opportunity to let go even further.
Tackling anxiety
1. A firefighter doesn’t defeat a fire by turning his back and hoping it goes away. He turns toward it, faces it, and confronts it directly. Anxiety does not go away by turning yourself away from it. It can only be defeated by turning your attention toward it, facing it no matter how hot the flames.
2. When facing the fire the firefighter does not go in unarmed. He is equipped with fire fighting clothing and water. Likewise facing anxiety is brave but does extinguish it unless you are equipped to deal with the heat and flames that face you. Your tools are understanding and acceptance.
3. Sometimes the flames may be too high and the firefighter must take a step back or try a different route. So too must you be wise and rest when the time is right. However being wise does not mean avoiding tall flames. Sometimes the only way forward is through the fire with the highest intensity.
Acceptance
Acceptance is allowing what will happen to happen. Acceptance is the very opposite of resistance. Acceptance is like falling without trying to pull yourself back up, without struggling, without tensing. There is freedom in that. Acceptance is a complete letting go to what is at that moment. No muscular tensing and no mental tensing. This means no complaining and no wishing that things were different. All this is is resistance to what is happening. After all, however you feel right now or whatever is happening right now IS happening right now. What use is it to resist what is already happening?.
Acceptance isn’t something you do with thought. It is what you do with your whole body. There is no benefit in telling yourself that you accept the symptoms and thoughts that arise if you do not let everything else go. Because then it is only another thought and you still resist mentally and physically. It would be like repeatedly punching a brick wall while telling yourself that you’re not doing it. It is a lie. There must be a complete surrender.
Acceptance isn’t easy. Our minds are like untrained dogs who keep jumping on the sofa and barking at passers-by. The mind is conditioned to resist, to not accept. So don’t be angry or condone yourself if you accept one moment and resist the next. It takes time to recondition the mind’s patterns. Thoughts will still arise but they are thoughts borne out of a conditioned mind. Recognise them as conditioned thoughts. Acknowledge that they are only trying to protect you. Then drop them. You can imagine a pink gorilla with green spots and a purple hat in the room with you but this is only a thought and is not real. Drop anxious thoughts like you would the thought about the gorilla by recognising that it is only imagination.
If your heart beats fast let it beat fast. If you panic let yourself panic. Whatever comes let it come without trying to stop it. Let the storm pass right through you. During these times I like to ask myself how am I resisting this moment?. It is a question that doesn’t need a direct answer. It doesn’t need to be thought about nor analysed. The body is an amazing thing and there is intelligence outside of thought. The answers will reveal themselves. And it gives insight into the mechanics of resistance and gives you another opportunity to let go even further.