Mind Games

[nomorepanic]

One last post before I go to bed ....

Driving back from Wales today I decided to play a few mind games with myself to test my reaction.

Ok my problem is driving and particularly when there is no hard shoulder or somewhere to pull off.

So I did loads of A roads that were dual and single carriage ways and few had a hard shoulder to stop on.

So I decided to play some mind games to see how I reacted.

What I did was tell myself that I was stuck on this road and couldn't get off and I was feeling terrible and I was getting panicky. Blimey it works - I started to feel anxious. So what I did then was tell myself that I was fine and there was nothing wrong and no problems and I was fine. It took longer to calm myself down than it did to build up to the panic but this is probably expected.

What I was trying to prove was that my mind was telling me how I felt and hence how I would react.

Maybe not a good game to play when you are feeling a bit down or scared but I was on a mission to prove that I could overcome it.

I talked myself into getting anxious then the challenge was to calm myself back down and stop those thoughts. Hey it worked after a while.

So I am fairly convinced that a lot of my problems and maybe yours are caused by our thoughts and in particular the negative ones that fuel the anxiety.

You may want to try this and put yourself into anxiety mode then try and calm it down.

It nearly back-fired with me a few times cos after 5 hours of driving I was getting too tired to fight back at it but I stuck with it.

I have never tried this before but it just goes to show that our minds and the thoughts we give it control our anxiety and we can in time talk it back round to a "normal" way of thinking.

Just a thought anyway.



Nicola

[seh1980]

hi Nic,

You are definetly right - the way we feel is certainly caused by our positive and/or negative thoughts. I have tried that before and it really does work. It really makes me think that surely we can just shake our anxiety away...

Sarah :D

[lainey]

Hi Nic

I certainly agree with you, although it's hard sometimes to keep positive thoughts in your mind it sure works. Ihave just bought a book called Understanding Anxiety by Helen Kinnerley which concentrates on positive thinking and has helped me a lot. Hope you have recovered after your journey to Wales!

Take care

Elaine x

[pips]

Hi Nic, :D

Yes that is so very true. [^] So much of my anxiety is fueled by negative thoughts and over thinking plus worrying and dwelling on my thoughts.[Oops!]

It's like the first thing that comes into my head in the morning is anxiety. Even if I don't feel too bad I can make my anxiety into a much more higher state by dwelling on my feelings and symptons and before I know it I'm all ready to be taken by the men in white coats! [:P] LOL

I have tried testing myself but only under hypnosis. He got me to bring on about 3 panic attacks and told me to imagine the highest anxiety state possible and nod when I couldn't take anymore. He then calmed me again with deep breathing etc... At the time I thought he was being really evil [}:)] and cruel. I thought hey he is supposed to be help me get over the panic not bring it on! [Duh!] When in fact he was being cruel to be kind by showing me that you can calm yourself down again by taking the right steps. [Yeah!]

When I am feeling brave enough though I will try testing and challenge myself as you have but without the hypnotherapist there! [Ugh]

Well done mate you did so well I am proud! ;)Keep up the good work!

Hope alls well, Take care

Love PIP'S [:X] XX

[Meg]

**So I am fairly convinced that a lot of my problems and maybe yours are caused by our thoughts and in particular the negative ones that fuel the anxiety.**

I know that you knew this already because we've discussed it and we've had full threads dedicated to it , but I guess this was the first time you'd tried it out for real in situ.

Its so different when you finally figure it out for yourself .

Love

Meg

[nomorepanic]

I have never actually tried it before cos I didn't want to turn on those feelings and fears and face it.

I had to prove to myself last night that I could control this if I really tried and I wanted to see how easy it was to turn on and how hard to turn off.

I thought it would be a good test cos I was tired, feeling stressed and just done the bridge so it seemed like a challenge.

It was easy to turn in on with negative thoughts - "You can't get off this road, you are stuck, you don't feel well, you are going to feel faint soon, you have no hard shoulder" etc etc.

That did bring on the heightened thoughts and then I had to calm myself down - "you are fine, you don't need to pull off, you don't feel dizzy, you have done this before." etc etc

I had to stop it after a while cos I was too tired to concentrate on driving let alone trying to freak myself out but I did it on and off for an hour.

No wonder I am tired today!!

Meg - I agree. I knew all the theory but never dared try it before and I decided to try it for some reason. Easy to write about it here but harder to do it. I was on a mission last night cos I felt let down over the bridge so it was a kind of masochistic affirmation that I can still do it lol.

Seemed to work anyway, and I am hoping it has re-trained my brain back to realising that the bridge was a one-off.


Nicola

[sal]

Hi Nic

Mind games - how many times should we push it when we feel so bad but instead we turn and run from it. Proves we can beat it and however hard it is it is achievable.

You did great mate and i have taken on board how well you coped and got through a bad day and night at work by reading your post and realising that i cant let it beat me and like you i can do it.

Maybe struggling with it at moment but it wont beat me like it didnt you.



Love Sal xxxxx

[sadie]

Hi Nic,

I have never actually been as brave as you and made myself panic, although I know I do it subconsciously. I have managed to stop myself have a full blown panic attack but changing my thoughts though.

At least you know now that you can decide whether you want to panic or not, all you have to do is change your thoughts!!!

Take care

sadie

[Meg]

and you too Sadie - practice this with your heart thougts .

Its exactly the same process - I promise you !!

Love

Meg

[sadie]

Meg,

I know your right, I just have to keep perservering!

sadie

[Peter]

Is that possible a big part of the problem with curing anxiety, is that we know the theory, but believing it is the problem.

There is so much info. available on anxiety and anxiety related problems, but speaking for myself only I've come to the stage where I just gloss over articles, I feel at this stage that the problem is more complicated than just changing my diet or a few thoughts or attitude changes or whatever a particular article is claiming to have the cure too.

I feel like there is some truth in almost everything I've read and its just a case of believing that its just that simply and trying it out sincerely.

Peter

[jo-jo]

Nic

You are so right in everything you say, you know when ever I ask myself if I feel anxious, the answer is nearly always yes. Its like my mind is saying OK, we're thinking about it, bring on the symptoms!

Wow, you did so well to calm yourself back down - what admirable progress hun.

Love Jo xxx

[Caspian]

I have noticed how negative thoughts feed the fire but when you start thinking about the people you love it gives you courage. I've never tried to cause myself to have an attack on purpose but it seems like a good idea to train yourself to. Thanks!:D

[ladynumberone]

I know that the best idea is to have positive thoughts but i find that if i think right i will go and visit my friends house immediately out the blue i have an immediate negative thought that says you will have a panick attack if you go to your mates house this is so hard to try and break and i try to say to my self give things a go and see what will happen may be you will have a good time and you wont feel the panick i try to hit things head on and work through the bad feelings but it is so hard i have tried the mind games with my slef and it does work some times i think a lot has to do with relaxation and breathing technics which i have found do help to eleviate the attacks a little bit but doesnt stop them i am open to any help thanks
emma
xxxxx

[sara7396]

That is a great idea! I get panicky all the time while driving. I will have to try it!