baldy_dude
21-11-08, 14:00
My Friends - I've done so much reading on Panic Attacks in the past week that it has more or less consumed my life. I've more or less dedicated my full time job (thankfully I'm the boss, so there is no issues there) and have arrived at a technique that seems to be effective for me. The following technique seems to have warded off some potential Panic Attacks. I can't say for certain, but I didn't have any when I used this technique.
Let me share the technique I'm trying to master... (apologies for the names of these technique, but I don't know what else to call them)
"Cloud Technique"
OK, everyone must acknowledge that a thought is just a thought - nothing more, nothing less. Just because you think something doesn't make it true or real. So visualise a thought as a cloud, one that just comes in high over the top of you... it might be a negative thought or a panic-laden thought. STEP #1 - DON'T FIGHT IT. The more you try not to think about something, the more you actually think about it. Let me give you an example.....
If I said don't think of a pink elephant, what do you automatically think of? Probably a Pink Elephant. So I now ask you to actually try and stop thinking about a Pink Elephant.... does the thought suddenly leave your head? Probably not, in fact you end up thinking about it more. The lesson here is that thoughts are not something you can just deliberatly dismiss - they are not tangible, and unfortunately sometimes they are not rational.
So here is the technique that I am using that has been effective over the last couple of days.... a thought comes drifting in, whereas in the past you may have said to yourself that you need to get rid of this thought as it strikes fear into you and could spiral into a panic attack. This time can I ask you to do the following:
- Acknowledge the existance of the thought as a cloud just drifting by
- Label it as just a thought
- Just let the thought move on, just like a cloud passes by
Sounds very simple, but believe you me this has prevented potential moments of panic for me just by letting the negative thought drift on by.
As I say, it's helped me over the last few days, but I'm not saying I've found the magic bullet (YET) but I want to share everything with you all, if I can see some benefit in what I am doing.
Regards
The Dude
Let me share the technique I'm trying to master... (apologies for the names of these technique, but I don't know what else to call them)
"Cloud Technique"
OK, everyone must acknowledge that a thought is just a thought - nothing more, nothing less. Just because you think something doesn't make it true or real. So visualise a thought as a cloud, one that just comes in high over the top of you... it might be a negative thought or a panic-laden thought. STEP #1 - DON'T FIGHT IT. The more you try not to think about something, the more you actually think about it. Let me give you an example.....
If I said don't think of a pink elephant, what do you automatically think of? Probably a Pink Elephant. So I now ask you to actually try and stop thinking about a Pink Elephant.... does the thought suddenly leave your head? Probably not, in fact you end up thinking about it more. The lesson here is that thoughts are not something you can just deliberatly dismiss - they are not tangible, and unfortunately sometimes they are not rational.
So here is the technique that I am using that has been effective over the last couple of days.... a thought comes drifting in, whereas in the past you may have said to yourself that you need to get rid of this thought as it strikes fear into you and could spiral into a panic attack. This time can I ask you to do the following:
- Acknowledge the existance of the thought as a cloud just drifting by
- Label it as just a thought
- Just let the thought move on, just like a cloud passes by
Sounds very simple, but believe you me this has prevented potential moments of panic for me just by letting the negative thought drift on by.
As I say, it's helped me over the last few days, but I'm not saying I've found the magic bullet (YET) but I want to share everything with you all, if I can see some benefit in what I am doing.
Regards
The Dude