The next step is to find pictures that can somehow relate to the diffrent affirmations...maybe a picture for every affirmation or every 2 affirmations and putting the affirmations under the pictures so I have visual association as well. I might even add some kind of audio association like a specific calm song that i only listen to while i read the affirmations.
Mike
One More Step
-
NinjaFrodo
- Posts: 1263
- Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:00 am
Here is the link to the Letting Go thread which is designated for venting
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/
-
forever young 06
- Posts: 284
- Joined: Sun Jun 25, 2006 5:19 pm
searunner,
that was a great post.I have been thinking along the same lines as you.I think the difference is you had no options here you had to help your friend this is great I think you can build on this it made you feel positive I am proud of you.
I did something some years ago that I keep going back to in my mind, how did I do that and now have fallen back I agreed to go shopping with my daughter to a town I hadn.t been to in 25 yrs it is 50 miles away I had been doing good no panic as long as I stayed in my circle I told her if my husband could drive us I would go well as soon as we got on the road and went just a few miles anxiety began and my thought was I can t do this the next thought was I can t disapoint my daughter If I say turn around I cant she would be hurt and disapointed so I didn;t say nothing and went on the anxiety went away I enjoyed myself and went again later on but what I am saying I didnt give myself an option can I do it again I don;t know I need to try
I am trying the interstate and this is again with my husband driving not me alone I first went a few miles the next week I went farther the next farther but this time we couldn;t find a turn around and my anxiety was going out the roof now I am afraid I will not be able to go farther as maybe we can;t turn around the interstate seems so isolated no house I feel like houses means help but there are always other cars why can;t they mean help and having to get so far from home I cant get there quick enough it is our thinking that is causing this we need to change it I have had this crap for 30 yrs I know what it is my goodness it is time to get over this and get I life
this is good stuff once we get a revelation we need to lacht on to it and keep running in the right direction mind you not away we are to face accept and let time pass I fail at all of this the first think I think is how long is it going to last get me out of here LOL
that was a great post.I have been thinking along the same lines as you.I think the difference is you had no options here you had to help your friend this is great I think you can build on this it made you feel positive I am proud of you.
I did something some years ago that I keep going back to in my mind, how did I do that and now have fallen back I agreed to go shopping with my daughter to a town I hadn.t been to in 25 yrs it is 50 miles away I had been doing good no panic as long as I stayed in my circle I told her if my husband could drive us I would go well as soon as we got on the road and went just a few miles anxiety began and my thought was I can t do this the next thought was I can t disapoint my daughter If I say turn around I cant she would be hurt and disapointed so I didn;t say nothing and went on the anxiety went away I enjoyed myself and went again later on but what I am saying I didnt give myself an option can I do it again I don;t know I need to try
I am trying the interstate and this is again with my husband driving not me alone I first went a few miles the next week I went farther the next farther but this time we couldn;t find a turn around and my anxiety was going out the roof now I am afraid I will not be able to go farther as maybe we can;t turn around the interstate seems so isolated no house I feel like houses means help but there are always other cars why can;t they mean help and having to get so far from home I cant get there quick enough it is our thinking that is causing this we need to change it I have had this crap for 30 yrs I know what it is my goodness it is time to get over this and get I life
this is good stuff once we get a revelation we need to lacht on to it and keep running in the right direction mind you not away we are to face accept and let time pass I fail at all of this the first think I think is how long is it going to last get me out of here LOL
Hello. I am currently experiencing a setback since completing the program. It was a mistake to not allow myself to relax each day, and instead I continued to push myself in all aspects of my life, thinking engrossing myself in work, gym and house work would be a helpful distraction from future panic. I ended up overloading myself (especially at work, asking for more responsibility than I guess I really wanted).
So, now I am having a 'relapse'. I am sick of this. I am forced to take a break from work, gym, everything, and now I feel weak. I can't do the relaxation technique because I have this breathing obsession when I am going through a relapse... my anxiety presents itself in the form of obsessing about every breath I take, so exercises that have you focus on it cause be extreme panic. What can I do? Any advice? Someone please let me see I'm not alone in this specific struggle.
So, now I am having a 'relapse'. I am sick of this. I am forced to take a break from work, gym, everything, and now I feel weak. I can't do the relaxation technique because I have this breathing obsession when I am going through a relapse... my anxiety presents itself in the form of obsessing about every breath I take, so exercises that have you focus on it cause be extreme panic. What can I do? Any advice? Someone please let me see I'm not alone in this specific struggle.
Good on gathering together your thoughts on sleep! 
I could add: " I don't want to go to sleep"
Don't! But on the same hand, don't do anything that stimulates actitivy,or over thinking. Read a book( not a thinking one), relax tapes, take your shoes off loosen your clothes, rest your body and see how good that feels, enjoy calm, the quiet. In the now zone. Even a old tv movie that you seen 100 times, so you can drift off with out thinking how does it end? And sometimes we just are not that tired. And its ok not to have a great nights sleep. We all have had those nights and we trust that our bodies will reset thier clocks another night, and they will.
I like them, Mike!!!
I could add: " I don't want to go to sleep"
Don't! But on the same hand, don't do anything that stimulates actitivy,or over thinking. Read a book( not a thinking one), relax tapes, take your shoes off loosen your clothes, rest your body and see how good that feels, enjoy calm, the quiet. In the now zone. Even a old tv movie that you seen 100 times, so you can drift off with out thinking how does it end? And sometimes we just are not that tired. And its ok not to have a great nights sleep. We all have had those nights and we trust that our bodies will reset thier clocks another night, and they will.
I like them, Mike!!!
-
NinjaFrodo
- Posts: 1263
- Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:00 am
I'm really proud of how far you have come THH. I know I did not know you before you started the program and I didn't keep track right from when you first started to post but you are becoming so very positive now and seeing things in a realistic way. Keep up the good work.
And Searunner I admire that despite the anxiety you have, you are still able to get yourself to work and to not over do it. You recognize your limits and you are working with them. That is great!
Mike
And Searunner I admire that despite the anxiety you have, you are still able to get yourself to work and to not over do it. You recognize your limits and you are working with them. That is great!
Mike
Here is the link to the Letting Go thread which is designated for venting
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/
Ninja -
Those are excellent affirmations about sleep. Given that I have a similar problems, I think I'm going to snag a few of those for myself! I think that my biggest problem with sleep is that not only have I allowed my sleeping cycle to slip back so that I want to stay awake late into the night and get up late in the morning, but I've also reinforced the habit by allowing myself to take naps which only furthers my difficulty sleeping at night.
Therefore I am setting two goals:
1) Slowly shift my sleeping cycle back towards a more typical pattern by going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. I'll try shifting thing by 30 minutes earlier each week.
2) Avoid naps at all costs. If I am absolutely exhausted, I'll allow myself a short nap by using an alarm to get myself up in a reasonable amount of time.
Also, thank you for your kudos. I know that if I want to beat my anxiety, I have to keep trying no matter what. I know that my successes will vary from day to day in both quantity and quality, but I'll always reap something good for trying. Sitting still is not an option!
Jamie
Those are excellent affirmations about sleep. Given that I have a similar problems, I think I'm going to snag a few of those for myself! I think that my biggest problem with sleep is that not only have I allowed my sleeping cycle to slip back so that I want to stay awake late into the night and get up late in the morning, but I've also reinforced the habit by allowing myself to take naps which only furthers my difficulty sleeping at night.
Therefore I am setting two goals:
1) Slowly shift my sleeping cycle back towards a more typical pattern by going to bed earlier and getting up earlier. I'll try shifting thing by 30 minutes earlier each week.
2) Avoid naps at all costs. If I am absolutely exhausted, I'll allow myself a short nap by using an alarm to get myself up in a reasonable amount of time.
Also, thank you for your kudos. I know that if I want to beat my anxiety, I have to keep trying no matter what. I know that my successes will vary from day to day in both quantity and quality, but I'll always reap something good for trying. Sitting still is not an option!
Jamie
"Common things occur commonly. Uncommon things don't. Therefore, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." -- C.J. Peters
FY06 -
I'm glad that you enjoyed my post.
I think that you're absolutely right about options. When we have the option to back out of something due to anticipatory anxiety, too often we allow ourselves to take that option and then beat ourselves up over the decision. But when we do something spontaneously and then don't give ourselves any choices, we almost always do much better than we think we could have. So much of the time we are our own worst critic, never giving ourselves credit for what we've accomplished and always underestimating what we can do. It's such a shame that we don't love ourselves the way we would someone else.
Your example of driving on the interstate is a good one. It's especially relevant to me since I have exactly the same problem. Getting on one of those stretches of highway where you know that you can't get off for several miles is a great way to test ourselves. If we are really being honest with ourselves, the truth is that we can handle it no matter how bad things get. And the fact that there are no exit forces us to keep going and face our worst fears.
I'll be the first to admit that this is by no means an easy thing to accomplish. There is so much anticipation and fear such that our bodies and minds scream out to not do it. But if we're ever going to get better, we have to be able to go through the anxiety and learn that we can handle it and we always survive. We have to keep reminding ourselves that our minds are playing tricks on us; we're not really in danger and there is nothing terrible that will happen other than fear.
Jamie
I'm glad that you enjoyed my post.
I think that you're absolutely right about options. When we have the option to back out of something due to anticipatory anxiety, too often we allow ourselves to take that option and then beat ourselves up over the decision. But when we do something spontaneously and then don't give ourselves any choices, we almost always do much better than we think we could have. So much of the time we are our own worst critic, never giving ourselves credit for what we've accomplished and always underestimating what we can do. It's such a shame that we don't love ourselves the way we would someone else.
Your example of driving on the interstate is a good one. It's especially relevant to me since I have exactly the same problem. Getting on one of those stretches of highway where you know that you can't get off for several miles is a great way to test ourselves. If we are really being honest with ourselves, the truth is that we can handle it no matter how bad things get. And the fact that there are no exit forces us to keep going and face our worst fears.
I'll be the first to admit that this is by no means an easy thing to accomplish. There is so much anticipation and fear such that our bodies and minds scream out to not do it. But if we're ever going to get better, we have to be able to go through the anxiety and learn that we can handle it and we always survive. We have to keep reminding ourselves that our minds are playing tricks on us; we're not really in danger and there is nothing terrible that will happen other than fear.
Jamie
"Common things occur commonly. Uncommon things don't. Therefore, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." -- C.J. Peters
Berengar -
Breathing has been one of my fears that has stuck around for nearly the entire time I've had anxiety, which is about twenty-one years now.
There are two things that help me get through times when I'm panicking about my breathing. First, our bodies naturally know how to breathe. We don't have to "manually" help. The very worst case is that we may hyperventilate and pass out. But as soon as that happens, our bodies would immediately regulate our breathing again and we would wake up breathing normally.
Second, and this relates to part of the first, after thousands of panic attacks, I have never stopped breathing and I have never passed out. So the likelihood of either ever happening in the future is statistically insignificant. It just isn't going to happen.
When I do become overwhelmed and obsessed about my breathing my best defense is distraction. I shift my focus onto anything that will occupy my mind. I'll do math problems in my head, think of as many cities in the world that start with a certain letter (e.g. "M": Milan, Madrid, Moscow, etc.), think of as many models and makes of American cars and such. As soon as I get my focus off my breathing, it returns to normal and I start to relax. Give it a try.
Jamie
Breathing has been one of my fears that has stuck around for nearly the entire time I've had anxiety, which is about twenty-one years now.
There are two things that help me get through times when I'm panicking about my breathing. First, our bodies naturally know how to breathe. We don't have to "manually" help. The very worst case is that we may hyperventilate and pass out. But as soon as that happens, our bodies would immediately regulate our breathing again and we would wake up breathing normally.
Second, and this relates to part of the first, after thousands of panic attacks, I have never stopped breathing and I have never passed out. So the likelihood of either ever happening in the future is statistically insignificant. It just isn't going to happen.
When I do become overwhelmed and obsessed about my breathing my best defense is distraction. I shift my focus onto anything that will occupy my mind. I'll do math problems in my head, think of as many cities in the world that start with a certain letter (e.g. "M": Milan, Madrid, Moscow, etc.), think of as many models and makes of American cars and such. As soon as I get my focus off my breathing, it returns to normal and I start to relax. Give it a try.
Jamie
"Common things occur commonly. Uncommon things don't. Therefore, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." -- C.J. Peters
THH -
You have a very healthy outlook and reasonable expectations on your sleep. Your right that our bodies will get sleep when they need it. If it's not tonight, then it will be tomorrow.
I'm curious: are your expectations of yourself and your habits as reasonable in other areas of your life as well?
Jamie
You have a very healthy outlook and reasonable expectations on your sleep. Your right that our bodies will get sleep when they need it. If it's not tonight, then it will be tomorrow.
I'm curious: are your expectations of yourself and your habits as reasonable in other areas of your life as well?
Jamie
"Common things occur commonly. Uncommon things don't. Therefore, when you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." -- C.J. Peters
-
NinjaFrodo
- Posts: 1263
- Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2004 3:00 am
Searunner
Thank you, I really thought about all the negative thoughts I had surrounding sleep to come up with those. Yeah naps that are more than 45 minutes could really make problems but when you get soooo tired it can be very challenging. Your goals seem very reasonable. If you only want to snag a few then thats ok. I can understand if it might get too overwhelming with too many. For me I just kinda notice that the more of them I have the more i'm focused on that topic and the more i visualize about it.
Yes i think action is a good idea instead of just reading words and expecting the problem to change on its own. I think I'll follow your lead on that one as well. Its been kinda crazy with visiting friends and events and such so my sleep has been all over the map...has not got to 4am though.
I definately think the belief that you need to keep trying no matter what is ingraned by now. You have been on the forums for awhile now and i can still remember talking to you last year i believe. You have the determination there for sure.
That my friend is an affirmation as well. One that i am going to write down in my affirmation book.
THH was similar to you when it came to following my posts and responding to most of them. I'm actually really proud of the progress THH has made over the last couple of months.
Mike
Thank you, I really thought about all the negative thoughts I had surrounding sleep to come up with those. Yeah naps that are more than 45 minutes could really make problems but when you get soooo tired it can be very challenging. Your goals seem very reasonable. If you only want to snag a few then thats ok. I can understand if it might get too overwhelming with too many. For me I just kinda notice that the more of them I have the more i'm focused on that topic and the more i visualize about it.
Yes i think action is a good idea instead of just reading words and expecting the problem to change on its own. I think I'll follow your lead on that one as well. Its been kinda crazy with visiting friends and events and such so my sleep has been all over the map...has not got to 4am though.
I definately think the belief that you need to keep trying no matter what is ingraned by now. You have been on the forums for awhile now and i can still remember talking to you last year i believe. You have the determination there for sure.
I know that my successes will vary from day to day in both quantity and quality, but I'll always reap something good for trying. Sitting still is not an option!
That my friend is an affirmation as well. One that i am going to write down in my affirmation book.
THH was similar to you when it came to following my posts and responding to most of them. I'm actually really proud of the progress THH has made over the last couple of months.
Mike
Here is the link to the Letting Go thread which is designated for venting
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 52&t=25087
You can follow me on Twitter, same username or check out my blog
http://ninjafrodo.blogspot.com/