Growth spurt encouragement

Don't let a setback discourage you, face the challenge and come out stronger for it. Celebrate your successes and be open to all of new opportunities that are about to come into your life.
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CarolynEd.Dir.
Posts: 92
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 8:31 pm

Post by CarolynEd.Dir. » Thu May 28, 2009 1:23 am

Hello to all-the following (start at the bottom) is an email from someone who has finished the program-her message and my response might be helpful as you move through your journey...


Dear Pam,

How wonderful to hear of your progress! You’ve done good work! As for your questions-good ones…Waking up anxious is an indication of what you’ve been “thinking” in your sleep-time. I want to reassure you that we have all experienced this. I am know so conditioned in my basic skills [breathing and positive thinking] that I find myself dreaming that I’m doing those things. :) That will come for you, but you will need to diligently use those skills in your day to day living…our skills must be in our conscious mind before they can be a sub-conscious reaction…make sense?

Precious-present moment living is something that will help in your recovery-immensely. Yes, your feelings are yours alone, but you are Not alone-we’ve all been there. Recovery is a process and if you skip pieces of it, I have found I go back to that piece later and must walk through it. The conditioning with the skills is one of those pieces. “I feel like I am losing my mind…” remember Feelings are Not Facts. “I feel” should be said, “I think,’ then it is easier to counter this mis-belief. For example, “What I feel is different than What I think. Right now I have a thought that is NOT true. I choose to speak only the truth. I don’t like the “feelings” of anxious Thinking…therefore, I will change my thoughts. I am very skillful at changing my thoughts to the truth.” You Know you are Not losing your mind-that is just a scary thought…if you were going to do that it would have already happened!:)

I have normal body symptoms that go along with real fear…even imagined fear. Without going into boring detail…a couple years ago Life Flight flew low over our home and seemed to land at my daughters home that her husband was building on our farm. I immediately thought he had been seriously injured-I had him near death in my mind- and was frozen with the byproducts of fear. In short, it was not Life Flight but a search helicopter. My body, mind and spirit went through all the steps as if it had Really happened-terrible…but short lived as we raced to the scene. For me it was a perfect example of the power of a thought-never ceases to amaze me. The good news-the sensations did not last any longer than the incident; there were no follow-up residual anxiety, bad thoughts, nor sleepless night. It will happen for you too. We have to remember that the goal is Not to Never have another bout of fear or fearful thoughts…the goal is to manage whatever comes out way. Being able to do this enabled me to take care of my husband for 18 months as he lost his battle with kidney cancer…I did not panic once. [Today I have an inch of water all over the basement- 4.7 inches of rain in less than an hour-I’m not panicking :) just dreading the work.]

I would imagine, like a lot of us, you are not quite sure if you can trust “feeling good.” I get calls from people who say, “I feel so good today…it’s scary! Now I’m getting anxious about it.” :) Maybe in that moment of feeling good, instead of just wallowing in that great feeling-you slip into questioning how long will it last, when is the other shoe going to drop… This is where practicing “precious, present moment living” is such a blessed way of life. But! It takes practice.

No more resistance-be with the good feelings as powerfully as we are with the not so good…peace, love and full recovery…I believe in you. Carolyn

________________________________________

Hi Carolyn,

I was hoping I could solicit your help once again with something I am facing in my recovery process.

I found an article on StressCenter Website that for some reason the words really clicked with me. It was submitted by Dr. Paul Coleman and it was about emotionally accepting the anxiety I feel and stopping the internal battle with anxiety. I loved the article and it has become my latest focus in my recovery process. In the Program there are many ways that this idea was presented (floating through anxiety etc.) So it really clarified what I already had learned and I realized that it was a component of the program that I was ready to really work on because besides using positive self-talk I had to get better at really "accepting" feelings of unease/anxiety.

... I am writing to you for a bit of reassurance, cuz I need that!!! I have been going through periods of time where I wake up anxious, I feel anxious through the night so I don't sleep well. I have scary thoughts or dreams that pop in an out of my mind. I get caught momentarily in being afraid of how I feel...body symptoms or of future thoughts of things I need to do (anticipating) and of course I get my body revved up. I can figure out that because I am facing my demons head on that they are really screaming at me and I have been using all my coping skills to get through the episodes. But...sometimes I feel alone in my AGONY!!! Is this normal? Do other people really feel what I feel? I feel like I am losing my mind when I momentarily panic. Do all of you that have recovered ever feel the old fear? Is it something that will always be a part of who we are? I am asking so I can have realistic expectations for myself.

What I have learned for sure about me is that whether I like it or not I am very stubborn and resistant to feeling really good. Don't get me wrong. I am multitudes better than I was and feel very proud of my progress. But one day I really was aware of "Wow...I really feel good and calm" How funny is it that--becoming conscious of it scared me and once I was aware of how good I felt the old bad habit thinking bit me in the butt. I resist the notion somehow that it is really okay to feel calm. I do feel frustrated at times that I can't seem to get both feet through the open door to a calmer existence.

I am doing what I think stays consistent with what I learned from the program. I know about Growth Spurts and that because I am still a work in progress feel that I am growing through something that I need to grow through in order to get stronger. I just need a little pick me up from someone who knows.

Thanks for your help Carolyn...Pam

Guest

Post by Guest » Sun Jun 07, 2009 10:29 pm

What a wonderful letter and a wonderful response. I just wanted to chime in and say that I can relate to this letter. I am in the same place in my recovery where the good days seem so full of love and acceptance and then the old "bad habit" says, "Yeah right, you feel good right?" he he

The bottom line is, we have to be our own reassurance and the "scary thoughts" are going to be there but not as bad. I liken it to playing a guitar for the first time. Your fingers are so sore from pressing on the metal strings when you are new. Over time, you develop a callus that makes pressing the strings more bearable and you can sit back and enjoy the music you are making. :)

Zoe

missobsessive
Posts: 62
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 7:20 pm

Re: Growth spurt encouragement

Post by missobsessive » Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:37 pm

Hi Carolyn,

Just wanted to say a quick thanks for the letter of encouragement. I've been struggling with a growth spurt for several months now, and could really use some encouragement and reminders that, yes, I will feel good again. And it is possible to fully recover from this.

So thanks for the uplifting letter. It was just the reminder I needed :D

TheTimeIsNow
Posts: 35
Joined: Sat Jan 29, 2011 1:08 pm

Re: Growth spurt encouragement

Post by TheTimeIsNow » Thu Mar 15, 2012 8:46 pm

Thanks for posting this. I'm going through a growth spurt right now but am handelling it so much better than I used to. I'm so greatful for this program. I just started the program again and feel that with my mind being clearer, I'm absorbing the information so much better. :P

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