My fear symptoms have been really bad the last few days. I am just exhausted from feeling frightened all the time. This seemed a good occasion, then, to remind myself of the tools I have to deal with anxiety.
I have mindfulness tools:
– “dropping an anchor”, which involves acknowledging the fear-like sensations, then coming back to the body through paired muscle relaxation – tensing a muscle group, and then releasing the tension and enjoying that release – then grounding myself with my external senses
– allowing the fear-sensation to be there, not resisting it
– body-scan and other guided meditations
– visualizing happy places
I have lots of positive self-talk practices:
– that it’s not even really fear, because there is nothing I am afraid of; instead, it’s only a fear-like sensation; and that sensation itself cannot harm me
– that nothing really bad will happen if I make the wrong decision or otherwise make a mistake, that I’m still a good person
-that the fear isn’t bigger than me; I have experienced it before and have always been okay
I have related mantras:
– “I am determined. I am loved and supported. I will be okay”
– CLUM-C: “Change is constant, loss is constant, unfairness is constant, mistakes are constant, conflict is constant”
I have breathing techniques:
– rapid inhale through the nose to a count of three, then slow exhale through pursed lips counting to five
– placing my hand on my abdomen and feeling my belly expand as I breath in
I can distract myself in positive ways:
– by connecting with friends and family, in person, on the phone, on the net
– by doing physical exercise
I have safe spaces where I can go if it gets really bad:
– my bed
– lying down in the car
It’s important not to spend too much time lying down in my safe posture (on my back, with my arms crossed), but it’s also important not to feel embarrassed about sometimes needing to take refuge in order to feel safe.