Letting go of sensations that scare you
Most people with anxiety have a bodily sensations or two that unnerves them. In my experience the most common one by far is related to the heart and the fear that it will beat too fast triggering a heart attack.
It’s perfectly understandable to have this fear. During a panic attack for example, your heart can pound like an African drum up into your throat and down into your stomach. That kind of beating is fine in the gym or watching a scary movie but pretty unnerving if you are just doing the shopping.
People imagine all kinds of scenarios like having a heart attack someplace alone or while out in public with their family. This fear is also pretty common in the gym while exercising.
Connected to the heart are other unusual sensations that also spark fear like palpitations or skipped heart beast. Those can really freak people out as they watch and wait nervously for the next time it happens. The anxiety radar goes into 24/7 overdrive looking out for any potential trouble.
Often times people start with one sensation they are scared of and it then can spread like wildfire to a fear of other bodily sensations like difficulty breathing, a lump in the throat or dizziness.
If you find yourself getting anxious about bodily sensations you must first of all get it checked out by a doctor (that goes without saying). Then once you have the all clear, you need to learn to mentally step back and stop monitoring every minute aspect of your body.
Your body has an innate intelligence that has been keeping you alive for years and its not going to stop doing so just because you are worried that it won’t.
As well intentional as your anxious mind is, it’s only getting in the way and making things worse by monitoring and trying to control every sensation.
I often think trying to control your bodily sensations, is like a nervous flyer during turbulence banging on the cockpit door demanding to fly the plane. That kind of behavior just makes the whole plane (your body) more tense.
You need to train your mind to let go and trust. Your anxious mind needs to sit back down and trust that your body can handle it, -just like it always has done.
Think of all the years your body has done its job perfectly but now your mind wants to butt in and take control just because a few unusual sensations.
These sensations are not going to be a problem for your body. It can handle it just fine thank you very much. It’s your anxious mind that has the problem.
There is great peace to be found in learning to trust your body again. You have lost that trust but you can regain it back by letting go of the need to control your body.
So, let go and trust your heart,
let go and trust your breathing,
let go and trust whatever the bodily sensation is that scares you the most.
Surrender and trust your body again just like you used to do way back when anxiety was never a problem.
I think your body has earned that trust!
Share your thoughts on this exercise below.
Barry
P.S It goes without saying that If you’re worried about heart problems or any other bodily sensation you should always get a full medical examination. This at the very least will help put your mind at rest.
Maria gutierrez
Thank u berry 🙂
Barbara
I have had panic attacks for 35 years now and everyday same old thing over and over…fear….shaking…anxious…..fight or fligh….constantly thinking panic and dwell on it.and I’ve tried everything I do enjoy various posts a lot of that make sense what scares me the most is, does anyone else have chest pain? when I get a chest pain that really puts me into overdrive. Made many trips to the ER in the course of years.
Lindy
Hi Trace, Good on you for opening up. Since I opened up about 10 years ago I’m amazed at how many people have opened up to me that they suffer too. As for ‘understanding’ what’s happening, I read somewhere recently that it’s important to understand that nearly every panic attack is a moment where you’ve allowed your mind to ‘return to a memory of an unpleasant moment in your past’ or you’ve become ‘anxious about a moment that might happen in your future’…. You’ve actually gone out of the ‘present’. It’s sometimes good, when you start feeling a panic attack coming on, to try and just stop for a moment and see what’s going through your mind.. i.e. see whether your fear is coming from an image of a moment from your an event in your past that you fear ‘might’ happen again in this moment. I could ramble on for hours about this, but keep on keeping on kiddo… AND HAVE HEAPS OF MASSAGES! : – ) Be well!
sandra53
Thank you all for sharing! Thank you Barry; your e-mails always come at the right time. I have had high anxiety for at least 5 years now. Things that have worked for me: self-talk, ex. not wanting to get up in the morning. Say, I’m fine, I will get up and get moving! I can do this! Another help; your brain doesn’t know the difference between reacting to your thoughts or reality, so smile, sing, change your attitude, talk out loud about positive things. Say to yourself, It’s just thoughts! One of the greatest helps for me is to realize that my anxiousness or fears are side effects of anxiety disorder. This is what anxious or depressed do! Accept the thoughts or fears and keep going; they will subside. Talk to yourself as you would to a friend or spouse or child that comes to you with their anxiety or fears. Some of the supplements that have helped me: GABA, rhodiola, taurine, and some of the Bach flower family remedies. All of the symptoms from your posts helped me again to put things in perspective. I have to try to remember what Barry said; your body has been taking care of you for years without your having to control it; it will continue to do so. God bless you all!
Elizabeth
So I’ve been suffering from axciety and panic attack since I’ve had my first child I got it when she was almost passed one year old I got on meds but I started too think really bad thoughts after taking so many meds for axciety and depression. So there for I decided I don’t wana take any meds anymore I deal with it as I could but I had second baby and he’s almost one year old in march. I’ve been through the whole sensation but I’m having hard time just getting over that this is part of me and a feeling I get on my legs I feel like as if I can lose control of them in front of people at stores or anywhere.i really don’t like this feeling I feel like I’m losing myself even more because I know I can do it but just some days I feel like it’s not even worth trying I feel so confused and I need help I’ve read para of the book and I try going out for drives in the car hearing the panicaway program I would like any thing else for help like learning to trust in myself and trust what I’m reading and hearing on here thank u so much for ur info you give us.
Ken
Thank you Berry and everyone for your posts, really have helped calm me down when I had my worst attacks.
Cant help reading David’s post (20/10/13) over and over, particularly the following part in his post “THE only thing that is true is that all those times I thought that this is it, I will go crazy and never come back to sanity, I have”.
Have struggled with attacks from 2010 when i lost my dad (the good lord rest his soul). Unlike most of you, i leave in central Africa where this disorder would not be easily acceptable and very few people really understand what it is. The little knowledge i have is from my own research plus the help that comes in from Berry (much appreciated). Accessing meds would be next to impossible in this part of the world and have thus learnt to accept the way i am and move on. Prayer also does help for me.
Overall, reading these posts really does make me feel better. I still fail to go out certain times with my mates or drive around but after giving myself time and prayer tends to work for me.
The LORD richly bless all of you!
Julie
It is just comforting to know that It’s not JUST ME having these things although I would not wish this condition on anyone. My anxiety and panic started when I took care of my sister who was dying of cancer. it just pushed me over the edge! The panic of not being there for her and the constant mind trip of trying to figure out a way to save her threw me into the worst thing I have ever endured. Thinking of her and what she went through gives me the POWER of knowing I CAN DO THIS! Coaching my self through each attack and remembering I have the control over my mind helps. My panic lasts an hour or two and just wears me out to the point I can sleep for hours! I just want to thank all of you on this website that gives pointers of how we get through this!!!! I use them daily to make it through work and home! Barry is awesome!
Lou Brown
To all those who have commented that they feel ‘dizzy’—-I had the good fortune to watch the Dr Oz show last year where Depak Chopra was a guest. Depak suggested a natural remedy for headaches but I tried it the next time I felt dizzy from anxiety AND IT WORKED! It’s as simple as (sitting if possible) or just standing still and taking 2 or 3 long breaths in and out and then focusing all your attention on your heart-beat until you can really feel it and hear it… then you re-focus as hard as you can on your fingertips and try and FEEL your heartbeat in the very tips of your fingers. Apparently what this does is, it tells your brain to send the rush of blood from your head down to your fingertips – thereby taking the pressure out of your head. I’ve even done this while sitting at traffic lights or in a meeting and it’s quickly dispersed the dizzy feeling. Oh, I forgot to say that I am able to ‘feel’ my heartbeat in my fingertips after a while.
Andra
Hello!
I`ve started to have all kind of symptoms related to anxiety and panic attacks since 2010. With therapy, there were good months and bad months. In 2013 psychoanalysis was the major step for me. And, during hard times, every e-mail from Panic Away was like a premonition of what was happening with my life.
Now I love psychoanalysis and I feel much better, and I realize that I am on a road, and every little step I make is in the good direction. What if I feel ill again? What if a symptom occurs again? I`ve started to enjoy better the flux of bad and good things, they are all normal, like the moods or thoughts of a day. Cannot be just happy or just sad, they have to be wavy.
Thank you Barry, thank you all anxious people. And thank you Anxiety!
Madalina
I had anxiety and panic attacks because of a hyroid problem. I am taking medication to have a proper TSH level and I also take magnesium. They say we could be magnesium defficient and not know it because the blood test won’t show it. If tou have muscle cramps, feelings of restlessness, impending doom, palpitations, check your thyroid, adrenals and take magnesium supplements. I got bettet after 6 months. My anxiety is not so serious right now. I used to have social anxiety, agoraphobia and I couldn’t stand crowds. Now I can tolerate this.
Amitabha
U r simply genious in making people handling & managing panic & stress very very well. U have been sent by Lord for management of these two unnecessary evil in Earth— Amitabha
Carol
I have suffered with anxity and panick attacks for 18 years I have made many trips to a and e over paulpertations and chest pains course of it very scary cause no one understands but I just starting to get Pringles in the face and numbness does any one else get this