Thoughts on Healing and Living

It finally happened; I felt a panic attack coming on, and instead of running from it, I accepted it.

Do you know what?

It went away!

The day of this breakthrough (about a year ago) I was driving with my kids to my son's speech therapy class. As I drove through the gates in our community I started feeling panic come on.

This is the time I would usually keep driving pretending nothing was wrong, knowing the inevitable was coming.

A panic attack!

But instead I sank into it.

I told myself that I was safe, and I relaxed my body as though there was no threat.

I chose not to babysit the feelings but just drove, having a normal conversation with my kids. I paid no mind to the temperature in the car (panic attacks usually made me chilly) and just went on as though everything was okay.

Because it was.

I didn't ignore the feelings though, I acknowledged how sad, confused and afraid I felt. I just didn't allow myself to believe that I was in danger.

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The phrase that can change your relationship with panic

What you resist will...

I got this message dozens of times over the course of two years coaching with Ryan of beatanxiety.me.

And after the seventh or eighth time, I learned that the response was:

persist.

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Because when you fight a panic attack, you're confirming to your brain and body that you're in danger.

But when you loosen up and continue doing what you're doing, like driving, cooking dinner, or talking to someone new, your brain realizes that you're not actually being chased by a bear in the woods (or, more accurately, you're not still in the same danger you were as a child or in the situation that caused you to suffer from anxiety in the first place.)

And eventually, if you do this enough, you rewire the part of your brain that usually panics.

I'm not saying this works right away because it usually doesn't. I sent Ryan this message over a year after we started working together.

And since this breakthrough, I've had quite a few panicky moments in the car, some when I turned around and went home, others where I stuck it out and panicked most of the way, and many that went really well.

But I know it will work for you if you do the right work.

I always suggest coaching as the best way to start healing, but if you're not quite there yet...

Below, you'll find a book to start with if you want to change but are unsure how.

Healing feels overwhelming because we don't see our progress day to day, but if you read a few pages of this book every few days or so and apply the practices to your life, you will see a change.

Reach out with any questions.

Thank you for being here,

🖤Donna

▪️I just came up with a FREE resource list with everything that helped me when I first started seriously healing anxiety. You can get that here.

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