REFRESH YOURSELF
Originally I was going to follow up on my last entry and elaborate not only on making friends, but some of the psychology surrounding what I've previously written. I sat down to do just that, yet I could get no further than the title. Not because I didn't know what to write, I have ideas oozing out of my pores for this blog, I really didn't realize I knew so much about this stuff! It was because of something entirely different. You know how it is when nothing seems to go right and everything in the external world appears to be picking on you, mocking and laughing at you. Well, that's my life right now, stuff's been getting on top of me and I'm stressed. I could've jotted down that last entry, but it would have been full of subtle negatives, reflecting my state of mind at the time. To cut a long story short, I've been a moody bastard.
The reality is, I couldn't carry on being a moody bastard and make progress at the same time, neither could I help you make progress from that negative state of mind. So, I took the decision to change course and write something which I always intended to write but neglected. It was neglected because it's so well covered elsewhere that I really didn't want to patronize people. However, my own recent experiences have only served to reinforce my longstanding beliefs on the sheer importance of the subject, yet it is one overlooked by the majority, which often includes myself. I know I'm always stressing the importance of stuff, but this one is prime, it has been on my occasions my savior. I'm talking about relaxation. It's time to refresh yourself.
I know, I know, you've tried it and it doesn't work.
Think again!
The most common complaint is usually this: 'I had a panic attack and I tried deep breathing and and everything, and like I was still panicking, and like it didn't do nothing for me...' Trust me, if you're having a panic attack there is little you can do other than sit it out. Took me a long time to realize, but after several years of trying to control them it finally dawned on me that they're an uncontrollable force. It is usually your efforts to control which fuel the panic, but anyways, at the top you will find a very crude chart. This chart briefly explains some of the mechanics of panic. The black line is your average happy-go person who is rarely inundated with anxiety. The green line however is the sensitive person who commonly feels anxious. You'll notice the same two people pose the same trends. The only difference being that the anxious person has a higher general level of anxiety. When a fright is incurred their anxieties peak in the same fashion, but since the sensitive guy already has a high level of anxiety, so when they encounter an unnerving situation their anxiety is already on the verge of panic. Of course, this isn't a thorough analysis of the situation and far more is involved (such as associative thoughts) but it does provide a good example to how relaxation can in fact help people who often suffer from panic attacks. Where most people go wrong is that they try to relax through the panic, which is near impossible, rather than making relaxation a regular routine through their lives, lowering the general level of anxiety so that they can reach a state closer to that of the black line. This essentially will reduce the chances of panic occurring, and that is exactly what we're looking to achieve.
Anyhow, I didn't come here to talk solely about panic attacks, I don't get them anymore (this stuff works). What most don't realize are the vast array of improvements that can be made throughout all aspects of your life through simple relaxation. Yesterday, I was ready to blow. Today, I'm calm and cheerful. And I have only one thing to thank for that.
We all get bogged down in our lives. We all have our numerous problems catching up with us. Then to top it off we've got all this stuff yet to be done. Modern culture, although can be very satisfying, throws so much stuff at us that we just can't keep up. Sit and listen to your thoughts for a second and it quickly becomes apparent that there's about ten different voices in there telling you to do ten different things. It's really no wonder we so often feel we can't cope. This is when the stress begins to rise, the anxiety rises, the moods, the fears, the depression, they all begin. And as they begin we're in no fit position to take on any new challenges, which includes dealing with your anxieties. First thing you have to do, is STOP!
Seriously, just stop. You'll make yourself ill. Not only will you make yourself ill, but regardless of how much determination you've got you're taking on too big a fight. You're swimming upstream. It needless be that way. What relaxation will do for you, is calm your thoughts. You'll become less restless and you'll be able to focus on individual tasks with increased productivity.
All this garbage that's circulating around your noggin will begin to evaporate through regular practice. Half of that garbage is your problems, the ones that keep reminding you of how difficult your life is right now. You'll slowly begin to realize that your biggest problems are often your smallest, most insignificant molehills. Relaxation is an energizer by anyone's standards. It's like having a wash of all your dirty thoughts. It's the spring clean. It throws out the trash and leaves you with the truth of your reality. Ok, I'm getting carried away, I don't want you to leave here with the assumption that it's going to turn you into an immortal, God-like figure overnight. It'll never do that. It's not even a cure. What it is, is a very powerful tool to help you along the way. It may not change your life solely on its own, but it will help to discard the negativity you carry with you daily and give you the motivation and rejuvenated energy to carry on. It's the first port of call. It's the refresher. It gives you the perfect place from which you can start.
Learning to balance levels of stress is the fundamental backbone of keeping a healthy state of mind. It is one of the very things that helped me to overcome years of debilitating anxiety, yet I still don't use this tool to anywhere near its fullest potential. I could continue to list all of the benefits, but this would become an extremely long post. If you still think it can be a negative or useless exercise, get back to me and I'll put you straight with a full explanation of why you're wrong. There are times when I'm so relieved this concept exists, without it I'd be a shattered man.
I'll tell you how to go about it next.
The reality is, I couldn't carry on being a moody bastard and make progress at the same time, neither could I help you make progress from that negative state of mind. So, I took the decision to change course and write something which I always intended to write but neglected. It was neglected because it's so well covered elsewhere that I really didn't want to patronize people. However, my own recent experiences have only served to reinforce my longstanding beliefs on the sheer importance of the subject, yet it is one overlooked by the majority, which often includes myself. I know I'm always stressing the importance of stuff, but this one is prime, it has been on my occasions my savior. I'm talking about relaxation. It's time to refresh yourself.
I know, I know, you've tried it and it doesn't work.
Think again!
The most common complaint is usually this: 'I had a panic attack and I tried deep breathing and and everything, and like I was still panicking, and like it didn't do nothing for me...' Trust me, if you're having a panic attack there is little you can do other than sit it out. Took me a long time to realize, but after several years of trying to control them it finally dawned on me that they're an uncontrollable force. It is usually your efforts to control which fuel the panic, but anyways, at the top you will find a very crude chart. This chart briefly explains some of the mechanics of panic. The black line is your average happy-go person who is rarely inundated with anxiety. The green line however is the sensitive person who commonly feels anxious. You'll notice the same two people pose the same trends. The only difference being that the anxious person has a higher general level of anxiety. When a fright is incurred their anxieties peak in the same fashion, but since the sensitive guy already has a high level of anxiety, so when they encounter an unnerving situation their anxiety is already on the verge of panic. Of course, this isn't a thorough analysis of the situation and far more is involved (such as associative thoughts) but it does provide a good example to how relaxation can in fact help people who often suffer from panic attacks. Where most people go wrong is that they try to relax through the panic, which is near impossible, rather than making relaxation a regular routine through their lives, lowering the general level of anxiety so that they can reach a state closer to that of the black line. This essentially will reduce the chances of panic occurring, and that is exactly what we're looking to achieve.
Anyhow, I didn't come here to talk solely about panic attacks, I don't get them anymore (this stuff works). What most don't realize are the vast array of improvements that can be made throughout all aspects of your life through simple relaxation. Yesterday, I was ready to blow. Today, I'm calm and cheerful. And I have only one thing to thank for that.
We all get bogged down in our lives. We all have our numerous problems catching up with us. Then to top it off we've got all this stuff yet to be done. Modern culture, although can be very satisfying, throws so much stuff at us that we just can't keep up. Sit and listen to your thoughts for a second and it quickly becomes apparent that there's about ten different voices in there telling you to do ten different things. It's really no wonder we so often feel we can't cope. This is when the stress begins to rise, the anxiety rises, the moods, the fears, the depression, they all begin. And as they begin we're in no fit position to take on any new challenges, which includes dealing with your anxieties. First thing you have to do, is STOP!
Seriously, just stop. You'll make yourself ill. Not only will you make yourself ill, but regardless of how much determination you've got you're taking on too big a fight. You're swimming upstream. It needless be that way. What relaxation will do for you, is calm your thoughts. You'll become less restless and you'll be able to focus on individual tasks with increased productivity.
All this garbage that's circulating around your noggin will begin to evaporate through regular practice. Half of that garbage is your problems, the ones that keep reminding you of how difficult your life is right now. You'll slowly begin to realize that your biggest problems are often your smallest, most insignificant molehills. Relaxation is an energizer by anyone's standards. It's like having a wash of all your dirty thoughts. It's the spring clean. It throws out the trash and leaves you with the truth of your reality. Ok, I'm getting carried away, I don't want you to leave here with the assumption that it's going to turn you into an immortal, God-like figure overnight. It'll never do that. It's not even a cure. What it is, is a very powerful tool to help you along the way. It may not change your life solely on its own, but it will help to discard the negativity you carry with you daily and give you the motivation and rejuvenated energy to carry on. It's the first port of call. It's the refresher. It gives you the perfect place from which you can start.
Learning to balance levels of stress is the fundamental backbone of keeping a healthy state of mind. It is one of the very things that helped me to overcome years of debilitating anxiety, yet I still don't use this tool to anywhere near its fullest potential. I could continue to list all of the benefits, but this would become an extremely long post. If you still think it can be a negative or useless exercise, get back to me and I'll put you straight with a full explanation of why you're wrong. There are times when I'm so relieved this concept exists, without it I'd be a shattered man.
I'll tell you how to go about it next.
posted by mico at
1:31 pm
1 Comments:
I use to meditate frequently.
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