This small methodical manual introduces you to the different views on the state of anxiety.Often people tend to avoid this condition, but we will talk about why it is important to face your anxiety, and what happens to those who are running away from it.We also talk about the difference between the fear of anxiety;some anxiety is normal and what - no;What are ways to help yourself live amicably together with anxiety, rather than trying to suppress it in myself, thus provoking an increase of voltage only.
Fear and anxiety: synonyms or different concepts?
Very often, people confuse these two states, but in reality the fear and anxiety - not the same thing.Let's understand, what are the differences.This will allow us to better understand ourselves.To do this, start with no such thing as fear.What is fear?It is a reaction that occurs at the moment when a person is faced with something unexpected that could somehow threaten his life.
Imagine you're thinking about something important, Chagall himself, on what not paying attention.Come to the crosswalk and start to cross the road.And suddenly, suddenly a loud sound signal, a passing car at high speed.You strongly freezes, eyes wide open you, the body is tense, you are ready to run or fight for their lives.
This reaction is fear.It is involuntary, is automatic.In fact - this is our heritage in the animal kingdom.In response to an unexpected threat to life, our body automatically prepares either to fight for its existence, or to escape from danger.All this is very natural, and just need to beings who survive in difficult environments.Later, we'll even touch on the physiological reactions of the person in a situation of stress and anxiety, here let's talk about what happens after a fright.
quite a long time a group of US researchers identified three main reactions that follow the shock.This anger, fear and interest.Let's look at them in more detail.Anger - it is a natural human emotion, which allows him to defend himself.In fact, anger carries with it a great surge of energy.Her man can send to fight the enemy that threatens his life.Fear - is also very natural emotion, it indicates that the threat is great, and deal with it people can not.Fear pushes a man to save his life, away from the threat.Quite often, fear and anger are woven together.Perhaps we can say that the first person is afraid, and then assess the situation and unconsciously weighing their strength, or the offensive, anger, or fear with effort away from danger.Oh, and last emotion - it's interesting.It occurs when a person, after a fright does not see the real threat to his life, then he can explore with interest, "And what scared me so?".
And finally, we come to the issue of differences between fear and anxiety.The latter often has some unique relation to the actual situation.If you have a fear of a specific object in the external world to which we respond, then the alarm is no such object.Anxiety is experienced as a vague and nagging premonition of impending disaster.Simply show it by example.Let's say you go down the street and suddenly from the corner pops up a dog that starts barking at you.In this situation, we usually feel fear.But in a situation where we go down the street and look forward to, because of the angle it can jump some dog and bite us - we experience anxiety.Anxiety can have a different intensity from mild anxiety to panic terror when people constantly looks around, expecting an attack, or ceases to leave the house for fear of what the street has a terrible dog.
Imagination and anxiety
last example shows us the close relationship of the imagination and anxiety.To start worrying we need to imagine some kind of picture of the terrible events ahead of us.Sometimes it is not necessarily visual images, we can recall some sensations, feelings that we had a similar situation and begin to experience anxiety.
alarm - it is always an experience, directed to the future.Therefore, in order to better be able to withstand the anxiety, it is important, first, to separate from his imagination, and secondly, to be able to focus on concrete reality, which is all around us at the moment.How to do it?Let's try a few exercises.
«disidentification»
reception, called "disidentification" was proposed in one of the directions of psychotherapy - psychosynthesis (seems he borrowed from the Eastern spiritual practices).The idea here is that.Every person has the internal structure, which we usually call "I".For someone it can be a stronger, more stable, someone less.This "I" is able to observe the processes that are taking place within us and see the outside world."I" if it has the power, able to direct the actions of human behavior in a certain direction, and it can give a person a sense of support at a time when he was overwhelmed with strong emotions.
assumed that people can identify themselves with various objects of the external world (my clothes, car, apartment - a kind of the "I"), its intrapsychic processes (my thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs - the same "I"), sometimeswith other people, he can also identify yourself (my wife, child, mother, father - part of my "I").Identifying yourself with all the components of life, a person can experience much, for example, a situation where he is going in the subway in filthy clothes as vulnerability to the Self, his self-esteem.Or, faced with strong feelings (guilt, resentment, shame, anxiety, etc.) and experiences, identifying with them, it can sink in those states who came to him and lose all control over himself.
Technique "disidentification" allows a person to take a greater distance with respect to all these components of life, which gives a greater sense of independence, inner strength and support.
For example, tomorrow you will be a certain exam, and you notice that you start to lose control of himself.You can not concentrate, anxiety begins to grow, the fantasy of tomorrow's failure to embrace you.To help you restore balance, it is important to stop and try to separate your "I" from all these experiences that you have appeared covered.This can be done using self-talk.It looks like this:
«My feelings about tomorrow's exam - it's not myself (a).I - this is what is watching over all of life.My I always remains unchanged.Feelings, thoughts, status, life events - I and my I remains unchanged and watching all these changes.There is an accumulation of new experiences, knowledge, increasing understanding of life, of people, but at the same time, my I is independent and sustainable.My experiences and feelings - is not I myself (as).They are transient, today - one;tomorrow - more.Today, I have someone I love, I hate tomorrow.Today worry, I calm down tomorrow.The states vary, but my self that behind all this there remains unchanged.Everything I gain or lose in life - comes and goes.Money, apartment, car, clothes - yesterday it was not for me, today is, tomorrow may not be.But while I'm staying.In order not to happen in my life, I have mine, and saved it - exactly what is constant support in my life.Tomorrow I will have a difficult situation, but my success - it is not I myself (and) my defeat - is not I myself (and) my prestige - I did not (a), it all comes and goes.That is what I get an estimate - is important, but this estimate is given of my knowledge and I do not think that regardless of any knowledge and assessments.My I is valuable in itself unconditionally.It is - life itself, which is in me.Everything else comes and goes. "
This is an example of how you can talk to yourself to have a little disidentify oneself (separate) from their experiences, expectations, etc.This can allow to feel more independent of the internal conditions and external events, making it possible to better withstand difficult situations, be more calm.You can experiment with what words to say to yourself in difficult moments.The main thing - to understand the idea.If you can separate your Self from those experiences that you overwhelmed, and look at them as the river that flows, but does not take away for a you, standing on the shore - then find the right words and help yourself disidentify oneself thatNow I do not rest, you must succeed.
Focusing on the sensations
second point, which we have previously agreed to talk - that's how you can help yourself to focus on reality, not on imagination.After all, if you can switch to what is happening at the moment in the outside world, the anxiety, which pulls you to the bottom, detachment from reality, will gradually subside.
Let's try to do here is exercise:
Sit back, so that you feel comfortable in a position to hold a sufficient amount of time.I'll ask you questions, directing your attention, and you try to respond to them, describing their inner voice that feel.Do you feel like your back in contact with those on which you sit?You can feel the weight of the body, which presses on the seat?The back, buttocks, upper legs - feel the pressure in these parts of the body?Can you feel how are your feet on the floor?Equally they are?Which leg is more convenient, right or left?You feel the sole of your shoe?And the socks if you have them, you can feel?Dawit whether gum from the socks?If yes, then on what the leg is stronger?What you wear, pants, jeans, a skirt?You can feel how the fabric comes in contact with the skin of your feet?And on top of that you wear?Feel the fabric touches to your body?Try to feel the temperature in the place where you are.Is there a difference between what they feel exposed parts of your body and those that are under your clothes?Which part of your body warmest and which colder?Do you watch, rings, earrings?Try to feel separately as an accessory or that touches your body.You blink?Can you feel the collapse lashes?And the hair on your head may feel?If you have long hair, if they touch to the neck, or you have a tight rubber band?Touch or feel the pressure?Do you notice how to breathe?Breathe in through nose or mouth?If the nose, the nostrils dilate there?What nostril breathing better?Can you feel the cool air passes through the nose or mouth, moves down to the lungs when you breathe?You can feel the warm air comes to the surface when the exhalation?Do you breathe comfortably?Pleasing Do you inhale?A breath?Try to find a nice breath that is delivered to you pleasure and pleasant breath, too enjoyable.Breathe like this for a while.Do you feel at the moment of inspiration all the muscles of your chest moving?Inhalation chest expands, during exhalation tapers.Do you feel it?There is a muscle, it is called the diaphragm.It is situated slightly below the center of the chest to the abdomen.At the moment of inhalation it descends, causing the lungs to expand.At the time of expiration pushes air out of the lungs.If you put your hands below the solar plexus, you can feel how it moves.You feel it move?If you breathe as you pleased, the movement of the diaphragm will be smooth and even.Now try to hear what's going on around you.But it retains a sense of his own body, not losing it out of your attention.Do you have a noise outside the window?Do you watch?They ticking?Maybe it flashes and buzzes?Or next to the computer, and the fan makes a noise?Or maybe you are traveling in the subway?You hear banging wheels?As creaking parts of the car?The noise outside loud?Try to put together the sounds that surround you about the same as we did with the sensations.This exercise can be continued by focusing on what you see.But you will gradually complete.Is there any change in your condition after you have done this exercise?What was in the beginning, what now?You good?
You can prodelyvat similar exercise at a time when you feel that anxiety sucks you in, and you lose control of himself.Coming back to reality, you set a strong connection between his inner world and the outer.For anxiety is characterized by the collapse of the experience of inner peace, detachment from reality, and here, in this exercise, we strive to overcome this gap and restore balance.
as anxiety experienced on the bodily level?
What else is important to know about the alarm?It is important to know.Often people make the experience of anxiety for a heart attack or asthma attack.They think that the heart would jump out of my chest, and they die, or they suffocate from lack of oxygen.Let's talk a little bit about how anxiety is experienced in the body level.
body, experiencing a threat and looking forward to the disaster begins to prepare for it.To cope with the danger, the body needs to mobilize (he must either fight the danger or run away, are the basic mechanisms of response to danger).Natural is here such manifestations:
- heart rate increases to ensure the flow of blood to the muscles, as it is necessary in the impending struggle.
- peripheral vasoconstriction leads to an increase in blood pressure, causing the body to a state of high alert, a man "pale with fear."
- «Cold sweat" is preceded by the natural perspiration, which is the result of muscle activity.
- Man starts to tremble, and hair on the body rises, to keep warm and protect the body from the heightened threat of cold (also due to the narrowing of blood vessels).
- Breathing becomes deeper, to ensure an adequate supply of oxygen.
- Pupils dilate, allowing you to better consider the impending danger.
- the digestive system suspended because all the blood needed for skeletal muscle.
- My mouth felt dry because saliva is reduced, and accordingly stops the secretion of gastric juice.
- tended to empty the bladder and intestines;it is also obvious processes that have clear practical function for the release of the body's activity.
here very briefly lists some of the body's reaction to a situation of threat.If you learn to recognize them and understand that you are having trouble, such reactions can stop being afraid and gradually learn to accept them as a reality, which in turn will reduce the level of internal stresses.Because of the anxiety no one has died, but scaring yourself that "it's your death came" with a heartbeat and discomfort, anxiety can be very easy to reinforce, though it literally grow to panic.
Anxiety - is our best teacher
This idea belongs to the famous Danish philosopher S.Kerkegoru.Let's discuss it.Generally speaking, this thinker devoted much time to the study of the experience of anxiety and made many important and valuable psychological insights.He said that the alarm is always accompanied by a man when he is beyond their usual limits when trying to expand their life-world.
person can greatly narrow their world, trying to avoid trouble.In psychotherapeutic practice periodically you can meet people who are literally no longer leave the house, so as not to deal with imaginary dangers of the outside world.Likewise, we tend to restrict themselves from public performances, trips to other countries, meet new and unusual people, etc.
Therefore S.Kerkegor talked about that quite easily, you can cheat and get away from the reality of its requirements or tasks, pretending that all is not so important, or calm yourself in some other way.But anxiety can not be the man to leave any other way but to meet her face to face."Anxiety - is our best teacher", - says Kierkegaard, implying that anxiety teaches us life, it always shows us the existence of the plane in which we have not yet visited and which are not used.Anxiety shows us the direction of the development of our personality.There is no other way.
