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  • The subject for today is: Anxiety attacks

  • Any of you who have had an anxiety attack know that it is one of the worst sensations you can have

  • out of any sensation on this planet

  • if you had a panic attack

  • you know it

  • it's a very surreal experience and

  • it makes you feel like your life is completely out of your control

  • So, what is a panic attack and what can we do about it?

  • A panic attack is basically a sudden intense episode of fear

  • fear which is coming in response to a thought which you're thinking

  • usually a thought which is subconscious rather than conscious

  • Whatever thought it is that you thought

  • caused your body

  • to react as if it was a life or death situation

  • your body was then flooded with chemicals which are associated with

  • fight or flight

  • now, in that kind of a circumstance

  • When fear is coming in response to a thought

  • which doesn't necessarily pertain to the experience

  • or your circumstance that you're in,

  • your body is flooded

  • with chemicals like adrenaline

  • those chemicals would be normal if you're running through the woods being

  • chased by a bear

  • or were in some other circumstance that was a threat to your life

  • however, when you have an anxiety attack

  • most often those chemicals are being flooded to your system

  • out of context

  • meaning, there is no immediate threat that you can perceive to your physical well-being

  • but your body is registering that there is

  • The fact that these emotions

  • feel as if they are

  • out of context

  • makes you feel crazy and makes you feel like you're losing control

  • and that right there is really the hallmark of the panic attack because

  • the sensation becomes what you start to fear

  • you start to fear that you're losing control and you start to fear that you're

  • crazy (for lack of a better word)

  • and so

  • that fear on top of the previous fear that your body thinks that is in a situation of life or death

  • causes a level of fear

  • to happen

  • which is

  • debilitating

  • a lot of times you will fear having other panic attacks as well because

  • the experience is so intensely horrible

  • it becomes something which inhibits you in life

  • you fear having another one

  • to the degree where

  • you may limit what you're doing socially

  • you structure your life

  • in resistance to the idea of having another anxiety attack

  • but that fear, in and of itself can cause another one to come on

  • and then we develop things like anxiety or panic disorders

  • to understand some of the symptoms which might occur to you if you were having a panic attack

  • I'm going to give you some of these symptoms now

  • If you're having a panic attack you may experience:

  • A sense of impending doom or danger

  • The fear of loss of control or of death

  • You may begin to experience very rapid heart rate

  • You may start to sweat or tremble

  • You may feel shortness of breath or you may have a hyperventilation problem

  • You may get chills or hot flashes

  • You may feel nauseous

  • You might get abdominal cramping

  • chest pain

  • a headache

  • You may get dizzy you may feel faint

  • You may feel like your throat is closing up on you, like it's super tight and you have trouble swallowing

  • You may feel numbness in your extremities

  • or you may have the feeling of surreal reality

  • meaning, that you feel like you're detached from yourself

  • I want to reiterate that your brain has no way of distinguishing between the thoughts you're thinking

  • and the reality which it perceives

  • This very principle, that your brain has no way of perceiving the difference between thought and reality

  • can work to your advantage

  • but in the case of an anxiety attack it works to your disadvantage

  • because your brain can't really distinguish

  • whether the thoughts that you are thinking

  • are real

  • or not real

  • everything is real to the brain so if you're thinking a thought

  • which puts your body in panic mode

  • your brain at that moment doesn't stop itself and say: "this is not reality"

  • it perceives itself

  • being in a life or death situation

  • so it's important for those of us who have anxiety attacks to acknowledge the fact that

  • we're not going crazy

  • the body and the brain are responding in perfect

  • accordance to what our thoughts are.

  • I personally don't advocate

  • any anti-anxiety medications

  • that are available today

  • unless

  • a person believes

  • that that is the thing which will cure them because belief

  • is the trump card for everything.

  • If you feel like anxiety medication is the only thing which can help you release resistance to anxiety

  • it's not wrong for you to go get them

  • but in my personal opinion

  • your emotions

  • are the compass which are leading you

  • through life, they're what's telling you if the thought you hold

  • resonates with your higher self and that what you truly are, or does not resonate

  • with who you are and what you really

  • should be doing

  • So, why take out the compass

  • that's what we're doing so often nowadays in our medicinal

  • practices

  • is, we're basically making an enemy of the very thing which is leading us

  • in the correct

  • or incorrect direction

  • and then we wonder why our lives have become numb

  • and we wonder why our lives have become less than satisfactory

  • In order to prevent anxiety attacks you want to avoid alcohol and avoid

  • stimulants like coffee and like sugar.

  • Some of us have much more sensitive systems than others

  • I think this is a good thing, to have a very sensitive nervous system means

  • that you have a very very accurate compass

  • It's very hard for people who are sensitive

  • to go on the opposite direction of what is right for them

  • So it's not a good thing to make an enemy of a sensitive system

  • but, it's best if you can gear your choices in life

  • towards a diet and a lifestyle

  • which will pacify your nervous system

  • and nurture your nervous system

  • so, create any kind of grounding environments for your nervous system to

  • flourish so you're not bombarding it

  • because your likelihood of having a kind of a

  • panic attack or chronic anxiety if you're overloading it with stimulants

  • is super super high

  • Get regular exercise

  • I know we all harp on diet, exercise and sleep

  • but exercise

  • is really really good for your nervous system

  • joint impact

  • releases chemicals in your brain

  • which pacify your system

  • they actually have a calming effect which is why a lot of people with

  • anxiety disorders

  • are addicted exercise

  • Get eight hours of sleep a day

  • When you are allowing yourself to go to sleep you're releasing resistance

  • you're rejoining your Source Self perspective

  • and in the absence of resistance

  • well-being and health

  • is allowed to flourish

  • it will literally cascade naturally through your body

  • so you're allowing yourself to reset

  • when you allow yourself to sleep enough

  • Find every way you can to reduce stress in your life

  • Stress takes a toll on your body

  • It is basically, the heart every single disorder and every single disease

  • If you maintain a life of stress or a focus on situations which make you feel stress

  • your likelihood for an anxiety attack increases exponentially

  • the reason is because your body

  • is set up

  • for the specific chemicals that are released within it

  • What I mean is:

  • If you're a person who chronically fuels stress

  • the brand new cells that are made within your body

  • are made intact with receptor sites which are

  • specifically designed

  • for the neuropeptides

  • in your body which are associated with stress

  • and when those receptor sites

  • get denied of chemicals they start to go into a crave

  • type of situation

  • where they release all kinds of information about

  • them dying and needing that same kind of chemical

  • so then you get into this

  • sort of locked in cycle where you almost need to create stress because your cells are

  • craving the stress chemical

  • So, if you would like to live a stress-free life

  • you need to start practicing

  • living a life of non-stress to such a degree that the new cells within your body that are made

  • come into this existence with new receptor sites which are predisposed

  • towards emotions

  • (the chemical version of the emotions) like joy

  • rather than chemical emotions

  • like stress

  • In order to stop an anxiety attack

  • you've got to find a way to get your brain to stop sending the message to your body

  • that it's in a life or death situation, it has to stop sending the emergency message

  • Fear is your indication that your focus or something you are paying attention to

  • is in the exact

  • opposite direction

  • of your desire and your well-being

  • and your higher self

  • Panic and fear is one of the lowest vibrations, it's one of the most discordant vibrations in our universe

  • In other words, when you feel fear

  • your intention which is always well-being

  • is colliding

  • with your current thought or action

  • which holds a different

  • resonance than that, entirely.

  • So, what do we do about it?

  • Number one

  • Never force yourself

  • through the action

  • if you're feeling a panic attack

  • and never try to avoid the sensation

  • trying to avoid

  • a panic attack

  • or trying to ignore a panic attack once it has happened and force yourself

  • through the action the panic attack has occurred because of

  • is the worst thing you can do

  • it will not work

  • So, What I want you to do if you're having a panic attack is: close your eyes

  • and I want you to take five

  • very deep deep breaths

  • Breathe in to the extent where you're filling your lungs entirely up to their

  • full capacity and then I want you to hold that breath for eight to ten seconds

  • and then release the breath.

  • Remind yourself of what is going on

  • you can tell yourself: I am having a panic attack

  • That will help pull your brain out of the catastrophe thinking

  • into the reality which is current, which is: I am having an anxiety attack

  • That's way better than thinking I'm literally in life or death situation

  • Next I want you to do something very counter-intuitive

  • I want you to turn your focus in towards all of those sensations

  • Resisting the sensations

  • will make the sensations worse

  • because whatever we resist, persists.

  • That's the vibrational law within this universe.

  • So, we want you to embrace and

  • dive into the emotions and the sensations of the experience of the panic attack.

  • It may be the very last thing you feel like doing

  • but it will be your key to set in free

  • of that panic attack.

  • When you embrace and you welcome the sensations of an anxiety attack

  • it changes your point of power

  • It's a conscious change

  • of your attitude towards the experience

  • which then changes the chemicals which are released in your brain.

  • Those sensations are there for a reason

  • they are meant to be acknowledged

  • and they must be acknowledged

  • if the experience

  • is to be fully processed.

  • Begin naming what it feels like

  • for example you could say

  • Sensation

  • you feel heavy

  • and stinging

  • you feel like metal

  • you feel like you're trying to eat me

  • I want you to name whatever sensations

  • you are feeling within your body

  • Then, I want you to take it one step further

  • I want you to invite the feeling to become worse

  • ask it

  • to get more intense

  • ask it

  • to feel more

  • This step removes

  • all remaining resistance that you have to the experience

  • When the fear

  • is no longer being fed by the mental resistance

  • it will dissipate

  • What's better than that is, your confidence will begin to kick in

  • it will tell you

  • guess what?!

  • you're in control of the experience rather than the experience being in control of you

  • which is how panic attacks get you.

  • They convince you that you're not in control of your own life

  • Then I want you to ask the sensation what it needs you to know

  • what it's trying to tell you

  • Acknowledge

  • those feelings

  • and acknowledge the fact that you hear them and you feel them and you understand them

  • also acknowledge that you have gratitude for them

  • gratitude for the fact that your system

  • is giving you totally accurate feedback

  • to the thoughts that you're thinking

  • then I want you to look deeply

  • to try to identify what it was that you were focused on before having this panic attack

  • Once you identify it

  • you want to look for evidence and proof that undermines that thought that you were thinking

  • Then you want to begin looking for thoughts which feel better to think

  • so for example

  • If I have a fear of going on an airplane and I'm experiencing an anxiety attack as a result

  • of being on an airplane

  • I want to begin to come up with as many thoughts which both undermine my

  • thoughts which are aligned with the fear of being on an airplane

  • and support the idea that it's an enjoyable experience

  • and a safe experience

  • For example, I could think thoughts like:

  • planes get safer and safer every single year

  • or, pilots are trained specifically for any kind of emergency situation

  • so I am actually in good hands

  • or, all you hear about on the news is the one plane crashes and not the millions

  • and millions and millions each month that takeoff with no problem

  • If you have problems with negative focus chronically or you consider yourself a worrier

  • it's a really good idea to bring with you

  • something called "The positive aspects journal"

  • What a Positive aspects journal is

  • is basically a journal where

  • you write down a subject

  • so, if I have a fear of flying I could write down

  • flying on an airplane

  • and then you write an entire list

  • of all the positives which you could think about the situation "flying on an airplane"

  • any thought which makes you feel better.

  • It's a really good idea if you have a chronic worrying problem

  • and you know that you're headed towards a situation like flying

  • and you've already made the decision that you're gonna go through with it

  • to write down as many things like that as you can possibly focus on

  • so that during the experience you already have a list to look at so you can be

  • attuned in the get go, right out of the gate

  • with positive emotions

  • and positive sensations rather than running the risk of spiraling downwards and getting

  • yourself into a situation where you're experiencing a panic attack

  • It's impossible to have a panic attack when you're focused positively

  • the reason is, is that your emotions are your indication

  • of the exact thought which you are holding

  • So, if you hold a positive thought, negative emotions can't occur within your system

  • The reason that panic attacks feel like they're "out of the blue"

  • is because we move through life in a first-person perspective

  • Seldom do we ever step back and really watch the thoughts that we're thinking

  • So often, when we walk into a situation

  • like getting onto an airplane, we have so many negative thoughts that are rapid-firing and that we have no

  • conscious awareness of when we get hit by the panic attack

  • we're going:

  • "I don't know where that came from it just came to me from nowhere"

  • without acknowledging

  • the thoughts which we thought

  • leading up to that experience

  • Sometimes taking an action

  • like going someplace or meeting someone

  • is not in line with our well-being

  • That will come across as the intuitive feeling of something not being right for you

  • The problem is, when you have that intuition of something is not entirely right for you

  • often we start to pile

  • really negative thoughts on top of it

  • which spiral into fear and spiral into panic attacks

  • So once you go through these steps that I've outlined

  • and you pull yourself out of the catastrophic thinking

  • you can find that place which is your thought stasis

  • and once you're in that thought stasis you can distinguish whether that action is correct for you

  • or whether the action is wrong for you.

  • Once you have pulled those thoughts of fear

  • away from the very root which is usually an action that you're thinking about taking

  • you can ask yourself

  • Is this action right or is this action wrong for me individually?

  • Is this action in line with my highest good?

  • If the answer is yes

  • then you want to try to pull your thoughts

  • into vibrational alignment with the decision you've just made

  • if you make any decision, you want to start thinking thoughts which lineup totally with that decision

  • so you don't experience any opposition and any resistance

  • If the answer is: no, it's not right for me

  • then don't do it

  • you cannot expect yourself

  • to do something and just get used to it

  • it's not going to happen

  • You can't be living a happy life while simultaneously going upstream all the time in your life

  • Fearful thoughts

  • can be like weeds which grow around a flower

  • a flower which represents something which is right for you to do, or think, or be in this life.

  • Sometimes

  • fearful thoughts can be like weeds which grow around poisonous mushroom

  • the poisonous mushroom, of course, representing things which are not good

  • for you to do, and be, and have and all of that

  • in this lifetime

  • But the fearful thoughts which are the weeds have to be cleared away first, for you to decide

  • whether that thing which the fearful thoughts are obscuring

  • is right for you

  • or is wrong for you

  • you never want to take action until you take the step

  • to clear those weeds, clear the fearful thoughts off of whatever subject

  • you have been thinking about

  • You always know what's right or wrong for you

  • You always hold the power to focus positively

  • or focus on something which causes you to feel negative emotion

  • I promise you, as debilitating as panic attacks are

  • it is totally within your power to be able to stop them when they occur

  • and they can bring very valuable insight into your life

  • and get you in touch with what is really right for you

  • Subtitles by the Amara.org community

The subject for today is: Anxiety attacks

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