13 January 2009

Panic Attack Journal

Today I want to introduce you to a very powerful little technique for people who suffer from panic attacks (also known as anxiety attacks). It may not eliminate your panic attacks like the One Move* can but it is very good for getting through a difficult episode of anxiety and learning the key factors that trigger your panic attack.

Let me explain it briefly here:

When you feel the anxiety or panic a ttack building, and your thoughts become more fearful, take a pen and paper and begin to write down each and every feeling and thought you experience.

Write them in detail exactly as you experience them as if you were a newspaper reporter. Go into as much detail as possible. How does it make you feel? What are the symptoms? How strong are the sensations? How scared do you feel on a scale of 1 to 10.etc

Do not worry that you may be writing too much or too little. Try to elicit the first thought that started the worry and continue from there, describing the bodily sensations as they wash over you. See if you can remember any anxious thoughts you had when you first awoke that day and any more that occurred throughout the day. Write it all down.

This is a subtle but powerful technique -not only does it distract you from the anxiety and give you a safe area to release what you are feeling, (onto paper) but it also helps you better understand exactly what triggers your fears. You will feel much less anxious for having done this exercise and you can apply this whenever you feel the fear rising again.

I suggest you buy a small journal just for this exercises and use it anytime you feel the arrival of anxiety. You can then keep track of how you are progressing over time. People I teach often use this method in combination with the PANIC AWAY course and it helps them chart a marked improvement in their progress.

The very act of expressing what we feel helps us reduce the emotional tension we fe el inside. In this case you are expressing yourself through writing. You will be surprised at how powerful it can be. More so you will be creating an account of your progress as you move out of the anxiety and return to a more relaxed mode of living.

Next email Giridhar I will share another interesting tip that I think you will find most useful one that is simple and very effective.

Until then…
Kind Regards
Joe

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