Managing Anxiety and Panic
Managing anxiety and Panic is a two-step process. First, we have to get our body chemistry right. Once that
chemistry is right, we can work on changing how we're thinking, in order to eliminate anxious thoughts.
The following four techniques are part of step one. These exercises can stop the flow of cortisol and
adrenaline to the brain that activate and are activated by our "fight or flight" response, (the Sympathetic
Nervous System,) and switch us into using our thinking brain, (Neocortex,) so that we can make real changes
in our thoughts and experiences.
CEO Breathing
Picture the stereotypical head of a company with his feet up on a desk, hands clasped behind his head, leaning back in his chair. Now try it yourself. Laced your fingers behind your head, lean back in your chair and breathe. (Putting your feet up is optional.) It is biologically impossible to
breathe in a shallow way in this position. Breathing from the
bottom of your lungs tells your body to stop panicking and
puts the SNS to sleep and wake your thinking brain, (your
Neocortex,) up. Now your body is chemically firing for calm.
Peripheral Vision
Imagine yourself driving a small car in a snowstorm, in the dark, with salt trucks all around you. You will most likely narrow your focus to see out of the small part of the windshield you can, onto the small part of the road that is barely lit. Now relax your eyes to take in the view to 180 degrees on either side of your head. You are now using your peripheral vision. Your actual ability to function goes up by 30% at this point because your SNS is now asleep and your Neocortex is in charge. You can relax and take in your peripheral vision at any time. Every time you do, you will be changing your brain’s chemical firings to calm. Multi-Sensory Reground Your body doesn’t know where it is until you tell it where it
is. You may be thinking about a disturbing situation, or
remembering something that happened to you. Perhaps you
are imagining something awful is going to happen. Whenever
you do that, you chemically fire as if you are there. This is
not helpful! However, you can change your body’s chemical
firing and bring yourself back to here and now by using your
5 senses to get yourself back in this moment.
> Pick up an object. Describe the way it feels in 3 words.
> Look around you. Notice 3 things that you see.
> Find 3 things you can smell. (If you can’t smell anything,
pick up your shirt and describe what you smell in 3 words.)
Brain Vacation This works just like the Multi-Sensory Reground, but instead of getting yourself in here and now, you take yourself somewhere much more pleasant! In your mind, take yourself to the beach, or the mountains, your favorite comfortable place in your home. Use all 5 senses to describe it to yourself in great detail. Your body will chemically fire as if you are there. > Notice 3 things you can hear. Describe them in detail to
yourself.
> If you have anything you can taste, taste that thing and
describe it 3 ways.
Using your senses gets your Neocortex back online stops the
flood of chemicals that are connected to your memory, or to
your fear about the future.
All materials taken frm the work of Dr. J. Eric Gentry, www.compassionunlimited.com, Sarasota, FL