4 Jun – Finally decides to get serious about the homework and worksheets

Hi

Well done 😉

definite things to do

keep in mind that although you mostly have problems with thoughts – you DO get panic – like at the Hairdressers so reading ALL the workbooks is a good idea

Even though they are on Panic – see what parts relate to you – if you feel the worksheets will be helpful start filling them in

You can write out your thoughts/fears – your safety behaviours – what you do to stop anxiety or what you avoid doing to avoid anxiety

You can fill in Panic Sequence

Read the Obsessional Thoughts workbook – Start keeping an Obsessional Thoughts Diary – keep filling it in each time you feel triggered – it will eventually show you exactly what is going on

Pay close attention to the EXPOSURE workbook and the exposure practice and behavioural experiments in the Obsessional Thoughts workbook

Create FLASHCARDS for when you get triggered – you can make some for specific triggers like when you wake up

So rather than just going over the usual anxiety thinking you use the Flashcard to help you PRACTICE

READ CAREFULLY the last part of the Obsessional Thoughts workbook – ‘Graduated Exposure and Behavioural Experiments’ and then start following the steps that are clearly laid down

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I know that all seems a lot and where to start etc

Print out the Obsessional Thoughts workbook

For sure you can do with a FLASHCARD for when you get triggered

You can definitely start a Obsessional Thoughts Diary

For sure you can read through all the books – ALL of them – they are easy to read and it wont take long

For sure you can read all my emails

Then print out all the worksheets from the worksheet book

and print the Obsessional Thoughts book worksheets

Then write down what your main problems are now – for yourself – a bullet-list

Then from that you may get a better feeling of what worksheets will be most helpful to start with

When you get a few started feel free to send them 🙂

Hi

The problem is that adrenaline is designed to make you ‘not accept’ and to be on high alert so it feels like we SHOULDN’T be accepting – which is why it is so difficult

But the truth is the adrenaline is coming from a ‘false alarm’ – forget about ‘why’ that happens – just accept that it DOES

and the best way to REALLY ‘accept’ the fight or flight is to test it and prove that you aren’t in any actual danger

Thats why exposure works so quickly

If you deliberately bring on your worst fears in a controlled way – so that you can test what ACTUALLY happens – then you keep discovering that the worst that happens is that you feel like crap while the adrenaline is running

but you dont actually die or explode or go into a permanent state of madness – it just FEELS like that

and the actual sensations aren’t even as strong as a toothache or severe stomach ache and so on

so as you gather proof that the absolute terror you fear doesnt EVER come to pass you become more accepting

The tricky one is when people tell me that their worst fear is that the anxiety will last forever all day long – and that thats what their experience seems to be

but thats where you have to dig deeper – do the downward arrow technique – find out the HIDDEN deeper fear

even 24/7 anxiety can be approached in another way – but you have to experiment

so for instance – if you feel you cant stand the continuous feeling of anxiety or thinking, experiment with INCREASING it deliberately! see what happens – does it get worse – does it strangely lessen

but also you need to keep diaries – you might think you have 24/7 anxiety and you really try to accept and not react – but when you keep diaries you have to write down your thoughts and safety behavious and you may get a shock at just HOW much you DO add to the problem

just get started – it doesnt have to be perfect to start with