Correcting common Misinterpretations
FALSE ALARM 6. “I’m going to lose control!”
SYMPTOM – Sense of dread, building tension, feeling ‘unreal’
ACTUAL REALITY – Panic CANNOT make you lose control.
In panic, fight or flight symptoms are preparing you for action.. so your mind becomes very alert and agitated.
You may FEEL that you might lose control but in actual fact your subconscious mind is keeping you remarkably focussed.
Think how wonderfully your mind focuses on the symptoms. How you plan your escape with meticulous fight or flight fuelled precision. James Bond couldn’t be so focussed!
The reason we fear we might lose control is that as we feel the symptoms increasing we picture them ‘spilling over’ until we are running around screaming and shouting. This is pure CATASTROPHISATION.
With panic – we may at worst appear very anxious or flustered and have to leave a situation – but we NEVER really ‘lose control’. It just FEELS like we will.
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