It's a strange thing but our imaginations can cause both positive and negative outcomes.
You see, our thoughts have a very powerful influence on our behaviour and state of mind.
Start the day in a negative frame of mind and no matter what happens, the brain always manages to see the bad outcomes or effects.
However, start the day in a positive way and the exact same things may happen, but now the brain sees all the positive outcomes! Therefore it's important to be mindful of what we are doing and thinking and try to be as positive in our thoughts as possible.
The negative side of imagining is one of the things that can cause and deepen an anxiety attack.
One moment you are going about your normal activities quite happily, the next a negative thought enters your brain, probably triggered by something you've seen, smelled, heard or remembered and feelings of anxiety start to take over.
If you now start to imagine bad or difficult outcomes, such as, "I'm about to have a heart attack!" or "This terrible pain in my chest must be cancer!" and so on, then your anxiety will deepen and grow.
You're on route to a full-blown panic attack.
What should you try to do? Now that you know what might happen, you should be more able to counteract your negative thoughts.
It's not easy, I know, but whenever these negative thoughts enter your mind, you must immediately think positive thoughts.
"Of course I'm not going to have a heart attack.
My heart is perfectly healthy.
I had it checked out only last week/two weeks ago, so I'm fine" or "Cancer is not a problem.
I know that I don't have cancer because I was checked only a few weeks ago.
The pain must be something harmless.
" Now, of course to be able to use these positive thoughts you must get the check-ups stated.
Otherwise you'll know you're talking rubbish, take no notice of yourself and the anxiety will get worse instead of better.
Prepare for negative thoughts, then by having regular check-ups at your GP surgery.
They only take a short time and are well worth the effort to give you peace of mind all the time and to help out when negative thoughts crop up.
The positive side of imaging is usually more helpful for everyday life, although negative thoughts are also sometimes of help in keeping us out of danger.
For example: I'm driving down an unfamiliar country lane.
It has lots of bends and is quite narrow.
I don't drive too quickly because I can imagine what might happen if I go too fast around a bend and the car strays over to the other side of the lane.
A car may well be driving in the opposite direction with calamitous results! My negative thoughts kept me from dying.
Quite useful, I'd say! However, the power of positive thought and imaginings is important.
For example, visualization can be a powerful aid in counteracting anxiety and panic attacks.
Now visualization is a sort of imagining that combines two powerful techniques; relaxation and distraction.
If, through visualization, you can create an imaginary safe place into which you can go any time you want to, then this can help to dispel any feelings of anxiety that might be building up.
As with anything worthwhile, you'll have to put a bit of effort into building this imaginary place for yourself.
There are actually three stages:
(a) Determine what or where your safe place will be Your safe place can be a favourite place that you have visited or spent holidays there.
Equally it could be a favourite place that you remember from your childhood.
Or you can make up a completely imaginary place and make it whatever you want it to be.
There's plenty of scope for you then, but what you must do is ensure that it will be a place that you want to come back to over and over again whenever you feel the need to escape from the situation you find yourself in.
(b) Being able to let yourself go completely in this place Now, once you've decided on your special place, you have to start to prepare it for you to escape to.
It has to be a place with which you associate relaxation and feelings of happiness and comfort, away from any signs of anxiety.
As you begin to imagine your safe place, feelings of relaxation and calm should start to come over you.
To make this happen, think of your safe place and try one of your relaxing or calming techniques.
Things like breathing in deeply and slowly and then breathing out slowly.
To make this as effective as possible, try to imagine your safe place at the end of a small lane.
As you imagine yourself walking slowly down the lane to your safe place, start your breathing exercise.
The nearer you get to your safe place the deeper and slower you need to breathe.
By the time you reach your safe place you will then be in a very relaxed state.
When you reach your safe place imagine the door to it.
It is shut and you are the only person in the world who can open it.
As you open it try another relaxing technique such as tightening and relaxing your muscles in turn.
While you do this have positive thoughts of your safe place.
Remember that you can go there any time you want to and keep focused on the fact that it is your safe place where nobody can find you.
Imagine what the lane leading to your safe place looks like.
What is on each side of the lane? What does the door look like? What colour is it? Does it make a noise as you open it? Make all your observations as real as possible.
Imagine the feelings of relaxation you get as you walk slowly down the lane to your safe place.
When you go through the door imagine the feeling of well-being that you now have.
This is your safe place that you alone can enter any time you want to.
Imagine your safe place and all the relaxing times you will have there.
(c) Go to your safe place on a regular basis.
Whenever you go to your safe place, you are in total charge and nobody else can go against what you want to do.
Not even anxiety.
Of course you can go there any time you like and every time you go there your feelings of relaxation and well-being get stronger and stronger.
You must visit your safe place often.
The more times you visit the better.
Each time you visit, reinforce the feeling of growing relaxation as you approach the door and enter it.
Each time you go there you will feel more reassured than the last time.
Remember to visit at least once a day and you will create your personal safe place away from anything and anyone else.
Here anxiety just does not exist.
If you feel that negative thoughts start to enter your mind, that means that you've been transported out of your safe place for some reason.
It's nothing to worry about because you can always go back there whenever you want to.
Don't think about why that happened, just know that you can go back down the lane to your safe place and open the door that only you can open and you're back in the tranquil safe place that is yours and yours alone.
Each time you go to your safe place, imagine it more vividly and feel the comfort and relaxation that it gives you more intensely.
Build up the immense feeling of relief you experience as you walk down the lane, open the door and enter your haven from the world.
Now you have a place where you can visit any time day or night without any fear of being disturbed by anything.
Use it whenever you need to, but also on a regular basis.
You see, our thoughts have a very powerful influence on our behaviour and state of mind.
Start the day in a negative frame of mind and no matter what happens, the brain always manages to see the bad outcomes or effects.
However, start the day in a positive way and the exact same things may happen, but now the brain sees all the positive outcomes! Therefore it's important to be mindful of what we are doing and thinking and try to be as positive in our thoughts as possible.
The negative side of imagining is one of the things that can cause and deepen an anxiety attack.
One moment you are going about your normal activities quite happily, the next a negative thought enters your brain, probably triggered by something you've seen, smelled, heard or remembered and feelings of anxiety start to take over.
If you now start to imagine bad or difficult outcomes, such as, "I'm about to have a heart attack!" or "This terrible pain in my chest must be cancer!" and so on, then your anxiety will deepen and grow.
You're on route to a full-blown panic attack.
What should you try to do? Now that you know what might happen, you should be more able to counteract your negative thoughts.
It's not easy, I know, but whenever these negative thoughts enter your mind, you must immediately think positive thoughts.
"Of course I'm not going to have a heart attack.
My heart is perfectly healthy.
I had it checked out only last week/two weeks ago, so I'm fine" or "Cancer is not a problem.
I know that I don't have cancer because I was checked only a few weeks ago.
The pain must be something harmless.
" Now, of course to be able to use these positive thoughts you must get the check-ups stated.
Otherwise you'll know you're talking rubbish, take no notice of yourself and the anxiety will get worse instead of better.
Prepare for negative thoughts, then by having regular check-ups at your GP surgery.
They only take a short time and are well worth the effort to give you peace of mind all the time and to help out when negative thoughts crop up.
The positive side of imaging is usually more helpful for everyday life, although negative thoughts are also sometimes of help in keeping us out of danger.
For example: I'm driving down an unfamiliar country lane.
It has lots of bends and is quite narrow.
I don't drive too quickly because I can imagine what might happen if I go too fast around a bend and the car strays over to the other side of the lane.
A car may well be driving in the opposite direction with calamitous results! My negative thoughts kept me from dying.
Quite useful, I'd say! However, the power of positive thought and imaginings is important.
For example, visualization can be a powerful aid in counteracting anxiety and panic attacks.
Now visualization is a sort of imagining that combines two powerful techniques; relaxation and distraction.
If, through visualization, you can create an imaginary safe place into which you can go any time you want to, then this can help to dispel any feelings of anxiety that might be building up.
As with anything worthwhile, you'll have to put a bit of effort into building this imaginary place for yourself.
There are actually three stages:
- Determine what or where your safe place will be
- Being able to let yourself go completely in this place
- Go to your safe place on a regular basis
(a) Determine what or where your safe place will be Your safe place can be a favourite place that you have visited or spent holidays there.
Equally it could be a favourite place that you remember from your childhood.
Or you can make up a completely imaginary place and make it whatever you want it to be.
There's plenty of scope for you then, but what you must do is ensure that it will be a place that you want to come back to over and over again whenever you feel the need to escape from the situation you find yourself in.
(b) Being able to let yourself go completely in this place Now, once you've decided on your special place, you have to start to prepare it for you to escape to.
It has to be a place with which you associate relaxation and feelings of happiness and comfort, away from any signs of anxiety.
As you begin to imagine your safe place, feelings of relaxation and calm should start to come over you.
To make this happen, think of your safe place and try one of your relaxing or calming techniques.
Things like breathing in deeply and slowly and then breathing out slowly.
To make this as effective as possible, try to imagine your safe place at the end of a small lane.
As you imagine yourself walking slowly down the lane to your safe place, start your breathing exercise.
The nearer you get to your safe place the deeper and slower you need to breathe.
By the time you reach your safe place you will then be in a very relaxed state.
When you reach your safe place imagine the door to it.
It is shut and you are the only person in the world who can open it.
As you open it try another relaxing technique such as tightening and relaxing your muscles in turn.
While you do this have positive thoughts of your safe place.
Remember that you can go there any time you want to and keep focused on the fact that it is your safe place where nobody can find you.
Imagine what the lane leading to your safe place looks like.
What is on each side of the lane? What does the door look like? What colour is it? Does it make a noise as you open it? Make all your observations as real as possible.
Imagine the feelings of relaxation you get as you walk slowly down the lane to your safe place.
When you go through the door imagine the feeling of well-being that you now have.
This is your safe place that you alone can enter any time you want to.
Imagine your safe place and all the relaxing times you will have there.
(c) Go to your safe place on a regular basis.
Whenever you go to your safe place, you are in total charge and nobody else can go against what you want to do.
Not even anxiety.
Of course you can go there any time you like and every time you go there your feelings of relaxation and well-being get stronger and stronger.
You must visit your safe place often.
The more times you visit the better.
Each time you visit, reinforce the feeling of growing relaxation as you approach the door and enter it.
Each time you go there you will feel more reassured than the last time.
Remember to visit at least once a day and you will create your personal safe place away from anything and anyone else.
Here anxiety just does not exist.
If you feel that negative thoughts start to enter your mind, that means that you've been transported out of your safe place for some reason.
It's nothing to worry about because you can always go back there whenever you want to.
Don't think about why that happened, just know that you can go back down the lane to your safe place and open the door that only you can open and you're back in the tranquil safe place that is yours and yours alone.
Each time you go to your safe place, imagine it more vividly and feel the comfort and relaxation that it gives you more intensely.
Build up the immense feeling of relief you experience as you walk down the lane, open the door and enter your haven from the world.
Now you have a place where you can visit any time day or night without any fear of being disturbed by anything.
Use it whenever you need to, but also on a regular basis.
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