How to stop a dreaded anxiety attack before it starts-lesson3

[Nigga_With_An_Additude]

Windows Live™
Windows Live servicesHomeCalendarContactsFamily SafetyGalleryHotmailOneCareSkyDriveSpacesAll servicesOther Live servicesLive SearchOffice LiveXbox Live
MSN
AccountFeedbackHelp Central Home Hotmail Spaces OneCare
 Search 
 mm1970@hotmail.... Sign out
View your accountLink other accounts
Personalize
 

 
  Inbox‎
 
 Junk‎ 
 Drafts‎
 
 Sent‎
 
 Deleted‎ 
 Ashley‎
 
 Ben‎
 
 Eazy E‎
 
 Elizabeth‎
 
 Eric Wright‎
 
 Freinds‎
 
 GHOST‎
 
 Halloween‎
 
 Jamison‎
 
 Keepsakes‎
 
 MY FAVORIT...‎
 
 MY PERSONA...‎
 
 new whoori...‎
 
 poetry‎
 
 Students f...‎
 
 TSHIRT ADD...‎
 
 YOUR REACT...‎
 
Manage folders
 
 Today
 Mail
 Contacts
 Calendar
  New
  Reply
  Reply all
  Forward
  Delete
  Junk
 
 
 
  Move to[New folder...]Inbox‎Junk‎Drafts‎Sent‎Deleted‎Ashley‎Ben‎Eazy E‎Elizabeth‎Eric Wright‎Freinds‎GHOST‎Halloween‎Jamison‎Keepsakes‎MY FAVORI...‎MY PERSON...‎new whoor...‎poetry‎Students ...‎TSHIRT AD...‎YOUR REAC...‎
  Options
 
MEGGAN How to stop a dreaded attack before it starts‏
From: Lucinda Bassett (attackinganxiety@attackinganxiety.com)
Sent: Thu 1/31/08 3:14 AM
Reply-to: attackinganxiety@attackinganxiety.com
To:  mm1970@hotmail.com

 
 21-Day Mini-Program: Session 3
How to Stop a Dreaded Attack Before it Starts
 
 
 
   
 
Hello MEGGAN,
it's Lucinda!
Welcome to session 3 of my free 7-session course.

In our last session we talked about internal and external anxiety. We learned that it is the self-imposed, internally generated anxiety that most often gets us into trouble. We learned that we can flip the switch on the 'flight or fight' adrenaline response virtually at will given our super-sensitive, over-reactive personality type.

Today's session is all about the healing path. As we touched on last week, you can change the way you feel simply by changing the way you think. I'm going to show you how to begin changing your perspective in today's session.
 
Also on our agenda today, 2 of my 6-steps for finally putting an end to panic attacks! That's right, commit these steps to memory through practice and repetition and you'll be well on your way to putting the dreaded symptoms of anxiety behind you once and for all.

So... let's get started with session 3 of my free 7-session course titled:

How to Overcome Anxiety and Depression and Start Living Life with Confidence, Joy and Peace of Mind.

Okay, let's begin...
 

   
 
Here's What You Can Expect in My FREE Course:
 
Session 1: Lucinda's Story: You're not Losing Your Mind.
Session 2: Where Does Your Anxiety and Depression Come From? 
Session 3: How to Stop a Dreaded Attack Before it Starts.
Session 4: Self Sabotage: Are You Destroying Yourself from the Inside Out?
Session 5: How to Starve Your Anxiety & Depression of the Fuel it Needs to Thrive
Session 6: How to Take Control of Anger, Guilt, and other Toxic, Negative Emotions
Session 7: From Victim to Victor - Never Let Stress Rule Your Life Again 
MEGGAN, remember to save this in your email folder named: 'Lucinda Bassett's Mini Life Makeover.' Also, print this information right now so you can read it when you are offline.
 
   

 



Session Three: How to Stop a Dreaded Attack Before it Starts
3 Proven methods for calming the hurricane within and feeling normal again.
 


   
 
Does your story sound like this?
"My worst panic attack was when I was in college and a group of us had just driven to another college for a visit. We were out late at night in a car in a strange city on some of the worst streets and we were lost. My brother was driving and he was terrified, he didn't know where to go. I'm sitting in the back seat and I just thought I was going to lose control of my whole body. My hands weren't mine and my legs weren't mine and I just started kicking my feet, I didn't know what to do. I was so scared, I didn't know if I was dying. We finally found our way back but that was probably the worst panic attack of my life and I had no idea how to control my feelings or myself.
I was scared of life, I was always afraid that feeling would come back. I didn't know what it was, I thought something was wrong with me, maybe I had cancer or something, I didn't know...

I'd go to bed at night and my heart would pound with fear and my chest would hurt, I thought I was having a heart attack. I can remember just waking up and seeing the sun streaming in through the window and I would think, what a beautiful day. And then I'd remember, something was wrong with me, and the whole cycle would start for another day. The rest of the day was ruined about ten minutes after I woke up in the morning...

I bought the Attacking Anxiety & Depression program because I knew I needed it. But I didn't tell anyone about it. I just went through the program in secret. I was living at home with my family at the time. Nobody knew what I was doing in my room, listening to tapes, and slowly I changed. After week three in the program the panic attacks stopped and I thought, wow - I can do this; I can get out and live.

Before I found the program I had trouble just walking out to the mailbox to get the mail. I thought I was going to drop over and die or faint. After the program, everything's changed. Now I can go for walks, I'll take my kids and go for a two or three mile walk in an afternoon just for the exercise. Before I had trouble driving three blocks, now I can drive three hours by myself without any problem. It's just a new life. I'm just glad that I can live my life and not be afraid of what people think. I'm not afraid to go for my dreams, I don't sit around and wait as life passes my by.

Elizabeth Strong, OH


 
 
   
 


Elizabeth does a great job in describing a panic attack. I can really identify with her description of depersonalization, that sense of detachment from reality or one's own body.

That was one my most terrifying symptoms. At its worse my whole world seemed unreal, vague, hazy and dreamlike. It was almost like an out of body experience, like I was watching myself from the outside. Really creepy...

As we learned last week, this is nothing more than the biochemical effects of the 'fight or flight' response.
 


You're not dying. You're not going crazy.

If this happens to you on occasion realize it's completely normal to feel this way. However, you have already embarked on a new path to wellness; your days of suffering with these weird and frightening symptoms are now numbered. Dedicate yourself to this path to wellness; it is your ticket out.

No matter what caused your anxiety disorder or panic attacks, the healing way home will be the path of:
 
• Acceptance 
• Trust 
• Change in perception.
 

Acceptance. Instead of always fighting your anxious feelings, running from them, and letting them scare you, you need to accept them and even expect them in certain situations. You're going to have to learn to give yourself permission to feel anxiety.
 

I know this seems to run contrary to common sense. But it works. Accept these feelings. They cannot hurt you. When you continue to fear your anxious symptoms you only make them stronger. Fearing your anxiety continues to send messages to your brain that there is danger afoot. These messages only increase the intensity and duration of your anxiety.

Remember the adrenaline response we talked about in our last session. If you think you are in danger your body will respond physiologically as if you are, even if you're safe at home sitting in your favorite easy chair.

So accept that you will experience anxiety from time to time. It's no big deal. Again, these feelings will not hurt you.


Trust. Trust in an unconditional surrender to a knowing deep inside yourself that everything is all right, exactly as it is. Trust is a melting, a giving up of control. It's the absolute knowledge that someone is running things. It's knowing that you will come out just fine in the end, no matter how things look while you're moving along. It is an absolute belief that you will be okay and that you are not alone.

This doesn't mean there won't be times when you question or second-guess your beliefs or worry that no one is listening. It means that in the end you always come back to your faith.

Trust. Trust that you are taking steps to retrain your way of thinking; I will give you two of my six steps in a few seconds here. Trust in your strength and resilience. Trust that anxiety cannot hurt you.

Change in Perspective. Change the way you think. You can learn to be positive instead of negative. You can learn to focus on the rational instead of the irrational. You will never be calm and peaceful if you're constantly jumping to negative conclusions and always assuming the worst possible outcome out of every challenge you face. We will be discussing this in more detail in the next e-mail.

When you anticipate a negative outcome guess what, you're tipping the scale in its favor! Take control of your mind, of your thoughts and instead of overreacting or catastrophizing start being rational.

When you catch yourself beginning to obsess just say, "Time Out! You know where this leads. I absolutely want to change. I want to end this vicious cycle I'm creating. I'm going to start working on it now. I need to go in a different direction and be loving and supportive to myself. How can I use this excess energy positively? Am I really in danger or am I just over-reacting? Am I feeling insecure right now and if so, why? What can I do to make myself feel more secure?"

It takes practice and training to make these three keys your habit. The Attacking Anxiety & Depression program is structured so all 15-sessions wrap around these three keys to freedom from fear, anxiety, worry, and depression.
 


It's never too late to take control of your response to the outside world and how you let it affect you. And the rewards are well worth the effort.
 


Let's look at a colorful illustration of today's topic.

My daughter Brittany and I once picked up a kitten from the local pet store. We put the little guy in a cardboard carrier for the trip home, but as soon as we got into the car he started meowing like crazy. He was terrified; he was with strange people, hearing strange sounds in a strange environment, closed up tight inside a cardboard box. Brittany was concerned. "Mommy, can we please take him out of the box?" she pleaded.

"I don't know honey. Cats don't do well in cars. The movement, the noise of traffic..." I answered.

The cat continued his cries of fear and distress. "Please Mom, please can I let him out of the box?" Brittany wouldn't let it go.

I decided to give it a try; I didn't like the cat crying any more than she did. I watched from the rearview mirror as she slowly opened the box and gently pulled out the poor terrified kitten, placing him on her little lap. His ears were pinned back, his spine arched and tense. Ever so tenderly Brittany stroked him, gently scratching his little head, and whispered. "It's okay," she cooed. "It's really okay. You'll be just fine. You're safe here..."

The kitten looked around, evaluating his environment. I expected him to run, to hide, to leap behind the seat and dive into the first dark crevice he could find. But he didn't.

He just sat there, listening to Brittany's soothing, quite voice and felt her soft hands petting him. He began to relax, to trust us, to trust himself, and the seemingly ominous environment he suddenly found himself in. He eventually stretched out on her lap and remained there all the way home; actually falling asleep he was so relaxed!

His environment hadn't changed; he was still being taken for a strange ride in a strange environment with complete strangers. His PERCEPTION of his environment had changed. He no longer perceived danger, so there wasn't any.

Now, how often do WE misinterpret the condition of our surroundings and prepare ourselves for disaster? There we sit, huddled, worrying, obsessing about some non-existent danger. If only we had changed our perception and prevented the anxious feelings, we also would have prevented the panic attack. Then we could have been totally immersed in enjoying the present moment.

Panic attacks are no laughing matter. They are painful, distressing, and exhausting, but they won't kill you. If they did, I'd be long gone.
 


But what can you do when it's too late, the adrenaline response kicks in, and you begin to experience the early stages of a panic attack?
 
 
Since I had them for most of my life, I've tried everything to heal them. After years of trial and error, extensive research, and reactions from others who have tested out my methods, I've come up with a 6-step approach to self-control when dealing with a panic attack. It has worked for me and literally thousands of other people. It can work for you too. Here are 2 very important steps from my 6-step process in the Attacking Anxiety & Depression Program:
1. PERMISSION - give yourself permission to feel anxious about whatever is bothering you. "Of course I feel anxious because... and it's okay to have anxiety. I know what this is and why I feel this way." Accept these feelings. "This is not going to hurt me. This is not going to kill me. It will go away, it always does. I just need to give it time..."
2. BREATHE - first, inhale through your nose slowly for two-seconds, mentally counting one, one-thousand, two, one-thousand. Then exhale through your mouth to a mental count of four-seconds, again by one-thousands. Do this for at least 60-seconds. The mental activity of counting is an extremely effective distraction. While you're focused on your counting you won't be so focused on your body symptoms or scaring yourself with negative self-talk because the brain can only concentrate on one thought at a time. At the same time, the rhythmic breathing process sends a signal to the brain to relax - things are just fine. The red alert sign is turned off...
 
 
Mastering just these 2 techniques can prevent a full-blown panic attack from occurring!

It takes time and practice to get these techniques down and committed to memory/habit. Obviously we spend a lot more time on the six steps in Session 2 of the Attacking Anxiety & Depression program. The repetition and reinforcement of having these key steps on audio also cements these concepts to memory. But you get the picture.

It all goes back to the three keys we discussed earlier. The healing path is acceptance, trust, and change in perception. We'll go into greater detail on changing your perception in our next session.

Above all, be patient with yourself as you practice the six steps. Again, it takes time and lots of compassion to rid yourself of panic attacks. But ANYONE with the desire and determination can do it.

Once you understand that you are creating the anxiety and FEEDING it with the way you think and react to things, and you have the skills to work through your anxiety, you will begin to minimize the attack, both in intensity and duration. Eventually you'll be able to prevent them from even happening at all. Won't that be wonderful?

   
About the Author:
Lucinda Bassett
Founder, CEO of the Midwest Center for
Stress & Anxiety.
For more than 1 million anxiety sufferers, Lucinda Bassett is a symbol of hope and strength. Severely affected by anxiety, panic, and depression in her 20s, she found the help she needed to overcome anxiety and depression. Determined to help others do the same, she founded the acclaimed Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety.

Lucinda is also a nationally renowned motivational speaker and presenter. Her techniques have been shared with a variety of major corporations, professional associations and medical and educational institutions.

She has appeared on hundreds of local and national radio and television programs including Oprah, The View, Montel and Robert Schuller's Hour of Power. Plus, Lucinda and her work have been featured in a variety of high-profile publications, including Health, FamilyCircle®, Cosmopolitan and even the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Most important, Lucinda is dedicated to helping those who are needlessly suffering from anxiety and depression. It is her life's work and her solemn commitment.
 
 
   

If you put the same amount of energy toward recovery as you put toward scaring yourself, success is certain.

Read that sentence again

To overcome panic and anxiety you must eventually face it head on (hence the title - Attacking Anxiety & Depression!) and let yourself float through it, using your new skills. When you no longer allow it to frighten you, you'll see that it won't hurt you. There is no need to run. YOU ARE your safe place and your safe person. You ARE home. You and only you can make yourself feel better.

What a powerful sense of security this will give you!

Our next email topic is an important one; we've been alluding to the importance of self-talk all along. In Session One we practiced the 'why' exercise. We learned that asking 'why' can too often signal the kick-off of another round of cyclic obsessive worry. In Session Two we discussed how our "what-if...?" thoughts only add fuel to the anxious fire; we usually follow up this question up with some negative, frightening scenario. In today's Session, we talked about how important it is to give ourselves permission to have anxiety and breathe our way through it (Steps 1 and 2 of the 6-steps).

Next we will learn how to talk ourselves through an anxious episode.

Practice these 2-steps over the next few days and keep your eyes peeled for our next session. I'll talk to you soon.

Here's to the new you,
 




 
 
   
 
 


P.S. MEGGAN, if you're looking for a little more on today's session paste the following link into your browser for a quick video presentation: http://www.stresscenter.com/sessionprg/session3.htm

 

P.S.S If you don't want to wait a few days for my next email you can paste the following link into your browser and go through my step-be-step program revealing all of the secrets to finally taking control and enjoying life again. The complete story is told at: www.stresscenter.com/store


 
 

 
© Midwest Center for Stress and Anxiety, Inc. 2007
To make sure you continue to receive our emails in your inbox, please add support@stresscenter.com to your address book or safe sender list.
To unsubscribe or manage your email preferences please click here.
Midwest Center for Stress & Anxiety, 106 N. Church St. Suite 200, Oak Harbor, OH 43449
 
 
Want to race through your inbox even faster? Try the full version of Windows Live Hotmail. (It's free, too.) 

© 2008 Microsoft Privacy Legal  Help Central Account Feedback 
 
 

[JAZ]

i didnt read anything but this topic is funny as fuck.

[MANBEARPIG.]

i didnt read anything but this topic is funny as fuck.