Posted by baseball55 on December 15, 2017, at 17:02:04
In reply to Re: help with anxiety » baseball55, posted by beckett2 on December 12, 2017, at 19:40:38
I took a class a couple of years ago in meditation and worked with a DBT therapist for a few years on mindfulness. Both very associated with Buddhism. One of the sayings of Buddhists is that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional. I really didn't get this at all when I first heard it. But I now understand it means that we create additional suffering when we are unable to let go of our response to pain/disappointment/uncertainty, etc.
We all face negative events and emotions. But we can tolerate them if we don't respond with rumination, worry, despair. I never really followed through on the meditation, but I do try to cultivate mindfulness - focusing on the moment, rather than the past and future (I wish this had never happened; what if that happens?). There are activities that I find are very mindful (keep me in the moment) - practicing piano, swimming, binge-watching a really good series.
But it's a practice. You have to work at it. As in - I am going to walk down the block and notice every sound I hear and forget, for five minutes, my anxiety. I didn't suffer from anxiety, but I did suffer from suicidal obsessions. I had to learn to do this little bits at a time. I'll wash the dishes and think only about the water and soap. I'll walk the length of the room and count my steps and not think about anything else. If you practice it daily for longer and longer periods, eventually you find that you have some control over your emotional responses.
poster:baseball55
thread:1096314
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20161002/msgs/1096338.html