It’s best to take this response by surprise… the moment you think of making the difficult phone call, immediately do it, and don’t sit fretting about it. Or at least that was my method.
Jeroen
The best resource that I've found so far on curing anxiety is the Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@anxiety_recovery
In addition to the YT channel, which includes many success interviews, they have a lively free Facebook group, as well as two paid Mentorships where the mentors are people who have cured their anxiety (or what they call "went back to living", free from anxiety).
The method, if I understand it correctly, is quite aligned with Buddhism, implementing awareness, acceptance, and right action. In the mindset part, there is much talk of self-compassion.
In the example of the stress tremors, one would respond with the "ALARM" method (which is used with all anxiety symptoms, since they are all taken to be just symptoms of the underlying cause which is anxiety, and not discrete symptoms needing a myriad solutions).
A - Acknowledge/Aware - One would acknowledge or become aware that one is experiencing stress tremors.
L - Label - One would label the stress tremors as just (a symptom of) anxiety.
A - Accept - One would accept the stress tremors to the best of their abilities. Not fight them, not try to suppress them, not try to do anything with them. Just accept and let the stress tremors be there. "What we resist, persists". The idea here is to send to the nervous system the message that there is nothing wrong, that there is no real danger, with the aim that the nervous system then over time "desensitizes" ie. that the symptoms go away gradually on their own as a result of us taking an attitude that there is nothing wrong, that there is no real danger, that these are just symptoms of anxiety.
R - Refocus - One would refocus on the next thing that one needs to or wants to do. I take refocusing to mean thinking about that next thing. In the example above, this might be the telephone call, or something else.
M - Move on - One would go through with doing the next thing one refocused on, ignoring completely (but not suppressing) the stress tremors, or just allowing them to be there, but focusing on that next thing.
I'm curious if there is any remedy to eradicating this particular physical response before it arises?
There's no quick fix (but when it is happening , grounding your self in the present moment by breathing, will help to reduce the impact)...
However...Thus have I heard for a more effective way... explore the Three Marks of Existence Anicca, Dukkha), and Anatta ...one then has a better understanding ( hopefully an experiential understanding) of how one ticks and in turn this knowledge should help to reduces the chances of becoming ticked off/triggered....
Shoshin1
I too have been struggling, mostly through losing focus.
I've been exercising haphazardly, mostly not eating "stupid shit", trying to keep the precepts, but drank a concern-inducing 3 times.
@Bunks Lead us forward.
Yep I’ve been struggling too. But I make sure I still make sure I say my Bodhisattva vows daily and make a small offering.
The struggle-bus tour is over here too @Bunks. Though the heat broke this week so been outside a few times. I'm finding room to meditate while exercising; or at least mindful observation. Something about the body in motion makes mindfulness on things easier right now. I think it was @lobster who said "Sometimes cold showers, sometimes warm showers, sometimes no showers" and that brings me a lot of comfort.
In fact a game is a mirror, a reflection of all the hangups that you still have, the things that you yearn for from this samsaric existence. That is why it is so enticing, and also why playing mindfully can be such a good lesson. It is an escape, there is no doubt about that, from difficulties and unfulfilled desires and dreams to a puzzle-like half existence where these things can be fulfilled.
Jeroen