Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register
Examples: Monday, today, last week, Mar 26, 3/26/04
Welcome home! Please contact lincoln@icrontic.com if you have any difficulty logging in or using the site. New registrations must be manually approved which may take several days. Can't log in? Try clearing your browser's cookies.

staying with anxiety

graceleegracelee Veteran
edited September 2010 in Buddhism Basics
Hello
I'm new here, hope this is in the right place.
I have a very difficult situation at the moment which is causing me great and prolonged anxiety.
I try to observe my thoughts and not resist the anxiety but it is soooo strong
does anyone have any tips for practicing whilst in great emotional pain?

I would really love to here any thoughts on this

metta
xx

Comments

  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Focusing on the breath ...
  • DazzleDazzle
    edited September 2010
    Hi gracelee,

    Gently place your awareness with your breathing and just do that in a relaxed way for a while.

    If you are right in the midst of an anxious situation, you could also gently say to yourself mentally with the outbreaths "Letting go".......

    I find it helpful if I notice a strong emotion within, to just place my awareness with the emotion itself as its arising, and then just completely relax into it mentally and physically ..flippy flop... :)


    Hope that helps a little.

    With kind wishes to you,

    Dazzle

    .
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Sometimes focusing on a simple word can help ... as an example, peace on the in breath, release on the out breath
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited September 2010
    I've found that noticing or 'feeling' the body sensations that accompany anxiety is helpful. It seems to feel like 'too much' sensitivity at first but if I stay with it it clears things up a bit. At the same time as I feel my body I try to get a 'whiff' of the thinking that goes along with the anxiety. And gently look at clearly, but sort of disentangle from the thinking. For example notice how it has to do with past and future, but ask yourself who experiences the anxiety...does someone in the past or future experience the anxiety.

    Its kind of a big experiment to play with it in this way. Be gentle; an unconditional friend to yourself.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Agree Jeffrey, gentle and present, yet letting the thoughts and fear go without seeking to examine - find it hard to find words to explain the process that works for me - could easily still fall into anxiety and panic if allowed that thought process ( whatever it is !!! ) to proceed.
  • TransparentEyeballTransparentEyeball
    edited September 2010
    You've received a lot of great advice already.

    I'll just agree that for me, focusing on and naming the feelings before I try to release them is a necessity. I think of it like a shadow in the dark: if I never name what is making it, then it feeds my fear. If a name it and experience it for a moment, then the fear can begin to dissipate. So at first, my focus may be "I am feeling fearful about... or anxious about...This feeling is understandable...it will pass..." then I can focus on breathing instead of trying to ignore or push down that panic. At first, I spent more time focusing on the feeling, trying to define it. But now, with continued practice, that part processes quickly and I get to focusing on the breath sooner. Hope that helps.

    Peace and comfort to you.
  • ravkesravkes Veteran
    edited September 2010
    i had massive panic attacks due to anxiety about life in general (not knowing what life was, where i was going).. constant mindfulness helps.. all it is is taking fear and fencing it all in based on assumptions of the future.. you have the control to attach to anxiety and feel sorry for yourself or just let go and not care anymore lol -- i know when it comes you feel like you have no control and you really don't but the more you just let it come and go the more it just tends to dissolve because you aren't breathing life into the anxiety anymore.. eventually you'll find the root cause of this as everybody else does who is on the spiritual path but for now follow the breath, drink some water, chill out, and be with the anxiety (be kind to it) it will be kind back to you and leave you alone :) trust me on this one, i was suicidal.. but endurance and patience with these things pays off.. the universe rewards you for being courageous especially when facing the storm that is within yourself
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited September 2010
    As a way to titrate the intensity, my teacher recommends imagining the trigger as very far away or very small.
  • JeffreyJeffrey Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Ravke that really shed some light on some experiences I had. I was amazed when just giving up trying to do something about my anxiety made me feel better. I think something like what you describe happened to me but I didn't quite know how to express it.
  • mugzymugzy Veteran
    edited September 2010
    It's been difficult for me because when I'm having a panic attack it lasts for a long time, even throughout the meditation. I'm still learning how to properly sit with the feeling and not get overwhelmed by it. I've heard the same advice given here; focus on the breath, don't succumb to anxiety or try to suppress it, etc etc. It's just hard to remember that during a severe anxiety attack.

    I guess the only thing to do is continue to practice. Hope you are able to find a technique that helps you.
  • sukhitasukhita
    edited September 2010
    In addition to meditation, I found the modules in this site quite useful for generalised anxiety disorder. One should go through all the eleven modules in proper sequence for maximum benefit. I hope you find it as useful as I did. Take care...:)
  • ravkesravkes Veteran
    edited September 2010
    Jeffrey wrote: »
    Ravke that really shed some light on some experiences I had. I was amazed when just giving up trying to do something about my anxiety made me feel better. I think something like what you describe happened to me but I didn't quite know how to express it.

    Yeah, it's difficult to describe in words - I suppose existentialist fear/anxiety when facing the void of the universe? ha.. whatevs, it's all good just gotta let go. :)
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    fivebells wrote: »
    As a way to titrate the intensity, my teacher recommends imagining the trigger as very far away or very small.

    This works well for me also .... a million miles away and getting smaller and smaller :thumbsup:
  • KikujiroKikujiro
    edited September 2010
    Resisting anxiety is as bad as just going with it. Watch it as well as you can, then drop out. Come back and do the same.

    Don't be hard on yourself, I was in the same boat. I tried to stick mine out untill i could feel the spikes in my visions sticking into me. Then I gave up and continued with a lighthearted "well it can't hurt" attitude. That's when it started to work out for me. Same stuff happens, but it's not a big deal.
  • andyrobynandyrobyn Veteran
    edited September 2010
    This is an article on " The Way It Is " from a talk given by Ajahn Sumedho at Amaravati in January 1986 http://www.amaravati.org/abmnew/documents/the_way_it_is/07twi.html
  • jspacemanjspaceman
    edited September 2010
    Gracelee,

    you have the right heading to your post - staying with the anxiety. If you allow yourself to experience the discomfort anxiety brings, and you become okay and accepting of the fact that certain situations will provoke anxiety, the anxiety will itself become less of an issue. Ask yourself what thoughts are you having at the time you experience the anxiety. And remember, thoughts are just thoughts they are not fact. We cannot determine what we will think, we cannot control our thoughts, only our response to them. Challenge them, or notice them and let them go. Try to resist struggling with anxiety and it will have less of an impact on you.
    Difficult to put into practice, I know, but with practise, it will come.

    jspaceman
  • newtechnewtech Veteran
    edited September 2010
    gracelee wrote: »
    I try to observe my thoughts and not resist the anxiety but it is soooo strong

    Thats one stressful practice...when i start reading buddhism i did that a lot.

    i)stop thinking in anxiety
    ii)understand if anxiety its emerging in you
    iii)understand how stressful is remaining with the feeling, with the thought about anxiety.
    iv)let go. how?.All your awareness is on the anxiety, change it to something else (breath,image,whatever).Notice how much peace and happiness its in your mind when u change your awareness from stress to awareness of the support. Also notice how your mind doesnt wanna leave anxiety, erase that..
    how you become aware of the support?:
    you understand the qualities of the support, by understanding, your mind becomes aware (understand the breath is short, the breath is long,..)
  • MaehedrosMaehedros
    edited September 2010
    fivebells wrote: »
    As a way to titrate the intensity, my teacher recommends imagining the trigger as very far away or very small.
    andyrobyn wrote: »
    This works well for me also .... a million miles away and getting smaller and smaller :thumbsup:
    i dont quite understand this. could anyone elaborate?
Sign In or Register to comment.