This post will help you stay on track on your recovery, assuming that you have read the A.C.E.R. Method and have been implementing it. Also, you should read through the symptoms section to have a necessary understanding about them.
The phrase “feel like” is the reason why you are stuck in fear and still are struggling with your recovery. I have talked and coached many people with anxiety and panic attacks, and I have heard 99% of them describing their issues with the phrase “feel like”.
What it feels like doesn’t matter
I feel like I’m going to pass out. (There might be some out there but I myself have never seen anyone pass out from anxiety)
I feel like I’m going to fall. (But did you fall?)
I feel like my head is going to explode. (Your head is still intact right?)
I feel like my legs are going to give out. (Your legs still work don’t they?)
I feel like I’m going to go crazy. (There’s a saying “if you think you’re going crazy, you are mostly likely not”)
I feel like I can’t breathe. (Trust me, your body will breathe)
I feel like I’m going have a seizure. (Seizure can be diagnosed by your doctors. It doesn’t happen just because your anxiety makes you feel that way)
I feel like I’m choking and can’t swallow (your throat muscle is tight from anxiety, but you aren’t going to choke and trust me you still can swallow)
Guys, I’m not saying what you feel aren’t scary. I’ve been there, I rushed myself to the ER many times because of what it “feels like”. Your symptoms are caused by anxiety and the “feel like” thoughts are caused by fear, and by what-if thinking. And the combination of symptoms and the feel-like interpretation is what keep you in the anxiety loop. Remember symptoms by themselves cannot cause panic attacks. The apprehension that comes with the symptoms is what causes us to panic. It what stops us from recovery.
Let’s say you have a weird feeling or a pain in your chest. Trust me “normal” people have that sensation here and there. So that feeling in your chest isn’t something unique or special to you. UNTIL your anxiety starts whispering in your ears: “hey, remember what you found on Google the other day? This feels like a heart attack, doesn’t it?”. Your response to your anxiety at this point will either keep you on your recovery path or throw you off track again.
I am the captain now
Use A.C.E.R. to have a proper response to your anxious mind
Accept: “No, this is anxiety. Anxiety can cause this. I’m not doing this again. I’m not being bluffed again.”
Challenge: “Oh, so you want me to believe that it’s a heart attack. Give me one then! Come on!”
Embrace: “I know you want to alarm me to protect me, but you’re actually making my condition worse. Thank you but I can take it from here.”
Repeat: If your anxiety persists and forces you into panic thinking, repeat the above 3 steps and you will win the battle. Time is the key element for this battle. If you can hold out long enough, your anxiety will subside as adrenaline burns off. Clarity and calm will return to you. You will feel amazing knowing that you finally take the driver seat, instead of being driven by the way you feel.