Can we make a situation worse or better? #anxiety #anxietyproblems #fearofflying The answer to that is a resounding yes. How? By the way in which we think about it. The situation or experience stays exactly the same, but our view of it changes, changing the way we feel about it. Lets look at an example of someone who is feeling anxious about flying vs someone who feels quite calm. The anxious person starts thinking about the flight weeks before. Their imagination runs wild, playing out a horror movie in their minds. They see themselves feeling incredibly anxious as they board the plane, then nervously taking their seat. At this point they feel very claustrophobic and their stress levels are increasing by the second. Waiting for take off their hands are sweating and their mouths dry. Their hearts are pounding and they feel as though they may experience a panic attack. As the plane takes off they feel even more panicked and are on a heightened sense of awareness about any odd noises or movements of the plane. Stress levels well and truly in the red, they sit there, frozen to their seats and wonder how everyone around them can be so calm and relaxed, laughing and chatting with friends, eating and drinking or reading a book. In the run up to landing their anxiety increases again, until holding their breath the plane lands safely and coasts to a stop. There wasnt any turbulence on the flight and nothing went wrong. They disembark, feeling a huge sense of relief. This is only a temporary feeling though. They soon start to experience anticipatory anxiety in relation to their flight back. They never fully relax that week so dont fully enjoy their holiday. The calm, relaxed flyer doesnt really give the flight much thought at all. They pack, looking forward to their holiday destination. They arrive at the airport, have a drink and happily browse the shops. Boarding the plane they look forward to having a nap, reading their book or chatting to friends. They settle into their seat and continue chatting to their friend. They feel relaxed and calm throughout the flight and think about what they are going to do when they get there. After landing they get off the plane and enjoy their holiday. So, its exactly the same situation, but one person enjoys it and one feels anxiety. Could the clue be in how they perceive the experience in the run up to it? One thinks in a very worse case scenario way and doesnt feel able to control how they feel. Before they have even stepped foot in a plane they are experiencing anxiety. The other one feels very in control about how they feel and thinks in a very positive way about it. They feel calm and relaxed in the run up to it and during the flight itself. You can learn to become calm and relaxed in that situation by the way in which you think about it and by building up your psychological skills and resources. Its worth doing!
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 22:40:01 +0000
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