Slow the thought - Reduce the fear
The what -
If the very thought of something makes you anxious or even terrified, have you ever tried slowing down that thought in your mind? Maybe it's a presentation you imagine doing at work or the thought of getting on an aeroplane? When something makes us scared or anxious, our pulse and breath quickens and so does the thought. Very often, the speed at which this thought is running through our mind is part of what makes it so frightening.
So try imagining the event in the slowest - slow mo you can. Slow it down so much that it's barely moving and see how you feel about it now.
The why -
If you ever watch action films, the most exciting scenes like a car chase or a gun fight are played out pretty fast. If the scenes were played out slowly against a background of chillaxing elevator music, it probably wouldn't be very exciting. Even horror scenes could look pretty daft in slow mo, without the creepy music. They are designed to appeal to your mind's excitement and fear processes. It's so effective because our thoughts can go from racing through our minds when we are scared to practically slow motion when we are relaxed.
But here's the magical thing, we can play thoughts in our minds in the genre of any movie we like, at any time. If you've ever heard a noise you weren't expecting in the dark, you will know your mind can basically create a fast paced horror movie in a nano second. Suddenly every shadow is scary and every noise sounds like a potential intruder. Your mind might as well be playing creepy music too - maybe it even does!
You have the power to shed light on the darkness. Anytime, anywhere
But when thoughts are slowed down, they are generally not as scary. Partly because you can break each part into something more manageable and you have time to plan your reaction. If it helps, you can even try shedding literal light on a dark situation - what does the scary thought look like in your mind on a bright summer day at the beach? Is it as scary now?
If you struggle with visualisation techniques or think more in words or sounds, you can try changing the theme tune to your worry to something more upbeat. Even describing the event to yourself in entirely positive and even funny language can work. My personal favourite is describing the thing i'm worried about like Yoda would. It really helps with getting some perspective on whether it's really a big deal or not. Plus it's just fun :)
There's a lot of advice out there about what to do when your mind is racing. I'm sure you've tried all the same things I have - distracting yourself, taking deep breaths, going for a walk etc. Now i'm not saying these aren't helpful but sometimes when panic kicks in and my thoughts are racing, these strategies just aren't enough for me. I need something to really cut through the panic.
So let's say I have to do a presentation. Queue anxiety with incredible force taking over my mind and body. Ah man I hate that feeling so much! So I pace about, try and think of other things as a distraction and tell myself it will be ok. This reduces the panic just a little. Sure that's kind of helpful but I need to bring out the big guns here. Leading a presentation, for me feels like being thrown to the lions in the Colosseum. And it doesn't help that my bladder seems to have its very own complex and tells me it needs to empty every three minutes when I'm nervous.
Go from lightening speed to slow mo
So this is where the slow motion thinking can help. First I imagine myself starting my presentation. When I am are super anxious, this happens in my mind at lightening speed. My words start coming out too fast and muddled and I can see everyone blinking at me with that 'Oh dear' look as I struggle to keep my hands still and stop sweating. But that's because i'm thinking with anxiety.
So I stop for a second. I really concentrate on imagining myself starting to speak in the
s-l-o-w-e-st of v-o-i-c-e-s. I'm moving like a snail. The world has almost completely halted. It takes forever just to turn my head so I can see people gradually opening their mouths to say something. The voices in the room sound so deep as if the people speaking are mildly sedated.
Now if you try this, the first thing you will notice is it looks and sounds pretty funny in your head. That's a good thing. I mean, chuckling to yourself is at least better than feeling like you're going to have a heart attack right?
The second thing I then notice is that my anxious breathing starts to slow down. But what's great is I find it happens faster and more naturally than when i'm trying to 'make' my breathing calmer.
"A lot of things look cooler in slow motion. Eating isn't one of them" - Demetri Martin
You also don't have to wait until something makes you really anxious to try this and see if it works. In fact, I recommend as a practice to try using it when you're thinking about something that really winds you up like that horrible story you saw on the news the other day or that time you made a complete womble of yourself. Play back the memory or thought of what happened as realistically as you can in your mind. But entirely in the slowest of slow motion. If you find imagining difficult, just say what happened either in your mind or out loud in your best slow mo voice.
As with all the feathers I leave on your path, the best approach to take with this, is just to have fun with it. You have nothing to lose and it doesn't cost a penny to try it, so have a go at doing your best slow mo.
The Who -
The method of slow motion thinking comes from Klaus Bernhardt's book; The Anxiety Cure: Live a Life Free From Panic in Just a Few Weeks. I highly recommend reading this book if you struggle with anxiety or panic attacks. There's also a free video course online about how to apply the techniques.
Klaus's book offers simple but different thinking approaches that you can apply at anytime, whatever you're doing. His techniques offer mental fail safes that you can carry with you always, for peace of mind. I don't personally agree with all of his views on managing anxiety but slow motion thinking is just one of the helpful tricks his book has taught me. So I recommend getting yourself a copy as there are many others that may be equally as helpful to you in managing anxiety.
Lou @ Feathered Paths Xx
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