Anxious? Meh, so is everyone....:)

This, well, for me anyway, is a visual representation

of what happens to our thinking when we are experiencing

a bout of anxiousness, a panic attack, or a ''flash-back''.

Our thinking becomes messy with rapid-fire thoughts

(or memories) and all but does away with our capacity

for ''rational and reasonable'' thinking.

Can you hear your heart pounding,

Or is just me?

Is it really hot in here and hard to breathe,

Or is it just me?

Can you feel an iron grip around your heart,

Or is it just me?

Is your tongue swollen and your mouth bone dry,

Or is it just me?

Do you feel as if your life is threatened and you may possibly die,

Or is it just me?

Do you sometimes feel as if you're losing your mind,

Or is it just me?

Do you try really hard, yet sleep evades you,

Or is it just me?

Do you keep your deepest fears hidden

Or is it just me?

''Life is a hypothesis and not a forgone conclusion'' in my view,

so there will be times in most of our lives when we will

experience anxiety, perhaps even panic attacks and or PTSD.

Although these experiences can be very challenging and scary,

they can also help ''tenderize'' our hearts.

Compassion and understanding comes easier when we have

personal experiences to draw strength from when or if

someone we care about is going through an anxious time.

Often our emotions are a response to our thoughts, 

so putting that ''thinking'' into practice

I have found it helpful to backtrack my thinking when

I feel anxious about something.

''What's been pre-occupying my mind lately/today? The thoughts

swirling about in my mind, are they conjecture and speculation

or true?''

 Throwing facts at worrying thoughts can be very helpful:

 ''Is this something I know for a fact, or am I spit-balling?''

(Although, this necessitates acknowledging and not denying

one's ''worries''.)

''You don't have to control your thoughts.

You just have to stop letting them control you.''

(Dan Millman)

''Being anxious, or having panic attacks or flash-backs does not indicate

a weakness of the mind, rather, it indicates a fertile mind in

which many possibilities are born.''

(Citizen Z)

“Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future, but from wanting to control it.”