For the past few years, I’ve been learning to deal with anxiety and panic attacks. They are difficult because they cause physical reactions which make me believe I am suffering from, oh let’s say, my gut or my heart.
And I am. Mental issues become physical issues.
But I am learning to “reappraise” a situation, see it in a different light. Radical kindness toward myself helps. When the rapid heart beat, the flutter in the stomach, or the headache starts, I ask myself, “what’s going on here?” I say, “I wonder why I am feeling this way.”
I usually know. But in the past I would beat myself up, try to fix it, or ruminate for hours about what a terrible person I was. These days, I reappraise.
An ability to successfully reappraise enables us to reduce negative emotions and open us up to experiencing happiness, even during difficult times.
https://www.berkeleywellbeing.com/reappraisal.html
Once you realize there is a strong connection between your thoughts and feelings, which then affect your phyical well being, you are able to shift those thoughts. It’s not about being Pollyanna or trying to make everything all good. It’s more about seeing the whole picture, reframing what is happening in a new light.
How you talk to yourself matters. And for me, looking at the pond doesn’t hurt either. ❤️