Let’s be honest, most of what we freak out about isn’t real. Phobias are called phobias because they aren’t real. They are overreactions to the situation. So, before we do any further work let’s call it what it is: bogus. Our minds run away on us and it’s about time that we bring them back under control.
Have you heard the famous phrase: ‘Knowing is half the battle?’ Yeah, it is, especially when it comes to fear, anxiety and panic attacks. When I’m in a panic attack it’s the unexpected things that freak me out more. If I know that it’s going to happen, when I recognize a predictable pattern, when I can anticipate what’s going to happen next, I start to calm down. Therefore, knowing that you are freaking out sure helps to realize that you may be creating the situation and that it’s not doing it on its own. What this means is that you have more control over the situation than you think you do.
Paranoia, or falsely believing that you are in harm, is simply that, a false belief. It’s not true. It’s falsely assuming that an outcome is going to happen when it’s most likely not. Be begin guarding against it by recognizing that we are dreaming up the bad scenario. Everyone around us seems to be interacting with their world one way and we are living another. So, who is right? Is everyone else off, or are we off? Statistically it’s us. So, it’s time to compensate.
Compensation means that we acknowledge our feelings, beliefs and thoughts and then we do something about it. We adjust knowing that what we think isn’t true. If we are irrationally afraid to fly, we direct our thoughts to the millions of safe flights taking off and landing around the world at any given time. We look at the peace and perhaps boredom of the flight attendants who feel absolutely comfortable in the air. We tell ourselves that we are making it up and that we are afraid of mere shadows instead of real things.
If we are scared of a certain type of person, falsely assuming they are dangerous, and yet know deep down inside that it’s not accurate, it’s time to reimagine them. We need to picture them as fathers, brothers, mothers and sisters. We begin to recreate their reputation in our minds as the type of person that would actually protect us if things really went wrong. Instead of being the bad guy we reclassify them as helpers. They get dressed every morning just like us. They have people they love and things they worry about. They have hurts and pain. So, why are we afraid of them? They are human just like us.
No matter if our irrational fears are about situations or individuals, we must determine that we are in control of our thoughts. We must refuse to let them wander anywhere that they want. It’s time to channel them into healthy patterns and take back the territory of anxiety!
