Much of our anxious thinking occurs when we are either ruminating on past events, or worrying about upcoming events in the future. Looking to the past or the future is useful only Continue reading “Staying in the Present”
Category: Acceptance Method
Acceptance Method
The Paradox of Anxiety Recovery
I have found recovery from anxiety to be full of paradoxes – where I was required to think in the opposite way to what felt normal, opposite to the way I wanted to think. But I think the biggest paradox Continue reading “The Paradox of Anxiety Recovery”
Recovery Struggles
The recovery from anxiety journey is very similar from person to person, regardless of the form their anxiety takes, how long they have had it, or how intense it is. The recovery struggles that people experience are Continue reading “Recovery Struggles”
Second Fear
“First fear” is the natural response to danger. “Second fear” is our reaction to the anxiety itself. Second fear is the Continue reading “Second Fear”
Trusting to Believing to Knowing
The journey to recovery from anxiety can be described in so many ways. One that is important to grasp is Continue reading “Trusting to Believing to Knowing”
Anxiety is not Keeping Us Safe
It is common to feel that our vigilance and anticipatory anxiety is what keeps us safe. But safe from what? The “danger” that we feel is actually Continue reading “Anxiety is not Keeping Us Safe”
Let Time Pass
Dr. Claire Weekes the founder of the acceptance approach to anxiety recovery was very clear about the need to let time pass. She explained anxiety itself, and how we need to change our thinking and be willing to accept our symptoms. But she also made it clear up front that Continue reading “Let Time Pass”
Being Kind to Yourself
“Being kind to yourself” is an alien concept for most of us that suffer from anxiety, but something we must make part of our lives if we are to recover. Until we learn to be honest with ourselves about ourselves, and affirm our self-worth, we will Continue reading “Being Kind to Yourself”
Surrender
Surrender is the Kryptonite to anxiety. Surrendering (or letting go) is the opposite of what we typically do. We just want to be free of anxiety, and we try to fight it off. It’s the only way we know, so we continue do it in spite of the fact it hasn’t worked! We fight harder and harder, but no matter how hard we fight, it makes no difference. This leads to an obvious conclusion – we Continue reading “Surrender”
The Fear of Recovery
Recovery isn’t as easy as it sounds (unfortunately), and, for many anxiety sufferers, progress can be slow. It is not uncommon to get so far and then recovery seems to stall. There may be many reasons for this, but a sneaky one that is important to know about is Continue reading “The Fear of Recovery”