Anxious Thoughts and Broken Records

Have you ever noticed that anxious thoughts are like a broken record?

I know with Ipods etc. it’s a bit outdated to be using a record analogy here but it works well to illustrate a key point about anxious thoughts.

Remember when a record got scratched it made a very unpleasant sound and caused the needle to get stuck on the same groove.

The same one line would play over and over again ad nauseam until you picked up the needle and moved it past the scratch.
Anxious thoughts are bit like this. You might be happily going about your day and then something triggers an anxious thought.
The worry the thought creates sends an unpleasan ... Read more »

Anxiety At Work Meetings

One of the most common times people feel anxious at work (after getting called in to see the boss) is at meetings where you are expected to speak up in front of many others.

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Let me give you a few quick tips on how best to approach tho ... Read more »

Agoraphobia and Panic Attacks

There is phobia that is linked to the experience of panic attacks, and that is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places such as shopping markets. It is a fear associated with leaving a safe zone, such as the home.

Because of a feeling of being vulnerable, people who experience this fear often suffer from panic attacks in these “open” situations. It ... Read more »

Visualization Tool for Ending Anxious Thinking and Intrusive thoughts

Anxiety causes an imbalance in your life whereby all of the mental worry creates a top–heavy sensation. All of your focus is moved from the center of your body to the head. Schools of meditation often like to demonstrate an example of this top–heavy imbalance by showing how easily the body can lose its sense of center.

A student is asked to come to the front of the group and stand with his legs apart. The teacher then asks the student to focus on a personal worry or concern. Once the student is fixated on the worry‚ the teacher quietly moves to the side of the student and tells him he is going to attempt to push him over. The teacher pushes on the student’s shoulder and is able to topple the student with relative ease.