Dear Anxiety..........

[SpiritualT]

Dear Spiritual T

This is your Brain/Body speaking. I am writing to let you know that you are not in any danger, in fact all that I have been doing for the last 8 years is constantly protect you. Initially all the worrying that you were doing sent a message to me that you was in danger. I then raised the alarm and sent a message to the body to release the hormones in order to protect you from this danger. The message I have continually got from you over the last few years is that you were then scared of the bodily symptoms that the stress hormones caused, but in fact you have been wrong to have been frightened of these sensations because they are a protection mechanism built into your body to protect you when you are in danger, they are meant to feel uncomfortable to make you act on the perceived danger. But how could I know any different when you are continually telling me that you are in danger and are going to die? I do not know the difference between a real danger and a perceived danger, It is my job after all to protect you.

The thing now though Spiritual T is this, over the last few years you are continually sending me a message that you are frightened or that the bodily sensation you are having is a heart attack or a stroke or a brain tumor, or stomach cancer or sepsis or some other fatal disease and that you are dying. So as your trusted protection mechanism I have continually kept raising the alarm to try and help you act in these perceived dangerous situations.

I am tired and worn out day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year I have protected you and kept raising the alarm and flooding your body with the relevant stress hormones in order to help you. I have also been keeping a constant lookout when you cross the road and a car comes hurtling towards you. I am on constant alert.

Would you be so kind as to try and understand this message, when you are feeling the effects of the stress hormones in your body (as they stick around for some time after I raise the alarm) try and not be scared of them, see them for what they are, let them be there if they want to be (acceptance) all the while knowing deep in your heart they are uncomfortable but not dangerous. The will flash from time to time (Dr Claire Weekes 1st Fear) but if you continually keep being frightened of them with the 'oh no what is this sensation I am going to die' (Dr Claire Weekes 2nd Fear) I will have no choice but to keep raising the alarm as this is my job and I am here to protect you as best as I can.

I would be grateful if you could try and practice this then maybe I can have a little rest and not be continually raising my alarms 24 hours a day.

Love

Your Tired Worn out Brain

[Hidden]

Wow! This is fantastic! Now, if I could just record my own voice reading this and play it back whenever my brain/body goes into “danger danger I’m gonna die” mode. 😀

[SpiritualT in reply to Hidden]

I know. I was just sat thinking what would my brain and body actually say to me? It’s a practice every single day but I gotta keep practicing to no longer live in fear 😊

[Dolphin14 in reply to SpiritualT]

I do a therapy called IFS

The key to IFS is just what you wrote about. Listening to your body parts. What are they telling you? Why do they perform this role? How can we accept the part and it's job and work together to have more peace.

I have addressed anxiety in pretty much your same words.

We have to accept all our parts and what they do for us.

Great post

[Coralrose5]

Love this!!

[SpiritualT in reply to Coralrose5]

I am trying to undo the damage caused by years of stress on my nervous system. Practising one day at a time

[HopeWithSmile]

Wow. So beautifully written and so on point.

We can all relate! Thank you for this beautiful piece!

xx

[SpiritualT in reply to HopeWithSmile]

Your welcome! I just thought it might help me if I wrote down exactly what my brain/body is trying to tell me. Hopefully takes some of the fear out of it 😊