Dr. Claire Weekes', author of a popular book "Self Help For Your Nerves", defines severe anxiety as a 'state in which a person's "nervous" symptoms are so intense that he copes inadequately with his daily work or does not cope at all' (Weeks 1962, p.6). She stresses an important point that it is not a person's nerves that break down, but rather his or her ability to cope with daily work and responsibilities.
Dr. Weekes gives a fairly full description of the physical and emotional symptoms of severe anxiety as follows :
People suffering from...(anxiety disorder), complain of some, or all, of the following
symptoms of sensitized involuntary nerves : sleeplessness, depression, fatigue, churning
stomach, indigestion, racing heart, banging heart, shaking heart, palpitations, knife like
pain under the heart... a choking feeling in the throat...
A brief outline of Dr. Weekes' treatment method using four simple principles :
1. Facing
Whenever anxiety comes upon you she says, you must not run away from it but face it. "Stop regarding it as a monster trying to possess you." Breathe slowly and deeply and go with it.
2. Accepting
Instead of fighting it, "be prepared to accept and live with it for the time being," because by so doing, you will 'break the fear-adrenalin-fear cycle...' She says the churning in your stomach 'will eventually leave you if you are prepared to let time pass and not anxiously watch the churning during it's passing.'
3. Floating
When your anxiety is high and you are paralyzed with fear about going to shop or walking down the street, you should try to imagine you are 'floating'. Imagine yourself on a cloud floating down the street to the shop or down the street. 'Float past fear,' Dr. Weekes encouraged her patients.
4. Letting time pass
As you learn the art of floating, you must also be patient. Allow your anxiety to leave you in it's own time. 'You don't have to strive for relaxation', she says, 'You have to wait for it.'
22 February 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
