Flight or Flow

"We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic." - Cullen Hightower

Recently I was using a bank ATM machine to withdraw cash. My wife and I have eight grown children but anyone with children understands the family cash system. So this particular morning I was now in need of cash having just given up the contents of my billfold.

It was very early in the morning and on my way to work when ATM machine reported it was unable to process my request. So to another bank ATM I went and the same thing. Concern started to creep in so to a third bank I went. That ATM indicated I had already made the maximum withdrawals for the day.

I had what?

It was 6:00am and no money had been exchanged yet between the ATM and myself. The concern was now turning into panic. Had my bank account been hacked into? Was there any money left at all? I know these feelings all too well as I had been the victim of identity theft some years ago.

In that previous incident, my bank accounts were emptied a couple of days before Christmas. A sinking feeling then and the same thing felt like it was happening all over again. I rushed to get online with my bank to check on the accounts. I would not say that complete dread had set in, but I was deliberate with purpose to find out what happened.

All of us experience moments completely free from worry.

During those moments when panic is trying to take over our life, most likely your heart is pounding and you feel sweaty, weak, faint, or dizzy. Your hands may tingle or feel numb and you might feel flushed or chilled. You might have nausea, chest pain or smothering sensations, sense of unreality, fear of impending doom or loss of control.

No doubt you are sensing a panic attack.

When you feel panic coming on; remind yourself repeatedly until you can really accept your panic attack is a natural emergency response and you will not turn in to a shaky, flaky weakling who is about to pass out any minute. Your whole system is in high gear. You are actually stronger, faster, and quicker.

Believe it.

Constantly repeat to yourself that panic symptoms no doubt are unpleasant, but they are not dangerous. Also know that just as you have a natural "emergency response", so you have a natural "calming response." You can learn to calm yourself out of a panic attack.

Do not "fight" with the symptoms of a panic attack. Try to "flow" with the symptoms and allow yourself to become calm. Learn a relaxation technique and practice it daily at least two or three times for 15 to 20 minutes each time. This will prepare you for any future feelings of panic.

If you feel the panic is uncontrollable, consult your doctor.

As for me, I had to calmly wait for my bank to open up. I worked out the issue that was a bank computer glitch. All was well and my panic had turned into relief. My level of panic was frustrating but other forms of panic can have a debilitating effect on you.

Work to control anxiety and panic in your life. Doing so will improve the life you live.

And stay inspired my friends.

The Sky Is Falling

“When a resolute young fellow steps up to the great bully, the world, and takes him boldly by the beard, he is often surprised to find it comes off in his hand, and that it was only tied on to scare away the timid adventurers.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are you scared yet?

Have we panicked enough now to send everyone into seclusion?

There are many things that could befall us as humans with varying degrees of probability. Such as the odds of winning a single state lottery are roughly 18 million to 1. While the likelihood of being killed by lightning is roughly 2,650,000 to 1. I would be more alarmed by going to the store to purchase a chance of a winning the lottery.

There is an abundance of things one could worry about. We currently have the Ebola scare going around that in and of itself is dangerous. But there are many others that we could contract and fall ill, even die from with greater odds than this virus.

More importantly to me, if you are scared and figuratively running around saying the sky is falling, are you not part of the problem? Sensibility and reason will solve issues more readily than finger pointing.

Are you scared simply of your own inability to handle the unknown?

Is the panic you feel driving you into seclusion or to help solve it?

Fear can be a motivational part of life but it quickly becomes debilitating. It spreads like a virus through your words, your actions and can paralyze your very life. You can overcome fear, you can live life again without the anxiety of a virus, a lightening strike or even death to some degree.

Find out what is behind the fear; meaning what are you really afraid of. There is always something behind it, a real reason for the fear. Just be clear on what your are "really" afraid of. Knowing and expressing the fear makes it easier to confront.

Next is to understand what you are saying to yourself about the fear. If you are saying, "this final exam is hard and I am going to fail the test and not earn my degree", you are already setting yourself up for the failure. Say something positive about it. You will pass. You will earn the degree.

Now exaggerate the worst thing or things that could happen should the fear be realized. You fail the test, you do not earn the degree and you end up living in a van down by the river. After catastrophizing for a few minutes, you'll probably begin to realize that the world couldn't possibly be as bad as your imagination can make it.

Relax now for a few minutes and think of the good things that can result from letting go of the fear. You'll get on that plane. You will ride in that elevator. You will help people that are truly sick. You will make a difference because you are freed from the shackles of fear.

Lastly, you will need to actually approach the thing, person, or situation head on. This doesn't mean changing your entire behavior in one big step. You can break it down into a number of steps. But you now need to actually get on that plane, ride in that elevator, or help people that are truly sick.

You can live without fear when others are shouting in panic.

You can trust that living without fear is living a greater life.

Are you no longer scared?

Stay inspired my friends.

Help, I'm Drowning

"We experience moments absolutely free from worry. These brief respites are called panic." ~Cullen Hightower

This past weekend was one in which the unexpected happened beyond the planning I had done. One in which you get brought to your fear and have to face it without fully realizing its going to happen. Oh the joy of trying to face your personal fear when all along you have been trying to avoid it.

My personal fear is the one of drowning. Falling into the water, being submerged and never coming back up. It is silly to even admit at my age, but I can not swim. I can't float on the water nor tread water to save my own life. The fear can be pretty overwhelming at times and stems from an incident when only 7 or 8 years old.

As I tell the story, though my brothers would disagree, is that we were all at the local pool. I had just started learning to swim albeit not very well. So I was confined to the shallow end and my brothers were to keep an eye on me. Bouncing about in the pool, having a good time two unknown kids came along, one high, one low and took me under the water and held me down.

It seemed like I was under water for 10 minutes but in all reality was only 10 seconds I suppose. But it scared the living daylights out of me and became my biggest life long fear. The joke in my family became that I could no longer take a bath for fear of drowning.

Over the years I have tried with little success to truly over come this fear. I can take a bath thank you, but bodies of water, boats and such still make me nervous. Most times I try to avoid placing myself in situations that could cause me to confront the fear. So to my surprise, this weekend challenged me on this front.

An overnight camping trip for instructors of the C3 Journey program in the north Georgia mountains to discuss some upcoming events. As we sat around the fire at Raven Cliff Falls, the conversation turned to a planned kayak ride down the Chattahoochie River the next morning. Now my plan was to head back home and do some work around the house. It was a planned avoidance of the water, but my wife was with me and encouraged me to go down the river.

It was a 'spur of the moment' decision on my part and said yes. What could go wrong, but inside I was feeling the fear build. So off to Wildwood Outfitters and a 'fun' afternoon of kayaking; something I had never done before. A quick lesson and into the water we went.

Not too far down the river, I tipped over in shallow water and thought oh geez, here we go. I continued my trek with the others down the river, manuevering as best I could. I felt better as things went along and the fear subsided a fair amount until half way through the journey. Here we were coming up on a Class 2 rapid. Many would consider this nothing, but to an unexperienced paddler and one fearful of water, it could have been a Class 6 in my mind.

As I neared, two fellow kayaking folks had got hung up about ten feet past the drop. I was heading straight for them and no other way around. I told myself, drop into it and then muscle your way to the right and around them. The old saying, "the best laid schemes o' mice an' men" by John Steinbeck was never more appropriate. Head first into the first two kayaks and the rushing water spun my boat around and then upside down.

The interesting thing in these (to me) terrifying moments is that there was a panic button right there underneath the water. In a moment I was grabbing for whatever was nearby as I was caught upside down in my kayak. Lucky for me while unlucky for my friend was his loose t-shirt that I grabbed hold of.

I am surprised I didn't pull him under and soon enough I was untangled and able to get my feet in the turbulent water. All three feet of water that is. All of a sudden the panic was replaced by embarrasment and trying to regain composure. And trying to find my kayak and paddle...the first rule is to never lose your paddle.

The rest of the journey was filled with a few more exciting moments. Although nothing that made me confront my fear of drowning more then the incident at what I call, "That Damn Rock Rapid". I would like to tell you that a miracle occurred and my fear is completely gone. I would like to tell you that its that simple. But it isn't, there is still work to do in overcoming the fear.

What I can tell you is that I know that I need to confront my fear more often. That the only way we ever get over our fears is to face them. To avoid and run from the fear will only embolden that fear. You give it strength over your life by avoiding it. By facing the fear, you take away that strength from it. You keep facing the fear and eventually you overtake it. I should have learned that long ago, but last Saturday was my first step.

Step forward and get in the face of your fears. Find ways to confront the fear and eventually you will find the fear running from you. I may have nearly panic'd myself into drowning, but I've also panic'd that fear into one day leaving me.