Is it possible to make anxiety fun?

[Jim_Bergerac]

Crazy question for sure right? I am making great progress on my SA and will continue to do the work at desensitise negative beliefs and fears, but at the same time I want to desensitse anxiety, do you think its possible?

When I get anxious I have always feared it - the heart racing, the nerves, the negative feelings, but can you imagine if when you feel anxious you loved it, you could attach the happiest and positive feelings to it and didn't fear it at all but instead wanted more of it - then you wouldn't fear anxiety or the social situations that bring it. Instead you would go in with positive attitude, smiling, do your best.

Is it possible to try and train the mind to like a sensation like anxiety? I just think if I could make anxiety fun then nothing would ever hold me back again. Surely the power of the mind can change this.

Its all very sketchy. But what I would intend to do is try and turn anxiety into a buzz, understand I am in no danger and try and attach purely positive experiences to anxiety. I sometimes just think that we fear anxiety and let anxiety have a very negative influence on us, when does it really need to?

Any thoughts?

 

[MarCPatt]

It probably is. That may be what thrill seekers feel. They really enjoy the extreme emotions, the fear, the anxiety of coming so close to death, etc.

 

[Jim_Bergerac]

Its difficult to know whether something like this can really happen - because when you get really anxious it seems uncontrollable, but if you fear anxiety because you know how hard you find it to perform when you are most anxious and you are scared of people seeing you anxious, then whenever you feel anxious - it triggers lots more fears and negative thoughts and just escalates the problem and then its such a big problem that you find it hard to even cope.

If you could accept anxiety is going to happen because it will happen, but you no longer fear it and not fear people seeing you are anxious and learn to stop negative thinking being triggered by anxiety and instead try and think positive and try to like the sensation - then I really do feel the anxiety could become manageable and not be the problem it currently is.

I know I have been terrified of anxiety because of how it effects me - and when in a social situation it is really scary knowing that I am so anxious and because I know when I am anxious I get scared stiff of feeling that way and know I am going to make a total mess of things, make myself look stupid and weird and bring attention on myself for looking really strange for not coping and going to pieces - and that just makes the whole situation so incredibly scary that its no wonder I cannot cope. If I wasn't anxious then I would be calm and fine and myself and be able to cope no problem. So I really do believe that one real key factor in overcoming SA is to be able to desensitise anxiety, to not fear it, to believe you can cope when anxious - instead of currently fearing how you will be because you are anxious. And in order to do that you have to not fear anxiety - and to not fear it means you like it or at least have no negative thoughts about it.

I just think that the 'fear of anxiety' is not ever considered by SA sufferers. But if you are scared by anxiety, it does seem to me that you will always struggle in any situation in which you are going to be naturally anxious in - i.e. public speaking, going on a date, meeting someone new for the first time, etc - any situation where you are going to feel apprehensive - you are never going to cope if you fear anxiety.

Everyone gets nervous before an interview or first day in a new job, or public speaking, etc - do you think you can ever cope with these things if you fear anxiety? But people do these things every day - and of course people are anxious before doing such things, but they can cope because they don't fear anxiety, it is not destructive if you don't fear it.

Therefore I believe desensitising anxiety is crucial in overcoming SA.

Any thoughts?

 

[black_mamba]

That may be what thrill seekers feel. They really enjoy the extreme emotions, the fear, the anxiety of coming so close to death, etc.

Hmm I'm not so sure. I'm a huge adrenalin junkie and the excitement of going on enormous rollercoasters feels pleasurable because I know it is safe, without a doubt.

Then again, when I used to ride a motorbike, the excitement was tinged with a bit of anxiety - I knew I wasn't 100% safe, and so that wasn't as pleasurable as being on a rollercoaster, but still fairly enjoyable.

And then there is really intense anxiety that is bordering on a panic attack I sometimes get with social situations: stomach cramps, you feel as if you may faint at any second, you're shaking, sweating. It's awful - I can never equate this feeling with the 'nice' adrenaline rush of the examples above.

For me there is a definite line drawn between good and bad fear, but I see how we could potentially reprogram ourselves to accept the social fear as a rush of excitement before a fun event.

On another note: I remember some advice for the words we say to ourselves in our head which make us nervous - try and imagine them being spoken by a clown, or someone you wouldn't expect. Turn the insecurities and axnious thoughts into something comedic, so it looses its edge!

As for trying not to fear the fear: this is exactly whats helped me sort myself out (to an extent). I expect anxiety before an interview, for example, so when it hits me I don't have to worry even more. I've been through it before, and I know it'll pass: thats what I tell myself anyway.

 

[Jim_Bergerac]

Black Mamba - yes you are right I don't think its possible to enjoy having a panic attack and feeling extremely anxious. But there must be a way to not fear anxiety.

I think to desensitise it you have to no longer fear the effects it has on you or fear displaying the anxious traits that you display when anxious. And I just think the best way to do that is to somehow find it light hearted and not threatening. I have always thought if I get anxious I would like to be able to laugh and say sorry about this, I have just come across a bit odd there. You know what I mean?

I think also got to try and detach anxiety with negative thoughts. If you could train yourself to smile when you feel anxious and say 'I love feeling this way' - crazy I know - but it doesn't trigger off negative thoughts in your mind if you are telling yourself this is nice.

I only suffered from SA since about the age of 14 when I just got so many insults and name calling and ridicule at school. Before then anxiety was not a problem - I remember having to read out a speech in front of the whole assembly of 100 people - I was nervous but the nerves didn't get in the way of me performing - and I think that was because I didn't fear anxiety. Now I fear anxiety because of the way I know it ruins my performance and I fear people judging me negatively for displaying these anxious behaviours like shaking and voice going and think they think I am a weird nutcase who is a freak. Its not surprising when I am scared stiff of these things that I am scared stiff about the situation I am anxious in. I kind of think its the anxiety we fear (which is triggered by different reasons unique to yourself but many may be for similar reasons to others).

How do we become not afraid of anxiety? How do we become not afraid of feeling that we cannot cope and that people will see us shaking, looking terrified and struggling to get our words out? If we can do that do you believe our SA will almost certainly go for good?

 

[black_mamba]

I need to go out and buy some food before I starve today. I will test this method whilst I'm ordering a take-away or walking down the street worrying.

"I love this feeling!" :lol:

 

[lily]

Unfortunately, anxiety puts your health in danger and can't ever be good for any of us.

 

[islandbluenose]

mild anxiety i think can be turned round. when i get nervous about something i try to frame it as being excitement. It helps may be more positive in social situations. :lol:

 

[Jack-B]

Jim

"Is it possible to try and train the mind to like a sensation like anxiety? I just think if I could make anxiety fun then nothing would ever hold me back again. Surely the power of the mind can change this"

The mind of anxiety is your worst enemy. It can never be fun, will never be fun. Jinxed is right, it puts your helath at danger.

You can however, train in understanding your mind, what appears to your mind and have complete power over it.

To transform the mind of anxiety into a positive state of mind, the anxious mind must cease to appear altogether before a postive mind can appear. A bit like if you remove dirt from dirty water you get clean water. It is definitely possible. It just takes a lot of training.

To try to transform our anxiety or transform it into fun is to realize its deceptive nature, there is no fear that is not an appearance of our mind. So we can laugh at it, our fear is nothing more than an illusion of our mind he he! People arent scary, we are fooled by our anxiety into believing this.

Jack