Relax, relax, that’s what people are probably always telling you to do. And more to the point I’m sure that’s what you wish you could do on demand, but anxiety has a way of cramping this aspiration. But do you really want instant relaxation? A boneless body on tap?
There was this one time that I became way too relaxed and I want to talk to you about it. Like you and many others I sometimes would lose sleep because of my anxiety and as a result would lie awake on my couch late at night. Well about 5 years ago I had one of these late night anxiety escapades and decided to watch the tube and of course an infomercial about an anti anxiety product popped on the screen.
You may of heard of it, it was Lucinda Bassett’s Midwest Center for Stress program. Anyway, I bought the really expensive package and it had a lot of “to do” things. The first to do I pulled out of the box was a relaxation CD.
I laid down on my bedroom floor and shut my eyes and tried to focus on the beautiful waterfall that Lucinda Bassett had so masterfully painted in my mind. This thing was good I admit, so good that I had a panic attack.
Now I am in no way blaming the program, it did it’s job after all (before the panic attack). But the point is that I was so nervous, anxious, and uptight at the time that I was not ready for that level of relaxation and lost it.
The aim of this semi amusing tale is that when you’re anxious you ‘re also highly suggestible, which is why you may also be confused and easily convinced of things. Like the false belief that you have some disease that has yet to be identified by medical science or the one about you going crazy. Those are lies.
Although difficult, not being so suggestible takes time. Of course you have to face your anxiety and try to kick it’s ugly face, i.e., get help. But you should also realize that you’re not the insane broken down person that you sometimes assume you are. Really anxiety can and will make you believe what really amounts to self told lies like I so eloquently pointed out a paragraph ago.
In the end I kindly returned the program to its rightful place somewhere in the Midwest. Not because it was not a good program but mainly because I didn’t enjoy the “to do” approach to healing. I guess I find work books of all kinds appallingly boring. The other point to this story was to make you smile, so don’t forget to do that too.
Note: This is a true story
Thanks for sharing. I am glad you weren’t pitching that program. I mean if it works for some fine, but it did nothing for me and it’s really really overpriced. Her book (which you can check out for free at the library) gives you the same ideas. I also found the relaxation CD to be one of the worst I’ve ever heard…but I’m glad it worked for you!
You know I only listened to the CD for about 10 minutes before the panic attack, so I can’t say much else about the program.
You’re right about the price however. I’m not sure what it is now, but when I purchased it, the program was upwards of $300.
And the public library is a wonderful resource for books on anxiety. But I admit that I buy most of mine because of all the re-referencing I have to do.
The other thing is when I suggest products I tend to lean toward the more affordable ones because ultimately the solution to anxiety disorder is rather straight forward and does not need to cost you an arm and a leg.