Fear To Fearless › Forums › AnxietyPath Recovery Program › Tools › Tools
- This topic has 2 replies, 2 voices, and was last updated 3 years, 2 months ago by
Michael Valentine.
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One thing I never get tired of talking about is the use of “tools”.
Tools are the one thing that we can use to confront our anxiety where it exists – and engage the recovery process from a proactive position.
Recovery from anxiety disorders is not created by “sitting back and waiting” – recovery is created by engaging and changing our behavioral response to our anxiety inducing triggers.
When it comes to tools – I always suggest people practice both physical and mental tools (there is a video in the recovery program dedicated to tools) –
Practice the tools for five to ten minutes – once or twice per day – make a list of the tools that you practice.
And when you have to enter into a trigger situation – whether it be “purposeful practice” or otherwise – bring your tools with you. Be prepared while entering your trigger situation.
I always say, make a list of your 10 favorite tools – the list should consist of both physical and mental tools. And put together a “tool box” – all the physical tools you should bring with you.
While in your trigger situation, go down the list and practice each tool for a couple of minutes – and then move to the next one. When you get to the bottom of the list, start over again at the top!
For one, the list itself becomes a tool – and if you go through the list of tools at 2 minutes each tool – for a total of two times – this will take up 40 minutes. Which is usually longer than people need to be exposed to their trigger situations.
The tools are the single greatest thing that helped me to create recovery from m own anxiety disorders – and I cannot stress enough to all of you to work them, practice them and implement them as needed!
If you have any specific questions, you can reach out to me and I will be happy to help you find your starting point.
Never Give Up!
Hello Karl –
Thank you for the question!
Generally speaking, the tools that I always recommend for flying are as follows;
– circle 3-lettered words (in a magazine, etc)
– word puzzles
– strong flavored mints & gums
– ice cubes – have to purchase after securityWhat Ive noticed is that people rarely pay attention to what we are doing. We may think people are watching us and paying attention to what we are doing – but they rarely do. So my suggestion is not to worry about other people as much – as I would say focus on your own efforts to manage your anxiety levels.
The most effective tool for flying I have found is circling 3-lettered words. I suggest buying a magazine (or several) ahead of time – and have a pen on hand – and literally go through the pages and circle any words that contain three letters. This has proven to be a very effective tool for myself – as well as many others I have worked with.
The other thing that works well are word puzzles – they sell these puzzle books almost everywhere they sell magazines.
Keep in mind that the two tools I mention above are very transparent – other people would probably not even realize you were doing anything out of the ordinary.
Same goes for the mints & gums – this is a normal, natural thing for people to do – and would not draw any attention to you.
Using the ice however, may draw some attention. If you can purchase ice after security, bring a cup of ice on the plane with you – and you can place the ice on your arm or even on your neck. If someone saw this, you can say that you get hot and this helps cool you down. But ice is a wonderful tool to help lower higher levels of anxiety.
Also, engage people around you. You can start a conversation and be connected to another person. This to is very helpful.
Please keep me posted with what you find that works best for you. And let me know if you come up with any other tools yourself.
The nice thing about tools is that there is no end to what we can engage in to keep our focus – prompt our mind to produce a “sum” of some sort – so explore and see what works best for you!
Thank you!
Michael Valentine
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