Coaching practices for Stop Resisting Anxiety
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Stop Resisting Anxiety, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- The second I feel my heart pound or my chest tighten I clench up and try to force it to stop, and the fighting just cranks it higher
- I spend my days bracing for the next wave of it, scanning my body, dreading the moment it shows up
- Even once the worst of it passes, I can’t get back into the room
- The second I feel my heart race or my chest tighten I throw everything at making it stop
- I’ve got all these little rules that keep me okay
Practices that may help
- Allow the sensations without resisting
Let the physical feelings of anxiety be present instead of bracing against them.
The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical - Run toward the feeling
Actively invite more of the anxiety rather than waiting nervously for it to pass.
The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical - Engage with the present moment
Once the edge comes off, redirect attention fully into an activity or your surroundings.
The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical - Allow the sensations instead of fighting them
Do not try to stop the racing heart, the dizziness, the breathlessness — allow them and observe.
Panic Surfing - Drop the safety behaviors
Let go of the small avoidances and crutches you use to feel "safe" from anxiety.
The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical - A — Allow the experience to be as it is
Let what is present be here, without pushing it away, numbing it, or elaborating it.
RAIN Meditation: Tara Brach’s Four-Step Practice - Reframe from "preventing catastrophe" to "coping with discomfort"
Shift the goal of entering feared situations from preventing disaster to practicing tolerance.
Safety Behavior Fading, Made Practical - Strengthen the observing self
Notice that there is a "you" watching your thoughts — that witness is stable even when thoughts are not.
Defusion from Anxious Thoughts - Rehearse the response before you need it
Learn and practice the four steps in low-stakes moments so they are available under pressure.
The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical - The DARE Response to Anxiety, Made Practical
The DARE response, popularized by Barry McDonagh, is an acceptance-based way to meet anxiety and panic: Defuse the scary thought, Allow the sensations without resisting, Run toward (rather than away from) the feeling, and Engage with life again. Its logic lines up with what exposure- and acceptance-based approaches do — you stop reinforcing fear by fighting or fleeing it. These are self-help skills for everyday anxiety; for severe or persistent panic, work alongside a qualified professional.
Related concerns
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Actively invite more of the anxiety rather than waiting nervously for it to pass.
Run toward the feeling
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Actively invite more of the anxiety rather than waiting nervously for it to pass.
- How Do I Deal With My Anxiety Disorder
Once the edge comes off, redirect attention fully into an activity or your surroundings.
Engage with the present moment
- How Do I Deal With My Dogs Anxiety
Actively invite more of the anxiety rather than waiting nervously for it to pass.
- How To Handle Anxiety
Learn and practice the four steps in low-stakes moments so they are available under pressure.
Rehearse the response before you need it
- The Dare Response To Anxiety At Work
The DARE response, popularized by Barry McDonagh, is an acceptance-based way to meet anxiety and panic: Defuse the scary thought, Allow the sensations without resisting, Run toward (rather than away from) the feeling, and Engage with life again. Its logic lines up with what exposure- and acceptance-based approaches do — you stop reinforcing fear by fighting or fleeing it. These are self-help skills for everyday anxiety; for severe or persistent panic, work alongside a qualified professional.
Describe your situation in your own words to search the complete practice library.