Dr. Sandra Parker - Dealing with Anxiety

Worry, generalized anxiety, panic, obsessing,compulsions, and other forms  of pathological anxiety arise out of experiences of feeling overwhelmed.  Anxiety problems are ways that we try to regain control when we feel that we might be out of control.  Yet all these anxious behaviors do is distract us away from another feeling in our body that is actually normal and healthy.  That feeling is signal anxiety.  It is the feeling of vulnerability.There is a fundamental hman truth: we are not in ultimate control of many of the important things in our lives.  Aging, illness, the economy, other people's choices or feelings or opinions, even the flow of our own feelings, are all things that are determined by nore than just our will.  And the vulnerability that arises from that truth is uncomfortable.If we are to be calm, grounded, and comfortable in our skin we need to grow our tolerance for the discomfort of that hard truth.  We need to be able to stay with what being vulnerable feels like.  We need to be able to stay in the body and feel and deal with the sensations of vulnerability.  And that feels like signal anxiety.

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[BrightDakotaGold]

I have a question.. My friend and my father and i all suffer from anxiety. You say towards the end of the video that right before people go off into what ifs, our body is trying to get us to notice something but how is that so? Tomorrow i am going on a field trip with my school.. We are driving three hours, and my biggest phobia is becoming ill, or in other words vomiting. Today my friend began talking about the trip and my heart started pounding, and my hands and feet began sweating, and i bec

[DrSandraParker]

@BrightDakotaGold Your body is an amazing "in the moment organism" that is wired to keep you physically safe. It listens to your "phobia" and understands it to mean that you are in life and death danger right in that moment, so it gears up with the fight or flight mechanism. In the moment your body starts to tense up and agitate is when you must bring your warm attention to the physical sensations, because it is your inward focused attention that lets your body know there is no danger now.

[DrSandraParker]

Tony I am so happy that you are able to make use of the information and support in the videos - our bodies really are calling us to come home and reassure them that the "threat" we are experiencing is not physical, so that they can "stand down" from the place of fight or flight. Then we can open our hearts and minds and truly manage the threats we face - emotional and psychological threats are best dealt with by a soft open heart and a clear open mind. Stay with yourself - you are not alone!

[brady3xox]

I suffer with anxiety and have been on medication for about a year [but want to be able to manage with my disorder drug free]. I know that though you cannot change your thoughts, you can find positive ways to deal with them. When I'm having anxiety, I tell myself that my body is just negatively reacting to the flight or fight response and take deep breaths. I tell myself that I am in control. But it isn't enough. What are some other positive ways to deal with anxiety?

[wanniator]

This is really incredible. I had my second complete panic attack almost a year to the day of my last on Friday. I am having trouble going outside, although today I went to university and stayed for forty minutes before deciding I needed to leave. I know I don't fully understand what it is that is making me like this, since my anxiety has taken a back seat for a long time until friday. This has been really helpful insofar as it is a great tactic for when I begin to hit that 'what if' moment. Tha

[pitolove71]

Dr. Parker, your intelligence & beauty are extremely captivating as well as mesmerizing. I've learned so much from your videos on how to put things, situations into perspective. I now realize that I must identify myself with these feelings & emotions that I am experiencing. Once I identify with what it is I am feeling, I can then work towards accepting my life, my situation such as it is. I live in the here & now & not the "what if?" Thank you so much for your powerful insight. You're amazing.

[Millerman828]

Shes so true but its so hard, i cry so much why did i have to get this, if only people who dident have it knew that its not what it seems

[noshadowmaster]

SO HOT!

[Boscotrips]

There is something about psychiatrists or people acting ,even if their good that makes me unable to completely listen to them.

[caradeescusado]

get claire weekes and abraham low guys!

[RedDevileire]

Hi dr parker , good video ...

I have been suffering from panic attacks for a couple of years now , i believe mine stemmed from my ocd aswell as stress .. but they can be pretty difficult to deal with and they have made me less social than i once was ... basically because of fear of getting a panic attack in public ...i have tried medication but never stayed on them long enough to get any real positive effects from it .. medication i tried is called prozac ...

do herbal remedies work ? thanks