The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
One part that really impacted me on your post was the definition.
Fear: An emotion of alarm and agitation caused by the expectation or the realization of danger.
The word that really made me thinks was the word DANGER. How often do we feel nervous or fearfull about something which really can cause us no DANGER?
I don't know how many times I have had panic attacks or felt fear.... but thinking about it there was really never any true danger that could happen to me. There might have been uncomfortable situations but no real danger.
Looking at panic and fearfull situations now I will have an eaiser time figuring out if there is a real reason to be fearfull. I will look and see if there is real danger involved or just a possible uncomfortable sitaution. I then will be able to deal with the feelings appropriatly.
I will look and see if there is real danger involved or just a possible uncomfortable sitaution.
What a great, clear perspective. I am going to write this down and keep it with me as a reminder of how I have learned to recognize real danger, as well as learning that even if I am totally "comfortable" it does not necessarily mean I am healthy. Pre Al-Anon I was so comfortable in chaos, crisis, distress and anger, that at first peace and quiet was totally foreign to me. It felt so strange, but only because it was not what I was used to, and although it did at first make me fearful, it wasn't truly dangerous at all.
When I was little and it was time to get a new pair of shoes, the way I would first know I was outgrowing the old ones was through my discomfort when I wore them. When I find myself feeling uncomfortable today, rather than being afraid of that feeling, I can choose instead to use it as an incentive to investigate the feeling's source to measure my growth and determine what I have outgrown.
i know when i get one of my panic attacks, of course it is fear, and usually just asking my IC "whats wrong???" can help me...also self talk IF there is no real danger, like "its ok, we are safe, nothings going to hurt you"!!!! as i recover and learn *discernement* i think the panic junk is easing up......sure hope so.....i just hate it!!!! thanks for share/ rosie
