Calming the Rush of Panic (3 page)

When you begin to observe the workings of your mind, as we guide you to do in this book, you may realize that you’re often not present—that you’re “somewhere else” mentally—generally either rehearsing the future or rehashing the past. But consider this: the only moment you ever live in is right now, so why not be here? Mindfulness is never beyond your reach; it’s as close as your conscious attention. The moment you realize you’re not present, you are in fact present.

The Many Causes of Panic

As stated, research has demonstrated that mindfulness-based stress reduction can be extremely beneficial in decreasing panic. We’re sure that you too can use these mindful practices to live better with panic and decrease the challenges you face.

Before you get started, you should know that although most cases of panic stem from the psyche, there are some cases in which it derives from physiological sources. Although mindfulness training may help you regardless of the cause of your panic, you may also need to consult a health care professional to investigate whether there’s any biological reason you feel panicky. In addition, if your panic attacks are frequent or severe, it’s best if you take steps to address your panic under the guidance and supervision of a health care professional.

Sometimes a very active thyroid (hyperthyroidism), low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), heart arrhythmia, or other physiological conditions can lead you to panic. Some medications and herbs may have side effects that make you susceptible to panic. You may also want to look at diet as a contributing factor, especially if you consume lots of caffeine or highly refined carbs and sugary foods.

How Mindfulness Helps

Let’s find out now about how mindfulness can improve your health and well-being. As stated, practicing mindfulness has been shown to decrease panic and anxiety. There are numerous studies illustrating that mindfulness has a wide range of other benefits, too. It can help decrease chronic pain, increase stress hardiness and resilience, reduce psoriasis symptoms, and improve immune system function (Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society n.d.).

Some astounding studies have also shown positive changes in dealing with stress as seen through functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) of the brain’s structure and function. These studies (Davidson et al. 2003; Hölzel et al. 2011) show that the way people intentionally shape their internal focus of attention induces a state of brain activation during their mindfulness meditation that increases resiliency and positive responses to stress. It’s said that “neurons that fire together, wire together,” meaning that with repetition, an intentionally created state can become an enduring trait of the individual as reflected in long-term changes in brain function and structure. This is a fundamental property of
neuroplasticity
—how the brain changes in response to experience. These are just a few of the many studies that show that mindfulness can play an extremely important role on health through cultivating the mind.

MBSR

Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) was developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in 1979. As of this writing, there are now more than 450 MBSR programs in the United States alone, and they can be found on every continent of the world. Mindfulness can be considered a way of life that can be practiced both formally and informally, in ways that support one another. The heart of MBSR is the practice of mindfulness.

A formal practice of mindfulness (which is fully described below) usually involves regular use of the following: mindful breathing, the body scan, sitting meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and mindful movement (yoga and walking meditation). In this book we introduce you to most of these meditations as well as to some others, such as mindful inquiry and the “web of life” meditation. An informal practice of mindfulness involves bringing mindfulness into the various activities of daily living, such as cooking, eating, bathing, washing the dishes, folding laundry, and conversing. In this book we also offer some other applications of mindfulness.

Bringing together formal and informal practice of mindfulness forms a way of being in life that’s more present and attentive. You begin to see more clearly where you are, how you’re feeling, and how you can respond more constructively to fear and panic, anger, sadness, or whatever you may be feeling.

Mindfulness creates a space between you and what you’re experiencing so you can choose how you respond. Stephen Covey (2008, viii) reiterates this powerful insight and possibility: “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.”

When you react in ways that aren’t mindful, they can gradually grow into habits that are detrimental to your health and well-being. Consequently, these patterns of reactivity further your suffering or distress. This is why it’s so important to discern clearly the difference between reacting with unawareness and responding with mindfulness. When you become aware of the present moment, you gain access to resources you may not have had before. You may not be able to change a situation, but you can mindfully change your response to it. You can choose a more constructive and productive way of dealing with stress rather than a counterproductive or even destructive way of dealing with it.

In regard to panic, when you become mindful that you are in a state of panic, you can begin to respond to it in a way that lessens its intensity rather than inflaming or fueling it. As your practice of mindfulness deepens, you can gradually prevent panic attacks from even occurring and begin to feel much more deeply at ease within yourself and in the world.

Mindfulness Attitudes

Cultivating mindfulness begins with developing and maintaining some central attitudes. These attitudes are interrelated and support one another. See whether you can bring these attitudes into your life and into your formal practice of mindfulness as you read this book. They play an important part in the meditations and other practices we describe.

Intention is an important attitude that supports all the ones below.
Establishing your intention is a powerful element in healing. When you establish your intention, you begin to believe in yourself and your own internal capacities or resources for healing. You realize that the answers are within you and not outside of you. Your intention sets you on the path to support and nurture all other attitudes to help you overcome panic and to live with more ease in your body and mind.

Beginner’s mind is specifically about experiencing everything as if for the first time, seeing things as if they were fresh and new.
In other words, beginner’s mind entails being curious and letting go of the idea that you already know all about something. When you experience panic, you’re usually preoccupied with thoughts of what’s going to happen. This fear of the future supersedes what’s actually happening in the present. For that reason, you should try to cultivate a spirit of investigation into panic.

Nonjudgment involves recognizing what’s happening in the moment without judgment.
When you judge your thoughts and feelings, you take yourself out of the present moment because you’re no longer focusing on what you’re thinking or feeling; you’re focusing on your
interpretations
. A nonjudgmental attitude toward panic would mean thinking simply,
Oh, this is panic
, without adding anything further, when you felt the symptoms of panic. As an analogy, again, think of a meteorologist who reports the weather just as it is.

The following three attitudes—nonstriving, allowing, and letting be—may seem similar, yet each offers subtly different ways of helping you deal with panic with greater precision and clarity in your mindful approach.

Nonstriving is an attitude of not trying, striving, or attempting to achieve anything.
In regard to panic, this means a willingness to be with things as they are. As you embrace nonstriving, your panic will gradually lessen because your energy isn’t spent trying to fight or resist it.

Allowing means acknowledging what’s present for you.
Rather than trying to push away panic, you allow yourself to experience it. An allowing attitude gives space to your experience of panic—just like the sky gives space for a storm to pass through and by that virtue it eventually dissipates.

Letting be is an attitude of not trying to change your experience.
In regard to dealing with panic, you let the panic be, not trying to let it go or trying to get rid of it. You let the panic take its own course, knowing that “this, too, will pass.”

Self-reliance is a trust in your own direct experience of your life.
What this means is that you realize that you possess the inner resources to understand your panic and transform it into greater ease of being.

Balance or equanimity is an understanding attitude that embraces the fact that all things change.
Equanimity generally means steadiness or evenness of mind. As your understanding of impermanence grows, you can live with more balance and have a broader perspective. You can learn to “go with the flow” of life, even during a panic attack, rather than putting all your energy into fighting it. This will support you in feeling more at ease with the way things are.

Self-compassion involves regarding yourself with kindheartedness.
When you have self-compassion, you realize that your greatest adversary is your own critical and judgmental self. At the same time, you forgive yourself for judging yourself and others.

Establishing a Formal Practice of Mindfulness: Meditation

As mentioned, mindfulness is a way of life that’s practiced in two interrelated ways: through formal and informal practice. To truly integrate mindfulness into your life, it’s important that you do both types of practice. Each complements the other. Use them every day to reduce panic and live with more ease in your body and mind.

The cultivation of a formal practice of mindfulness begins with setting an intention and deciding on a time to do it. Try to prioritize this time for your own self-care. You deserve this, and it’s truly a gift to yourself that no one else can give you. Find a place that’s quiet and comfortable, at a time during the day when you won’t be interrupted. Turn off your phone and any other devices, and let your family know you’re going to be quiet and meditate for a while; ask that you not be disturbed.

The best time to formally practice mindfulness is whenever you can do it. Some people like to practice before they get out of bed. Others like to practice after their morning stretches. Others practice during their lunch hour or in the afternoon. Many have found it helpful to practice after coming home from work or after dinner. Some even practice before they go to sleep. Find a time that works for you and let your practice grow.

Once you find a time that works, try to practice daily, even if you don’t really feel like it. We suggest thirty minutes for many of the meditations, although you can practice them for shorter periods of time if need be. Even five minutes of practice is better than none at all. If your formal practice of mindfulness is spotty, don’t beat yourself up or give up on it. Remember to treat yourself with kindness and compassion, and encourage yourself as you would a friend.

In this book you’ll learn the formal mindful practices of mindful breathing, the body scan, mindful inquiry meditation, sitting meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and the “web of life” meditation as meaningful and direct ways to deal with panic.

Posture

Even though a formal practice of mindfulness essentially consists of meditation, you don’t have to assume the stereotypical lotus position, hands on knees with palms upward and thumbs and index fingers touching. In fact, the only recommendation for posture during your practice is that you find a position in which you can be comfortable and fully alert. Some people prefer to sit in a chair or on a cushion on the floor, while others like to lie down or even stand. Any position is fine so long as you can maintain a good degree of comfort and attention.

If you take a sitting position on a cushion or chair, try to keep your back reasonably straight; don’t slouch. An upright posture supports wakefulness. Try to find a good balance between comfort and alertness, making small adjustments as necessary, as if you were tuning an instrument.

If you choose to lie down, you’ll need to be diligent in maintaining your awareness so that you don’t fall asleep. You can keep your eyes partially open if that helps. If you still find yourself nodding off, feel free to stand up. Standing meditation is a wonderful way to practice and one way to make sure you won’t fall asleep. Just stand in one place, preferably not leaning on anything, and attend to your practice. If you get tired from standing and you need to change your position, you may do so mindfully.

How to Deal with Challenges

When you formally practice mindfulness, from time to time you’ll experience challenges that are considered hindrances for your growing practice. You may wonder why you’d want to bring awareness to your panic in the first place, because all you’ve ever wanted is to get away from it. You may even have fears that your panic could get worse if you pay attention to it. Although it’s normal to feel this way, you may be surprised to discover that as you gradually turn toward panic with greater awareness, acknowledgment, and compassion, it will subside—just as turning in the direction of the skid straightens you out on a snowy or icy road. Even though it feels counterintuitive at first, the seeds of possibility are there if you’re open to them.