Scanning For Anxiety | Why You Keep Checking To See If You're Anxious And How To Stop

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Let me know what you thought of this video in the comments and make sure to check out my video about morning anxiety which I talk about in this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3SxqJluprdpnpY

[@craigsoota1]

Another key topic Tim! One of the things I hate most feeling high anxiety is the inward focus. Apart from the fact I sort of know it’s unnecessary, it feels like the aspect that most takes me away from the me that I am used to. I don’t feel as engaged with others, I lose the natural enjoyment and spontaneity in other things. The Crux of what your are saying is the reminder that anxiety is not truly a threat. Finding ways to embrace that is the trick here I believe. I have times when I truly believe that and it feels somewhat releasing, but then a slightly different feeling or just a different day and believing that same message feels more difficult. It is an ongoing process. The final reflection for me is your description of when anxiety does lift and you realise your are not actually checking anymore, not because you’ve decided to stop checking but just because things are better. I’ve reached that space a number of times before then had years of relief, so I am trying to again hold onto that as a reminder that this state need not last forever… thanks ;)

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Thanks Craig. This state not lasting forever is the truth. We shift from state to state all the time and every feeling we have passes. We don't even need to try or do anything. In fact, when it goes we barely notice it leave.

[@ivannovoselac3518]

@@TimBoxMindCoach Yes Tim yo're totally right, we no noticed when anxiety leve us. It is such subtle process. I have it on and off for past 10 years, now i am in 3-rd bout in high anxiety but is going better now. I noticed that subtlle signs of anxiety when is try to creep back on me but don't pay atention to it (because i was forget how is creep in before). First sign is insomnia at night and on day time that feeling that i can't get enough air thry nose. Then its rapidly goes in spiral down. Also noticed that get in anxiety cycle always is happened when big things and changes in life is happened to me. New job, relations ships, and big purojects. I remember was feel that i wasnt capable to handle big changes in life and My confidence and selfesteem about that was low. Definitely anxiety trigger for me. I think and same for Many other. We must build that core confidence in us!

[@lozb1631]

When you're.having high anxiety you don't always realise how inward towards our feelings and thought we are. the aim is to look outwards and try to integrate into life. takes a lot of time and effort to break this habit.

[@werdlederdle]

Sudden realisation that the looking for anxiety is anxiety.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Exactly! Hope this video has helped.

[@ndeb6643]

Thank you so much for this. The moment I wake up the scanning starts I guess (sometimes it even feels I wake up because the scanning already started, if that makes sense). I like the idea of looking at anxiety differently. But then there is the physical reaction. The elephant on my chest, the sizzling sensations in my body. I find it hard either embracing or neglecting all these feelings.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

The weird physical symptoms that come from going into fight or flight can be in themselves disturbing. Just know they can’t hurt you and don’t indicate there as being anything wrong with you.

[@200000y2k]

I got 5 panic attacks in last 6 months. I believe I started fearing about getting another 1. I am not ill , no more fight or flight , no more checking for signs of anxiety throughout the day. I usually breathe abnormally when I focus on breathing . I have been frustrated for sometime , hopeful to break the bad habits and accept anxiety for good ❤

[@makingtime73]

I've been coping with anxiety for about 8 years. I’ve been on and off medication and have consulted as needed all throughout my journey. I’ve been doing well for some time but for some reason, a week ago, anxiety decided to rear its ugly head again. Luckly, I found your videos yesterday and they have been an absolute life saver! The way you perfectly describe the feelings, symptoms and thought patterns like mine is remarkable. Not only are your videos perfectly relatable, but you also explain clearly and concisely how to approach each issue and what to do to overcome them. You are truly a saint and I cannot thank you enough for your help and the wisdom you share. Thank you, Tim.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Thank you for these words. I'm so glad the videos are proving to be helpful.

[@zockerlord31]

This video was very helpful! For me I breakthrough moment was when I realized the same crew member which created the anxiety was also the one who was constantly scanning for symptoms.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

The first step is often to allow the anxious crew member to feel heard and understood. Great work. :)

[@alpharainmaker]

Scanning for anxiety is now a common occurrence for me. Outcomes range from full blown anxiety to overcoming it. This video puts the process into perspective. Very frustrating to be over responsive to anxiety multiple times a day.

[@LFC001]

You got this

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

I totally appreciate how frustrating it is to have our mind and body responding in an unhelpful way. It's worth remembering in these times that it's largely our dissatisfaction with these responses that perpetuates them. When we recognise these feelings are of no threat or even concern then the sensitivity starts to go down, as there is no part of us repeatedly triggering it. Hope this makes sense.

[@kaitlynkirchhoffer5577]

i have been stuck in the anxiety loop, dealing with my uncertainty and fear of death/meaning of existence. really hard to do daily activities when this is on my mind all day. i will try this

[@sidrocks1999]

Hiii same here keep updating this please

[@nocalfnarwhal8858]

Tim, thank you so much for this video. Every time I learn something from you, I feel like I become a little bit more resilient. There is one thing I still struggle with... I understand that anxiety is natural and isn't actually a threat. That being said, I can't seem to get past the notion that the feeling of high anxiety in the body is in itself a threat because it just feels so awful. It of course can't truly hurt me, but I feel afraid to feel that bad. I know it's this exact thinking that pushes me into the cycle, but it's hard to break.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Whilst we often hear people talk about the reason we fear it being because it feels so awful, I’ve found that in reality the fear is based on the thought that it must MEAN something bad BECAUSE it feels so awful. Know that no matter how bad a full on anxiety or panic state can feel, it doesn’t mean anything is going wrong. It doesn’t actually mean anything. In a different context we regard these feelings as exhilarating. It’s just the context that scares us. Take a look at this video as it has a bit more on this idea: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g2mnpmxnqJiAhZIsi=TAdYQeHAZkdX2ElN Hope it is of value.

[@nocalfnarwhal8858]

@@TimBoxMindCoach Thank you, Tim. Yes, that video provided another piece of the recovery puzzle.

[@itsfrobby1380]

Hey Tim, thank you for this video. I associate very strongly with everything you discuss in your video here. I have so much guilt about my anxiety that I thought it was my responsibility to constantly scan my body for it, trying to do what I could to take care of it when it would come up. If I wasn’t thinking about it and “keeping it in check”, then I was being irresponsible. I needed to get a grip and get my act together. I learned from a young age that anxiety wasn’t normal. I had really big feelings as a kid- big happiness, big sadness, big fear. I felt like a burden to my parents and so when I became anxious the anxiety would grow like a weed. It was awful. This past year was a tough one for me. I’m currently working a contract job that I can’t stand and am looking to switch careers, but it’s been tough. I feel guilty about making the “wrong choice” in majoring in biology instead of something closer to my interests. This brings me a lot of anxiety, so what do I do? I constantly scan my body to make sure it’s not there. If the very act of checking my body and my feelings for anxiety is guaranteed to bring me anxiety, then I’m essentially telling myself “I want to be anxious right now.” I hope this video will help me. I already feel a bit better knowing that it’s something a lot of people do and that I’m not purposefully making my anxiety worse. I didn’t even know I was causing myself anxiety by doing that. Again, thank you so much for this video. You do a lot of good for people like me.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

I'm really glad this video has helped give you a different perspective on things. None of us should be made to feel guilty about how we feel. We're all just doing our best as we continue to learn and grow. There's nothing wrong with that. Wishing you all the best.

[@mattselth9086]

Thanks Tim. This is really making sense to me!

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Thanks so much for this! I'm so glad the videos are helping and making sense. Remember to ask any questions you have and I can answer them in the monthly live Q&A. :)

[@valeriamancus6928]

Hey Tim, I'm so grateful for your videos because they make me feel less "crazy". Lately I've been going through a really stressful time and it caused me so much anxiety. Now that it ended and I have nothing to be anxious about, I'm even MORE anxious because I over analize my symptoms all day long and I'm SCARED to feel anxious again. I'm starting to understand how to manage all this thanks to you. (I'm italian so I apologize for any english mistakes)

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Hi! So glad the videos have been of use. It sounds like the final step is for you might be to realise that feeling anxious wasn't the monster you once built it up to be. Once we feel no threat from feeling anxious it really doesn't matter what challenges life throws at us and how anxious we might get about those challenges, we know we will never again need to get anxious about our anxiety. Hope that makes sense.

[@LFC001]

Hai fatto bene! NTP!

[@gordonrobbins9352]

This is a fantastic video,which more or less sums me up at the moment. The only slight difference I have a physical symptom in the Stomach,which flags up anxiety.If I could only get in to my mind that their is no threat and no danger in feeling this way.I battle on,I wish the crew would stop firing those cannon balls.Thanks for all your brilliant advise.G

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Hi Gordon. Really pleased this video was of value. Take each day that you have something physical going on as an opportunity to prove to your crew that anxiety is no threat. Every day you feel it...every day you get through it...every day nothing bad happens. They might feel like cannon balls but your crew aren't trying to hit you with them, they just think they're at war right now and feel like they're needed. Once they realise they're not, they'll stop firing them. If nobody's told you this today, please remember you're doing great. :)

[@paolobradley1]

A fabulous video. Very informative, as always! Evenings tend to the time when I scan for anxiety symptoms. I don't intend to and when I do, I try distraction. Easier said than done at times. Thanks again for the brilliant video.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Paul, you're welcome. I think it's all too easy to get too focussed on the idea that anxiety is a threat when in the past we've experienced feeling threatened by it. The final piece of the puzzle is the moment we realise and fully accept the truth that anxiety is of no danger to us. Then our crew stop feeling the need to check for it. It can be a tricky puzzle to piece together...but we do get there.

[@Bereneice]

so good this advice thankyou Nick so love your videos

[@lozb1631]

best video yet Tim🎉

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Thanks Loz.

[@bentaylor-lr3jv]

My anxiety is work I feel under pressure and am in fear of something going wrong all the time I assume it is because of cost of living. In reality work is going good I am getting through jobs very easily and I have a good customer base I just keep coming back to looking for work to worry about and fearing the worst thank you for all you videos Tim they are excellent

[@PheNature]

Yes yes yes this is how it starts I check my heart beat even when I feel it because I know that’s how it starts this started when I stop smoking I was very stressed

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Try and remind yourself that there's nothing to fear from an increased heart rate. Once you diminish and eradicate any sense of threat your mind stops paying attention to these things.

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

After a decade of the loop, someday a I’m absolutely fine (when busy) and somedays awful (when leisurely)! Moral? Keep busy!

[@serenagilbert1483]

Super helpful, thank you for this! Subscribed :)

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

You're very welcome. Glad it was of help. Thanks for subscribing. :)

[@rickm6232]

You focusing, trying to fix your anxiety is only gonna keep you in the cycle longer.

[@valdazzar]

Thank you

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

You're welcome. :)

[@bethgwin1921]

Tim, thank you for this video. It is very helpful. I've come to realize that the reason I feel threatened by my anxiety is because i feel that it is more powerful than me. "it" wins so to speak. I was wondering if you can address this at some point in another video. Why do you think we perceive anxiety as a threat?

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

Beth, this is a great question. I answered this one in this live stream: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGaypJRvdpKoabc Hope this helps.

[@dwillia6351]

Lately I’ve been scanning to see if I am experiencing depersonalization or not. I had a bad spout of anxiety where I experienced dp for the first time. It scared me so bad I’m afraid to have it again and that it might last forever. So now whenever I feel decent my mind starts scanning and double checking if I feel bad. This worrying behavior makes my anxiety get bad in response and it feeds itself. Not sure how to stop the cycle.

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

DP keeps us locked in the anxiety feedback loop because it feels like something is going wrong with our mind and the way we perceive the world. The key to calming this response is in recognising that it is a healthy response to perceived threat. It's actually a bit of a magic trick of the mind. We have the power to dissociate and take a step back when the way we feel is a bit too much. We only regard it as threatening because we didn't choose that response and it feels weird, however there are literally thousands of ways our subconscious responds to things without us consciously getting involved and this is just one of them. When you stop fearing it, it will naturally pass as your mind realises you are safe. Hope this thought helps.

[@lozb1631]

I feel that I get up and put on my anxiety armour( I've read the books, watched the videos etc and know what and why) and I feel I'm then on guard looking for any anxiety triggers, mainly thoughts and if I'm fists up ready I'll fight it off. this I know is just keeping me on high alert so I I'm in a catch 22 scenario. any ideas folks???

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

What happens if you take off the armour and lower your guard? Are you really under attack?

[@lozb1631]

@@TimBoxMindCoach mmm I'll need to think about that one!!

[@bethgwin1921]

What helped me was realizing that the high alert approach is what is causing the anxiety, watching for it etc. Anxiety is not out there or in there waiting to get me. It is not an entity of its own but rather a response to what we're thinking, believing at the time. Therefore I don't have to watch for it. When I do feel anxious I can figure it out by understanding what I'm thinking.

[@zzsea7239]

I feel the exactly the same. The scanning starts the moment I wake up

[@אסףנחמיאסנחמיאס]

How do I teach my mind there is no threat?

[@TimBoxMindCoach]

One step would be to work out why your mind currently thinks there is. We will generally struggle to re-educate someone unless we hear why they have their current set of beliefs. Until we understand them they’re probably not listening. Perhaps the part of your mind that believes there is threat is waiting to have the reason for that fear acknowledged before it will allow you to teach it something new?

[@Peterstevoli]

🙏🏻🙏🏻