Josh's dog represents the adrenal response by being hyper-vigilant for part of the discussion and completely tiring out by the end. This episode is about anticipatory anxiety! Have you ever been more tired out by the dread of doing something that scares you than the actual act of doing it? How can a smaller queue on a giant roller coaster be less scary than a long one in the eyes of someone who's scared to ride? If your wise mind knows that the cortisol and adrenaline are going to mess with you, then it's better to jump straight into “it” without giving yourself too much time to let those emotions destroy your confidence. Anticipatory anxiety is the stress that we feel when we have to do something that has stakes attached to it. Mix a little anticipatory anxiety with the ability to procrastinate, and the feeling of ”I don't want to leave this state of anticipation" becomes an addictive cocktail of worry. Hope isn’t far, in fact, in may have been in front of you the whole time, but with a little support and self-compassion, you can rip the plaster off and see what healing lies on the other side.
Learn more about CAS - Cognitive Attentional Syndrome
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