The Nature of Panic & The Imposter

Introduction:

Fears tend to be much worse than reality.
Panic makes us visualise a very dark future.

The future is never as dark as the state of panic might might portray.

Humans, it is true, live in a state of panic, more or less.

Somnambulating from one state of panic to another. But that's not you, it's this 'thing', very accurately represented by...



Newspapers are evidence of panic. News channels are evidence. From one scam to another. From one tragedy to another. There are good things happening too, in this world, but the focus is only on tragedy and doom. That is what the state of panic is all about. All other things melt into nothing, only doom, tragedy linger in the perspective. And very often, things appear much more dangerous than they actually are.

Like Jim Bishop says, "The future is an opaque mirror. Anyone who tries to look into it sees nothing but the dim outlines of an old and worried face."

The interesting thing about panic is, it can never take you over completely. The fragmentation in the human psyche is the reason for this.

When panic takes over, some aspects of you will remain cool and calm. Always.

This is an excellent video on the nature of panic, and dealing with it.

Teal Scott suggests that DO NOT RESIST fear, anxiety, panic. Embrace them, and they will melt.


Teal Scott quote.

"You can't control thoughts because thoughts don't exist in the brain. Ignorance is not the result of choosing to think what benefits you to think. Ignorance is the result of fully believing in your thoughts... thoughts that are most often distortions."

Invite the fear to become worse. Ask it to get more intense. Ask it to give you more. When the fear no longer meets resistance mentally, it loses its power. Just like a stray dog stops chasing you when you no longer run from it.



Pema Chodron quote.
"The “Lion’s Roar” is the fearless proclamation that any state of mind, including the emotions, is a workable situation, a reminder in the practice of meditation. We realize that chaotic situations must not be rejected. Nor must we regard them as regressive, as a return to confusion. We must respect whatever happens to our state of mind. Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news."

And a highly interesting Jim Bishop quote.

Nothing is as far away as one minute ago.

And an interesting Steve Hagen quote.

Truth and Reality are always here for us to see. We don’t need to stand on any particular idea, belief, answer, or other mental structure. In each moment we can see what’s actually going on without grasping — without needing to find something to bolster us or comfort us. After all, what is there to bolster? What’s being threatened?

A brilliant solution, by Pema Chodron
One way to practice staying present is to simply sit still for a while and listen. For one minute, listen to the sounds close to you. For one minute, listen to the sounds at a distance. Just listen attentively."
(Taking the Leap)

CONCLUDING NOTE:

A lot of weakness and sorrow is the result of lack of self esteem, and guilt over past actions, sorrow over past failures.

But then, like Teal Scott points out, most thoughts are distortions. And once this is seen, self esteem will automatically repair itself. You will heal once you see the truth of your past.



A very wise quote from: MarcandAngel.

Think positive. Life is good. Too many people miss the silver lining because they’re expecting pure gold. Positive thinking isn’t about expecting the best to always happen, but accepting that whatever happens is the best for the moment. So keep smiling and keep staying true to your heart. Someday, the negative voice inside you will have nothing left to say.

Must Read:Raptitude