I have the freak-out mode down. It’s my go-to when all hell is breaking loose. Challenges standing in my way? Bring on the freak-out! My mind rolls through all the things that could go wrong, and then repeats until I am certain everything is about to come crashing down. The world as I know it is about to end. Even the smallest little thing can set me off, and can, and often does, set off a whole new line of bad what if’s. Ultimate disasters appear to be lurking just around the corner. My anxiety so high, I feel like I’m headed for a nasty crash and burn.
Sound familiar?
Maybe not. Maybe you stay cool under pressure. Maybe you only think of best case scenarios when things are looking grim. Shhh… don’t tell anybody, but yeah, I admit, I do this from time to time. I actually manage to stay calm. I think positively. I’m on the optimistic bus and it’s great! But I still struggle with my brain’s default setting to go to negative and worst case possibilities before I even consider that good can actually (and almost always does) come from what I might think of “bad” situations.
So if you are like me and have moments of freak-out that threaten the very ground you stand on, how do you deal with it? I have realized sometime ago that the best way for me to work through a situation is to have a plan, or at least a baseline in which to work from. I have found that I fall into repeating habits from time to time and a key way for me to work through these “bad” habits is to write about it.
Here are list of things I have come up with that help me work through my freak-out modes. Hopefully you will find it useful.
- The first step is to realize you are having a freak-out mode. If you are like me, freak-outmodes just seem like business as usual. I have made them such a major habit in my life that it just seems “normal” to be anxious about something. I’m here to say that it doesn’t have to be that way. That other shoe does not have to hit the fan.
- Understand why you are freaking out. Usually there’s a base emotion involved. This may take a little digging on your part, but see if you can get to the core issue. Usually it’s not really about the water heater having a leak or that new job taking too long to get back to you about your hire date. In my case, the base emotion is usually fear, and that fear is almost always attached to me not being able to control something, someone, or a situation. One helpful thing to remember in life is we can’t control anything or anyone, but ourselves.
- Acknowledge how you are feeling. There may be some legitimate reasons why you are feeling this way. It’s okay to have these feelings, but they don’t do any good if they are left to run the show. After you acknowledge them and try to understand them more, let them go. Ask for help from the Universe, Higher Self, God, ect. if you are struggling with this. Release. Release. Release!
- Forgive yourself for going into freak-out mode and anything you might have done or said or thought while freaking out. It’s okay to stumble and fall, and make mistakes. What’s important is picking yourself back up, and forgiving yourself for the fall.
- Give the situation up to the Universe, Higher Self, God, ect. We might know what we want for ourselves and our lives, but it’s the Higher Power that knows what you really need. Trust that your Higher Power knows things you do not, and is actively working in ways you probably can’t understand right now to bring you your best possible life. You know you’ve accomplished this stage when you begin realizing that perhaps there was no reason to being the freak-out mode in the first place.
- Repeat steps one through five as needed, because if things go for you like they do me, one freak-out mode is usually followed closely by a series of them. Keep repeating the steps as many times as necessary until you obtain a calm and peaceful state of being. And yes, this state of being can be reached as long as you stay open and are dedicated to working through the chaos and conflict, and not staying stuck in fear.
Just remember that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps taking on the perspective of the hawk may help in seeing this. Hawks watch the world from high up. They are vigilant and often can see things that others cannot because of their high perspective. Freak-out mode trying to weight you down? Shake it off and fly up high, and see why this event or circumstance has happened to get your attention. Maybe the thing or life you desire isn’t so far away after all? Maybe it’s right there in front of your face, but you’re too busy freaking-out to see it. Yep, been there done that.
Peace and Love to all of you, and here’s to freaking out just a little bit less, and realizing that we are all right where we need to be.
Cynthia D. Griffin 