guitar1968
Well-Known Member
Thanks Phineas - great thoughts, great tools to take control. It really does all come down to mindfulness. So, knowing the world is filled with these images, it has to be how I react to them. I really appreciate this advice!
Phineas 808 said:Hi, guitar!
Use those moments to learn of how those images cue you toward former behaviors... here is your opportunity to 'hack' into these behaviors and change them!
Instead of running for the hills, take a moment when you encounter an image. Take time, avert your eyes, but check your pulse, notice it's increase, and your rapid heart rate, your shallow breathing. Be like an outside observer, watching yourself, but (and this is important!) nonjudgmentally.
Begin to breathe slower, deeper. Check your vitals again, and notice you calming down.
What your learning is, despite the 'trigger', you're always in control. It's not the outside stimuli we encounter, but what we do with it from within.
You can outlast and breathe through any urge...