Anti Anxiety Toolbox: Supporting Information for The Art of Ignoring

Anti Anxiety Toolbox

Supporting Information to Help Sustain Ignoring

I find that using the anti anxiety tools in various combinations works wonderfully to build a sustainable anxiety control system.

Here are some things to support your ignoring the anxious thoughts and symptoms:

Because anxiety is a brain issue, we experience some lags in the tools taking effect, which is why it is so important to continue using the tools for longer periods and practice them regularly.

This is because our responses build neural pathways that form our habits. The longer we’ve been responding in a certain way the stronger those neural pathways have become. They say it takes about 30 days to break a habit and somewhat longer to replace old habits with new ones. This is because we have to deactivate those neural pathways and then practice the new habit long enough for a new neural pathway to be formed and strengthened.

A nice way to visualise it is a light up tube. So think of the light beam slowly lighting up from one end of the tube to the other. It lights a little and then goes back. Then lights up a little further and then goes back. It keeps doing this until it eventually touches the other end and becomes a stable light beam. That’s how the synapses between our neurons work. And that’s how habits are formed and broken.

So stick with the tools and keep practising them until you light up your beam.

A recap of The Art of Ignoring tool

We tend to respond with panic and concern when our brain checks whether our triggers are still a threat. Our panicked response signals to the brain to keep red flagging the trigger. We need to break the cycle by responding that the trigger is no longer a threat. Ignoring the anxious thoughts and symptoms is a great tool to help break the brain’s red flagging cycle.

Watch for: More supporting info to make ignoring easier and help you maintain it