Three levels of approach: How can we overcome our fears in a sustainable way?

Released in September, “Dear Fear, Shut Up!” In his book, he shows strategies those affected can use to find a way to heal. Hanstein takes a three-level approach to countering fear and panic: through the body, through emotions, and through thoughts.

Hanstein says anxiety in daily life is often a misfire in the brain. “Most of the time there is no source of danger, but our brain goes into alarm mode anyway.” This increases our heart rate and blood pressure, and our body prepares for fight or flight. Hanstein says these misfires can rarely be corrected with rational thought and arguments. “It helps to calm down physically in situations like this.” For example, through our breathing. “Our breathing has a direct effect on our nervous system. With deep breaths, we can tell our body that it is calm and safe.” Even quiet movements or a slow walk can help calm us down, “because only when our body is calm can we control our emotions and thoughts more clearly.”

Many people who suffer from anxiety describe a feeling of safety and lack of security. “We don’t have to feel powerless when we’re at the mercy of fear,” Hanstein says. It is possible to accept the fear that comes over you instead of fighting or suppressing it. It takes a lot of effort and courage, but it can be worth it. “When we no longer run away from fear, we realize that it is a response from our body that wants to protect and warn us from danger.” Hanstein says this realization was a pivotal moment for many of those affected. “If you know what fear does to us, we can accept it better. And then it’s easier to put ourselves in a positive emotional state.”

“You don’t have to believe everything you think,” Hanstein says. Often thoughts are not real; The thought of a bad accident rarely leads to an actual accident. But the problem with anxious thoughts, according to Hanstein, is that they are powerful and formative. “They seem real, urgent, and inevitable to us.” We cannot erase these thoughts. That’s why it’s important to reinterpret them, Hanstein says. “It helps to understand fearful thoughts not as given facts but as thought suggestions.” With a lot of practice and patience, those affected will eventually be able to view these thought suggestions more objectively and reject them if necessary. It is possible to get out of the negative thought vortex in this way. Hanstein: “No matter how stuck some thoughts are, you can always do something and take the first step in a different direction.”

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