When Small Spaces Equal Big Fears
By Chris Hammond
Have you ever found yourself in a small tight space like a
storage closet, a closed MRI, or an elevator and out of nowhere you felt like
you were going to lose it? Suddenly your
breath seems lost, your palms and underarms sweat, your heart races, you feel
light-headed and your stomach does flips.
The next thing you know, you are looking for a way out and analyzing how
fast you can escape. Then you become
angry because you have not escaped yet and the desire to run away fast is so
overwhelming that you could scream. If
so, you might have experienced an anxiety attack.
The problem with anxiety attacks is they happen when you
least expect it or worse, when you really don’t have the time to properly deal
with it. But it cannot be ignored. If you chose to ignore the anxiety attack and
deny its existence, it will come back again and again with a vengeance. The best plan for action is to revisit your
last attack in your mind and look for the following clues as to the cause.
Check your environment.
Many people do not handle small tight spaces well and have a fear that
the space is closing in on them. If this
sounds like you then analyze the other times when you have experienced an
anxiety attack in the past. Is it only
in small spaces? Does the size or
location of the exit have an effect?
Look for patterns in your anxiety as a clue to what maybe causing the
anxiety in the first place.
Check your thoughts.
Once you have identified a pattern ask yourself, “What was I
thinking?” Were you thinking that you
could not escape? Were you thinking that
the space was getting smaller and smaller?
Were you thinking that you could be attacked? Once you know your thoughts and now that you
are no longer in that same environment, ask yourself, “How realistic was my
fear?” Even mild fears tend to be
irrational at times but when mixed with anxiety, they can grow into a larger
than life fear that becomes hard to overcome.
Check your emotions.
Now that you know your pattern and have identified your thoughts, ask
yourself, “How was I feeling?” Your
feelings in that moment are likely to be intense. If you experienced anger or a form of it such
as frustration, tension, irritation, hurt, hostile or rage then the event most
likely triggered something from your past.
Ask, “What does this remind me of” to uncover the real anxiety producing
event.
Anxiety attacks do not happen in a vacuum, they occur for a
reason and sometimes that reason is rational but it manifests itself in
irrational ways. By spending some time
analyzing you last event, you can prevent future events and learn to keep small
spaces equaling small fears.
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"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2011), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.
"Reprinted with permission from the LifeWorks Group weekly eNews, (Copyright, 2004-2011), To subscribe to this valuable counseling and coaching resource visit www.LifeWorksGroup.org or call 407-647-7005"
About the author- Chris Hammond is a Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern at LifeWorks Group w/ over 15 years of experience as a counselor, mentor & teacher for children, teenagers & adults.