thought about what would be a nice first real blog for me to write for you. I thought and thought, but realized that if these blogs are to be of any use to you and if you are to get real value from them, then you need to start at the beginning. This place is not with depression itself, or panic attacks or anxiety states, but in a place that will help you deal with whatever your own particular symptoms are. What and where is that place? Well from my experience, I’d have to say without a doubt, that it’s with conscious awareness. Why? Because when you are not consciously aware it is far more difficult to deal with difficult symptoms in a conscious, successful and powerful way. It takes a conscious mind to do that, and for this reason I teach it as part of my program. I have experienced those who do learn it and those who don’t and I can say without a doubt that becoming consciously aware steps up the power of learning and integration of the CBT techniques in a remarkable way.
If you think about it, the only way you can overcome any painful symptoms you may be experiencing is to have the right tools that help you deal with them. CBT is an amazing tool and you will continuously see me raving about its benefits for anyone suffering from depression, anxiety or stress related problems. But what makes CBT work in the most effective way possible? Well, I would say that conscious awareness is the number one aid. You will need to be consciously aware enough in order to follow a CBT program effectively and to benefit long term from everything you learn. When used together, both will help you deal with your negative thoughts, emotions and behavior as they happen, because you can stop them and deal with them as they occur.
From my experience, CBT works in an amazing way in its own right, but also from my experience it has far greater impact and success when combined with conscious awareness techniques.
In learning CBT you need to train yourself in the techniques. These techniques will work if they are learned and practiced properly. However, you can’t gain full benefit if you are not present and consciously aware enough while learning. If you aren’t in the present there is a real possibility that you will continue to react unconsciously because you are conditioned to do so. Also, if you are in a dream like state and are not conscious enough to stop and change your reactions as they happen (which is what CBT is all about) then nothing can change. The cycle will always repeat itself because you are not consciously aware enough to stop it. You need to be conscious/present enough to do so.
I think one reason so many people don’t manage to overcome depression, anxiety and stress related problems is because they are not fully conscious when dealing with their symptoms, so nothing changes. Triggers stay the same, reactions stay the same and negative behavior stays the same. How can anything change when reactions to symptoms stay the same? It can’t! As soon as you start to become consciously aware you have the power and control to interrupt your reactive thought processes and rectify them (which is what CBT teaches you). But if you are not really “here” for much of your waking hours, you have little control over them. You will continue to allow yourself to react unconsciously and to be controlled by your negative thinking. Only in the present and in a consciously aware state is it possible to focus on what is really needed of you if you intend to succeed. Conscious awareness is the perfect partner for CBT because it works as a tool for the success of CBT.
If you are not consciously aware the same familiar reactions will repeat themselves a thousand times over, even when you are learning CBT. Unless you know how to change the way you think and react to your thoughts, emotions and behaviors you will return to your bad habits sooner or later. You don’t want that, and becoming consciously aware is one way to stop it all in its tracks. Conscious awareness helps CBT work and helps you to get back in control.
If you think about it makes perfect sense. How can you deal with the symptoms of depression, anxiety or stress unless you are fully conscious and awake to do so? And this is perhaps one reason nothing has worked for you until now, even CBT. However, bringing conscious awareness into your life and making it a part of your overall program has the potential to change everything for you.
Yes you will need to work at it, as you do with anything worthwhile including the practice of CBT, but I have watched my patients change and re-gain control over their lives where their first step was learning how to become consciously aware. They then use it together with CBT techniques, making it an integral part of their life and find that suddenly they have control over their negative thinking, emotions and behavior because they control it all, it no longer controls them. They are in the driver’s seat. This result is only possible in a consciously aware state. Being in a half sleep state makes success impossible.
The truth is that your thoughts and emotions can be as you choose them to be if you are conscious enough to ensure you are in control of your mind and that it does not control you. When you live in the past or future, you lose that luxury and give way to something else controlling your mind or mood. This is not how you want your life to be I am sure and it definitely doesn’t have to be that way.
When you are depressed or suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, the negative thoughts simply invade your head and take over without mercy.
The symptoms are not pleasant to put it mildly and therefore if you want relief from them you will need the right tools to help you. One of these tools is learning how to become consciously aware because it gives you back control over your mind.
I do realize of course that an added burden is the difficulty you may have concentrating and staying focused. Learning conscious awareness techniques however will help your memory, help your concentration and help you get back in control. You can learn the techniques on my Self Help program on the website. It’s only $30.00 so easily affordable and what you learn in the program has a value beyond money if you are serious about helping yourself.
Please take the first step and sign up….. Good luck,
Carole