Bottom Up - Physical sensations and situations that cause anxiety
This category emphasizes how physiological and sensory inputs drive anxiety, often bypassing conscious thought.​
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Anxiety is triggered by the body’s automatic responses to perceived threats, involving the autonomic nervous system (e.g., fight, flight, or freeze).
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Example: "I’m scared of being in certain situations because I feel like I might panic or lose control"
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Question: I’m so afraid I’m going to have a panic attack or lose control when I am in certain situations. Is there any hope for me?
Answer: Here, psychologist Martin Seif talks specifically about fear of flying, but his approach
and advice are relevant to anyone struggling with situational fears. Overcoming situational fears
involves learning to do nothing instead of doing something when you are in those feared situations. It can be done, and there is hope for full recovery.
Question: I’ve tried relaxation techniques, but they aren’t working. Am I doing it wrong? Is there another way?
Answer: Cultivating willingness, not looking for escape routes, is the way forward. “Do you want to overcome trauma? You want to step into a safe but reasonable facsimile (replica) of the trauma and let your amygdala hang out.”
Question: How do I stop panic and anxiety when I’m in the middle of it?
Answer: If you treat your anxiety as something that's uncomfortable but doesn't have to be controlled, it will resolve on its own. As you weather these storms, you start to get less scared of them coming back, you start to be less sensitive toward your anxiety, and eventually, you stop having such intense reactions to it.
Question: How do I stop panic and anxiety when I’m in the middle of it?
Answer: If you treat your anxiety as something that's uncomfortable but doesn't have to be controlled, it will resolve on its own. As you weather these storms, you start to get less scared of them coming back, you start to be less sensitive toward your anxiety, and eventually, you stop having such intense reactions to it.
Question: Will breathing work, mindfulness, exercise, sleep, reassurance, or positive
thinking fix my anxiety?
Answer: All of these things can help reduce your stress, but they won’t fix the issue underlying
your anxiety symptoms, which is your attitude toward it—the attitude that says this must go
away NOW, or I will not be okay. Once that attitude begins to shift toward more acceptance and openness, you’ll notice your anxiety decrease. "Being mindful is not a way to stop anxiety: it is about learning a new relationship of accepting and not judging your sensory and mental experience. It is about noticing, not fixing. It is about being willing to experience whatever is there in the present moment"
Question: I went through a traumatic event, and now I feel on edge all the time. What do I do?
Answer: You might be struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You don’t have to be a combat veteran to experience symptoms of PTSD. Treatment with a therapist who has experience and training in treating PTSD can help you incorporate the traumatic event into your sense of the world and your personal life.