Most recently, I’ve had excellent results listening to Tara Brach when any midnight panic set in. Essentially, for her method, you greet the panic, invite it to stay for tea and have a chat with it. It certainly beats medicating an escape hatch.
We all have bouts of freaky emotion and panic and inner pain, hopefully not all at the same time. With practice, you will figure out what works best for you.
Some people think that deep breathing is garbage, but it’s helped me weather some horrible states.
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Actually, deep breathing is not my primary suggestion; my primary suggestion is to remember that whatever you are feeling will pass.
It’s easy for most people to imagine being trapped in a cube of pain, but nearly all unpleasant and powerful feelings are just not sustainable. You quite literally cannot feel that awful forever.
Once you are breathing deeply and reminding yourself that “this too shall pass,” pet a dog. If you are in some dog-less hell of a place at that moment, vividly imagine that you are petting your favorite dog.
Because calming is difficult, people look for short cuts in substances or…
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