When seeing a counsellor a number of years ago, she taught me to notice or pay attention to the sensations that took over my body when I was anxious. As soon as your mind starts paying attention to the bodies reactions (and I guess it stops you thinking about whatever was making you anxious) they actually disappear.
But then the hard part is to stop your mind returning to the worrying!
I found it helped me immensely to be able to control my thinking when undergoing some of the stressful parts of treatment. During Chemo I used to focus on the sounds and calming sight of a small water feature I could see through a window. I would concentrate on breathing deeply too, especially when they were putting in the cannula each time.
Every night before going to bed, I listen to music through my iPod with the lights off, just concentrating on my breathing. I lay on my back with my legs up on the wall. This position is good for calming the nervous system, I have been told. It just slows me down and seems to help me sleep more restfully. Deanne xxx
