I saw something else this week on anxiety. This guy was talking about a scene from "Friends" where the character Ross wears leather pants on a date, but after he goes to the restroom finds he can't get them back on. It's a pretty funny scene, he tries baby powder, then lotion, and ends up accidentally making a paste, and the whole situation gets worse. As the audience, we find it amusing, but Ross is experiencing high anxiety - he can't see the humor in it at all. The speaker suggested that whenever we find ourselves living out a high-anxiety real-life scenario, we take a moment to step out of it and view it as the audience. If we are able to see a little glimpse of the humor or humanity in that moment, it might help us cope with it better. I guess I was trying to apply something of that strategy to fears. Instead of feeling the negative emotions associated with it - hatred, shame, self-loathing, hopelessness - if we can find a way to empathize with ourselves, find love for that thing inside us that is scared, maybe we can cope with it better. Does that make sense?
Yep, beautiful, meaningful sense
Great visual, Ross's struggle (universal anxiety, where we aren't right in our "skin", and we just keep making it worse, smile)
Outloving...the ultimate emotion swap, and maybe the true antidote. (Toby's journey!)
Thank you...
(Now I'm working out that intriguing idea, too.)
Please say more about that.
I saw something else this week on anxiety. This guy was talking about a scene from "Friends" where the character Ross wears leather pants on a date, but after he goes to the restroom finds he can't get them back on. It's a pretty funny scene, he tries baby powder, then lotion, and ends up accidentally making a paste, and the whole situation gets worse. As the audience, we find it amusing, but Ross is experiencing high anxiety - he can't see the humor in it at all. The speaker suggested that whenever we find ourselves living out a high-anxiety real-life scenario, we take a moment to step out of it and view it as the audience. If we are able to see a little glimpse of the humor or humanity in that moment, it might help us cope with it better. I guess I was trying to apply something of that strategy to fears. Instead of feeling the negative emotions associated with it - hatred, shame, self-loathing, hopelessness - if we can find a way to empathize with ourselves, find love for that thing inside us that is scared, maybe we can cope with it better. Does that make sense?
Or maybe outlove?"