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Anxiety feels awful. The speeding heart and rapid breathing, the sweating, trembling, feeling 'on-edge' and that sense of impending danger
are all extremely powerful – they descend upon us without warning and we cannot seem to stop them. These thoughts, feelings and
behaviours, over which we have virtually no control, affect us deeply.
Such powerful feelings and so little control – it's no wonder that anxiety can be seen as an awful problem, a terrible weakness,
something that has to be eradicated from our lives at all cost.
Yet anxiety is a vital part of being human. Indeed, every living creature on the planet has its own form of anxiety, its very own
built-in self-protection instinct.
Essentially to help us survive, to keep us alive, anxiety sits quietly in the background waiting to spring into action when needed in times
of danger.
So why do I get anxious when there is no danger?
Why do I have more anxiety than others?
What can I do about it?
When the answer to these questions involves labels such as 'disorder' and 'mental illness' and provides treatments that
offer no real control, it's easy to be drawn into a self-defeating belief system about anxiety – one that only makes it worse.
But it doesn't have to be like this.
If we look at anxiety through the lens of evolution and survival, and see how it rises up to protect us as a result of new,
modern-day threats (some of which didn't even exist just a generation ago), a very different picture emerges.
Persistant stressful situations such as conflict in the family, at school or at work and worries over relationships, money or health can make us
feel insecure and vulnerable for much of the time.
And these are situations that we cannot avoid, fight our way out of or flee from. They happen frequently and regularly, and each time our anxiety rises just that little bit more.
For many of us, this is how anxiety builds up... slowly and silently... until it reaches a critical point where everything changes. This is when the real problem starts.
Calm Anxiety... offers a totally new way to understand and deal with
the increased anxiety that plagues so many of us today. It reveals why we become too anxious in the first place and shows how to remove this high anxiety completely and naturally.
Part I examines the current beliefs and theories about anxiety problems and how they
influence everything we believe about our anxiety and our self. These beliefs shape not only the problem but also our whole
life and can lead to those feelings of helplessness and hopelessness over 'some awful illness that nothing can be done about'. This just isn't true.
Part II explores anxiety through the lens of human evolution and survival. What is
it? Why do we have it? How does it work? Here, you'll discover the truth about anxiety today and why so many people are developing
problems.
Part III shows you step-by-step how to cure anxiety problems. Never be more anxious
than your family, friends or colleagues again.
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Review + Sample
Going to the Heart of the Matter
This is a very helpful book for the anxious among us. It is not a CBT or ACT book. 'Calm anxiety' has a distinct approach to anxiety. In fact, the book covers it
all: the fight-or-flight response, neural connections, upbringing and beliefs, gradual automation, acceptance of feelings and so forth. Dixon beautifully ties it all
together.
Most books on anxiety, like the ones based on CBT and ACT, have 'techniques' as their core. 'Calm anxiety', however, goes deeper. It focuses on the way we were 'conditioned' to
believe we are not good enough. Here is were the book goes further than other books. The core feeling of not being good enough is addressed. Dixon emphasizes that it is important
to say to yourself that there are good reasons for you to feel the way you do. This is acceptance and stops fighting anxious feelings. Furthermore, you now know that you have been
conditioned to believe that you are defective in some way. Therefore, the anxious feelings do not have the same meaning any more. You always were good. This is the central idea in the book, which is elaborated.
A highly recommendable read. Concise, though all encompassing.
I have had a few therapies and read numerous books on the topic. For me, this one stands out because it goes to the heart of the matter. (Amazon Review)
Read the First Chapter...
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