Dear Anita,

” Be gentle with her, don’t give her any negative criticism as telling her: “You shouldn’t be that anxious… what is wrong with you? and “You should be able to better manage your anxiety…” And such self talk. Talk to her (to yourself) gently, encouragingly. Fear is a very powerful force and she (the child in you…you) need all the support.. the gentle guidance along the way. This is of most importance: can’t heal without being gentle and patient… kind… that is being loving toward yourself.” This sounds right. I read something about 2 days ago about validating my feelings and the anxiety I feel. That they are my feelings and should be acknowledged and taken seriously. That by not validating them I am not helping myself. I do have to work on being loving and supporting of myself when it comes to my anxiety. It’s just that sometimes I get so frustrated with my fears that the rational part of me speaks out saying it’s silly or something like that.

“being mindful means, getting outside your thinking, thinking, thinking part of the brain and paying attention to what is around here, the Here and Now, directing your attention to what you see, hear, smell, etc… slow exercise and stretching makes it possible for you to pay attention to how the body feels.” This clears it all up for me. I didn’t really know what to expect to feel through mindfulness. I must admit I expected it to be some sort of spiritual awakening of some sort and I just didn’t think I was getting anywhere. But this really puts it in perspective for me.

“Take it slow, easy and gentle, Aislynn: no rushing this process.” I will certainly take my time with this process. I want it to work out and I want to do it well. Every day that I practice being mindful it will get easier. It might hard at first but I’m willing to do the work that is needed.