Dear Aislynn:

Glad you are back and that this thread is ongoing. As to your last question: can one’s anxiety be completely gone? Depends, maybe for some, not for others. Anxiety is fear connections in the brain. What happens is that that fear is not one connection that can be disconnected and problem solved. Fear is connected in many places in the brain, and different individuals, different connections. For some fear is connected to driving mostly, for others it is connected mostly to… spiders, these are connections: Driving/fear, spiders/fear…. for some people fear is connected to driving and spiders and going to classes and this and that, multiple connections. And the more connections in the brain, the more there is to disconnect and the more healing time it takes.

The more you heal the less connections of fear, you relax in this area, in that area, things get better. You do what you can.

Right this moment, as I am sitting on this chair, I felt anxiety, became mindful that I am feeling anxious. Maybe it is that I overate a bit, being bloated makes me anxious (Neural Connection: bloated/fear) Also i am sitting by the wood stove and feeling warm (Neural connection: too hot/ fear). I know I need to go to the mat, away from the wood stove, yet I am sitting by the computer and feeling too warm.

I am noticing these things but I need to do something about it, go away from the wood stove and lie on the mat, breathe, relax, and as I lie down, my belly will feel less bloated.

So I am going to do these things and will write to you later how that goes!

Good work otherwise on noticing and the small group work and initiative at school.

anita