Explore how meditation can help you investigate emotions and feelings that come up with panic—with a curiosity to see what’s actually there.
Panic affects you not only physically, but also in your emotions and feelings
- The body and mind are integrally connected, and often when one is affected, the other is too
- Panicky feelings can arise as quickly as a flash of lightning and send powerful waves of impending doom that render you feeling out of control and not knowing what to do
Practice: Mindful Inquiry
- To begin this exploration, first, check in with yourself and determine whether it feels safe or not.
- If you are feeling safe, bring awareness into the body and mind and allow yourself to feel into and acknowledge any physical sensations, emotions, or thoughts and just let them be without trying to analyze or figure them out
- You may discover that within these feelings there’s a multitude of old memories that are fueling your fears
How to Work with the Emotions of Panic
Mindful inquiry meditation is useful for coping with panic-stricken emotions and feelings. Two important aspects of mindful inquiry for working with panic are-
- Acknowledgment: Directly acknowledge those feelings in your body and mind
- Letting be: Learning to ride the waves of panic that are affecting you physically, mentally, or emotionally and allowing them to run their course
Investigating What Fuels Your Panic
- Mindful inquiry meditation is an investigation into what’s fueling your panic, fear, or anxiety
- The more you understand what’s driving it, the more you can be free of it
- This is done by bringing awareness to the feeling of panic in your body and mind and letting yourself experience and investigate it non-judgmentally
