Episode 186: Panic: Is It Helpful?

“Panic” crops up a lot in conversation.  “I realized I forgot to finish that report and I panicked.”  “Tests always induce panic in me.”  “She panicked when her brother uncovered her secret.”  The actual experience of panic — racing heart, shaking, sweaty palms — is unpleasant.  We tend to think events and things induce that feeling in us.  But panic is just the feelings arising from the build-up of distressing thinking.  It’s an alarm waking us up to a flood of non-constructive thoughts.  As soon as we’re onto ourselves and quiet our minds, the feeling of panic dissolves.