Apple Technique
AnxietyUK suggests practising the “APPLE” technique to deal with anxiety and worries.
Acknowledge: Notice and acknowledge the uncertainty as it comes to mind.
Pause: Don’t react as you normally do. Don’t react at all. Pause and breathe.
Pull back: Tell yourself this is just the worry talking, and this apparent need for certainty is not helpful and not necessary. It is only a thought or feeling. Don’t believe everything you think. Thoughts are not statements or facts.
Let go: Let go of the thought or feeling. It will pass. You don’t have to respond to them. You might imagine them floating away in a bubble or cloud.
Explore: Explore the present moment, because right now, in this moment, all is well. Notice your breathing and the sensations of your breathing. Notice the ground beneath you. Look around and notice what you see, what you hear, what you can touch, what you can smell. Right now. Then shift your focus of attention to something else – on what you need to do, on what you were doing before you noticed the worry, or do something else – mindfully with your full attention.
Shriek Technique
I, in reaction to the “Apple” technique, suggest “Shriek” as an alternative means to cope with anxiety and stress:
Shout: make it loud and unpredictable in timing
Hysterically: better because you blind yourself to what you are doing but others will surely notice
Rant: this is an art form, but it can be perfected with frequent use and can be tested by the degree to which others avoid you or take protective action
Indiscriminately: very important, part of the art.
Exaggerate: an absolute necessity to move what you have said out of the ordinary reality of others
Katastrophically: couldn’t find the right “k” word, but what the hell. The point is to cause disruption in the world as well as the language.
Aaltoe's Blog 
May 3, 2020 at 3:27 pm |
Made me giggle in recognition! Thank you Bill!