Originally Posted by
murrill 
Good discussion. Fear/anxiety demands more of itself: Sounds like my alcohol intake when it demanded more and more and more.
Yes, I often think about the similarities, too.
I have been sober a long while, but anxiety, depression, and binge-eating are newer problems. I'm only now understanding the connections.
I wish more people talked about this sort of thing. It's like we put down the addiction but then the underlying anxiety and depression come up. Or we switch to something else, like binge eating.
There have been times that I have breathed through my anxiety, but more times I succumbed to sugar.
I've had a minority of times I have been able to breathe through it, too. The other day I was able to see it happening in my mind, as separate from myself, and catch it. It was really cool. One time the breathing through it didn't work because I started it too late.
Several years ago I attended a retreat in the mountains. Yoga was offered each morning, and I loved it. On the drive home, which took me down a mountain with 18-wheelers and other hazards, I was calm and collected. Typically that drive had me on the verge of panic.
I have had similar things like this happen--both types where the anxiety took over and led to a panic attack, and times where something that normally would've had me anxious, I was very calm.
I know the benefits of mindfulness, but I am not consistent. When I have practiced, even for just one week, it comes naturally.
I'm not consistent either. I wish I knew how to get more consistent with it. It seems to only stick for a short time after a meditation workshop or yoga class. I need some sort of structured routine.