Mindfulness Therapy, A Journey To Decrease Depression, Anxiety, And Gain Positive Control Of Your Present And Future Life.
By Dr. Carrie Baylard-Eidson, counselor at Rejuvenate in Lees Summit
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with “What If’s” swarming around in your brain? “What If’s” are single thoughts such as “What if I lose my job?”, “What if I can’t help my family members with their problems?” “Why do I feel so abandoned?” “What am I doing wrong in my relationship?” People who are overwhelmed, typically tend to get one “What If”, then two, three, four, and then a whole swarm of them at the same time.
A “What If” is an unrealistic feeling of anxiety, fear of the unknown or negative feelings from the past that have never been dealt with properly and we have buried deep within us. As you bury these negative feelings within, it’s like a volcano that gets so full that it irrupts into depression and full-blown anxiety attacks. These negative feelings from the past can be feelings of abandonment, isolation, low self-esteem, having parents who can only give conditional love or were absent emotionally of physically when you were young. Trauma, abuse, ADHD, OCD, Autism, relationship issues, communication issues and social skills can contribute to this anxiety.
Many people in this situation are “People pleasers” and “fixers” for other people’s problems. They do this to get personal validation and self-esteem but it never works. People can’t fix other people. Only the people with the problems can fix themselves. So this leaves the People pleasers and fixers feeling even worse about themselves and becoming overwhelmed with anxiety and helplessness. In Mindfulness Therapy, you are taught to identify who owns the problem. If another person owns the problem then you will realize you can’t fix it and you have to let it go and not react to it.
Our brain plays a major role in our mental and emotional balance and health. Our brain is divided into two parts, The Problem Solving Part and the Emotional Part. The goal of Mindfulness is to learn to live in the Emotional Part of the brain, which brings us calmness, peace and the ability to look at a situation objectively and make effective solutions to issues impacting us. The Emotional Part of our brain teaches us to live positively in the Present which will positively impact our future. The Problem Solving Part of our brain senses anxiety and goes back into our memory files and picks out a negative emotion to try to solve our problem. It doesn’t necessarily bring up a negative event but rather it’s the negative feeling from the past that become our “what if.”
Mindfulness Therapy should become a way of life for you, so you are always living in the present and not allowing the negative feelings from the past impact your present and future behavior and mental health. With the help of a therapist, you will learn to rewire your brain not to go back to the negative feelings to solve your problems. You will be able to look at your past and know you suffered negative things, but you will learn how to react in a positive way to it. You can’t change your past or fix it but you can choose how you will react to it.
You will learn coping skills and strategies to rewire your Problem Solving Part of your brain. You will have exercise to do daily until they become a habit and give you the power to evaporate your anxiety and decrease your depression. You will experience a new freedom, calm, and power over your life. You will learn to live in the Present and appreciate the beauty in your life and learn to make better choices as you find effective solutions to your issues.
Mindfulness doesn’t happen over night. It is a process and way of life. The rewards for out weigh the work and commitment it takes to rewire the brain and live in the present. If you’re ready to take this journey, I’m happy to be your therapist, teacher and guide through this process. Please call / text Rejuvenate at 816-761-3944 and set up a Remote Therapy session with me.
Dr. Carrie Baylard-Eidson sees 12+ and Adults at Rejuvenate. Dr. Carrie’s specialty areas and expertise are in helping her clients deal with stress, anxiety, depression, trauma, social skills, personal relationships, communication skills, eating disorders, Grief, ADHD, OCD, Abandonment issues, Divorce and separation issues, and family conflict.
Contact us today to make an appointment with Dr. Carrie Call / Text: 816-761-3944 or email info@rejuvenatekc.com
