Just float through it

Sitting in my bed at 9:42 pm, watching psychologist Claire Weekes (RIP) talk about anxiety. "Just float through it" she says. I repeat to myself "Just float through it" . What does that mean? I often wonder to myself. How can someone having anxiety attacks or panic attacks just "float through it"? Until I found myself at the center of an anxiety attack; then, I got it. JUST. FLOAT . THROUGH IT. When someone has a panic or anxiety attack, the automatic response is to fight it. We don't like the feeling, so we push it away. But that actually makes things worse. According to many professionals such as Claire Weekes, we needn't push away the anxious feelings, but rather, invite them in. Having an internal dialogue unique to you when anxiety is present is so important. For example, I repeat to myself "I am okay. I am okay". And it automatically works. What you could tell yourself may be something like "anxiety is here. It's okay. It isn't bad" , as an example. Sit with the feelings instead of pushing them away, and things will go a lot smoother. It takes a lot of practice, but it's all in what you tell yourself and your relationship with your anxiety. Just float through it!