Finding A Safe Place in Yourself
A lot of my coping mechanisms I preformed for panic attacks revolved around a safe place or a safe person. I would always run away from situations to go hide in my room, my safe place. I also had designated "safe people" I always wanted to have by my side when venturing out.
I was encouraged to challenge my thoughts when I was told by somebody that I am my own safe person/place. I shouldn't matter where I went or what I was doing because I always had myself.
Once you let go of external factors and start realizing and believing that YOU yourself are you own safe place, the door full of opportunities widens.
This is something I'm actively practicing while undergoing exposure therapy. For example, I refer to myself as claustrophobic and avoid tight places where I feel like I could get trapped, such as an elevator. Part of my exposure therapy is taking the leap to push myself to take that elevator and understand I am all I need to feel safe.
The more you do it and succeed, the more confident you feel to continue.
By the end of this, my goal is to feel safe whether I'm snuggled up in my bed or scuba diving at the bottom of the ocean.
I invite you to take my hand and come along on this journey! *cue "A Whole New World"
