That Little Voice.

[Jonathan123]

That little voice deserves a thread of it's own. What is it? It's that little niggle always in the background that says 'I will never get better', or 'I have got this or that complaint that will kill me'. It's the ego! It's not YOU but all the results of what we have heard, read, seen or been told by others from the moment we are born. The ego is built gradually over the years so that we begin to think it is us. Consequently, every time we came up against a worrying situation the ego steps in with it's negative approach and frightens us. The ego will always be negative. Why? Because fear sticks in the mind and we begin to think negative thoughts which boosts the ego. It is so much easier to be negative than positive in anxiety. It's like entering a fog. We can't see our way ahead so we don't know where we are going until some kind soul comes along to guide us. 'When the pupil is ready the master appears'. An old saying I found to be true. What does it mean 'to be ready'? It means taking steps to do something about the problem, and not to see it as a permanent feature in our lives. On this site we reach out to others for support, people of a like mind who are suffering. We do need each other and we need the love and understanding that goes with it. Never ever be ashamed of what you are going through. No one asked for it, and so many think they are to blame for something that has been thrust upon them. It takes time and a lot of acceptance to calm that little voice, but it can be done. You can't stop listening to it but you can see it for what it is, nothing but tired thoughts in a tired mind. Self pity is out!! Most of us do suffer from PLOMS disease.
'Poor Little Old Me'. Self pity can be destructive because it saps the will and can result in apathy. From this day, now, see that little voice for what it is and send it packing. IT'S NOT YOU!!

 

[MATD]

Absolutely! Carl James called it the voice of fear in his book, It’s Only Anxiety. We must build a voice of truth by acknowledging and recognizing the voice of fear and calling it what it is, fear. And believe me, the fear will try any trick, become more viscous as we call it out and recognize it. But if we hold fast it will subside and be replaced with our own voice of truth and acceptance that is lying dormant within us. I can see in my own recovery how this voice works to keep us stranded in the muck. It is very powerful and will keep us sucked into the influence that fear has over us until we begin to recognize it for what it is, an illusion of fear. Thank you Jonathan for making a post on the subject. It is most certainly a key reason why folks cannot stick with acceptance, why they won’t try and why they cannot persevere. Fear is very powerful, especially since it has a lot of tricks up it’s sleeve. It’s tricky to maneuver but if we study it closely, we can learn how to overcome and stop believing it. This voice is the very reason that therapy, CBT and other behavioral tools are not effective long term on their own. This voice is not addressed and we do not learn to recognize it for what it is and how to properly address it. In my own experience in therapy, and I had a lot of sessions over the years, is that inner voice was never addressed or brought to my attention. It wasn’t until I read James’s book that I learned about it and started to recognize how it was really affecting me and causing the anxiety and depression to perpetuate. I also learned that anxiety and depression influenced my every thought and feeling. There was nothing about me that was not influenced. But by practicing acceptance, recognizing that voice, it has brought me far from the anxious and depressed person I used to be. And I have hope and faith more now than ever before in my life. I’m going on two years of practice and still have more work to do but every minute was well worth the outcome. Had I not found Dr Weekes’ work and applied it diligently, I would still be in the bottom of the barrel sucking in the fear, struggling with no hope, and nothing gained. Again, thank you for this post, it is much needed.