There are times when your life is so packed with a potpourri of possible decisions, it's possible that you can drive yourself into a dreadful stressful state of affairs. I'm reminded of a client( let's call him Bud) I once treated for frequent panic attacks. There didn't seem to be any known precipitating factors that would bring them on. What struck me as unusual was the fact that this gentleman appeared to achieve most of the goals he had laid out for himself. Oddly enough, was the fact that he complained of never having any challenges in his life.
Indeed, from my perspective at least, his life appeared quite boring. In fact, our sessions were characterized by tedious monologues regarding sameness from day to day. He expressed little excitement about his job, the women he dated, his recreational activities, and even the food he ate. While he did not appear depressed, nor did he disclose any depression, his feelings of emptiness became associated with the panic attacks.
Only when we began to explore actions he had previously avoided out of fear, such as backpacking alone in the Sierra wilderness, asserting himself more with both men and women, and taking piano lessons he had assiduously avoided, he began to feel fearful but ironically ceased having panic attacks. He soon realized how often he was caught up in the mundane and thus embarked on a new path for himself. You don't have to have a panic attack in order to take a similar path.
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