Used with permission......

Consider this question for a second: what do you
think is your biggest problem related to anxiety?
Do you think it's palpitations? Perhaps you think it's
shortness of breath? If you said your main problem
regarding anxiety is related to any physical symptom,
then you are mistaken my friend. That's right, your
biggest problem right now is not a symptom at all: it
is your inability to use what you've already learned
to help yourself get better. And it's this inability that
defines the neurotic paradox, in a nutshell.

So, what this means for you is that all the websites,
forums, books, chat rooms, and whatever else you've
been using to fight your anxiety, will prove largely
ineffective until you master this part of the anxiety
problem equation.

You see, much of this paradox is controlled by your
subconscious mind, so it's not like you're staying this
way for kicks. The problem is that this is all operating
on a subconscious level and isn't readily available for
modification. As a result, you can't just be aware of
the problem, oh no, you have to try much harder than
this.

Let me give you a quick example of how this all works.
Say that you experience chest pain often, so often in
fact that you start changing your behavior and stop
doing certain things, like exercise for example. You
do this even though you know that it doesn't make
sense to do this because exercising is good for you,
and indeed can even relieve anxiety related chest
pain. You even realize that being inactive could make
you sick down the line, but you go on this way anyhow.

You end up defeating yourself, even though you know
what you're doing isn't right.This type of thought and
behavior combination is the epitome of the neurotic
paradox.You know what you should be doing to help
yourself, but you don't because you can't stop the
temptation to be defensive and shut down to protect
yourself.

To fight the neurotic paradox you must learn effective
ways to undue not only anxiety symptoms, but the anxious
thinking that fuels the physical side of all this. The
methods that you decide to use to undue your anxious
thoughts should be methodical and carried out on a regular
basis.You'll also have to know where to find reliable
information, know how to organize that information,
and find ways to make it all stick.

Next week I'll send you a few tips on where to find
reliable information. For now though, I just want to
make sure that you understand what you're up against,
and trust me, it's a lot more than just chest pain or panic.

This can all be frustrating, believe me I know.
But keep in mind that every journey begins with only
a few steps. So, even if you feel like you're just crawling
toward a solution right now, at least you're moving in
the right direction.