The Positive Habit Weekly Blog – 9th April, 2018 – the Black Dog Spells Self-Doubt

The Positive Habit Weekly Blog – 9th April, 2018 – the Black Dog Spells Self-Doubt

Dear Positive Habit People,

One morning last week, when I was on holiday in France, I went for a run which took me down a small country lane. It was a bright morning, the birds were singing and it was so peaceful and serene.  Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a black dog. I froze and the serenity quickly slipped away leaving my heart pounding. I had entered survival mode.

Now, I’ve always LOVED dogs but many years ago I was bitten from behind on the ankle by a black dog and if I close my eyes I can still feel its teeth on my bone. My immediate instinct was to turn around and run as fast as I could but what if it chased me? It would surely win. So, with a LOT of calming deep breaths I ventured forward. The black dog looked a lot less scary as I approached it, in fact, it was pretty cute. It even wagged its tail and came up to greet me. Although my heart was still pounding I asked myself what had I been so afraid of?

Negative experiences that we believe threaten our survival are etched into our subconscious minds. The way I had reacted wasn’t therefore silly or dramatic on a primal level; once bitten, twice shy can be very a valuable lesson. However,  on a conscious level, it made no sense whatsoever as the dog was small, friendly and caused me no harm. I  had doubted myself, my ability to cope at that moment and had thought the worst of the innocent dog;  as with anxiety I was catastrophising.

We all have moments of self-doubt when we question our ability to contribute meaningfully to our families, our work and to the world. 

Those doubts are like the black dog, they seem so much more frightening than they really are and when we turn with courage towards them they soften.

This week, If you have any feelings of self-doubt, breathe deeply (it works), face the doubts with courage and compassion and then slowly watch them dissolve.

Please watch my latest video: “The Positive Habit, Stress-Free, Anxiety-Free, Week  Ten,  2 Minutes to Feel Calm, The Buzzing Bee Technique.”

I’m happy to report that these videos are really helping people so please do share with anyone you feel may benefit from some extra love and care.

The Positive Habit – Anxiety-Free, Stress-Free – Week 10

“2 Minutes to Feel Calm, the Buzzing Bee Technique”

black dog

Social Anxiety affects 16.8% of Irish people. Social media is a place where people judge and compare themselves to others.

The Positive Habit self-therapy program builds true inner confidence and helps people to feel calm in any social situation whether at work or with friends.

This program helps people to face the world, both virtual and physical, with true self-belief. It takes 66 days and costs €99.95 – a small investment in time and money given the true benefits it delivers.

Please take the Anxiety Test

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Positive Pause – 29th February 2016 – “In dreams begin responsibilities”

In dreams begin responsibilities.This week, allow yourself to dream of achieving whatever it is that you really desire. Don’t limit yourself to ‘small thinking’ but allow yourself the freedom to think big.  What did you want to be as a child? What places did you want to visit? What made you feel alive? As adults, we often let go of childhood dreams such as becoming a famous footballer or a ballerina because we view the dream as unrealistic and question our capabilities to achieve it. “In dreams begin responsibilities”

Much of this self-doubt is influenced by society and the expectations on us, as adults, to be serious. This weight of responsibility makes it easy for us to drift very far from our original dreams, whatever they may be.  W.B. Yeats famous phrase “in dreams begin responsibilities” alerts us to the idea that achieving our dreams is possible if we are responsible about how we go about realising this. If we simply give up on our dreams and take on the responsibility of being adults without the dream, then it appears that we have all of the responsibility and none of the fun! This week, dare to dream!