One of the symptoms of anxiety described on WebMd: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anxiety/DS01187/DSECTION=symptoms, describes the feeling of powerlessness. This is an important symptom to study in ourselves, because it points to big healing in the area of anxiety and over-all wellbeing. When we can feel powerlessness, we have already taken a step toward healing anxiety. Powerlessness is deeper and more of a root cause to anxiety. So much of anxiety is trying to control things that are not ours to control. Consequently, when I loose the power to control someone or something in myself, I feel powerless.
When we experience powerlessness, we have to ask ourselves, “Where do I have power and where don’t I have power?” The word control could be more useful here because if I can admit what I cannot control, I will have a much better sense of what I can control or the steps to take for a more reasonable sense of control. I always feel happy as a therapist when a patient says they feel powerless or helpless, because they are getting closer to life as it is, rather than, life as they would like it to be. It is so tiring to swim up stream.
Powerlessness can be a confusing place because we are uncovering false expectations. Expectations of how; I should be, how you should be, how life should be and so forth. When these expectations don’t hold water, we feel powerless. So this is the time to reevaluate, reevaluate “how things are”. Then you have something to work with because it isn’t based on an old fantasy that has lost its usefulness.
When we can address a root cause, then we do not need as much medication for the symptom. Medication for anxiety can be many things from prescription medication, to herbal medication, to a change in attitude or behavior. Many interventions can relieve symptoms and can make symptoms worse if taken in excess or incorrectly. If we do not work with the root as well as the symptom, it will just linger or get worse.
When I was one of the teachers in the Mind/Body Medicine class at Kaiser Hospital, many good changes happened in a short time; decrease in depression and anxiety and decrease in certain medications. We were all quite surprised how much people backed off many medications and visits to the doctor when they began meditation and it was practiced regularly. What is this telling us? As you change the focus from anxiety to the breath in meditation, it calms things down enough for an attitude change and an insight of where we do have control, with our own mind, body and emotions.
Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power. Lao Tzu
