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Lessons From Claire Weekes
I once heard a story of a college girl, who was a member of her school's swim team, went out to a picnic at the river with her boyfriend. She asked him if he want to swim from shore to a small island in the middle of the river. He was not a strong swimmer but as a man he find it hard to say no so swam they go. The current was strong, he is out of breath midway to the island. Swallow some water he told her: "I can't go on anymore, I think I'm in trouble". She said to him: float Johnny, just float.
They had a nice picnic that day.
To teach someone to float, you might have to give them a few instructions - lay back, lay your head on the water, lay your arms and legs out, lie still - but the most important part of the "technique" of floating is...do nothing, let go, and let time pass.
What did Dr. Claire Weekes means by Floating? First and foremost, she meant to convey the opposite of fighting. The way to regain a sense of calm is to go along with the sensations of anxiety and panic, rather than oppose them. She described floating as "masterly inactivity", and said this meant: "to stop holding tensely onto yourself, trying to control your fear, trying 'to do something about it' while subjecting yourself to constant self-analysis. The average person, tense with battling, has an innate aversion to ...letting go. He vaguely thinks that were he to do this, he would lose control over the last vestige of his will power and his house of cards would tumble."
Think of yourself like a beach ball passing from one kid to the other in a Macdonald's playhouse. Who care which direction they're going to throw you to. Just relax, just bounce, just observe and have no reaction mentally or physically. Don't try to get away, don't try to run, don't try to hide, don't try to fight, don't try to do anything. just being there and observe.
Today I'm just sit here and let this pain, this panic attack happen and I will do nothing. I will not react to it in anyway. No fear, no worry. Just let it be.