Patrick McKeown - Anxiety Free: Stop Worrying and Quieten Your Mind - Featuring the Buteyko Breathing Method and Mindfulness

Anxiety free: stop worrying and quieten your mind

Published by: ButeykoDVD.com

Loughwell, Moycullen, Co Galway

Web: www.ButeykoDVD.com

Email: info@ButeykoDVD.com

Patrick McKeown 2010

Cover design by Aurora Prez Macho

Illustrations by Timm from www.TimmJoyStudios.org.uk

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publishers. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the publisher.

The information contained in this book is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the readers discretion. The author and the publisher specifically disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use of application of any information contained in this book. Consult a health care professional regarding your specific situation.

Contents

Prologue

This book is for any person who wishes to have clearer functioning of his or her mind and not to be bogged down with useless thinking. Within three weeks the result will be more control over thoughts, better concentration, more energy, more joy, happiness and appreciation for life. This is a simple and straightforward self-help book approached from two different and yet related perspectives.

The first is about correcting breathing volume using a physician developed programmed known as the Buteyko Breathing Method. Chronic over breathing is a habit present with any person who experiences stress, anxiety, panic attacks and depression. It causes both a constriction of blood vessels and reduced delivery of oxygen to tissues and organs, most notably the brain. The Buteyko Method is a simple approach that significantly improves oxygenation of the brain, resulting in far less brain cell excitability.

The second aspect deals with recognizing the activity of the mind, the nature of thought and how to step out of thought. This too is essential to understanding your mind and taking control.

The mind is regarded as the most important capability of the human species. Yet, most people have little control over it as it races from thought to thought. Mind activity, stress, depression and anxiety are nothing more than the absence of control. How much control do you have over your mind? For how long can you choose to stop thinking?

A quiet mind is one that you have control over. Quite simply, you can choose to think or not to think. You dont get lost in trains of useless thinking. Most of the time, you know what is taking place. Without control over our minds, we have nothing. It is the one part of us that determines our quality of life on earth, yet it receives little attention from our educational, religious and medical institutions. How insane is that?

If only you had a chance to look inside peoples minds, you would see the same turmoil that goes on in your own head. Hidden behind the nice white smile is fear of the future and regrets from the past. A racing and repetitive mind is just below the surface. It might not have reached the depths that someone in depression has reached, but at the same time, you will see common traits. In fact, all of us are just a few stressful events away from mental problems. Cumulative stressful events take their toll on everybody unless, of course, we have some understanding of thought processes and can better oxygenate our brain.

In our sophisticated Western world with its emphasis on intelligence and the stigma on mental problems, normal healthy people who go through periods of being down or depressed have few outlets through which to seek help. Addressing this deficit early on is the key to reversing it.

My interest in this area stems from having both asthma and a racing mind for many years. By using the Buteyko Method to reverse my asthma and by improving my awareness, I also addressed my racing mind. Thousands have attended my courses in Ireland and abroad for asthma and other conditions. Those who have attended for panic attacks, depression, stress and anxiety have reported very good feedback; hence, this book.

This book can be read by someone with poor concentration, or a clouded and depressed mind. It contains nothing complicated and through constant repetition, the reader can apply the guidance provided.

Thinking is the unhealthy
thinking in the word, and people
die of it just as they die of
any other disease

Oscar Wilde

P sychologists estimate that we have sixty thousand thoughts each day. Moreover, 95% of these thoughts are repetitive and useless. Not knowing the content of our own mind, we are literally at its mercy and unconsciously follow its instruction to the letter.

The habit of excessive thought and, more importantly, lack of awareness are the results of the inherited human mind. Its individual content is created from our past experiences and from influences from societal, educational and social environments, and is kept alive through repetition.

In the Western world, thinking is viewed as good and not thinking is viewed as a reflection of laziness or dullness. We often hear about the brilliant thinkers who make profound discoveries or realizations. Truth be told, eureka moments are made not during thought but during a cessation of thought.

Our educational system teaches us how to think. Through school and university, your mind is developed and molded into a superb analytical tool. Thinking is seen as the solution to any of life situations. If we have a problem, we believe that the more we think about it the greater the chances of it being solved. As a child, we did not think. Thinking is a learned habit developed over time.

If you feel that it is good to think a lot, take a look at the stress of people in the constant grip and torture of their minds. Often, I pass by a man on Shop Street in Galway. He is so tormented that he openly voices the contents of his mind in the street. His mind has completely taken him over. He is pressed down with thought. He is depressed.

Many of us are similar to the man on the street, except that we dont talk out loud. Instead, we have internal mental chatter. We think about the same thing day in and day out, with little resolve or reduction in thinking. Watch your thoughts and you will have no doubt that the Western human mind is truly mad.

Thinking for practical purposes is fine, as it serves a function. However, most of our thinking is not for practical purposes. Most thinking is spent on insane repetitive worry and anxiety.

If you could eliminate your repetitive thought activity by 50%, you would be very happy indeed. If you could eliminate all repetitive and useless thinking, you would live a life of bliss.

Thinking makes you unhappy. Less thought activity makes you happy. Thinking is a disease.

Control your mind or allow your mind to control you

H uman thinking began tens of thousands of years ago. It is the single most important function that differentiates our ability from animals.

Thinking is very useful for practical situations. We need to remember how to drive a car, decide what choice to take, determine a strategy, plan an event, deal with a specific situation. You might want to go to the shop- you think about what foods are not in the cupboard. You organize flights- you think about best dates, price and destination. You write a letter- you think about what you need to say. You go to petrol pumps to fill your car- you decide on what pump, how much money to spend. You contact a supplier you think about what you need, what quantities, what price and when it will be delivered. Somebody might have overcharged you decide on what you are going to say and you say it to them. Thinking when used in this instance for practical purposes is fine. It is necessary and is productive.