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

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