Welcome to your very first RPM practice.
Today,
I want to introduce you to something that I teach every one of my therapy clients.
Who struggles with anxiety,
OCD,
Panic.
Overthinking.
I call them RPMs,
Response prevention messages.
Now,
Despite the name,
These aren't just a form of positive affirmations.
They're actually something very different.
When anxiety shows up.
Our brains naturally want to respond.
We replay conversations.
We search for answers.
We analyze.
We Google or Reddit.
We check.
We seek reassurance.
We try to make the uncomfortable feeling go away.
Those responses make perfect sense.
Your brain is trying to protect you.
But here's the problem.
Every time we respond to anxiety.
By trying to eliminate uncertainty or get rid of discomfort.
We unintentionally teach the brain that the anxiety was important.
So the brain brings it back again.
That's how the anxiety cycle continues.
Response prevention messages help us practice something different.
Instead of automatically following anxiety into another compulsion,
We pause.
We choose a different response.
And every time we do.
We're strengthening a new neural pathway in the brain.
That's neuroplasticity,
And that's how your brain changes.
Not by getting rid of anxiety,
But by repeatedly responding to it.
In a new way.
So today,
We're not practicing relaxation.
We're practicing.
Resilient.
If you notice anxiety,
Wonderful.
If your mind wanders.
Wonderful.
Those aren't signs you're doing this wrong.
Their opportunities to practice responding differently.
So let's begin.
Take one slow,
Deep breath in.
And gently let it go.
Allow yourself to become comfortable.
And when you're ready.
Let's begin our practice.
Take a slow breath in.
And gently breathe out.
Again,
Breathing in deeply.
And breathing out slowly.
Simply notice your breathing.
Nothing to change.
Nothing to fix.
Just.
.
.
Notice.
And now silently repeat these response prevention messages.
After me.
There is no need.
To force yourself.
To believe them.
Today.
Or simply.
Practicing.
I don't need to answer every thought.
Thoughts are allowed to come and thoughts to go.
Are allowed to go.
My brain is trying to protect me.
I can thank my brain without obeying every anxious thought.
I don't need certainty to take my next step.
Discomfort isn't danger.
I can allow this feeling without trying to make it feel.
Disappear.
I don't have to solve this thought.
I don't have to solve this equation.
Feeling.
I choose willingness over resistance.
I choose my values over fear.
Recovery happens,
One response.
At a time.
Every time I respond differently,
I'm strengthening resilience.
One breath.
One choice.
One moment.
At a time.
Take one more slow,
Deep breath in.
And gently.
Let it go.
Before you go.
I want you to remember.
Something important.
Whether your mind feels quieter right now,
Or just as busy.
As when we started.
Today's practice was still.
Successful.
Because success.
Isn't measured by whether anxiety disappeared.
Success.
Is measured by your willingness to practice a different response.
Every time you choose a response prevention message.
Instead of engaging in a compulsion.
Whether that compulsion is Checking.
Reassurance.
Googling replaying or trying to figure everything out.
You're strengthening a healthier pathway.
In your brain.
Think about it like this.
Walking through a field.
For years.
You've walked the same path.
The path.
Of overthinking.
The Path of Certainty Seeking.
The path of compulsions.
Backpack.
Feels familiar because you've walked it so many times.
Today?
You stepped onto a different path.
At first,
It won't feel natural.
That's okay.
Every time you choose.
That new path?
It becomes a little easier to find.
While the old path slowly begins to fade.
That's neuroplasticity.
That's how your brain changes.
Not all at once.
Not because you finally felt calm.
But because you practice.
A different response.
And every single time you practice.
You're becoming a little more resilient.
As you move through your day.
Your brain will almost certainly offer you more anxious thoughts.
That's okay.
You don't have to argue with them.
You don't have to answer them.
You don't have to make them disappear.
Simply notice them.
Choose your RPM.
And gently.
Return your attention to the life unfolding right in front of you.
Remember.
Your brain can learn.
Your nervous system can heal.
And every small choice you make.
Is another step toward a resilient life.
Thank you for practicing with me today.
Until next time!
Keep choosing your life.
Over your fear.
