In a panic …

My sister’s dog needs a good canine therapist.

Really, her Basset Hound will, at times, literally “freak out.”

I observed this behavior the last time we had some rain roll into the valley. Apparently, long ago she experienced a thunderstorm where rain meant scary, loud thunder and lightning. So now, she equates rain with something to be afraid of.

Even though the last “rain storm” was some gentle rain completely devoid of both thunder and lightning, there was no consoling this dog. She went from her normal lazing around to sitting up, panting loudly at a frantic rate for hours. The floor was soaked in spots from the drool generated from her out-of-control panting.

We human beings behave in a similar fashion — when we become anxious, we develop a “pant” to our breathing. This fast, short breathing provides insufficient oxygenation for our body. The result is often feelings of anxiety, even light-headedness or dizziness and can even result in a person fainting. We develop a physical response from our anxiety. My sister’s dog will sit in panic for hours … just because it’s raining … in anticipation of a loud clap of thunder.

The crazy thing is, even if the thunder would come, it’s just a loud noise, nothing more!

Human beings often and easily behave in the same irrational way as my sister’s dog. Because of irrational thinking, we can set off panicked emotions that lead to emotional and physical distress as well as reactionary behavior from bad judgment that leaves us with regrets. A simple fear of something can result in such anxiety that it becomes debilitating. But, like with the dog, the thoughts are often irrational and lead to an over-reaction to something that may never happen, or to the degree we fear.

How can we deal with these moments of anxiety? Here are just a few basic things to help you keep from panicking:

1. THINK RATIONALLY – Usually the first thing we need to do is change our thinking. It’s easy to stray from facts based in reality to scary, irrational “possibilities.” We often jump to the worst conclusion possible. For example, if we enter a room with five people in it and no one smiles, we can feel anxious because we immediately think no one likes us. Just because no one smiled doesn’t mean no one likes us. It could mean the others are preoccupied, or maybe they are stressed, or they’re uncomfortable around a stranger, or maybe they are insecure! But it doesn’t necessarily mean no one likes us.

Keeping our thoughts rational will result in rational emotions and behavior. For that reason, even scripture routinely admonishes us of the need to change our thinking. Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:23, “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes.”

The idea is not to “just think positive thoughts” at the exclusion of any negative realities. It’s also not to dominate our thinking with the negative at the exclusion of positive possibilities. The key is to look at the truth of any situation, and remain rational about it. That means we rationally address the possible negatives that could result, but also look for the possible positive outcomes that could be sought. In other words, the glass is not half full, nor is it half empty. It is both, simultaneously. That applied to life means there are both positives and negatives in life. We must address the negatives while building on the positives. To do so requires keeping our thinking rational. If we pursue the “glass half full” view we will be surprised by (and, thus, unprepared for) the realities of the negatives that do exist. If we hold only to the “glass half empty” view, we will make decisions based on fear because we aren’t looking at the potential for positive results.

One other point: faith is not exercised from irrational thinking, panic is. In our panic, we don’t consider what the possibilities are with God in the equation. Rational thinking allows us to remember Paul’s words recorded in Ephesians 3:20, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.”

2. BREATHE! – Rarely are we conscious of our breathing pattern. If we were, we would notice we often have a fairly shallow breathing pattern, but that pattern becomes shorter, faster and more shallow as we become stressed or anxious. That results in feelings of anxiety, which then results in a more strident emotional and physical response and, before you know it, you have a vicious cycle that can spin out of control.

That can be quickly and easily addressed by consciously correcting your breathing pattern. By inhaling deeply, and then exhaling very slowly, thereby purposely creating a deeper, slower breathing pattern, feelings of anxiety will subside as we control both our thoughts and our breathing.

3. RESPOND RATHER THAN REACT – The human body can do amazing things in lightning speed. We can react instantly to an object being hurled at us, resulting in protecting ourselves from injury. We can react to a car weaving dangerously into our lane. We physically react numerous times every day.

In basic physical function, reaction is routine, and usually incredibly accurate. But in our interactions with human beings, reaction often means a lack of consideration and, therefore, a healthy dose of irrationality, often creating negative results in our relationships with others.

When faced with any interpersonal situation, we will likely improve the outcome if we choose to respond to a situation rather than react to it. When we react to someone, we largely eliminate the possibility to consider them, others, ourselves, and God! Thus, decision-making from reactions may not be in anyone’s best interest. Taking just a moment to think clearly and craft your response allows for better decision-making for yourself and all others involved in the situation.

While we may live in a busy world, we tend to make it far more frantic than it is by letting our thoughts run irrationally. But like the dog anticipating the loud boom of thunder, most of the things we panic about — at best — would be nothing more than a loud noise. IF they ever happen!

Scotty