AIM Agoraphobics In Motion

cludes diaphragmatic breathing and complete muscle relaxation. Anxious people are chest breathers, and so learning to breathe "into your stomach" is of much help. Relaxing all of your muscles is important, too. A lot of tension is held in the neck and shoulder areas. Many people find that using a relaxation tape is helpful. Whatever you choose to do, make it something "Do-able".
3. SELF TALK- Look at the negative things that you say to yourself during the course of a day. Write them down in a notebook. How can you change anything if you don't realize that you are doing it? Once you know what your negative messages are, you are ready to turn them into positive.
4. AFFIRMATIONS - Affirmations are positive thoughts said and repeated with the feeling of the wish fulfilled. When you write these positive thoughts, in the present tense, 15 times a day, for 21 consecutive days, you can change a thought pattern. Start with one affirmation, but not more than two. May seem a little hum drum, but it really, really works. VISUALIZATION WITH IMAGE BOOKS - Method to visualize a new you! Place pictures into a photo album (taken from a magazine) of things you would like to do and/or become. Then, have a marriage between thinking and feeling, everyday. Include positive affirmations with the pictures. Work with the book everyday.
6. GOAL SETTING - Writing down ways to stretch your comfort zone.
7. EXPOSURE/ACTION - Do it Now!
8. COMMUNICATION - Reach out for help in many ways... The important thing is to vent... feelings.
9. SUPPORT - Getting support from the group and, more importantly, giving it back.
10. EXERCISE - Move your muscles!!! Not only does this help with anxiety, but depression, also.
11. HUMOR - Humor is healing, especially when we take ourselves so seriously, day in and day out. Stay on the sunny side of the street!
12. SPIRITUAL STEP PROCEDURE - Making something other than fear your Higher Power. There are 12 steps to this procedure, ranging from admitting you need help to spreading the word of recovery!

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These steps have been rewritten with permission from Alcoholics Anonymous. There are 12 steps within this program. They are:
1. We admit that all of our efforts to control anxiety have not worked. We need help.
2. We came to slowly reach out for that glimmer of hope that tells us we are stronger than we think. My Higher Power (whatever that means to you) can assist me in restoring my peace of mind.
3. We make a decision to make recovery our highest priority. When that decision wavers, we need only turn to our Higher Power for assistance.
4. We take a look at what is standing in our way for recovery...We are ready to look at this aspect of our lives so recovery will become closer.
5. We have used every trick in the book to protect ourselves from our fears and have inadvertently hurt others. We share this secret with at least one other person.
6. We are ready to be free of our fears, becoming open and honest about them. In doing so, another step has been taken to break the stigma attached to this disorder.
7. These behaviors may have been long ingrained, but it matters not. We seek help from our Higher Power to make the necessary changes for their permanent removal.
8. We make a list of all the people that have been affected because of my fears. All of us were doing the best that we could. I am ready to let these angry feelings go.
9. We decide to tell these people of our experiences unless it proves wiser to keep it quiet.
10. We see setbacks as learning opportunities and commit to continue to stretch my comfort zone. Recovery is my first priority.
11. We will reflect on changes that still need to be made. My Higher Power will assist us with these changes.
12. Spread the word! Recovery, if practicing these principles, is inevitable!