Cynicism and Anxiety, Is Ignorance a Panacea for Pain?

Dear Readers,

The last few weeks I have been dealing with an onslaught of panic attacks which seem to manifest themselves at night. According to an article I recently read; 50% of all panic attacks occur at night. Apparently they just love to ruin a goodnight sleep.

In attempting to combat my attacks head on, I decided to forego a night of tossing and turning to go spend time with one of my nocturnal friends. He isn't nocturnal as a result of being anxious like the rest of us, he just likes to stay up late and shoot the proverbial shit.

When we think of our friends, we think of them as people we can turn to in time of need. Whether it be a few kind words or just to share acouple of anecdotes and some laughs. However, we always know there are sub-categories for the friends we take on in our lives. There are those people that we can just count on to have a good time with and kick back with some beers and talk about numerous topics. There are also those friends that are the ones we seek soul searching advice from, and others that are purely cosmetic and don't equate to more than a mannequin at a department store.

This friend imparticular fits into a completely new category and doesn't fit the mold of any of the previously mentioned sub-groups. He's the friend that can make me feel like like utter crap and makes sure to point out every one of my flaws, indiscretions, and shortcomings (not that there are many). He's like the FBI of hell.

You're probably asking yourself: "why would he hang out with such a person?" I promise you that I'm not into any S&M and I don't get off on being insulted and ridiculed, but in a way I find his attitude to be therapeutic. He doesnt pull punches and offers me a fresh and cynnical perspective on combatting my anxiety.

His basic premise that he felt obliged to convey to me was to "just be", and if your anything like me, your sitting there wondering if this person got caught in a time warp; somwhere perched upon the mountain tops of ancient Greece spewing philosophical ideologies. It took me a moment to give some genuine thought to what he was saying. His other comment which is worth mentioning and discussing was that anxiety doesn't really exist. It's a fallacy created by our subconscious (need i remind you he is not trained nor does he work in a psychology related field) and therefore can be easily cured with sheer ignorance.

I thought to myself, Maybe ignorance is bliss? I sat there in his kitchen pondering his ideology while at the same time grasping the back of my head trying to rid myself of these "pseudo" muscle spasms that were tugging at the back of my neck.

Should any of you readers find yourself with similar pains, I learned a great way to release tension from your upper and lower spine. If you apply pressure (just enough to cause you some discomfort) to the lower half of each ear, you will release tension from your upper spinal region. By applying pressure to your upper ear you will similarly relieve tension from your lower spinal region. Much to my surprise this technique worked, unfortunately i was taught this technique the following day.

I sat there staring at my friend who kept rambling on with his innovative theory. Feeling amazed and confused at the same time I listened very carefully to everything he was saying. I wasn't about to miss these words of wisdom. Could it be that i found the answer to a question that has been plaguing millions of people worldwide?

After he went into stop and repeat mode as he often did when spewing his theories, i wondered if it were at all possible to mentally manipulate ourselves out of a disorder or any pain for that matter? Granted, the mind is a powerful tool, capable of incredible feats. Was i that strong? Surprisingly I started to feel the pressure in my neck dissipate and was able to grasp a continuous full breathe. I thought he was onto something. Has Dr. Lucipher; my cynnical buddy and confidant cured me of the anxiousness and panic that had such a dynamic presence in my life for the past 14 years?

Well, later that night circa 3am as i was laying in my bed with the heat turned up to a comfortable 73 degrees and with the aid of two blankets on top of wearing a hooded sweatshirt and sweatpants. I started to feel a very real chill run through my body as my hands clammed up and my headache returned for an encore performance. Sleeping was just not in the cards for me, even with the help of a very real xanyx tablet. I didn't get to bed til 5:30am.

Now, i know that i wasn't really cold nor were my headaches real, not according to my buddy. They sure felt real and I felt out of control in a completely tranquil environment. I kept trying to tell myself to calm down and there was no reason to feel panic. So, either my friend was completely ignorant of the reality of suffering from anxiety and panic disorder or he has yet to have a similar experience. For his sake, i hope he continues to live blissfully in the land of unawareness.

My thoughts are that the world we live in is real and the way we react to it is just as real. Like most people who tend to lecture on the unknown, I offer you this pearl of wisdom: Don't offer simple solutions to complicated problems. For you readers out there who live in reality as i do, reach out and share your experiences and offer your insights. I await your thoughts.

_The People_