First Published 20 July 2023

What triggers your Panic Monster?

Have you ever had that experience when you have arrived somewhere and then have that moment of panic that you forgot to do something and the inner dialogue just starts to take over?

• Did I lock the door?
• Did I switch off the straighteners/curling wand?
• Did I switch the fire off?
• Did I switch off the oven?
• Did I <enter your own worry here>

And when it comes to locking something the dialogue then goes to things being stolen or damaged, and the hot stuff leads to your whole house going up in a fire ball and that is now the only thing you can think about…

This is a surprisingly common worry, so you are not alone!

With a lot of things in life we go in to a kind of auto-pilot mode and we are not consciously aware of our actions – have you ever arrived somewhere and you have no memory of the journey?

If you are finding yourself getting forgetful (or you have always been that way) or that you just weren’t paying attention, there are many strategies you can put in place.  It could also be an early sign of peri-menopause or menopause itself.

• practice mindfulness – even when cooking or doing your hair – focus completely on the task at hand and be present – if we aren’t distracted or thinking of other things we are less likely to forget later that we did in fact turn that thing off.
• create a routine that means you will check the appliances before you leave home (a post it note inside the front door might be a handy reminder too)
• set a timer whenever you switch the appliances on
• if you have young kids, teach them fire safety and have them check too (or remind you!)

with making sure you lock the doors:

• if it happens really frequently, perhaps change your lock to one that automatically locks when you pull the door closed – maybe even one that you can unlock with your phone if you are prone to forgetting keys too!
• post-it notes can be handy here too on the door knob
• get a video doorbell so that you get an alert if someone comes to your door (this will lessen the panic even if you did forget to lock the door)
• get in to the habit of checking the door whenever you close it – being present/mindful can help here too.

If you do find yourself in panic mode:

• pause, take a deep breath – I find box breathing really helpful in these cases – breath in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4 and hold for 4 then repeat a couple times.
• talk to someone, have a chat with a friend or family member.  Talking it through can put your mind at ease by putting things in to perspective.
• Practice relaxation techniques – meditation, yoga and deep breathing exercises are a really good starting point.

Remember, it’s normal to occasionally feel anxious, but if you are finding that inner dialogue/panic monster is taking over your life, please do find professional help – my calendar is open for a free chat, and if I am not the right person for you then I can help you find you a better match!

And if you are also accident prone like Beaker below – invest in a fire extinguisher too 😉