Book And Daily Practice

For the book we have to read in STAC, I decided to read Nightmares and Human Conflict by John. E. Mack, M.D. The book tells a lot about how fear can affect someone's life and it has realy affected me. One of the quotes in the book that has really affected me so far is "Hadfield includes bodily sensations such as palpation, sweating, and suffocation, but regards these simply as the natural accompaniments of intense fear." and it tells about some aspects of nightmares. Although I may not have these during nightmares, I get these sensations when I am frightened. In class, when we are presenting projects and such, I get a feeling of being unable to speak. My throat becomes tight and cold, and I get a nauseous feeling in my stomach. I have known for a long time that this is caused by fear but it is still reassuring to know that it is not only me that this happens to. I have only gotten through the first chapter of the book and I have realized that this book is perfect for me, although I have to read sections several times to understand what he is trying to say. It has helped me to understand some of my problems, and I think I may be able to resolve some of them.

The daily practiced that I started out with was not a success at all. I had decided to write a short story every day, which is not easy at all. I had managed to get through two days before I had completely given up. It took me around a week to choose another practice and I had decided to write a poem everyday. I chose this because I have never been too good at poems and I thought that this was the perfect opprotunity to become better at them. It is a bit challenging for me, but it's begining to become easier. I am already a week into my second practice and I am running strong so far.