I am having hyper vigilance issue in my daily life

Question

I self diagnose myself of having hyper vigilance, maybe as a result of having psychological trauma in the past. It is a condition where I can't really trust other human being. Often perceiving other human being around me as a threat. I am completely relax near animals or very-close person.

My condition is not severed, only fired up if certain condition arise. For example when speaking to new business acquaintance, I am in alert condition frantically trying to gather and analyze as much information as possible before giving out comment or response. Somehow I have feeling that I will be doomed if I didn't give a perfect response.

what kind of buddhist teaching that can ease this symptom?

Answer 1

First and foremost, you must establish mindfulness of the body. Your mind should always be in your (lower) Dantian. Initially you may have to do exercises, push your abdomen out 100 times, several times a day, until you get used to being aware of your dantian.

Whenever you deal with people (talk to strangers), you should force yourself to stay in your body. Do not "fly" over to their perspective, or to some imaginary point in abstract space. Stay inside your body.

You need to develop a good posture, good grace, and good gait. You should sit, stand, and walk conveniently, with good energy flow.

Second, you need to stop relying on people's opinions for your right-and-wrong. Your right-and-wrong should come from Dharma. When your right-and-wrong comes from Dharma, as long as you act by the Dharma, you'll no longer care what people think about you. Then you will not try to please them or be likable. Then you can be your own center, with Dharma being your center.

Third, you should also sit without doing anything for one hour every day. When you sit you reconnect with your center.

To summarize, develop awareness of your body esp dantian, stay in your body when you talk to people, develop grace, don't try to please people - instead be your own center acting by the Dharma, sit daily and reconnect with your center.

Answer 2

One recommendation is to stay aware of feelings (sensations) in your body, instead of being aware of a badly-defined fear.

• Am I conscious of painful bodily sensations, am I being physically aggressed?
• No
• Are painful bodily sensations likely to begin in the next few seconds, will I be aggressed?
• No
• Well, alright then

The cause of your worry is presumably a "fabrication".

Answer 3

Metta meditation might help - wishing others to be happy and free of pain. What might also help is Tonglen meditation.

Answer 4

You should start by being mindful on when you perceive something as a threat, friendly and neither. Look at the associated sensation that arise with such perceiving. Best is to do a course on meditation. You can try: https://www.dhamma.org/en/index, http://www.internationalmeditationcentre.org/global/index.html, http://www.buddhanet.info/wbd/

Answer 5

I would recommend for doing Loving Kindness meditation.

An example doing loving kindness is decribed here.

http://www.mettainstitute.org/mettameditation.html

You can also do a short and simple loving kindness by saying in your mind "Be peaceful".

That will help to reduce your worrying.

By accompanying with silanussati, loving kindness will be more effective.

Silanussati is recalling/remembering your moral values.

For example, not killing anyone including ants, insects during the day. Talking politely to people etc.

You can read about silanussati here.

http://www.themindingcentre.org/dharmafarer/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/15.11-Silanussati-Vism-7-piya.pdf

with Metta