Anxiety taking dog for a walk – part 2

Hi Coaches,

Thanks for your response. I’ve been reflecting on the idea of Good, Better, Best Outcome for this like you suggested. A bit of a thought download here

What is my ultimate goal – feel confident and look forward to going out together. Believe that I can handle any result, feel like I’m in control of the situation, that other people’s thoughts have nothing to do with me. Don’t care how people look at me, don’t read into how people respond to me. Stick to the schedule I’ve set for dog walks. Show up for him. Be present with him on walks rather than worrying about what will happen next. Have fun! Reduce my stress levels, see the dog walks as a way to relax.

High bar for success – That I don’t avoid taking the dog out. Use the walks as an opportunity for us to develop our skills in working with the situation, take messy imperfect action, try different things and see what works. Learn together and resolve the reactivity towards other dogs. Take responsibility for my thoughts and emotions and the behaviour of doggo. Feel safe!

Low bar for success – Stick to the walks that I’ve committed myself too. If I tell myself I’m going to take him at 7am and wake up late, that I still go and don’t make excuses. If something happens that I’ve got tools to support my nervous system.

Feeling safe feels big here, not sure whether that should really be my low bar…

Answer:

Love this. The high bar, and the low bar. I’m glad you are bringing up safety wiggling around. What does feeling safe mean to you? We often talk about messy, imperfect action in this community – what would messy and imperfect and safe mean or look like for you?