So tonight I was washing the dishes and I felt a slight panic come over me. It started with my heart rate increasing and the feeling that I could not breathe very well. I continued to wash the dishes knowing full well that I was in the first stages of a minor panic attack. I allowed it to continue and kept washing the dishes. At this point I am not feeling good, but I kept on and began my breathing excercise. Slowly breathing through my nose and out my mouth, repeat. I told myself that today was a hard Monday, I am tired and stressed, there is
The Anxiety Guru Show: Public Limits
Social Anxiety Disorder: Show Notes 1. Social anxiety disorder is characterized by anxiety and uneasiness when in public places. a. Some people become afraid in different situations, such as when eating, public speaking - others are anxious when in any public setting. b. This is hard to deal with especially because people are very social creatures. 2. Symptoms that may arise: a. A fear of being watched by others or judged. b. Fear of public embarrassment. c. Sweating, trembling, nausea, lump in the throat, weak legs,
Vets Sue VA Over Mental Health Care
A few days I ago I wrote a post touting the efforts of the Department of Defense for trying to bolster their efforts aimed at raising PTSD awareness among servicemen. A few days after reading that story I came across another story aired by the NPR show All Things Considered that basically took all the air out of that feel good balloon. According to the report, which was aired March 3, 2008, a group representing the vets called the Disability Rights Advocates is suing The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) over the poor quality and outright
Design Angst
As of today the design of this blog is still ongoing and I have to admit that it is causing me anxiety and frustration. You see if you want a pretty custom design you have to spend something like three to five thousand dollars. Now clearly I am not going shell out that kind of dough because I simply don't have it. I have however pumped a significant amount of money into the blog design already and I feel like I am only about 50% of where i want to be. I feel like I would of saved myself time and nervous sensations if I wasn't so frugal. Despite
Is OCD Funny?
Do you think that OCD is funny? Well as many of you know there is a television program called Monk and they think it's hilarious. When I say they I don't just mean the producers, but people all over the country. The show is funny, but I wonder what OCD sufferers really think? According to an article on healthplace.com the executive director of the Obsessive-Complusive Foundation (she has OCD) thinks the show is a riot. If you have OCD do you think that the show is funny? Should mental illness be made fun of? My short answer is yea. Don't
Anxiety Food: Fish Oil
The belly rules the mind. ~Spanish Proverb Of all the things you can do to help cope with your anxiety, the most simple would be to add anti-anxiety foods to your diet. I will be posting and podcasting about various types of foods and supplements that can help you cope with your anxiety. However, today I want to focus on fish oil. Fish oil is derived from oily fish like salmon, mackerel, lake trout, flounder and albacore tuna (eat lightly). The food that salmon and similar fish eat produces omega-3 fatty acids that you can consume by munching
Military Attempts to Address PTSD
Post traumatic stress disorder is an issue for many people around the world. But because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan thousands of American service men and women are having to deal with it in ever greater numbers. Whatever your stance on the war, the bottom line is that the American military has seen a spike in the number of soldiers, sailors and airman coming home with PTSD, anxiety and depression. The good news is that the Department of defense is taking this matter seriously and using people from their own ranks to spread the word
Palpitations
Of all the symptoms that anxiety produces in anxiety sufferers, palpitations have to be one of the most hated. This is mainly because palpitations can make you feel like you are having a heart attack and being that people with anxiety frequently feel as if their going to die, palpitations just fuels more fear, anxiety and panic. What is a palpitation? Simply put, a palpitation is an awareness of your beating heart. In 'normal' people there is not much notice of the heart beating, whereas people with anxiety tend to be hypersensitive about
The Anxiety Guru Show: Episode 2
The Anxiety Guru Show: Episode 2 Concerns of the Heart 1. One of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder is palpitations, chest wall pain, general and overwhelming concern about heart health. 2. Palpitations: A palpitation is an abnormal awareness of the beating of the heart, whether it is too slow, too fast. a. The heart seems to stop or skip a beat. i. This is a regular heart function – you are tuned into a ‘high frequency’ and are sensitive. ii. Caused by a compensatory pause – an extra beat that happens before the next