I had a flashback. What generated it was that I watched a video of a congress person telling his constituents that only the truly deserving should have access to free health care. Those that work are worthy. That is my understanding of what he said. I could be wrong. The example he gave was that a 28 year old person who refused to work. Once upon a time, I was truly ill. I had no savings. I owed bills. I couldn't work. The congress person would have deemed me unworthy. Just like the Department o...
Aug 11, 2025•8 min•Ep. 384
I can talk about intrusive thoughts. Doesn't mean I don't still have them. Because I do. Here is the thing. Not only is the intrusive thought false but it is repetitive. There are things and practices you can do to reduce the intensity of intrusive thoughts. In this episode, a recent experience of an intrusive thought and three ideas on how to handle the little haters. I messed up the name of the song so I had to take it out. You can find it on YouTube. It is officially on the CartoonNetwork pag...
Jul 30, 2025•7 min•Ep. 383
Trying to get back into the flow. I still don't have a desk or recording equipment. My phone will have to do the job. This is a quick pebble in the road on what is a mental health disorder. Mental health disorders can affect a person's mood, feelings or become intrusive thoughts. Most of us have experienced high stress periods or feeling like it's too much or way too much, or you really can't stand it anymore. For those of us with continuous anxiety symptoms, it leans more toward being a disorde...
Jul 16, 2025•2 min•Ep. 382
After a few minutes of an life update, I talk about the Smiling Minds app, a free resource designed to help practice meditation and also helps to build mental fitness. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741. Resources Mentioned: The Simply Noise app can help you with finding the right sound for your needs, that could be a frequency noise or a sound of nature. Windows users can ...
May 27, 2025•7 min•Ep. 381
A brief update. I'm still going through chaos. I'm having to throw away a lot of things and re-organize my life. This is a brief pebble in the road on a memory that I wrote down in 2002. It was a bad time. There are ups and downs with having an anxiety condition. I was scraping cement at that time. I'm grateful that is this a memory. I'm going to shred this page but I've memorialized it so there is no loss. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-...
May 14, 2025•5 min•Ep. 381
In this episode, I talk about my process on handing a problem and four resources that might be helpful to those with panic attacks and panic disorder. Some of the resources are informative but dry. Other offerings are written in a more conversational form, accessible but might not explain a concept or two. I get a little more personal than I like but I wanted to share with you my panic response to some bad news. There are a lot of changes that I'm experiencing at the moment. Those changes need a...
May 02, 2025•7 min•Ep. 380
We all have that thing that gets under our skin. The thing we can't stand and won't abide in any form. That at best is an irritation. But for some of us, it can be a problem if it impacts the quality of life. Those four-legged poof balls called cats can be a problem for people with a phobia about cats. In this episode, what it is, the symptoms and treatment resources. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-73...
Apr 02, 2025•6 min•Ep. 378
There are forces that have us in a state of stress and unbalance. It is intentional. Our stress levels are way too high. In this episode, I'm talking specifically about stress but those of us with anxiety still need to pay attention. We still have the ability to decide how we want to go forward. You might need a personal support system to help you deal with the days, months or however ever long we survive this moment in time. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline a...
Mar 16, 2025•9 min•Ep. 377
Social anxiety is not about being shy or people not wanting to be social. People with social anxiety beats up on themselves before others get a chance to do it. It is a condition where an excessive amount of fear is generated by the anticipation of rejection. Either way, it can be harmful to the spirit. In this episode, a quick look at the book How to Be Your Self by Ellen Hendriksen, Ph.D. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor ...
Feb 22, 2025•7 min•Ep. 376
Yeah, it is a real thing and we are existing in it. From the looks of things most of us are struggling and that is never a good thing. An infodemic is a smash up between too much information and a pandemic. I didn't invent this term. Goes back to 2001-2003ish. There is a pandemic of bad, worse and toxic levels of disinformation. People are getting sick or at risk of ingesting poor quality information sources. I'm not being hyperbolic here. I stopped monitoring local and national news. All of it ...
Feb 11, 2025•9 min•Ep. 375
In this episode, a brief explanation of cognitive behavioral therapy and then an overview of the mental health apps that claim to provide treatment or support resources. There are a lot of companies that are trying to convince insurance companies, private businesses and consumers that their app is the one to help treat mental health issues. Just one problem. There is only (at this time in January 2025) that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows the smartphone Rejoyn app to be recognized a...
Jan 22, 2025•12 min•Ep. 374
The medical term for this is called bruxism. It is when a person grinds, gnash or clench your teeth and jaw bone. We are going to have a lot more people doing this in the year to come. This is a pebble in the road on the condition and resources you can use to help you make decision about your health. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741. Resources Mentioned: The Johns Hopkins Medici...
Jan 07, 2025•5 min•Ep. 373
Agoraphobia is the fear of being away from a safe place. People with agoraphobia have trouble being in certain types of public places. They also have problems with enclosed areas that don't seem to have an escape path. There are people that do just fine traveling only to a home, the store, work and maybe the church. Anything more than that causes them distress. There are people that cannot ride a bus or the subway. It is the fear of being trapped without an escape. Then you have people that cann...
Jan 01, 2025•4 min•Ep. 372
We have to be a lot more careful about the apps we put on our phones and tablets. In the entrepreneurial app space, there are a lot of apps that claim to be mental health or wellness apps. Many now have AI slapped on their covers. At this time, AI is a collection of words, stolen data and snatched public domain text to make it seem like it can answer a question. It can't. The response you get is a gussied up form of pattern matching. There is no intelligence or thinking from the app. That doesn'...
Dec 17, 2024•11 min•Ep. 371
Once upon a time I had this guy call me on Thanksgiving day to sell his carpet cleaning service. He probably thought is was a good idea, everybody would be home. Probably had that 100 calls mentality. I was not joyful or merry when I got that call. I did not curse him out. I reminded him that it was Thanksgiving day. The call ended shortly after that statement. For some of us, this is the start of enforced joy and merriment. The imperative to buy, buy and buy some more. I want for you a differen...
Nov 27, 2024•8 min•Ep. 370
EFT Tapping, that takes me back a couple of years. Back when there was limited 240x 120 size video on websites. My symptoms were really bad that that time. I tried to make sense of it. I couldn't. Not with a 56k modem. I quickly moved on to other possible help sources. About a year ago, I saw a EFT Tapping video. I tried it out. It did work for me if I was on the edge of an attack. Not so much if I have a big hella whopper of one, but that might be just me. This time, I went looking for answers....
Nov 11, 2024•15 min•Ep. 369
It has been a few days and some of us are struggling hard. I want to give just a few ideas on how to deal with Class A, what the heck kind of pain is this? For this space in time, find a moment to just be. For some of us, disassociation is not a bad thing. I don't recommend it for a day-to-day experience but if it gets you to the store and back, score. For other, you might have a crying jag or two. It is okay. I understand. When you are ready, we will start again and work our way to better healt...
Nov 10, 2024•5 min•Ep. 368
Seems like everybody is catching a little hell. We need to do something about that. Chip at that rock. For folks that are going through Postpartum Depression, there are resources that can help you get through the challenges of having this disorder. This is a short episode that list two or three resources, depending on how you count them on contacting assistance. If I find more, I'll add them to the resource lists or create another episode. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevent...
Oct 27, 2024•4 min•Ep. 367
With attacks on mom and non-mothers, it is easy to forget there are dads that might need assistance too. Giving birth can be a challenging experience. There are anxiety conditions that can occur because of pregnancy. In this very short episode, I have a resource from Postpartum Support International (PSI) that might be helpful to the fellas that are finding themselves on the Anxiety Road. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Pr...
Oct 27, 2024•3 min•Ep. 366
There are a lot of books about anxiety, stress and related conditions. There is junk, AI junk, books that don't work for you and the ones that can change your life. The book You Will Get Through This; A Mental Health Tool Kit may or may not work for you. But you won't know until you first know about it and read a sample chapter. The book is written by two psychologists and a licensed professional counselor. The style is clear and they get to the point with good suggestions. If you need support c...
Oct 16, 2024•7 min•Ep. 365
In this episode, I want to do a dive into what you should know before buying a book on anxiety support or treatment. Depending on how and where you get that book, there could be a certain amount of misrepresentation. The topics in this episode include Private Label Release/White Label books, personal narratives and self-help/support and workbooks. One of my goals for 2025 is find current books that help specific populations. The music for this week's show is from Logan at www.musicformakers.com ...
Oct 01, 2024•16 min•Ep. 364
A quick pebble in the road on those in the population that know what a party line is, not to be confused with the groove line and the collective horrors of swallowing Cod Liver Oil. Anxiety does not have an age limit or time out feature. Age doesn't necessarily protect you from having an anxiety condition. This is just a brief look at some of the things you should consider if you are take a swig to deal with your symptoms. P.S, really not a good idea. If you need support contact the National Sui...
Sep 18, 2024•5 min•Ep. 362
This is a quick look at the Healthy Minds Program App and what can do for you to help you chill out. One way to think about mindfulness it is an intentional period of time that you practice of grounding yourself in the moment. Meditation is a method that you use to help you get to a mindful space. Some of those tools include breathing, movement, or a specific mental practice to create healthy pathways and move out the muck. What can it do for you: Meditative practice Audio education on training ...
Sep 03, 2024•7 min•Ep. 362
Those of us that want to find solutions or treat their anxiety have a lot of things to think about. We also need resources and practical things that can help us deal with our symptoms. You might need a centralized place to keep track of treatment, apps, concepts and skills to improve your health. A toolbox is a container for those items that help you with a project. An anxiety toolbox is a real or metaphorical container for the things you need to help control your symptoms and treat your conditi...
Aug 19, 2024•12 min•Ep. 361
This is the second part of a look at some of the mental health treatment options in 2024. There have been changes since the creation of the podcast in 2015. For example, in 2015 there were limited telehealth options, no entrepreneurial mental health apps and service providers. No A.I enhanced apps. And mental health services was primarily provided face to face or in a group setting. There have been changes in technology and access to care. For my overseas listeners, I'm sorry but this one is goi...
Jul 31, 2024•14 min•Ep. 360
I'm coming up on the anniversary for the podcast. I started in 2015 because even with the internet at the time, it was hard to find accurate information about having an anxiety or mental health condition. I also felt that limiting treatment just to medication or therapy didn't necessarily take into consideration the needs of a diverse group of people with the disorder. There are people that have symptoms and just want them to stop. Those folks need to know you might stop one set of symptoms but ...
Jul 10, 2024•9 min•Ep. 359
Nutmeg has been around for centuries being used for good and for evil. The evil part comes in when traders who couldn't get their hands on the actual spice would make wooden balls out of anything and sell it . The TLDR is that you have to be careful with nutmeg. You can have it in small amounts. And I do mean small. A pinch, a dash or maybe just a quarter of a teaspoon. Anyway flimflam goes way back. And it does move forward. My email got flooded with news about nutmeg for anxiety symptoms and t...
Jun 26, 2024•9 min•Ep. 358
There are times when you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will get to a destination. Hopefully the one that you intended to get to. In this episode I wanted to help make clear the difference between mindfulness and the practice/tool/application of meditation. I have to be honest, it isn't for everybody. There are people that have weaponized the terms. Or feel that it isn't strong enough for what they are going through. Or they don't have time to sit and breathe. They...
Jun 12, 2024•11 min•Ep. 357
This is a quick pebble in the road about the differences between a panic attack and a panic disorder. I got distracted by an ad for psycho-neutrients but I got there eventually. Just a bit of housekeeping. I will be making short recordings for the month of June. I have things to attend to and time is going to be a challenge. Might do more recording on my phones to keep up with the doings and the responsibilities. Well, today I had to do a recoding on my phone. My audio is jacked up again after u...
May 22, 2024•7 min•Ep. 356
There is a lot of turbulence in the mental health space. All kinds of mischief is going on and a portion of Americans who are trying to go back to 1862. It is crazy but I don't think that is a strong enough word for it. In this episode, I have a very simplistic definition of what is an AI Language Model and what is a scripted AI chatbot and a wee bit on what is or could be a generative A.I. chatbot or treatment option. We need to understand what is happening in the entrepreneurial mental health ...
Apr 24, 2024•18 min•Ep. 354
