Still on my summer slowdown. This is the seventh year of the podcast. Yeah, seven whole years of the show. The good, bad and WTF? There are new things that are going to be happening behind the curtain, like creating shorter more focused episodes on a specific topic, concept or resource. Which means I can take my time on the longer one and not try to jam everything into one episode. I can tell you that in the mental health space change is coming as fast as a Japanese speed train. Access to care i...
Aug 14, 2022•3 min
November 2022 Update: Amazon Care telehealth service will shut down on December 31, 2022. Pulled the plug on it due to large corporations not signing on and the cost of running a commercial health service is expensive. I've have more in a future episode. I'll keep the episode up but it is gone, as in history. It is late and I typed out a long passage about how entrepreneurs and corporation looking to boost revenue are looking at the U.S. dysfunctional health system. And that page got eaten by th...
Aug 03, 2022•9 min•Ep. 296
This is an Anxiety Road Podcast pebble in the road with a quick look at the book called The Body Keeps the Score Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of trauma by By Bessel van der Kolk, M.D. Published by Penguin Random House. This book is about how trauma affects the body and mind. I know many of you don’t believe that your anxiety is trauma based. And you are telling the truth. If that is the case for you, skip this recommendation and be on your way. However, if you suspect or flat out know tha...
Jul 28, 2022•4 min
I hate giving up but sometimes a retreat is necessary. Wish I could go to a retreat but that ain't happening. I know when I'm licked and I'm licked. Not one but two computers have me on the ropes ducking punches. So this is just a brief update of what's going on with me. And what's going to be happening for the next couple of weeks. So in housekeeping news, I'm on summer slowdown mode until September. Between my old computer dying on me and my new computer not recognizing my microphone the way I...
Jul 06, 2022•2 min
I'm having some technical difficulties and having trouble getting a full episode out. So I just thought I'd do this little quick episode. This is just a quick informational post on traveling with your medications. There is some concern that allegedly there are some agents that are confiscating medication. Below is the link to the official TSA.gov webpage where they publicly states that you are allowed to bring your pill medication on board either in your carry-on or luggage. There is the text of...
Jun 22, 2022•4 min•Ep. 294
In this episode, a look at some of the words that get confused with hoarding. I mentioned that there are U.S.and UK television programs about hoarding. Also, there are multiple Youtube channels where a young person buys a the contents or acquires a hoarders property to find hidden treasures and money. There is also a sub-genre of professional housekeepers being paid to clean the home. I can't forget that there is or was a person attached to their possessions. Sure, if the person is deceased and ...
Jun 16, 2022•13 min•Ep. 293
I think when I was starting out, I probably would not have considered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I was really focused on stopping my symptoms and I was not the introspective person. More bullheaded and introspective. I was much more focused on making my symptoms stop. While doing the things that caused them in the first place. I can tell you, that's probably not the way to go, but I had to learn from experience as opposed to from intellect. It was a rough road. In this episode, a look at...
Jun 08, 2022•10 min•Ep. 292
Before talking about Dialectical Behavior Therapy, I want to give a brief reminder of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aka CBT. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a short term treatment that provides skills on how to transform negative thoughts and behaviors. Traditionally, CBT is offered to people with an anxiety disorder, depression and other mental health conditions. There are a number ways to do this but the general format is to: Assess where you are right now. What is your view of yourself, your a...
Jun 01, 2022•8 min•Ep. 291
Sometimes we look for the thing to deal with our symptoms. The thing that is hard to get, access or is expensive. Or requires another person for delivery. Not that kind of delivery, the whole structural system of good, services, materials and processing type of delivery. Not to mention that we all another person to do something. Anyway, We are looking for the thing that knocks some sense into our symptoms. We look but we don't always see the thing right in our homes or refrigerators. Water. the ...
May 25, 2022•10 min•Ep. 290
The verbal poison for profit business that is coursing through the system is killing people. Both passively and in actuality. And I can tell you from experience that the let’s pretend balm of dismissing this as a mental health issue has been put into play. Or a one-off action of a lonely man. Sometimes all you can do is state the obvious. We are alive. And you can take pride that being alive pisses the hell out of a bunch of people. We have a purpose. To get well, be healthy and chip away to mak...
May 16, 2022•4 min•Ep. 289
There isn't one path to healing. There can be dozens but when you are in the thick of it you only care about what works now. So you might decide, you have stuff to do, you don't have time for introspections, give me the pill. And it might work for you. Until it doesn't. Or your symptoms change. Or your anxiety expresses itself as anger. Or overeating. Or hording. It can happen that you do meditation. You monitor your nutrition. You run a mile a day. And your symptoms still make you feel like a s...
May 09, 2022•11 min•Ep. 288
It is May it is U.S. version of Mental Health Awareness Month. Treating mental health concerns is just as important to treat as conditions for physical health. The need for mental health care is needed across all levels of society. Neither poverty nor wealth should be a barrier to access quality mental health treatment. Suicide is not something I want to talk about. I always want to focus on what you can do. Finding resources and keep putting that foot in front of the other. Rest when you need t...
May 02, 2022•11 min•Ep. 287
Anxiety symptoms are pesky. We spend a lot of time trying to deal with them. In addition to our daily task duties and responsibilities. In this episode, I want to share a few tips that can restore a sense of stability and calm. I don't want to turn anyone into a time robot. There are some evil time technological oppressors that are rising in the workforce or the corporate marketplace. Those buggers are trying to find ways to micro manage folks working from home. This episode is about using time ...
Apr 24, 2022•7 min•Ep. 286
This is a pebble in the road about the definitions of dreams, bad dreams and nightmares. If you are an highly anxious person this is one of many possible symptoms of stress and anxiety that you might experienced. Vivid dreams and nightmares can be a sign of anxiety symptom. Or not. It could be just your brains way of taking out the neural trash floating around the joint. But you might have a different cultural or social way of understanding dreams. That is ok. It is important to recognize that y...
Apr 16, 2022•9 min•Ep. 285
Not all anxiety, workbooks are created equal or even readable. Many of them are designed to be used with a therapist or our therapist directed. If you flip to a random page and can't figure out or understand what the heck they're talking about, that might not be the right workbook. There are a number self-directed anxiety workbook that are specifically designed so that you, as the consumer can work through your issue without a therapist. You can gain similar information as if you were in a thera...
Apr 07, 2022•8 min•Ep. 284
This is a pebble in the road about some of the free resources that are out there for people that have an anxiety condition or disorder. While we're trying to obtain services and hopefully work our way through the process sometimes the people that we encountered don't have the kind of information that we need. There are resources that we can take advantage of from the anxiety and mental health websites via brochures and tips sheets. You can download these docs on your phone or tablet for reading....
Apr 01, 2022•5 min•Ep. 283
This episode is about a rock, actually a crystal, that caused me to think about the multiple times a day someone is trying to sell me something. A thing they think I want. Or need. And if I am vulnerable, like I might just want that scoop of designer ice cream as an adventure in tasting, I'll go along with the bit. Men's shaving and grooming kits. Not so much. That happens if I'm watching a wood crafting or male garden videos. Or non-political preppers. There are such people and what they are do...
Mar 25, 2022•11 min•Ep. 282
There are a lot of grounding techniques but one of the most accessible is to breathe. Specifically deep breathing. Breathing is a I went to the eye doctor to get my eyes checked. Unlike the dentist, I'm much more calm about the examination. I want my eyes taken care of and make sure they get what they need. I'm an active participant. I can gamify the target test. It doesn't mean I'm not anxious, but I don't have as many triggers to set off an alarm. And I can use some grounding techniques to han...
Mar 17, 2022•6 min•Ep. 281
Some symptoms are hidden inside the body. And some symptoms are very visible. There are different reasons why people pick at their skin and not everyone that does. This has an anxiety condition. There are some skin conditions like acne that causes folks to pick at it. They shouldn't, but their skin condition is caused by an organic physical problem with. And then there are those that cannot be ignored. It is a self-inflicted visualization of a problem. This is a quick pebble in the road, just th...
Mar 10, 2022•5 min•Ep. 280
It happens that I start in on an idea and think I've done my research. Only to get whacked in the head about a question I did not ask. Like how to find the specific vendor on a state website. For example, I start to think about the episode and then a thought came into my head. "How are they supposed to do that?" And because I'm hardheaded and I don't listen to the spirits from up on high, I respond that they should go to their mental health or behavioral health board in their state. Then the spi...
Mar 03, 2022•9 min•Ep. 279
There is a lot of craptastical thinking about therapy. Everything from religion is therapy to “put this device on your wrist and use our app and bingo-bango, you are cured. Fear and confusion running amuck, and that is mainly from the people who don’t have the medical form of an anxiety condition or disorder giving advice. An episode or so ago I wrote about the treatment option of medication. The choice and responsibility of using it or not using medication. In this episode a look at what is the...
Feb 24, 2022•9 min•Ep. 278
Burnout is when it is really hard to put two sentences together and have them make sense. Burnout is all you want to do is stay in bed under the covers. Because it is safe. They can't get to you there. Except that you can't. You have to go to work, do that thing. Complete the task. Make nice to people who may or may not deserve it. Dr. Candance Good in a post on Psychology Today states: "Burnout was common before the pandemic. But now pile on two years of uncertainty, civil unrest, irritability ...
Feb 17, 2022•5 min
There is an attempt, a progress or reintegration taking place found in small pockets of modern medicine. Some of our national health systems are looking at it, but not near enough now. Sure. There are things that don't require a mental health therapist. You accidentally break your leg and you need a cast and maybe physical therapy. No mental health professional required. But for mind and body problems, maybe there should be a stronger connection and support system. This would require a far bette...
Feb 10, 2022•10 min•Ep. 276
Ok, I talk to much and then frustrated when I have to edit. Trying to think with an exhausted brain. I pulled out the section on this new fangled service and will post it as quickly as I can. Still working on chopping the main topic down. I have a mental block about it. Like I so want to get it right that I'm mucking it up. Resources Mentioned: To find out the best practices for selecting an U.S. online pharmacy the Food and Drug Administration has a page on Considering an Online Pharmacy ? If y...
Feb 02, 2022•5 min
The headline version for 2022 is medication, therapy, nutrition, body support and environment. Yes, I’ve changed things up just a bit. But before we can get to that, I feel that we need to have an understanding about symptoms. Most people tend to think of treatment as getting rid of their symptoms. Totally valid. And understandable. I know I felt that way, if I could just get rid of the bug-a-boos, I could get back to normal. It reflects we have been taught about health and health care. Take the...
Jan 26, 2022•6 min•Ep. 274
Not all treatment plans are the same. What works for Betty will not work for Veronica before I can do that. I need to start at a place. Many people won't start a treatment unless they recognize that they need to make a change. I like to refer to this as the, "What The Hell phase." In this episode, more about the What the Hell phase and the Oh, Snap phase that happens before you start your healing journey. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the...
Jan 20, 2022•8 min•Ep. 273
I know that some of you are in a really bad spot. You're looking for an answer, a short way out of your problems and, and your predicaments. Some of you openly declare that you don't have time for this thing and what it dealt with quick, fast, and in a hurry. I do understand. I was in your shoes too. There was so much, I didn't know about having a mental health. There are people and companies that want to take advantage of that ignorance. There are others that really don't understand that being ...
Jan 17, 2022•11 min•Ep. 272
Denial is not good or bad. It is a defense mechanism. When you don't want to deal with the scary or hard thing. Especially when it seems that thing is so big. So dangerous. Humans will do all kinds of things to avoid pain. Including accepting a small amount of pain to delay the bigger potential pain. Doesn't have to be real. Doesn't even have to have a direct connection to you. In this episode, a look at denial. Resources Mentioned: The ABCS of Coping with Anxiety: Using CBT to Manage Stress and...
Jan 05, 2022•8 min•Ep. 271
This podcast has always talked about treatment options and resources. I always will. And sometimes that includes talking about uncomfortable things. Or boring things, things so boring they make your eyes glaze over. This is definitely true cuz I have been known to go long winded. But if this helps you in your treatment process or understand possible resources process, I'll do it. Because that episode that you cut off after four minutes might be the one you come back to a year from now. It happen...
Dec 22, 2021•9 min•Ep. 270
No sane or crazy person would. But that doesn't stop the market place and the uninformed from saying stupid stuff. This is a pebble in the road about what is depression. I'm thinking if I make enough pebbles, I'll get an episode out. It is hard when you have to fight for every single word. There are people writing articles, books and podcasts. Many of those people want you to spend money on thinking yourself out of the diagnosed version of depression. It doesn't work like that. One way to think ...
Dec 15, 2021•4 min•Ep. 269
