This is a pebble in the road about the ADAA On-line Support Group. Sometimes you need to connect to an actual human being. Or a group of people that share your problem or have similar questions. Lots of things happening and I'm trying to adjust to them. In future episodes, probably starting with this one, there will be a transcript available. It will be 90% accurate. If your podcast player supports transcripts, it should be visible. Meaning, that most of what I mention in the episode is present ...
Apr 03, 2024•6 min•Ep. 353
In this episode a look at breathing necklaces, which are supposed to help you control your breathing. These things irk me. It isn't that they don't have a purpose. But you don't need them. It is ok to want one or have it around your neck as a touchpoint or you really do understand how to use them. That is what I wanted to communicate in the recording. I had to cut a lot of stuff out of the episode. I was going on and on about anxiety gizmo advertorials in traditional and on-line magazines. Someb...
Mar 20, 2024•8 min•Ep. 352
For some of us, imposter syndrome is an anxiety generator. It goes to the heart of feeling worthy, being competent or having the right to be in a particular space. Doing this episode made me feel like an imposter. I can hear slurred words, tangents and howlers of editing. But here is the thing. I don't allow it to keep me from trying and doing. Sure, I could not do the show. Or hire and editor. Or let a freaking non-human try to emulate my speech patterns. I need to do this in order to get bette...
Mar 06, 2024•9 min•Ep. 351
There is a spectrum of decisions between I can and I can't. Part of our healing journey is to understand the concept of acceptance. A video popped up called " A Panic Attack Ended My Winter Backpacking Trip " from the Miranda Goes Outside!! YouTube channel. I absolutely wanted to view that video. Spent a chunk of it nodding in agreement. Not to mention that I learned a little bit about not sleeping under a tree if there is snow. I felt validated in that there is actual video proof of the experie...
Feb 22, 2024•8 min•Ep. 350
Treatment options are evolving and this one is a pip. An expensive one, but it might be just what is needed in the middle of a cold dark night of the soul. Xaia aka eXtended reality Artificially Intelligent Ally is designed to work with the Apple Vision Pro.VR device. You can talk with it. Share your concerns and get feedback about your issues. That is the topic for a quick look at the mental health support VR app. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-...
Feb 14, 2024•13 min•Ep. 349
In 2024, of the things we have to change is the active cultural block against men seeking mental health treatment. We don't have time for it. All hands on deck or at least pull the ropes trying to point the ship in the right direction. This episode is a little different because it is resource focus. Go to Helpguide.org to learn about therapy or to Heads Up Guys to learn about stress. Or use the Mettle app from Bear Grylls. What I don't want you to do is suffer, grit your teeth and take it. Becau...
Jan 31, 2024•10 min•Ep. 348
There are a lot of decisions that you have to make when you are seeking treatment. Hopefully you find a good doctor or a mental health professional to guide you though the process. Those are aspirational goals by the way. You might run into a doc that just wants to give you medication and then report back in four weeks. Or you can't find or afford a provider in your area. I would suggest that you take some time and work on a decision guide as to what you want and don't want concerning your treat...
Jan 24, 2024•3 min•Ep. 347
In January, you often hear about the aspirational pledges. No shopping. No drinking alcohol. Go vegan or as close to it as you can get. My year round goal is to get folks at a basic level to take time to breath. Slow it down. Chill as in being quiet. Not as in ice baths. Me in a former incarnation; "Nuts to you, I breath all of the time. I still have symptoms." Future me: "Yeah, you dope. You also drink six cans of Coke or Dr. Pepper a day. Your diet is atrocious (but very tasty) and your rockin...
Jan 17, 2024•11 min•Ep. 346
With all of the book banning in the United States, a person could make a case that some sections of the country has ideophobia or the fear of ideas. Might also be bibliophobia. In this episode, a quick look at the definition of Ideophobia. 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: Mind.org.uk Causes of Phobias self-help guide . https://www.mind.org.uk/informa...
Jan 03, 2024•10 min•Ep. 345
If you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and anxiety or depression, you have to deal with both conditions at the same time. It is a challenge but not impossible. There are resources and options to help you deal with treatment. This is just a quick mention of some of those resources that could be of assistance to you or someone you know. 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. Reso...
Dec 27, 2023•5 min•Ep. 344
In this episode, a look at adult people that grew up in an addictive or dysfunctional family. Because if you did, there is a good chance you might have an anxiety condition or a related mental health problem. How do you get to be an adult child of a dysfunctional family. There are many pathways. Many are raised in an abusive or addictive family. Others are raised in a generational trauma system. Some people are raised by adults who do not have a clue about how to be a parent because they were ne...
Dec 25, 2023•12 min•Ep. 343
I did an episode about ACEs a long time ago. It was okay but I know a bit more now. At the time I said something to the effect, "Childhood isn't easy even in the best of families, but what if your family of origin contributed to your current condition? I'm not saying that it has, but what if it did?" That part was ok but listening to it now I did not fully define it or give examples. When you know better, you do better. This is probably a three part series about childhood events that might have ...
Dec 13, 2023•13 min•Ep. 342
So in this episode I wanted to put a bit more context as to why sucking sour candy could work to stop panic attacks. Or not. Or not for the long term. Here is how it started. I have news feeds for anxiety. This story popped up. Delish is a food recipe and kitchen gadget website. I've seen videos on YouTube. I was confused when I saw the story about sour candy and panic attacks. It didn't match their usual beat. Sometime that can lead to good stuff. Like a fishing website that reviews a movie abo...
Dec 06, 2023•7 min•Ep. 341
I don't know if I'll ever go on a cruise ship. The only part that really interest me is tasting a wide variety of food in a short amount of time. Plus my anxiety about riding on a human petri dish would get the best of me and cause all kinds of embarrassment. Not to mention that there are hundreds of people around and having to move as a pack once you arrive for an excursion. Gives me the shivers. Anyway, there is a recent news story about a person kicked off a ship because of CBD Gummies. Those...
Nov 21, 2023•7 min•Ep. 340
You made it over the first hurdle. You know you have a problem. You might have even gone to the doctor or your health provider to obtain help. They might have set you up with pills or talk therapy. And that is a far as you got. You take the meds but you are still drinking. Or eating high sugar or caffeinated beverages. Babe, you gotta make some changes. Ones that you do not want to make but you have to do it. The resource this week is a movie that covers a lot of anxiety topics. It is a primer o...
Nov 15, 2023•6 min•Ep. 339
There is a term called visceral anxiety. According to various sources, it isn't a medical term but more of a description of feeling anxiety in the lower center of your body. We are talking about the gastrointestinal track. For some with anxiety it is a persistent problem of pain in the stomach, being gassy or bloated. Or feeling queasy each and every day. (Pregnant people excepted). Now life happens, you get sick and have those symptoms. Or something you've eaten truly does not agree with your b...
Nov 01, 2023•7 min•Ep. 338
Worry is powerful, it can dishearten you and have you see nothing but shades of gray. There are techniques that even anxious people can use to reduce the amount of worry and get on with the business of the day. I've been around a few spins around the sun. There have been very few times when things haven't been crazy on this planet. Especially with humans having access to weapons. Gasses me up just to think about it. The only people and industries happy about current events are profiteers and wea...
Oct 27, 2023•14 min•Ep. 337
You can be a smoker that has anxiety or a person with an anxiety condition who smokes. Either way it is a bad deal that can not only make your symptoms worse but cause long term harm to your body. In this short pebble in the road episode, some resources to help educate yourself about the problem but some viable resources you can check out to separate yourself from the cigarette or the vape. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor ...
Oct 18, 2023•4 min•Ep. 336
I try to keep episodes short and to the point. But sometimes I need to talk about conceptual things that at first, doesn’t seem to have anything to do with anxiety treatment options. But it does. I need to talk about beans or knowledge. Or the do before the why. Which I like better but it isn't grammatical. I take comfort that I'm pissing off an A.I. generator. I know that many people that listen to the podcast like the give it to me straight and let me be on my way aspect of the show. That is n...
Oct 11, 2023•12 min•Ep. 335
The American Psychiatry Association defines depression as loss of interest of activities once enjoyed, and that the symptoms must last longer than two weeks before an official diagnosis. There isn't just one kind of depression and they don't all generate from the same source. For people that have not experience depression, it is really hard for them to understand. Or they try to related to something that has no relationship to the actual condition. You can tell they don’t know about when they of...
Oct 04, 2023•11 min•Ep. 334
When things go wrong and you need a break, like when none of your audio software will record and you have to use your phone, you need to take a moment. Or two. Maybe have dinner as well. Some days you have to find ways to roll with it. A meditative break can help. That is the topic of this episode. 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: Dharma Homies Virtu...
Sep 27, 2023•6 min•Ep. 333
Many of us hold our tongues or clench our teeth to protect ourselves from saying what you really want to say. Or feel. And for most of us, that works and we go about our day. But if you are clenching and grinding your teeth on a daily basis there is going to be a problem. Sometimes with your jaw. Or wearing away your teeth. Or having headaches or something worse. In this episode, a look at what jaw clenching and teeth grinding and some of the things you can do to reduce the symptoms. The medical...
Sep 20, 2023•9 min•Ep. 332
I’ve done a couple of episodes on generalized anxiety disorder, sometimes referred to as GAD. However, there have been changes to some of the medication treatment options. And there are new options that did not exist in 2016 or 2018 so I thought that I’d catch everyone up on what is going to be current for the foreseeable future. That is the topic for today's episode. 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...
Sep 13, 2023•11 min•Ep. 331
I try to stay off of sites like Kickstarter and Indigogo. Too much temptation and even more disappointment. Back in the day, I use to support the up and coming companies. But I got tired of waiting sometimes month before the product arrived. I have been burned by companies that found out it was hard to be an innovator. Few days ago, I got an email that I was about to toss in the trash. Looked like spam. Anyway, I found out that it is an actual company that claims to treat anxiety, sleep problems...
Aug 31, 2023•13 min•Ep. 330
The TLDR version: What I do know is that a coloring book could be an opportunity for those who have trouble with some of the traditional concepts of meditation or mindfulness practice. But be careful about making a purchase. When possible, buy from a human creator. The much longer version: I insist on being a human being so I still do my own research. Not saying I having dipped a toe or two into the new hyped up gizmo world of ask a question get a possibly faulty answer of A.I. I have. I think I...
Aug 09, 2023•7 min•Ep. 329
I'm on the summer slow down vibe, but there are lots of interesting ways to handle and reduce symptoms. One of those ways is combining a breathing practice with humming. To be clear, I'm talking about the sound that humans make with their mouths. Usually involves the sound "hum". Take the human body, the Vagus nerve and an open mind and you just might have an additional tool to tell the body to relax, there isn't a danger or problem. Might work for you. Might not. I do know that it is a free, no...
Jul 19, 2023•5 min•Ep. 328
As I mention in the podcast, it is the eight anniversary of the podcast. The need to connect people to the various mental health services is still necessary. There have been times that my symptoms were stable and I could crank out an episode, no problem. But there are times when I'm at high tide, the symptoms are showing themselves to the public and I can or cannot produce an episode. Thing is, more often or not, I found a way. Making mistakes. Learning new ideas and concepts. Understanding that...
Jul 09, 2023•13 min•Ep. 327
It is the start of the summer slowdown where I'll post less often as I try to catch up on my sleep and elocution skills. I've been talking a lot lately and I can hear multiple imperfections. Really a bad idea to do five things at the same time. Anyway, last week's error has created this episode. As a standing warning. Never upgrade as you are working on a project. I've gotten away with it before but not last week. It destroyed my audio file. Totally my fault. I knew better but didn't do better. ...
Jun 25, 2023•9 min•Ep. 326
After missing last week, I was determined to get an episode up. I recording and edited it. The SOS software decided to garble my speech. And then it stopped working. So I turned to my phone and made something happen. It ain't pretting but I dood it. This is a quick look at the new movie called Minding the LIne, which is a fictional movie about fly fishing, PTSD and coping as best you can. I'll get the rest of the episode re-jiggered and try again. I might have to miss an episode or two, it is ge...
Jun 14, 2023•5 min•Ep. 325
It has been a while since I’ve mentioned this; the focus on the podcast is for folks that have been medically diagnosed with an anxiety condition or disorder. However, all are welcome. The over-stressed, the somewhat anxious or those that are up against it and don’t know what to do. Everybody has anxiety. That is normal and necessary. We need it for our personal safety and awareness that there is a possible problem or danger. Anxiety’s job is to bring awareness. Not a good thing or a bad thing. ...
Jun 01, 2023•12 min
