FearAlone

Anxiety: Post 6 of 12 (Alternative Treatments)

2010-11-25T22:57:22-06:00

Well we're rounding the half way point.

We've discussed Anxiety, Types of Anxiety, Symptoms, Treatments, and are currently discussing Alternative treatments to Anxiety Disorders.

I think we have a lot of energy that we carry with us on a daily bases. Some of it is positive and can be a huge benefit. Some can be negative, which can only bring us down. But then there's a certain grey area. We have a lot of neutral energy.

And we have a lot more neutral energy then good or bad.

It is what we do with this neutral energy that makes the difference in our lives. When our lives are filled with stress, this energy becomes like a nervous energy. It causes us to act out when we should listen. Or, experience a paranoia that is created in mind only.

So in this post, I think a good alternative treatment to anxiety is to ground this energy.

A good exercise plan can help us with this. Taking some time out of our days to even just take a walk can have amazing results.

We need the "me" time, that we always put off. Without it, we are less good to people around us.

Any exercise will help, but the best to ground us are exercises that calm and center us. Exercises like Yoga, Pilates, and Tai Chi really target this neutral energy and eventually even the negative energy we feel.

These exercises help us learn how to breathe... While also working on our physical health.

Studies have also shown that Martial Arts can help in fighting anxiety. Pun Intended.

When we think of the Martial Arts, fighting comes to a lot of our minds. But it's not just about fighting or defense.

Pardon me, but I'm a huge Karate Kid fan...

Miyagi didn't just teach Daniel 'son how to fight... but taught him the values needed to lead a balanced life. The Martial Arts teach us discipline which can be used in every aspect of our lives. But it even goes deeper then this.

It can teach us some mind control exercises. In Karate Kid 2 Daniel 'son was taught how to breathe and center himself. And is one of the cornerstones of the entire movie. He used it to hammer the nail into the wood in the beginning. And to break the ice in the middle.

It's all about the mind. You might have heard that there is nothing that can't be done when we set our minds to it. Why not set our minds towards healing.

Tuesday there will be one more post about Alternative treatment where we will continue talking about the mind with some mediation.

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T22:18:38-06:00

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Thanksgiving is one of the two most important holidays every year, for making us better people.

Although much of what Thanksgiving was is lost in through the years... we get to stop for a second and think of what we are truly thankful for.

The other Holiday that helps us with this is New Years... we actually make a resolution to better ourselves in some way.

New Years is more about doing then Thanksgiving which is more about reflecting.

So while your reflecting on what you have this year and how thankful you are for it... why not get started on planning on some real New Years resolutions. By real I mean, realistic I guess... So many lose sight of their resolutions because they are aiming too high.

Start small and make a resolution that you can accomplish within 3 months, and then add on to it in the next 3 months. So, in half a year we get real results that help push us in the right direction.

Happy Thanksgiving, enjoy your family and friends and I hope some smiles today.

Anxiety: Post 5 of 12 (Alternative Treatments)

2010-11-24T10:24:16-06:00

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I have really been enjoying researching Anxiety, and have learned a lot by writing these posts.

Anxiety is very frustrating, because the cause is not always visible. When I am through having an anxiety attack... I am left with a feeling of almost stupidity. I feel stupid that I reacted to a situation in such a way.

That feeling is normal, as I'm learning. That a lot of people feel it. But, it's a mental illness and should be treated accordingly.

You have to treat it, if it's stopping you from living the life you want to live.

While medication can help (they really didn't for me) they can often leave you feeling like a "zombie". You can feel less in control of your own life. Often times this can be fixed by another trip to your doctors office, and being candid about your responses to the medicine.

Some people have explore some Alternatives though. And, as I stressed in the first Post... I am not a doctor or anybody qualified to give advice on medication or treatment... these things should be discussed with your doctor before trying.

I think Alternative Medicine warrants a couple of posts, because of just how much information is out there. So, the next couple of posts will be about this.

I want to start with something that I am really excited about. It's an herbal substance called Kava or kava-kava.

Kava's root gives off a sedative effect (or relaxing) without feeling disrupting mental clarity.

I have never taken Kava, but after reading more about it... I am going to give it a try.

I have heard of it in a few different forms. There's a gum, a powder, and a pill... The powder can be added to a cup of water and drank.

For more information on Kava I'm going to post the link to the wikipedia page which has a ton of info.

Kava on Wikipedia

I was going to also put up information on St. John's wort... but I am finding just as much information against it as for it...

No Meat? Update

2010-11-21T03:12:00-06:00

So, last week I started another challenge. This was a repeat, because it didn't work before. I wanted to stop eating meat.

A vegetarian... Not vegan, just not eating anything that has to be slaughtered.

So far, so good. I have been doing it.

To be fair, I have been eating a lot of cheese, so it hasn't really been that life altering.

So what do you do when you're walking the streets of Chicago and your stomach starts to grumble... You go to Crisp on Broadway. It's a Korean Burrito place. Yelp said it was great. I had never heard of such a thing... and I'll admit I was a little afraid.

Not afraid to try Korean food, but afraid they wouldn't have much for me to eat. But, to my surprise they were very vegetarian friendly. I ended up getting a Big Bad Buddha Bowl... It was Amazing!!!! (By the way, in the picture above there's chicken... I didn't eat it, but it did look good for anyone interested.)

For those of you in Chicagoland area looking for something new and refreshing... here's the link. Crisp in Chicago.

And I found a new way to order pizza. I was always interested but never tried pineapple on my pizza. It is so good... I craze this stuff.

One of the most challenging things was going out to watch the Bears game last Thursday... Bar food is very seldomly vegie friendly. I figured it out, and ended up having a blast.

I have been getting a lot of question about how long I am going to do this for, and I want to make this a lifelong pursuit. I don't think it's wrong for people to eat meat, just wanted to do this for awhile. This is something that I am doing for myself.

Anyways, so the update.... Everything is working out great. Loving every minute of it.

Love and Magic

2010-11-20T15:43:56-06:00

Love and magic have a great deal in common. They enrich the soul, delight the heart. And they both take practice.

Nora Roberts

Anxiety: Post 4 of 12 (Treatment)

2010-11-20T01:16:12-06:00

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Sorry for being a day late with this post…

Ok, so many of us suffer from some form of anxiety disorder… The truth is most anxiety disorder is left untreated. And when we have anxiety at a certain time in our lives, but the anxiety goes away that may seem like the route to go through.

But, what happens if this anxiety doesn’t go away… or keeps us from living the life we want to live. Then something has to be done.

Most of the time anxiety disorder is treated with just a medication. The medication can be short term or long term. So, people will need to take medication their entire life, while other just might need something to get past a specific anxiety attack.

Of course, this does not always treat the problem but mask it’s symptoms. It’s like putting a band-aide on a huge gaping wound… it might stop the bleeding but only while we wear the band-aide.

Psychotherapy is a type of counseling that looks at the response we are giving for the mental illness. It can lead to major breakthroughs. And help treat the condition while the medication is treating the symptoms.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a form of Psychotherapy that tries to change the reactions that we have, by forcing us to come to terms with our fears. A great example of this was a show on VH1 called the OCD project.

In OCD project all of the patients in the show had to tackle their fears by actually going through them over and over again. For instance, their was a woman that was afraid to drive her car around baby strollers. So, she was made to drive around them for awhile, until it stopped being a fear.

Then they looked at why she was having this fear. She didn’t want to hit or hurt the babies. The doctor threw baby dolls in front of her care while she was driving.

This may sound a little strange, but it ended up helping her in such a way that she can now live a more normal life.

There’s also relaxation therapy that people suffering anxiety disorder can go through… like mediation. Forcing somebody with anxiety to slow down can some times ease some of the symptoms.

Diet and Exercise is not always thought of when it comes to helping anxiety disorder. But, think of how many stimulates we take in on a daily bases. From caffeine to alcohol. Chocolate to nicotine. These are mood altering substances. That can increase our likelihood of having anxiety disorder.

People with Anxiety Disorder should try to encompass as many of these treatments as possible.

Tuesday, we’ll take a look at some of the alternative methods for treatment of anxiety disorder.

Anxiety: Post 3 of 12 (Types)

2010-11-16T11:00:34-06:00

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Anxiety Post 1 of 12

Anxiety Post 2 of 12

Today we're going to discuss some of the types of anxiety disorder. There are many more, but these are the most common types.

Phobias - This is a general term to say a specific thing / or situation is causing you anxiety. For instance, I have a phobia of ladders. Most people have some kind of phobia... and, most of the time this doesn't interfere with daily life. Day to day I don't have to climb a ladder, so I'm fine.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - This anxiety disorder comes after some kind of traumatic event. It can be the death of a loved one, rape, car accident, or any other major event.

Panic Disorder - Usually this is the type of anxiety somebody might confuse with a heart attack. It can cause sudden chest pains and severe sweating... it can even make you feel like you are choking. It can give you a feeling much like somebody watch a horror film but is often times much more intense. terror feeling.

Social Disorders - Sometimes the anxiety felt is only felt when in specific social situations. This could be very mild or so severe that a person refuses to leave the house.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - This is a very popular anxiety disorder. It can make somebody feel like if they don't perform a certain ritual or response they may harm themselves or other people. A lot of times, people end up harming themselves with the ritual (or Compulsion). A good example of this would be somebody so afraid of germs they wash their hands so much they bleed.

And the most common anxiety disorder is Generalized Anxiety Disorder - This disorder involves excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there is little or nothing to provoke the anxiety.

Thursday we'll talk about some of the treatments of these anxiety disorders.

The New Golden Rule

2010-11-13T11:46:47-06:00

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Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
-The Golden Rule

I have always grown up thinking about the golden rule. I figured if I could just live life like this, I couldn't go wrong. For the most part, I think a lot of us try to follow this rule too. And , if we all could the world would be a happy place..

Dropping some honesty now... The Golden Rule is flawed.

Our minds are like computers, we hold onto little details. No matter what we try to think about something, there might be little things that stand in the way. I like to call those little things in our minds that stop it from obeying our command to believe... "The Minds Own Truths".

Our computer minds can spot a flaw a million miles away. Here's what it sees with the Golden Rule. The rule implies that if you treat people good, that good should be expected back. Maybe that is true in the long run, but not on the short term.

The mind sets out it's own red flags about this... It didn't work when we tried it... that means it wont work next time. Abort mission.

I know that if we help this grouchy old has been out this time, he might somehow change and help somebody else out... Pay it Forward kinda thing. But, the mind doesn't see it... it's not seen as a fact to the mind. So the mind doesn't believe it.

So... I thought of a new Golden Rule that is a secret never told to anyone.

You can not lift yourself up, by pushing others down.
The New Golden Rule, by Patrick Harrington

Many may say... That follows along the original Golden Rule. And yes it does, it a more mind friendly kind of way.

Allowing us to truly believe in the Golden Rule, without our mind stopping us.

Reliving the Future. Today's Disease.

2010-11-12T10:45:00-06:00

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We live in a world that is faster pace then ever before.

Millions are won and lost in the blink of an eye. Even Healthcare is a multi-billion dollar business... when it's purpose is to keep us healthy.

It's failing. Miserably.

See it's missing some key details, especially when it comes to mental illness. What it's missing is clear to me, and I don't understand how it is not clear for our healthcare providers. We band-aid when we should deal... and focus on the small stuff when the big stuff just gets bigger.

We need to start dealing with our fears, and healthcare is just creating more.

Let's break this down. Fear is mainly caused by living in the future or dwelling in the past.

The future is so scary, because of the unknown that we make up a future that is a lot harder then it actually will be. Causing Anxiety which leads to other major health problems.

And we can't get over the mistakes that we made in the past. Causing a depression that makes us give up on everything. It devalues our self worth and demoralizes even the strongest of us.

Is it any wonder we suffer from more mental illness then ever in history?

I often think about how people in the dark ages were able to flourish with the mental and physical health that we have today. I never heard of a knight that was afraid to leave the house. Because that Knight couldn't have made it then.

Mental Illness is a modern day epidemic of Biblical proportions. The people that have no mental illness are now the abnormal in society... While it's perfectly acceptable for children as young as 2 years old to suffer from depression and anxiety disorder.

I'm not putting down anybody with a mental illness... you are the normal. I am right there with you. I am pointing my finger at our healthcare providers and hospitals. But they are not alone... I will jump on the bandwagon and blame the food and drug industries as well.

We need to realize that things are not getting any better... they are getting worse. And, how much worse are we going to allow this to get.

There's too much money in it though.

When you look at the facts... mental illness has gone up as the food quality has gone down. Corn Syrup and high levels of sugar are crippling our nation and we wont stop to fix the fears we live with on a daily bases.

They are all connected though... More money goes into fast food which is causing a good amount of our physical conditions today (including Asthma and Allergies)... So, we go see our healthcare provider which prescribes us medication that only band-aids the ever growing problem.

You have a problem, there's a pill for it. So depression and anxiety are given a pill too... Some work very well. But they are prescribed by our doctor... most times without even seeing a professional therapist to help them with the long term care.

Pills only work for so long, we build up a resistance.

We need to work on the fears... the past and the future.

Taking prescription medication is ok, but therapy is also needed.

Sorry if I offended anyone with this rant... but it gets to me sometimes, how corrupt this world is... Without any care for the people who need real help the most.

Anxiety: Post 2 of 12

2010-11-11T22:23:31-06:00

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This is part of an ongoing blog topic, I started Tuesday. Anxiety: Post 1 of 12

Let’s start this off right… I am not a professional therapist. I am not giving medical advice at all. In fact, I’m just somebody that learned about Anxiety as a way to help my own Anxiety disorder.

Anxiety is a natural fight or flight emotion that all animals have. It protects us from dangerous situations that require immediate attention. Every human being that walks this Earth will at some time experience Anxiety. It’s perfectly normal.

The problem comes in when we experience anxiety in a few ways:

Prolonged irrational anxiety attacks
Extreme anxiety attacks that can interfere with the ability to live a normal life
Excessive anxiety

With anything, too much of something is never good, and people that experience these problems might have an anxiety disorder.

Symptoms from Web MD

What Are the Symptoms of an Anxiety Disorder?

Symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder, but general symptoms include:

Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness
Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts
Repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences
Nightmares
Ritualistic behaviors, such as repeated hand washing
Problems sleeping
Cold or sweaty hands and/or feet
Shortness of breath
Palpitations
An inability to be still and calm
Dry mouth
Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
Nausea
Muscle tension
Dizziness

There are various degrees and triggers for these symptoms. Symptoms can range from mild bouts of Anxiety to extreme Life Threatening levels. Anxiety disorder is something that should be taken serious and I recommend seeking medical treatment.

I have several friends that have some sort of anxiety disorder, and often times they feel uncomfortable talking with a medical professional about this. There’s always been a negative view of mental illness.

I can understand it being tough to talk to anybody about this, but it doesn’t just affect your life… It affects everybody around you. Anxiety disorder’s can be highly treatable. Often times, anxiety disorders can be treated by your primary care physician with just a medication.

It might take a little time to find the right medication or dosage level, but once you do… You can begin to live a normal life again.

Tuesday we’ll start to take a look at what types of anxiety disorders are out there, and there is a pretty wide spectrum. Then in the weeks to come, we’ll look into causes and treatments… and even some natural alternatives.

Links for 2009-12-27 [del.icio.us]

2009-12-28T00:00:00-08:00

The Living Dharma
Awesome Site... Buddhism 101

Links for 2009-09-06 [del.icio.us]

2009-09-07T00:00:00-07:00

Happy Thoughts Could Make You Sad