Picture standing at the edge of an open airplane door, wind blowing past, with nothing but the huge sky below. This is the start of training for many paratroopers. The first jump is intense – your body feels nervous, and your stomach is in knots. Your mind is also scared, warning you about the danger of falling to the ground. It's a mix of physical and mental unease, a tough test that helps build strength. My friend Marc-Antoine Crocq once drew an analogy between parachuting and anxiety, sparking a powerful question. Is it possible to
Happy Monday!
Hi Friends! A very happy Monday to you. Actually, I think I owe you a Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year on top of that. Yeah, it's been awhile. Anyway, I just wanted to check in with you. I know a few folks still listen to the podcast so I wanted to provide a quick update. Let's see, well first things first. I will not be shutting down the site. That's right. I'm going to keep the lights on and see what I can do about making a comeback in the next few weeks. I have a bunch of ideas in my head about what to create, so I'm
How I Tamed the Anxiety Beast
I don’t remember struggling with anxiety growing up. Looking back, there are few signs and moments that pointed towards what would later grow into a beast. I was social without hesitation, very outgoing, and not afraid of new places or speaking up in public. I don’t remember even knowing what the words panic attack meant. The Beast Is Born Flash forward to college. The anxiety beast found its roots in my long-term highly abusive relationship. I was eighteen years old and in love with a nightmare. The domestic violence I experienced involved
Don’t Wait Anymore
I have some good news and I have some bad news. Let me tell you what happened. Yesterday I burst through my front door, put away all the random things I carry during the day, washed up and served myself a little plate of pasta. I grabbed my plate and walked over to my computer to check some emails, check a few websites I frequent, the usual. I just finished slurping up the last of my pasta when the phone rang. It turned out to be my wife, who I chatted with for a few minutes when I noticed that one of my sisters was calling on the
Anti-Anxiety Competition Giveaway
Are you ready to win a prize? Hope so, because between December 20th and December 28th I'll be hosting what I'm calling the Anti-Anxiety Competition Giveaway. I came up with this idea about a month ago in hopes of helping anxiety sufferers learn the best way(s) to deal with their anxiety problem. I also wanted to do something in honor of the increased participation by my awesome readers at Anxiety Guru Dot Net. Your comments and emails have been tremendous. Not only that, Anxiety Guru now has over 600 subscribers! That's a big
Instant Peace of Mind
She jumped out of bed in a panic at 4 am. Unable to focus, she staggered out of the front door and started running down the street. She stopped about ten houses down and stood motionless in the dark; chilled by the cold. That happened about 3 years ago, and the terrified woman it happened to is my aunt. That's the story she told me at my mom's house on Thanksgiving day. She'd never talked about her panic before, but on that day she opened up about her 20 year struggle with anxiety. She told me about how she'd always felt like
You are Bigger than Your Anxiety
Today's article is brought to you by AG contributor Bryan3000. Bryan and I have been exchanging ideas for weeks and I've enjoyed those conversations. I think that you'll enjoy his perspective as well. -- Paul Dooley So, it's another Sunday afternoon and I'm lucky enough to be spending some time at home, playing with my little four year old girl and watching football. Life doesn't get much better. That said, as I sat there... I had some of the usual slow-boiling anxiety that seems to just hang around some days for no particular reason.