Thinking is something we all do all the time. There is no way to stop the incessant chatter that is the soundtrack to everything we do. Should I eat this? Or should I eat that? I need to go to the bathroom but I'll wait a few minutes until I go. After that I better check my voice mail and then my email oh and I have to... it never stops. Thinking then is not an issue but thinking too hard is or at least can be an issue. Having anxiety is like thinking in that it is always there in one form or another. Anxiety though has the ability to
Stress Busting Food And Activities
To view the diagram used in this screencast in more detail click here . After having chronic anxiety for sometime you'll start to notice changes in your health. This is because anxiety creates stress and stress in big doses can effect the functioning of our bodies. Stress can change our ability to digest food properly, it creates increased stomach acid which leads to GERD and heartburn, blood pressure may be temporarily elevated, your immune system becomes depressed so that you get sick more often and for longer periods of time, it can
The Anxiety Before The Anxiety Disorder
For many of us our anxiety disorders feel like they sprang up out of the blue as it were. But were there any signs that one was developing a long lasting and sometimes torturous sense of apprehension and negative physical feeling? Or was it always there and we now simply see things different? Although children can have anxiety disorders it seems that adults are the ones that exhibit physical and mental exacerbation with the condition. Do kids have a better handle on this or is it a case of ignorance being bliss? Looking back on my own
Anxiety High Wire Act
At one point or another we have all seen the high wire act during a circus performance or on a t.v. show. The performer steps out onto the tightly stretched rope and slowly puts one foot in front of the other doing all they can to avoid a nasty spill. We all look at the performer and think "yea you're gonna fall" but of course they usually don't. The high wire reminds me a lot of what its like to have an anxiety disorder. Feeling off balance, woozy, lightheaded, faint are all sensations I'm sure a performer might feel while hoisted 50 feet
New Study Finds That Chewing Gum Good For Anxiety
When I was a kid chewing gum was a semi-sinful food. Apparently the threat of having it stuck under a desk or somebodies shoe was enough to create a freakishly long list of rules regulating its consumption. But alas gum is much more than just a public nuisance. A new study from Swinburne University in Melbourne Australia has shown that chewing gum can help relieve stress and anxiety. And that’s not all, gum chewing can also help you focus while multitasking according to the new research findings. The study was conducted by splitting the
How To Use Breathing to Reduce Anxiety
Many of us have heard of various types of breathing techniques meant to calm the nerves but just as many of us never actually try them. Some people feel strange doing breathing techniques that have strange sounding names and seem rather complicated. However although you may be reluctant you should at least consider using breathing to reduce your stress and anxiety. Learning how to breathe to reduce anxiety is a useful way of helping us when we get nervous or have a full blown panic attack. This is not just because breathing deeply and slowly
Ace in the Hole: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Recently I have talked a lot about various forms of therapies for anxiety disorders. Some of which are considered somewhat fringe or unorthodox. There is one therapy however that is widely accepted as being extremely effective and more in line with old school psychoanalytical techniques. It's called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT for short. I have sprinkled CBT throughout my blog as a reference point for how to cope with your anxiety. But today I wanted to actually go into detail about what it is, how it works and how it can help you.
New Study Shows That Online Therapy Effective
A new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research argues that web-based self help programs work. The study took 213 participants and put them through a four week online course aimed at helping the participants with depression, anxiety and work related stress. According to the studies findings, a high percentage (about 95%) of participants reported significant improvement in their symptoms after the program ended. During the study participants were sent directions via email and provided with support by psychology students. The