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Information

Anxiety

Anxiety is one of those emotions which are typically negative in nature. It will often consist of fear and worry, and some organisms may even experience physical signs such as nausea or chest pains.

Anxiety is a complex emotion, and is composed of a number of different elments. Some of these elements are somatic or cognitive as the body tries to prepare itself to deal with an external threat. The heart rate speeds up, and the blood pressure is increased. The various muscles in the body will also receive elevated levels of blood. At the same time, the functions of the digestive system will slow down.

People who have anxiety will generally have a sense of dread. A number of voluntary and involuntary processes will take place in the body, and the goal of these processes is to get the organism away from the source that is causing it to have anxiety.

As such, anxiety is an important emotion, and is designed to increase the survival rate of organisms. In humans it appears that anxiety comes from the hippocampus and amygdala, two regions of the brain. When a person senses bad odors or tastes, there will be a large amount of blood flow which will be present in the amygdala. Research evidence also shows that medium levels of anxiety will be present in this situation as well.

Based on numerous studies, it appears that anxiety is also designed to keep humans and other organisms from eating food or objects that may be harmful to their well being.

While anxiety is normal, a person that has excessive amounts of it may have what is called an anxiety disorder. In extreme cases, people with anxiety disorders may have strong cases where they are terrorized. Anxiety disorders are broken down into phobias, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders. Someone who is suffering from a phobia will have an abnormal amount of fear of a specific object or situation. People who have phobias tend to have extensive imaginations, and realize that their fear is often irrational.

When a person suffers from a panic disorder, they will have extreme panic attacks, and may have dizziness or breathing problems. These attacks will typically reach their height in about 10 minutes.

Generalized anxiety disorders are common, and effect a much larger portion of the population. It is prevalent in both men and women, and is characterized by long periods of anxiety that are not related to any specific object or situation.

With obsessive compulsive disorder, the individual with have an obsession or compulsion when it comes to specific types of behavior. People who suffer from this disorder will see the need to do something obsessively in order to reduce their anxiety. Many people who have this disorder may feel the need to be extremely clean, and are afraid of germs. To reduce their anxiety, they will wash their hands numerous times in a single day.

There are two primary methods that are used to help those who are suffering from anxiety, and this is either therapy or prescription medications. If one is suffering from clinically diagnosed anxiety or panic disorders, these are the preferred forms of intervention of clinicians and doctors. Individuals should get consult a professional to get a diagnosis and uncover how serious their anxiety problems are.

There are also several other methodologies that are used by the general public to deal with anxiety. You should first read as much as you can about anxiety and panic disorders. Below you will find several resources that have been used by thousands of people around the world with good results. However, these should not be seen as replacements for professional diagnosis and treatment for serious cases of anxiety disorders and panic attacks.
Marcus M. Mottley, Ph.D.

Here are some Key Resources
The World’s #1 Anxiety & Panic Attack Program! Try this method… It has worked for thousands of people.

 

Here is another natural program that you may consider. Natural technique to Stop Panic attacks and end general anxiety in minutes. Watch This Short Presentation to See How 60,000+ People Learned to End Their Anxiety Problem Fast. Learn the simple technique that is taking America by storm.
Panic Away!

Information, Resources, Solution Focused Strategies

Panic Attacks

“It was a Godsend that I discovered your program just this past Friday night (luck). I had some panic attacks last November. The ‘theme’ was survival – everybody’s survival. During the panic attacks I thought the end of the world had come. It didn’t, and with therapy and some Valium at critical times I got back to ‘normal’ again, or so I thought.

Then, a couple of months ago, I started having some panic attacks again. I became consumed just by the fear of having another attack. I was concerned just trying to manage my crazy thoughts.  On my lunch break several weeks ago I had a crazy attack – fear I’d have a heart attack, this was my final moment, etc. I chomped down 2 Valiums, and left work early to go home and flop down on my bed.

The next week I caught a cold. This helped take me out of my head and into my body, albeit with a cold. I got over the cold, kept telling myself I was getting better in every way. Then last Friday night in bed I was ‘arguing with somebody’ in my head about something, and I felt a panic attack coming over me. I got out of bed quick, chomped 1/2 Valium, and turned on my computer to Google ‘panic attacks’ as I had done before. Somehow, I reached a site that linked to yours. I read the testimonials and ordered the program. Just reading it changed things for me! I thought I was through with attacks, but if another one came, I could deal with it.

Sunday night, the panic attacks started coming on. I diffused it just about immediately! I feel like a new man.

My appetite has returned. I notice things in my environment. I am optimistic again. My mind is no longer driving me crazy. I appreciate just being alive and this life I have been given. I can deal with whatever comes my way. And, I haven’t had a Valium since Friday’s panic attacks.”

******

“Whatever I did, it was always with me. I really suffered a lot. I tried several other methods and ways without any success, and then I read ‘Panic Away’. Of course I was a bit skeptical at first, because I tried whatever not. But still I decided to try it. I just can`t express how much this unique technique has helped me from the very beginning. It`s incredible really. The technique is very simple and maybe that`s why it is so effective. Very soon my panic attacks went away and my background anxiety decreased drastically. Now I am free from attacks and happy to come back to my previous self.  I can laugh again…and all this thanks to Joe and this brilliant method.”

*****What are these people talking about?  Go there now!

“I have suffered with panic attacks for 15 years and all the counseling, medication and books I have purchased within the 15 years just masked the fear, never eliminated it for good. But now…”

*****

“My worst panic attacks were happening in the car – always in the morning on the way to work at one particular place… But, thanks to the program… I am now free of those attacks.”

*****

Funny, you know, all the “medical professionals” that I been to over the years, alternate and mainstream, not one of them suggested your approach to the problem yet it is so simple!” “I cannot believe what an impact your program has made on my life.”

*****

“Over the last 5 years I had begun to have increasingly severe anxiety that I am going to faint. Not anymore!”

*****

“I have suffered with anxiety/panic attacks for over seven years off and on… After three days of reading Panic Away I could hardly believe I was beginning to feel better. After a month I went from having one anxiety attack every day to one in the last month”

What are these people talking about?  Come here now and find out!

 

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Food and Feelings

There is a lot of research that links the food we eat to our various feelings. In this case we are talking about both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ feelings. Most people are not concerned about any linkages between food and any good feelings that are triggered when we eat. We are all concerned about the ‘bad’ feelings! Food and feelings – both the good and the bad!

So what are some of those bad feelings? Guilt, shame, helplessness, anxiety, disappointment, confusion, loneliness, depression, sadness… all are implicated and linked to certain foods.

Karen Konig, author of The Food and Feelings Workbook, understands this issue. In her book she gives an extraordinary, powerful connection exists between feeling and feeding that, if damaged, may lead to one relying on food for emotional support, rather than seeking authentic happiness.

Here is an excerpt of what she says.

“Why won’t bad feelings simply go away?”

“The truth is, there’s actually no such thing as a “bad” feeling. By labeling a feeling negatively, what you mean is that it causes you to feel badly (that is, not pleasurably), or that experiencing it makes you feel as if you’re a bad person. Feelings are feelings, just as colors are colors and musical notes are musical notes (and food is food). Think of affects as clouds that have no intrinsic value; whether you welcome them or not is situation-dependent. A cloud blocks out the sun on a scorcher of a day in the middle of a ten-mile hike and you’re overjoyed for the respite. A cloud comes along while you’re sunbathing and you’re momentarily bummed out. How you feel about the clouds is relative, all in your perspective. The same is true of emotions.

If you’re wondering why feelings that generate discomfort-what you might call “bad” feelings-won’t go and stay away, that’s another question entirely and makes me wonder what you believe about emotions. If you believe you’re always supposed to feel good, then feeling bad is sure to upset your apple cart. You’re not supposed to feel good all the time; it’s simply not possible. You-we all-have a range of emotions that come and go and that’s the way life is supposed to work. If your colleague blames you for something that’s not your fault, you’ll probably feel misunderstood. If you’ve been ignoring your brother for months, you may feel ashamed or guilty; if your best friend steals your girlfriend, you’ll likely feel betrayed; if you didn’t get the job you thought was a shoo-in, there’s a good chance you’ll feel disappointed. In all of these instances, you’ll feel badly. But these feelings do eventually go away. Of course, the problem is that they’ll come back again in another circumstance because that’s the way the emotional ball bounces. We only brush away our feelings if we don’t understand their function and value their purpose-if we forget that they exist, for the most part, to instruct us.

This unique workbook on food and feelings takes on the seven emotions that plague problem eaters — guilt, shame, helplessness, anxiety, disappointment, confusion, and loneliness — and shows readers how to embrace and learn from their feelings. Written with honesty and humor, the food and feelings book explains how to identify and label a specific emotion, the function of that emotion, and why the emotion drives food and eating problems.

Each chapter of The Food and Feelings Workbook has two sets of exercises: experiential exercises that relate to emotions and eating, and questionnaires that provoke thinking about and understanding feelings and their purpose. Supplemental pages help readers identify emotions and chart emotional development.

The final part of the Food and Feelings Workbook focuses on strategies for disconnecting feeling from food, discovering emotional triggers, and using one’s feelings to get what one wants out of life.

       

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Natural Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety is a state of intense fear, uncertainty, uneasiness, or apprehension due to anticipation of an imagined or real threatening future event. Anxiety can be both physically and psychologically devastating to the Anxiety sufferer’s life. Anxiety is often sub-categorized according to the focus of the perceived threat. There is social anxiety, separation anxiety, dating anxiety, performance anxiety, math anxiety, etc. Stress and anxiety often go hand in hand and can result in anxiety depression as the individual feels powerless to receive any anxiety help.

There are a variety of natural anxiety treatment to consider in overcoming anxiety. For some, anxiety medications can give relief. Other’s prefer not to use any of the anti-anxiety drugs and opt for more natural cures for anxiety management. These may include herbs for anxiety, acupuncture anxiety treatments, anxiety vitamins, aromatherapy for anxiety relief, even hypnosis has has proved beneficial overcoming anxiety.

This article discusses the perhaps little known amino acid L-Theanine as a natural remedy for anxiety relief.

L-Theanine is a unique free form amino acid found only in the tea plant and in the mushrooms Xerocomus badius and certain species of genus Camellia, C. japonica and C. sasanqua. Often drinkers of green tea report a feeling of calmness they feel after ingesting a cup or two even though green tea has roughly half the caffeine of coffee. This is due to the high L-Theanine content.

In addition to reducing anxiety symptoms, studies have shown L-Theanine may be effective in promoting concentration, supporting the immune system, improving learning performance, lowering blood pressure, increasing formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, and increasing brain dopamine levels among other positive benefits with no known downside.

Studies in cooperation with Taiyo Kagaku Co., The University of Shizuoka, and The Family Planning Institute of Japan have shown that women taking 200 mg L-Theanine daily have lower incidence of PMS symptoms. These symptoms include physical, mental, and social symptoms. Overall, a significant alleviation of PMS symptoms by L-Theanine was observed.

While still under investigation, L-Theanine appears to have a role in the formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA). GABA blocks release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, playing a key role in the relaxation effect.

Everyone knows the effects stress and anxiety can have on an individual’s physical state of well-being. Fascinating neurochemistry research has revealed that given a shot of GABA essentially turned back the clocks in the brains of older monkeys, whose brain function briefly operated at levels normally seen in monkeys less than half their age.

GABA, or gamma-amino butyric acid, is a neurotransmitter chemical that is essential for optimizing how brain cells transmit messages to each other and acts to put a damper on unwanted brain signaling activity. Although GABA’s age-related decline has not been documented in humans, a host of studies in mammals, including other primates, suggests that a similar process is at work in people.

Monkeys ages 26 and 32 — considered old age for monkeys — that got GABA directly delivered to their neurons responded to visual patterns, such as flashing vertical and horizontal lines, in much the same way as monkeys aged 7 to 9 years old did.

Without GABA delivery, the monkeys’ aged brains had more difficulty firing neurons that specifically gauge various aspects of depth perception, motion and color. Instead, older monkeys have more random firings that make it difficult to observe visual nuances. In younger monkeys, GABA had no effect since their brains already had optimal GABA functioning.

L-Theanine is considered to be safe based on its historical use as a component of tea and on favorable toxicology studies. Tea is the most consumed beverage worldwide after water, and has been consumed for thousands of years by billions of people. It is estimated that a heavy tea drinker (6-8 cups daily) will consume between 200 to 400 mg of L-Theanine daily.

While dosage for depression and anxiety disorder remain individual, it is recommended to take 100 to 200 mg 1 to 3 times daily for anxiety relief. Based on the results of clinical studies, it has been established that L-Theanine is effective in single dosages in the range of 50-200 mg. It is suggested that subjects with higher levels of anxiety take a dose at the higher end of the effective range (100 – 200 mg) for overcoming anxiety.

[amazon_image id=”B0015DYJDA” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It[/amazon_image]

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Information

Depression and Sleep

Depression and sleep may be related!

If counting sheep is not working for you, here are some facts you may want to sleep on-chronic sleep deprivation can do more than make you tired. It can significantly affect your health, safety, performance, and lifestyle.

Most people are surprised to learn that sleeping less than six or seven hours a night can increase their mortality risk more than smoking, high blood pressure or heart disease. There is also some evidence that depression and sleep may be related!

Losing as little as one and a half hours of sleep for just one night could result in a reduction of daytime alertness by as much as 32 percent. This loss can impair memory and the ability to think and process information effectively.

Decreased alertness can also affect your life by limiting your participation in activities that require sustained attention, such as reading a book or watching your favorite TV show. And the risk of receiving an occupational injury more than doubles when a person is sleepy.

Car accidents are another problem. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates conservatively that each year drowsy driving is responsible for at least 100,000 automobiles crashed, 71,000 injuries and 1,550 fatalities.

As many as 70 million Americans have sleep disturbances-which include taking a long time to get to sleep, sleeping less and waking up frequently.

Sleep disturbances may in fact be a symptom of a much larger problem, especially if they are associated with irritability and mood swings. Emotional stress, racing thoughts and restlessness can be signs of something more serious, such as bipolar disorder. Yes… depression and sleep seems to be related in some ways.

“If someone is experiencing restlessness and irritability, along with sadness or emotional ups and downs for more than two weeks,” said Dr. Ellen Frank, professor of psychiatry and psychology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, “they should seek medical attention from a specialist who is trained to diagnose or perhaps just rule out depression or bipolar disorder.”

As a result of the relationship between depression and sleep, the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) has launched a new Web site which offers educational resources that provide screening for sleeplessness, information on when to see a doctor and a questionnaire to determine when sleeplessness might be symptomatic of a more serious illness.

[amazon_image id=”B000SIULP8″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn’t Teach You and Medication Can’t Give You[/amazon_image]

 

Information, Resources

Are You Depressed?

Are you depressed? Here is a critically important article from Hufinton today.  Anything that is within (brackets) are my additions or explanations. If you prefer, you can read it here in its original form. This is not only an article for those who are depressed, but for all of us who may experience moments of sadness, times of grief or just a ‘normal’ feeling of ‘being down’. So are you depressed?

 

Are You Depressed?

By Ira Is rael

Since the time of Hamlet — “But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two” — our culture has deemed that the bereavement period should last approximately two months. After that time, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, eight of the nine symptoms that characterize bereavement now characterize people who are depressed.

On my DVD “Mindfulness for Urban Depression,” I make a temporal distinction that helps me differentiate pain, grief, and depression: Pain is immediate and often overwhelming. It informs you that there is a precise situation that demands attention. For example, a broken nose or arm is painful because it needs to be addressed urgently.

Grief is the period of time it takes to process a loss, any loss, irrespective of whether it is your mother, your son, your job, your 401K, your home, your car keys, or your favorite pen — anything that is a part of your life is something that you may have to learn to live without.

And then I ponder the putative distinction(s) between grief and depression according to the DSM (Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This manual helps professionals diagnose people who are depressed).

For are we not continuously processing losses? Doesn’t change — and thus simply being alive, since everything is constantly changing — inherently imply loss? Lost hopes, lost dreams, lost aspirations, lost expectations, lost friendships, lost loved ones… (being depressed)!

So then, what exactly does it mean to be diagnosed with depression and why are there 100 million prescriptions for antidepressants written every year in America (and elsewhere in the world)?

(Read Ira’s book or watch the DVD now!)

I would like to explore the possibility that our scientific and capitalistic paradigm has an aversion to heightened emotions – crying, screaming, etc. – and doesn’t allow sufficient bereavement time because grieving can hinder productivity, busyness and business.

Babies cry because they are not getting their immediate needs met. (They are not depressed when they cry.) They cannot articulate which need isn’t being met — food, safety, cleanliness, or affection — and the situation requires a caretaker to interpret what the non-specific cry refers to. Adults need the same basic things as babies need to survive, but to thrive in our advanced society an adult also needs a sense of self, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, a sense of accomplishment, the space to process emotions, some means of attaining whatever peace of mind he or she can muster… and maybe a little sex, although I would argue that it is far easier to live without sex than it is to live without affection. Maslow adds “self-actualization” to the top his hierarchy of needs, but I feel that this ability to overcome and transcend oneself is problematic for spiritual reasons that I am not going to address here.

Let’s explore for a moment the possibility that the symptoms the DSM identifies as constituting depression are analogous to the non-specific crying of babies, that depression is a blunt tool people subconsciously learn to use in order to try to get their needs met. Crying does not solve the baby’s problem, but it does draw other people’s attention to the situation. Similarly, depression doesn’t solve any problems although there could be secondary gains such as avoiding work; viewed as a tool, depression is obviously maladaptive, but it does draw attention to a potentially problematic situation.

And when we interpret these situations, when we “read” the symptoms, we often find that the depressed person does not feel as if he or she has the space or time to process losses and disappointments, and/or he or she doesn’t have the loving and trustworthy connections that would facilitate the sympathy and empathy needed to work through the natural traumas of being alive and experiencing perpetual change.

I doubt you ever heard anyone say, “I feel completely lovable, and I feel loved, supported, and appreciated by my family, friends and colleagues, and I’m depressed.”

All of us will experience terrible traumas and tragedies. It is those of us with real community who will be able to process our resentments and negative emotions and move forward in a positive light (rather than being depressed).

I guess it comes as no surprise then when we learn of recent studies demonstrating that placebos, exercise, and meditation are more effective than antidepressants in the long run.

Which is a more empowering position, to believe that you have a certain gene or brain chemistry that causes a disease as defined by a book that changes every 15-20 years, or to analyze your way of being, your relationships, your needs and your tools for getting them met, and then make adjustments that bode more favorably for your overall well-being and happiness (rather than being depressed)?

(Read Ira’s book or watch the DVD now!)

If it will help you decide, just read Lisa Cosgrove and Sheldon Krimsky’s article from the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, wherein they state, “The revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders … has created a firestorm of controversy because of questions about undue pharmaceutical industry influence.”

It is clear that as a society we are tolerant of a relatively thin bandwidth of human emotions. Curing the supposed depression epidemic is not contingent upon altering brain chemistry with billions of dollars of pharmaceuticals. Treating this dis-ease would first entail reframing our cultural paradigm and changing our priorities to create the time and space needed for people to express and process a wider range of emotions. Secondly, it would entail teaching people skills for cultivating loving relationships and community so that they don’t feel alienated, isolated, and disconnected. Thirdly, it would entail providing people with healthy tools like meditation and yoga that are specifically designed to help cultivate personal equanimity, peace of mind, and ease.

So… are you depressed?

(Read Ira’s book or watch the DVD now!)

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