Acclimatise to EVERY Environment

Ever gone shopping, lunch / coffee with friends, to the movies, work, ANY outside activity can lead you to sit and worry and fret over nothing in particular. It is just the “thought” of engaging in any activity can send us into emotional-shock!!!

It could be anything to get your nerves on edge from the lighting, the noise of all of the hustle & bustle in the shops, sitting in a quiet room watching a movie, concentrating on your job. Whatever it is that pushes your buttons, I advise you do the following:

Get wherever you are wanting to go earlier than scheduled, what you are wanting to do is ACCLIMATISE to your environment. Because it only takes 10-15 minutes to go from fear to calm.

Going to the shops? Go there earlier, take some time, sit in your car or walk to the toilets, practice your BREATHING (In The Beginning (May ‘08) and Out & About (June ‘08)) if you feel yourself getting light-headed. Practice the TAPPING as previously discussed (Tap Away Your Troubles (June ’08)), or simply sit (yes, in the toilets) and get back your balance! Also, the diversion-tactic as discussed this month under “Out & About (June ’08)”.

If you have an iPod, take it with you wherever you go, keep the music, or audio-book (my personal favourite) on it that makes you feel good and listen to that! – Depressed / Nervous??? Mix It Up… (June ’08).

You could also head straight for a coffee shop, grab a water (Nutrition Matters (June ’08)), perhaps tea, whatever works for you and sit and drink and relax. You could even take a favourite magazine to flick through to keep your mind occupied!

OR – You could very well just dread the thought of doing any of this, if this is the case and WHEN you get the urge to want to go and do something (shopping, lunch, etc), go and do it, BUT, when you do this, I would like for you to KNOW that you have the option at ANY TIME to leave! When you do, DON’T criticise yourself for having done so, you are wanting to CONGRATULATE yourself for having tried it at all!!! Bleed those good feelings of what it felt like to take that first step, you are TRULY AMAZING, you will know within yourself that when the time is right to take that next step, you will and you will again come through it with flying colours!!! (I am speaking from experience)! If you are still having troubles, read about my section on Journaling – A Must Read (June ’08), and you will get there! Don’t keep checking the time-frame, your best time-frame is your emotions!!!

It takes EVERYONE a certain amount of time to acclimatise to their environment, so, PLEASE, be easy upon yourself and KNOW that you are not alone in this (ALL OF THIS), there are plenty in the same boat as you!

LOVE TO YOU

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

MEDICATION & PANIC / ANXIETY / STRESS OR DEPRESSION

Many of you reading this are taking some form of medication to combat the negative thoughts whether it be through panic or depression, or both! I want to make one thing totally clear for anyone here, there is nothing wrong with taking the medication. I personally believe we are at different stages in our lives regarding panic / depression and I also believe that it is a tool for helping us getting back our equilibrium! NEVER worry about another's views on this topic, you go by what your own gut-instinct tells you and not the one that pipes up after you've had fifty different discussions with yourself on the matter!

"You are where you are and that is OK"! Esther Hicks / Abraham

Being ok with who you are and what you choose to do / take is a release for most of you given you can form a habit of listening to other uneducated peoples opinions on what you "should" be doing. The ONLY person who knows best for you is YOU!

The point I want to make here is this, take the pills if you believe it is what works for you, in time you may very well discover you want to ease off of them or eliminate them alltogether!

I did (to begin with) take medication back when I was 16 years old. I did fight the need to ingest anything to what I considered to be foreign into my body which was one of my biggest fears to begin with (not having total control), I also refused to take it (which is what resulted in my 16 year long and expensive research into overcoming panic & depression), BUT, I do NOT advise those of you who are doing well on anything that works for you to just quit, especially without your physicians help! I knew what I wanted and it worked for me, so, should you try to go against what makes you feel good, you will not get the final results that I did which is to be free of anxiety, depression & panic!

Sure, there are the "old-school" people who don't believe you should take anything that comes in the form of a tablet or take advice from a book, you will also discover those same people are stuck in their old ways, refuse to accept change or even refuse to believe that what you endure day in day out as a panic attack or depression even exists! I also know their lives would be a far cry from enviable. Live & Let Live, they are who they are and so are you which is someone pretty remarkable!!!

P.S. Did you know studies have proved those with higher IQ's usually are the ones who suffer from Panic Attacks, etc. Too smart for our own good:)

So, feel for those who don't have a problem in the world;) hehehe

LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

INSECURE???

One thing I found that troubled me over the 16 years I had panic & depression was I gave too much thought to what others opinions were of me and what they might think of me as a person! Things such as “if they really knew me for what I am like, they would not like me” or “I am too ugly, or fat, or stupid” or just simply “they don’t like me because I’m different”, etc. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but, simply put… WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT.

Sure, there are those out there willing to tell you otherwise, however, they would be the ones so insecure they are still to this day making up stories on how wonderful they truly are! If these people are so wonderful, they wouldn’t be spending so much time trying to convince you of it! The fact is, they are searching for compliments everywhere they go because they need CONFIRMATION that they are infact worthy!

CONFIDENT PEOPLE NEVER NEED TO CUT YOU (OR ANYONE ELSE DOWN) IN ORDER TO FEEL GOOD. It is the insecure people who do this to TRY to boost their self-worth, BUT, it is backwards, it NEVER works. I know, the first thing you want to do is give them a good tongue-lashing back, however, this does not really make you the victor either!!! NO-ONE knows what someone else is going through in their private lives, if you knew, perhaps you would be more sympathetic and learn to ignore them because they are looking to boost their self-worth by treading on you or for some sort of fight! When you come across someone like this, just sit and think for a moment, WHY are they like that, WHAT has made them be like this, and feel for them because they are in much more pain emotionally than you could ever imagine!

Don’t ever again look at someone conceited or “out there” in their personality and get jealous or feel sub-standard around them because they are coming from the exact same place you are, only over-compensating for their insecurities. Truly, you need to be sympathetic (in your own mind, not always verbally toward them), know in yourself that they are just as scared as you as to knowing their own abilities. I don’t care if it is about looks, skills, ability, knowledge, career, parenting, WHATEVER it is that someone is trying to point out to you to get you to feel bad, it is their own insecurities doing this!!! PLEASE KNOW THIS…. The people who really do have it all-together, WOULD NOT EVER, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS GLOAT OR TRY TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT THEIR SUCCESSES OR TRIUMPHS. THEIR INTENTION WOULD NEVER BE TO MAKE YOU FEEL BAD! IT IS THE CONFIDENT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE WHO CASUALLY GO ABOUT THEIR DAY AND…………… “LIVE AND LET LIVE” IS THEIR MOTTO!"

When you have a GREAT DAY, have you ever seriously tried to hurt someone on any level??? Think about it!

As Esther Hicks - aka Abraham would say "You have to NOT give a RIP about what anyone else thinks!!!"

LOTS OF LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

JOURNALING - A MUST READ!!!

I strongly suggest you start your own journal. TWO in fact!

Get yourself a couple of A4 Note Books.

1. Is for HAPPY THOUGHTS - I will explain below
2. Is for WORRYSOME THOUGHTS - Again, read below to find out more :)

Ok, you have your note books, now, what to do...

1. HAPPY THOUGHTS - I want you every day when you are feeling your best and ONLY when you are feeling your best (if you don't feel like it on one day, don't do it, it is not supposed to be a chore), write down EVERYTHING that you want. Every feeling you want to feel, every thing you want material-wise (car, clothing, shoes, money, etc), the type of person you would like to be (happier, healthier, fun, loving, etc), the type of partner you want OR what you want out of your current partner. ALSO, what already makes you feel good when you think of it! Write EVERYTHING THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT and really milk it for all it is worth, all of the good feelings you can conjure-up, the better it will be for you. Nothing is off-limits here! What you are wanting to do with this exercise is to CHANGE THE MOMENTUM of your life experience and get your mind focusing onto things that make you feel good! In time (not so far in time either), you will find you automatically gravitate towards these things instead of away from them, this is what will WEAKEN YOUR NERVOUS / DEPRESSIVE / ANXIOUS THOUGHTS, YOU ARE LITERALLY DILUTING YOUR NEGATIVE THOUGHT-PATTERN! ADD PICTURES of things you want from items to happy people, etc. Once you do this, every night before you go to bed and every morning when you awaken, I want you to read this book and FEEL GOOD about everything you have written!
2. WORRYING THOUGHTS - DO NOT DWELL UPON THIS FOR MORE THAN 15 MINUTES EACH DAY - Set a timer and stop when the timer goes off. Also, if you don't feel like doing it DON'T! ONLY do this when you are worrying about something in particular, never over-indulge yourself in this book! What you do is this: Whenever you feel yourself worrying, allocate 15 minutes to writing as much stuff as you can that is troubling you, everything that you can think of, get it all out in the open. In time, or straight-away, you will feel a super-strong urge to cry! This is very Cathartic / Healing for you. I suggest you CRY and LET IT ALL OUT! What you will find is that when you do this, you RELEASE all of that built-up tension inside of you because over time, you have bottled these emotions up and created a pressure-cooker that is ready to explode. The more things you can LET-GO of, the quicker you can MOVE FORWARD and back into the GOOD STUFF :) You may also find that things crop-up out of what seems to be nowhere when you do this. I think of it like clearing out an old cupboard, the further into it you get, the more things you forgot were laying around, but, you don't dwell on it, just acknowledge it was there, be grateful for these thoughts (whatever they are) and then, clear them out also. You will be amazed at your own abilities when you get into this!

NO NEED TO PURCHASE PRODUCTS

HEY THERE

I just wanted to quickly inform you all that my posts do NOT require you to purchase a book / cd or the latest anything in order to succeed.

I do in fact have a few adverts here for you if you like (perhaps want more clarity on a given topic, etc), HOWEVER, this is only the work I have personally purchased over the last 16 years and found useful. Having said all of this, I will be giving you (hopefully on a daily basis) ALL of the tips & tricks I have come across (also friends & family's tips) over time that worked for me! I have tried pretty much everything there is to offer out there in regards to my personal well-being from Aromatherapy, Massage (I am also a massage therapist out of all of this), Kinesiology, Accupressure, TFT, Meditation, Reiki, to possibly every book written on the subject. I would love to help someone SAVE $$$$'s and get to freeing up your life for all of the FUN THINGS ahead of you:)

One more thing: Should ANYONE feel like they have a question in regards to this topic that they have NOT found an answer for, PLEASE CONTACT ME and I will do my best to assist you with the best of my knowledge:)

Much Love

*.*.*. Joy .*.*.*

OUT & ABOUT

GOOD MORNING

Today I am going to discuss what to do when you're OUT & ABOUT and have a Panic Attack (P.A.)...

First of all, you want to keep a check on correct breathing, what I mean by this is, when we get anxious, there is a tendency to breathe in too much oxygen too quickly which CAUSES the dizzy-spells, numbness and that swooning feeling. There are a couple of ways on dealing with this, depending upon where you are at at the time. They are:

1 - If you are in full swing of a P.A., I suggest you go somewhere quiet (toilet is usually the best when out) and, instead of the old paper bag trick, you simply use your hands, cup them over your nose & mouth & breathe until you feel yourself starting to re-align again. This will help balance-out the over-oxygenated feeling & sensations. Time will vary on severity of symptoms.

TIP: TRY to go about your day by breathing through your nose whenever possible (preferably all day), this will help to eliminate getting too much oxygen in and keep you calm throughout your day :)

2 - Try to avoid caffeine where possible, this is a STIMULANT and will more than likely exacerbate these symptoms.

3 - Smoking is another one, BUT, only if you are ready to quit. I found that quitting was more stressful than the actual habit at the time!

4 - If you are at the point of feeling a P.A. coming on, DIVERT YOUR ATTENTION. This was a great tip told to me by a friend. When out, start to look at objects and name them, name the colour and then the number. For example: Lamp, Yellow, 1 - Desk, Brown, 2 - Chair, Grey, 3 - Plant, Green, 4, etc, etc, etc. What this will do is begin to disengage old thought patterns and begin new ones :)

Once you have the severity of the symptoms under control. THEN is when I suggest you concentrate on your breathing as mentioned previously:)

LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*

IN THE BEGINNING

HEY THERE

This is for ANYONE who has experienced / experiencing or knows someone who is going through any trouble with PANIC / ANXIETY & DEPRESSION. For ANYONE looking for ANOTHER WAY... :) HERE'S MY WAY...

First of all, I would like to give you an insight into what I have experienced before I get into my tried & true practices. BUT, should you already be experiencing a Panic / Anxiety Attack, I suggest you go straight to the coloured-text where I have started listing my remedies!

Love
Joy

I had experienced all of these not-so wonderful feelings for the past 16 years. I can go into detail, however, those of you reading this know that there is no fix in doing so (going over the past that is). Reading about others problems does not always help, more to the point, it can (and did for me) hinder. UNLESS there is a MORAL VICTORY to the story (wouldn't THAT be nice), but, usually not! Most stories are filled with fear, regret, blame and shame, NONE of which need to be:) This is where I come in...

I have most recently discovered Blogging and have been wanting to share (and discuss openly here with YOU should you wish) some of my stories about how to overcome the overwhelming fear associated with Panic / Anxiety Attacks!!!

Fed-Up with "professionals" having varying opinions on what they THINK should be done about treating Panic / Anxiety Attacks. When questioning them about their 'theories', only to be told "well, this is how it is done, I know because I STUDIED it for years"... I don't know about you, however, their study habits didn't give me much comfort in my ability to recover! THEN to top it all off, watching the local 'professional' drive-off in the latest model Mercedes knowing there aren't THAT many people in this area code with the same problem, so, unless they keep getting REPEAT CUSTOMERS on a regular basis, this piece of machinery wouldn't exist in their experience...! What I wanted was to come across a method that had been used successfully AND what had already worked for others. So, without making you read much more, I am wanting to get right down to the business side on what I did that WORKED for myself and others:)

# 1 - First of all, I highly recommend you begin to meditate (morning / evening - or - both. Preferably first thing after you awake in the morning, or, just before you go to sleep). I am NOT talking about going on a 2 year bender where you're stuck ontop of a hill in some dark cave trying to find enlightenment! What I AM talking about is, taking 15 minutes ONLY *perhaps more if it feels good at the time, however, ONLY if it feels good to do so, if not, 15 minutes is sufficient for anyone!

This does not have to involve outsourcing a Guru either, 'nor does it involve having to purchase a "recommended" cd / book on the subject. These can be of assistance if you have trouble concentrating / letting go of old thought patterns, however, ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS:

(Set a timer for 15 minutes, NOTE: DO NOT HAVE THE TIMER NEXT TO YOU IF IT IS LOUD, PLACE IT IN A DIFFERENT ROOM / WRAP IT IN A TOWEL, WHATEVER WILL MASK THE NOISE A BIT IF YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE VOLUME, BECAUSE IT WILL SCARE YOU IF YOU ARE NEAR A LOUD TIMER WHILST IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEDITATION).

Wear comfortable clothes (nothing restrictive).

• Sit in an upright position (legs folded, crossed, straight out, whatever FEELS BEST to you...!



• Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing (preferably through your nose if possible). What this does is quiets the mind (it will never be completely quiet, however, it reduces this dramatically), each time you feel your mind wandering to unwanted thoughts, gently accept that this will happen and let them GO / release the thought and continue to concentrate on your breathing. As you do this for a period of time, you may very well come up with your own way of going about it, for instance, picturing a beautiful scenery that makes you feel comfortable, perhaps planning how your day will unfold mentally, ANYTHING that makes you FEEL GOOD when you are thinking it is great for that 15 minutes!

# 2 - TENSION IN YOUR NECK / HEADACHES??? Buy some Lavender Oil (pure essential oil works best and is the ONLY essential oil that can be applied directly onto the skins surface), this works wonders, when you feel the tension coming on (or already upon you), get the Lavender Oil and put a dab onto your finger and put a bit behind each ear and at the base of your hairline / neck region and onto your temples. This helps alleviate the stress / tension you are putting in this area. You will also notice that you keep your shoulders tense, so, throughout your day, make a conscious effort to relax your shoulders, you will notice the drop immediately. This can also help prevent tension-related headaches, etc. ALSO, check your jaw, this is another HUGE tension area which creates headaches, etc. Make sure you relax your jaw and lightly touch the back of your top teeth with your tongue, this will keep the jaw muscles relaxed!


TIP: I recommend (when in a work environment and you don't want anyone to know you have Panic / Anxiety Attacks), you purchase a little bottle called "Migra-Stick" (it is a tiny bottle (approx. size of a lip-balm) which has essential oils in it with a ball on the end which allows easy application wherever you are), this is for Migraines, tell people who ask why you are using it, or, what the smell is, that you feel a Migraine coming on. This eliminates any need for further discussion and I have found people will leave it at that. Use it INSTEAD of the Lavender Oil, it has Peppermint & Lavender in it which will alleviate the stress-symptoms!

This can be purchased at most pharmacies, supermarkets, etc. However, I will put a link to the site up here just incase you have difficulties finding any.

The link is on the Top Right Hand side of this page under "MigraStick".

# 3 - When PRESSURE / TENSION IN YOUR CHEST: Buy SODA WATER. I have found where I am Schweppe's Soda Water is the best. BUT, all you need to do is find a Soda-Water that has a small-bubble content. Hard to describe, however, not like a Soda-Stream will make, you want one that gives tiny bubbles (most purchased Soda-Water is like this anyway). When you drink the soda-water, it helps to release the gas you have caught in your diaphragm which causes the tension. A great way to reduce this! Also, women, make sure your bra is not too-tight, as this will keep that knot in your chest and for both men & women, make sure that your clothing is not too-restrictive!!!

# 4 - BREATHE...! Perhaps this should be at #1, however, it's here and it's IMPORTANT... The deeper you can breathe (into your stomach), the better...!

TIP: When in the midst of a Panic Attack, count your breaths. Inhale through your nose slowly, counting the seconds it takes UNTIL you have reached the COMFORTABLE limit of inhalation, hold it for a few seconds, then, RELEASE SLOWLY THROUGH YOUR MOUTH - NO need to count with the exhalation...! The longer the seconds for inhaling, the better & stronger your breathing is becoming, this WILL HAPPEN AND this WILL help for current and future events, especially for eliminating Panic / Anxiety Attacks in the future! The better you can breathe, the more stable you will feel... :) It is the RELAXED DEEP BREATHS that come with time that will keep you FEELING RELAXED...!

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO THIS SITE (BELOW), I HAVE MANY MANY MORE TIPS USED BY MYSELF AND OTHERS FOR YOU AND AM ALSO LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR STORIES / QUESTIONS & SUCCESSES :)

LOVE

*.*.*. JOY .*.*.*