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 .*.*.*

REALLY STRESSED???

STOP watching and reading the News for one week!

Life gets us down without much help, so, why do we bombard ourselves with even more problems? What on earth can be done about things that have hit the local news? More often than not.... NOTHING! However, it is absolutely fantastic at making us feel even worse than before! So, I dare you to turn off the television / or / at least change the channel when the news services come on and watch something thrilling to you! I mean to say, we can't even watch the local weather report without El Nino rearing it's ugly head...! Watch what makes your heart sing - a corny line, BUT, an honest one that will serve you very well...!

Tell those who say "you have to face facts" to sing a different tune because you already have! WHY, (if we are facing facts) don't we get news on ALL THE GOOD STUFF that is out there? Why don't we hear about Joe Bloggs down the street who just won millions of dollars, came across a new invention, little Joey who took his first steps? Because apparently the news has decided on our behalf that we want to hear the gruesome details of a one in a million case!!! BUT, we think it is a regular occurrence because these stories are in the news every single night. Well, don't forget, they scour the GLOBE with a fine tooth comb to get you these "common stories"!

Let's get back to basics.... IF IT FEELS GOOD......DO IT... IF IT FEELS BAD.......DON'T DO IT...!

Short but sweet today, oh so very sweet!

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 .*.*.*