Living with an Anxiety Disorder
The Body's Response to Stress By now, everyone has heard of the body's fight or flight response. This is a normal response to STRESS. The body releases stress hormones to get itself ready to deal with the perceived threat. These hormones energize the body, elevate the heart rate and TIGHTEN THE MUSCLES, in addition to… Continue reading Anxiety is a Pain in the Neck!
Exercise Reduces Anxiety One of the natural ways to reduce anxiety, is exercise. In my twenties, I exercised A LOT. I went to a gym twice a day and was in great shape. Is it a coincidence that during that time, I barely had ANY panic attacks? I think not. I know that exercise will… Continue reading Exercising for Anxiety
Anxiety disorders come in different shapes and sizes: Panic Disorder: extreme fear, or terror, at a random place and time. You might feel a racing heart and shortness of breath. Social Anxiety Disorder: extreme anxiety in social situations. You might feel very self-conscious and fixate on others judging you. Specific phobias: You have an extreme fear of something… Continue reading Binge-Drinking
On May 21, 2011, I had been on medication for 4 months. I woke up fine that day. It was literally the first day I had slept through the night, since THE panic attack and the first day I had woken up without trembling, or a nervous stomach, in about 7 months. Just one week… Continue reading Soaring at Epcot
When I was younger, I expected to be married before my 23rd birthday. I was devastated when at 24, I was STILL SINGLE! I didn't even meet my husband until I was 27! I always expected to have children. When my first pregnancy ended in a miscarriage, I was overcome with sadness and an unexplainable emptiness. I never… Continue reading Giving Up!
Are there certain things you hate to do, like cleaning the bathrooms? Laundry? Cooking? Mowing the Lawn? Washing Cars? Life is full of tasks you "have" to do that you hate to do. When I have to do something I really don't want to do, I tend to obsess about it, get upset, stress and then do nothing! If you have high anxiety or… Continue reading Do More of What You LOVE
Growing up, I vaguely remember hearing my grandmother talking on the phone about other family members. It seemed everyone had "una enfermedad de los nervios". Translation: a condition that affected the nervous system (anxiety). Also, growing up, I heard stories about how wonderful the old pre-Castro Cuba was. It seemed Cubans were always having a… Continue reading My Theory on Cubans and Anxiety
This post is not about MY anxiety over my kids going back to school. I have absolutely NO anxiety about that! I can't wait, actually! This post is about the kids who might be suffering from anxiety or some other mental disorder themselves and how they might feel going back to school. So many children these days… Continue reading Back to School Anxiety
When someone has Agoraphobia, the fears are somewhat irrational. Knowing that, doesn’t change the fear. If someone would say “you have nothing to be afraid of”, I would think “NO SHIT!” I knew there was nothing to be afraid of, but it didn’t matter. There is no “off” switch. The sensations are just there. One… Continue reading Short Stories – Walgreens
One thing I've learned is that routine is important. If I wake up without a plan, or daily routine, I overthink everything and then do nothing! There were a few years where my routine was wake up late, get the kids ready, take them to school, rush home, get myself ready and rush to work.… Continue reading Tips: Morning Routine (years later)
