Lousy Day

Hello CM,   I'm sorry to see that the last few days have been a rough ride for you. It's good to see however that you are continuing to journal. The first 2 sessions address the physical and mental symptoms/behaviours and so it may be a good idea to review those again and revisit the homework that you have done.   Consider drinking some relaxing herbal teas during the day to help calm your nervous system and mental state. Gree tea, chamomile, lemonbalm are some great examples. This also means you should avoid any stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol.   Hope you have a better week this week.     Faryal, Health Educator

October

Hi Genejockey,   Glad to hear things went smoothly re:panic attacks during the competition. In a way that is quite a victory under circumstances that cause nervousness, anticipation and performance anxiety, and the pressure to do well. I'm sure this experience will take you a long way in conquering the panic in future situations.     Faryal, Health Educator

Another newbie!!

Hi Keeway,   It is important that you take care of yourself and develop strategies or obtain the right treatment for you in order to deal better with the anxiety. If that means you need some more time off work then that is what you need to consider. Do what is best for you and what you feel most comfortable with. However, keep the lines of communication open between yourself and your bosses. How did they react when you discussed your anxiety with them?   As Genejockey says, perhaps working even a few hours a week may help you by distracting you. But it sounds like you are not ready to go back. Please do work through the program and post often as this will also help you to feel more at ease.     Faryal, Health Educator

Lousy Day

Hi CM,   Hope you are not feeling as overwhelmed as you sounded on your last post. Although it is totally understandable to feel lousy given everything on your plate. Please do keep us posted on your ultrasound results............we are all keeping our fingers crossed that it is nothing serious.   Good luck on the other tests!     Faryal, Health Educator

No posts here?

Hi Genejockey,   Thanks for your post............no doubt it is encouraging and will provide hope for many who read it.   It's great to see that you feel you are on your way to conquering your panic attacks and that CBT has proven to be an effective method for you, along with other therapies you have used.   You mentioned that you have a presentation in November..........what is it about?  Best of luck with that and do let us know how you fare.     Faryal, Health Educator

Staying active and fit

Change Your Exercise Habits

Physical exercise is a very effective way to reduce your level of anxiety. Aerobic exercise (which is exercise that involves steady movement and the use of your lungs) will help you get a reasonable increase in heart rate. As well, controlling your breathing when you walk, jog, swim, or bike will help reduce anxiety.

Exercising at least 20 minutes a day, at least three times a week can significantly reduce your level of depression or anxiety. A 20-minute walk 3 times per week may be a great start. If you have trouble leaving your home set up a treadmill, or jumping rope may be a great idea. Once you start exercising, you’ll find that you have more energy. You may even rediscover how good you can feel when you’re active and fit.

Here are some activities that can get you going, and try to use a few that can fit into your daily routine.

•          Spend an hour playing with the kids
•          Get off the bus a few blocks from work and walk the rest of the way •          Walk the dog after dinner •          Participate in a casual sport such as bowling or join a walking group •          Take up gardening in your back yard or on your balcony •          Spend your coffee break outside in the fresh air •          Ride your bike to the store •          Catch up on all those household projects you've been putting off •          Walk to the park on your lunch hour •          Do some gentle stretches in the morning •          Take the stairs instead of the elevator

Being physically active makes you feel good, and it will improve your well-being and attitude towards life. Any type of physical activity will do... as long as you’re active each day. Be sure to choose simple exercises that you enjoy - active living doesn't have to be a chore.

Faryal - Health Educator

New Member

Hi Julie,   Where do you live? Is it possible for you to look into subsidized health programs or free clinics where you can work with a doctor or therapist? The feelings you describe seem fairly intense and it may be something for you to consider to seek a therapist or even some mild medication to help you through your anxiety.   You have been through a lot and I thank you for showing the courage to share your story and reaching out for support. Please post here as often as you need to. There is a lot of support and comfort offered here and as you work through the program you will learn a lot about yourself and how to manage some of the negative thought patterns you are experiencing.   Good luck,     Faryal, Health Educator

Pleasant Activities

Sample Pleasant Activities

According to some experts, depression is caused by a lack of pleasant activities. What are pleasant activities? Pleasant activities are simply things you like to do.

The basic idea is that when people are not depressed, their lives are made up of a wide variety of activities, some pleasant and positive, some unpleasant and negative, and some neutral. According to the theory, in order to feel better you need to have at least some positive activities in your life. Also, people stay depressed because they have at least the usual share of unpleasant activities but not enough pleasant activities. One of the solutions to overcoming depression is to try to schedule more positive and pleasant events in your life; this will help to get the balance between pleasant and unpleasant activities closer to what it is for people who aren’t depressed.

One of your most important jobs in this program is to take the risk of actually testing some of your predictions about what will happen if you try to do something pleasant. Because any experiment can go wrong, we’ll want you to repeat some experiments to see what happens each time. You don’t have to believe that you’ll enjoy the activity; you just have to be willing to try and see what happens. Think of yourself as a scientist who is performing experiments on your moods.

If you’re having some trouble coming up with some activities, here’s a list of some simple activities to get you started:

Going for a walk

Getting dressed up

Meeting someone new

Going to a concert

Having coffee with a friend

Going shopping for myself

Going to the beach

Playing golf

Climbing

Reading sacred books

Going to see a sports event

Faryal - Health Educator

Week-end Prep!

Hello Drielly,   Welcome to our support centre. You have reached a great place for advice, support and encouragement.   Please post as often as you need to and share your experiences and comments. The program will also help you to discover many things about yourself and is intended to help you work through some of the issues. It takes effort but is definitely worthwhile.   Good luck and keep us posted!     Faryal, Health Educator

Medication Woes

Hello Kittcat,   Thank you for the update - it's so great to see that you are doing better on a lower dose as needed and that your anxiety seems to be under control. Way to go on your progress through the sessions. Hopefully you have found them to be useful and effective.   As for your husband's new job, will he be able to come home for weekends and holidays? Hopefully you can still see each other often until you make the move. You have a great attitude about the challenge ahead and this will be an opportunity for you to really work on just YOU.   Take it one day at a time and post often.     Faryal, Health Educator