Anxiety Road Podcast

There are thinking people on the planet and that gives me some hope. I recently learned about turning a pot pie upside down on a plate or bowl.  This is some genius level thinking that I aspire, to but will never have it the way I want it.    Because the gravy part will seep down to the back of the lid or the top of the pot pie. Then, depending on how fast or slow you eat it, you got gravy and a c...

This is just a quick pebble in the road about what happens to your brain if you drink booze to chill out or control your symptoms. Just a head's up, I did complete the longer version of the Serotonin episode. Has a bit more details and more context.

Well, I did manage to get it down from 20 minutes to about 12 minutes. Essentially the same but with more about specific foods you can eat, more resources and just a touch less snark. Resources Mentioned:  San Diego Union Tribune article about men ignoring their mental health issues .   The Dana Foundation is a non-profit that provides information about the brain and brain health for kids and adul...

I was reading an article that said I should eat pineapple to increase my serotonin level.   I also seen other articles about kiwis, avocados and other foods.   In those articles you might find something about serotonin ability to calm you down.    Or to help with anxiety. Or depression.   This one got me a little twitchy. Because the article mentioned the pineapple should be inside of a sugar cake...

This episode was inspired by my real life experiences. Of which I have a bunch of them.  So, so many of them. One of the things that I've learned it to not to be dragged down into a spiral.   I still have negative thoughts but I don't have to hug and kiss up on them. 97.4% of the time, it is just a thought. It isn't a measurement of my worth.    I am still in the remembering that thinking error ar...

Grounding is a way to help you calm down. To get a grip on whatever caused your symptoms flare up. Meditation beads could be a way for you to have a tactile or touch means of centering yourself.   You can use it to remember an affirmation, incorporate it into your breathing practice, or to remember that you are not defined by a random thought. You are a person in the here and now.   There are all...

In this week's episode is a look at some of the reasons why we need to look at taking medication. What is the reason? Number one has to be symptom management and control.  Them SOB's have made me do things I'd never thought I'd do. Pour water on my head in a parking lot? Yep. And don't think that won't get folks attention. It will.    Being clear about taking or not taking medication is a process...

This is the sixth year of the podcast. Nothing like I envisioned it would be. The podcast was inspired by a lot of things.   Many years ago, I went searching for a podcast to help me understand what was going on. I found one but the gentleman was ending the show because the anxiety of creating and producing was too much for him.   I found others that were created by doctors using medical language...

I'm still in vacation mode until September. One of the things I hoped I've emphasized in the podcast is that you should have a medical evaluation and diagnosis from a health care professional.   The symptoms for anxiety are very similar to other physical health conditions. Having a medical examination would help to take some of the load off your shoulders.    That is the topic of the show. If you...

An iceberg belief is a self-limited thought. And one of the strange things about it is that some of those self-limiting thoughts can come from your family, broadcast and social media or your culture. Anxiety and anxiety symptoms can amp up or bring to the surface some of those embedded thoughts.   Those thoughts can pop up as you watch a video. A car racing down the street. A song that brings up a...

Still in vacation mode but have plenty to talk about. Part of today's episode deals with digital and health literacy. Well, truthfully I try to sneak it in whenever I can.    Digital Literacy is "is the ability to use information and communication technologies to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information, requiring both cognitive and technical skills."   Health Literacy is "the degree to...

So many people do not accept that athletes and entertainers are real people with issues. Being an athlete or rich person does not exempt you from being human.   You have to deal with like depression, anxiety or being an introvert being in the public realm. Broke or rich, having an anxiety disorder is rough.   Depression is also no joke. But both are treatable.    And I truly want to do an episode...

In this episode, a quick look at what is self-calming and self-medication.   Words are tricky . In this context, I'm speaking about a psychological concept of self-medication to seek relief from emotional or mental health symptoms.   There is another meaning of the term about the necessity of self-treatment when you do not have access or can't afford healthcare services. That isn't the topic of th...

The short answer is no. It is a medical condition. It can be treated 99.5 times out of a 100.  But many people do not know that they have an anxiety disorder or seek treatment. Some of the reasons for this is what they are being told in certain houses of faith.    The good news is that is slowly changing. More faith based institutions are working with mental health professionals. There are practit...

Medication is one, but not the only treatment option when it comes to anxiety. In this episode, a description of what Benzodiazepines Medication are, some of the names and resources to check out.    In housekeeping news, thank you all that have stuck with me. I found out that the new software and microphone I was using  had a distortion.    I couldn't hear it on my side but I was checking an episo...

They say it is Mental Health Awareness Month 2021. It is also National Barbeque Month, and so many more affinity items and groups.  It is the things that we pay attention to that can define us. Or not.   There is a New York Times article about research being conducted about talk therapy and MDMA for sever PTSD cases. Much more testing need to occur but it seems promising.    There will folks that...

In the episode, I mentioned that your symptoms are not the enemy. They ain't your friend either. Symptoms are a way for your brain and body to communicate with you. Your symptoms do not use words. They do not do that noun conjunction verb.  They are good at telling you there is a problem. They are lousy at telling you why there is a problem. They try. They really do.    Like if you really don't li...

If your symptoms or your condition plays havoc with your ability to function you have a problem.   It does help to know. Truth is, It doesn't matter how it got started.   How you are going to handle it or get it treated is your decision. In this episode, a look at some but not all of the causes of an anxiety disorder.    Knowing what you have can take the stink out of it.    Just a heads up, there...

I truly don't know what to say. There needs to be some healing infusions and I don't have any.   But I can say many of us are trying not to be overwhelmed or discouraged by hate based carbon units.   It is hard.  But we can do it. Are ancestors taught us that and we have to hold on waiting for our time to make changes.   Not to wait on them. Make them. In this episode, a few words about why the po...

I had wanted to do a show about writing anxiety.  Then I got hit with a wave of brain fog. Pea soup thick. Three full days of trying to think around and over it.  No can do. I can find items for the show. I knew what I wanted to talk about. I just couldn't put the words together.  So this is a pebble in the road with a book recommendation. Dr. Brewer has self-declared he was a traveler on the road...

I generally don't talk about famous people unless they self-declare their illness or there is a compelling reason. Not in a million years did I think that I would have something to say about Ernest Hemingway.  I knew he was a writer. I knew that he seem to love adventure and liked the ladies both within and outside of the bonds of matrimony. And that he was thought of as a manly man.    So when I...

You can find ways to deal with your symptoms. For some of us, there is medication. It isn't for everybody. Or you may choose to use a coping skill or relaxation technique. it isn't for everybody.    What is important to know is that you have choices on how you want to handle your symptoms.    In this episode, a look at some of my process and a few resources to check and hopefully use to make yours...

One of the great things about WandaVision is that there was a shared communal place for joy, life and grief. Now the comic book nerd in me is huffing and puffing about conflating three different story arcs in the series. I normally don't like it but WandaVision gets a special dispensation for just how well it can be done.   This episode is about grief. Anxiety can be a dance partner with it or mak...

So, I'm going to lay out a more realistic approach or tips to help folks deciding to walk out the door. I got my sources. I got some real-life experience and not much more than that.  There are folks on Twitter who are struggling on how to make the right decision for them. As it often happens, there are jerk faces who will pop in and state that you gotta man-up and stop being what they perceive to...

There is a lot going on. People are going to need to start thinking about re-entry into their world.    Those those of us that have anxiety conditions and disorders that can be ruff. What you want to do might conflict with what you are able to do.   If you've been on long term lockdown, your brain might put up a fuss about being outside.   I speak from experience. I'm zero for three on it. I did i...