Worrisome Times

We are going through difficult times. If the economy and climate change aren’t enough to cope
with we now have Swine flu. This is what is the hot topic on the news right now. For anxious people
 and those who tend to worry there is no dearth of topics to be worried about.  For people
who are struggling to cope with the a job loss, the loss of a home, financial problems, the effects
of severe weather patterns or working more for less pay, stress, anxiety and depression can add to the challenges.

It has become more important than ever to find ways to reduce stress and anxiety that are
engaging enough to practice with regularity.  I hope the following links will proved useful to this
end.

1.      www.adaa.org/GettingHelp/newsletter/2009/WhatMeWorry.asp
 (written by me)

2.  www.mentallion.com
     Music for healing for emotional and physical pain.

3.  www.healthyplace.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=78catid=7
     Anxiety related short videos that discuss a problem and present a treatment option.

4.  www.freedomfromfear.org
     May is designated as Mental Health Month; May 3-9 is National Anxiety and Depression
     Awareness Week.

5.  www.ffcmh.org
     May 3-9 is also Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. This site belongs to the
     Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health.

Sudoko for Anxiety?

According to an article in Dr. Andrew Weil’s newsletter “Self-Healing” crossword puzzles and
sudoko may help anxiety sufferers manage their symptoms. It states that a Berkeley psychologist
who led the study found that anxious people perform as well as others when they need to concentrate
on a task since blood flow is increased in the executive part of the brain that relates
to thinking and planning.  He also found that anxious people have difficulty with memory and focus
when the tasks are too easy.  This goes along with the idea that “an idle mind is the devil’s
workshop.”

Book Recommendation

Dr. Reid Wilson (www.anxieties.com) has written several interesting and helpful books for people
who suffer from panic, phobias, social anxiety and OCD. His “Don’t Panic” has now come out in its
third edition. This book includes some of his more recent ideas and updated thinking regarding
recovery from these problems. Since my earliest days in this profession I have learned from him
in workshops, conferences, as well as his books.

Parting Words

Henry Ford: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are correct.”