It’s gift time again and I’m on a budget, not to mention that in my opinion most of my family and friends already have everything they need. So I’m going to be giving adult coloring books as gifts and I have a great list of different types of books that might interest you if you’re considering doing the same.
I know you’re probably thinking that coloring in a silly adult coloring book is the last thing you would consider to help you ease your symptoms of anxiety. Especially if you’re fighting off panic attacks as well, coloring probably seems childish at best.
However, coloring in adult coloring books seems to be the new craze when it comes to easing anxiety and helping adults to relieve stress. There are many coloring books being published that are aimed at the “stressed out” adult population and are very popular indeed.
When you live with anxiety and panic attacks day in and day out it tends to make you a very serious and uptight person. Believe me I know because I have to deal with anxiety, nervousness, fear and panic from the moment I wake up to the time I go to bed.
Have you ever noticed that even when you’re engaging in relaxing activities you can feel tension creeping into your body? I’m sure you’re aware that if you have to tackle generalized anxiety disorder you know the amount of anxiety and tension you carry around on a daily affects how you function in this world.
I know it sounds kind of weird but I recently came to the realization that I didn’t know how to relax even when I was doing relaxing things! Even when I tried to relax by soaking in a warm bath with scented oils or just sitting in the park under a sturdy oak tree taking in the scenery, I noticed I was tense and fidgety.
Sadly I also recognized that pretty much my entire family was also this way, from my grandmother, father and cousin. I was determined however to break away from the pact and teach myself how to relax. Continue reading
Part 2
What You Try to Hide Usually Sticks Out Like a Sore Thumb
On another note it is thought that whatever a person tries to hide the most about themselves is what is the most obvious to others about them! Not only that the less you talk about something the bigger the shame becomes.
Not hiding your condition can actually neutralize the feelings of anxiety and shame. So for some it might be of great benefit to let others know what you’re going through.
People that suffer from anxiety and panic attacks tend to be really hard on themselves about not measuring up because of their condition. In fact often times the shame and embarrassment is just as bad, if not worst, than the anxiety itself.
But feeling guilty and “less than” everyone else isn’t going to help you conquer your feelings of inadequacies, in fact it is just going to make the situation worst.
Believe me I know better than anyone how inadequate one can feel living with anxiety and panic attacks. Having battled this condition for the majority of my life, I also dealt with feelings of guilt, shame and self loathing. Continue reading
It really is heartbreaking to think that your child may possibly have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders actually affect 1 in 8 children in this country.
If you suspect this is the case, addressing the issue early is paramount so that the anxiety doesn’t turn into something far more serious. Left untreated a child will often times suffer in silence and unnecessarily.
Identifying and treating any type of disorder, whether it be an anxiety disorder or any other type of illness from the onset is far easier to manage than attempting to treat it years later.
Take it from me I am someone who knows all to well how devastating ignoring an anxiety disorder can be.
As I discussed in my previous article on post traumatic stress syndrome, this anxiety disorder is often not diagnosed in women, children and others who have experienced something extremely traumatic in their lives.
Could it be that even the medical establishment are trained and conditioned to recognize PTSD diagnosis in war veterans and not other segments of the population that are seeking treatment for anxiety disorders? Continue reading
Not to long ago I was reading about Dan Harris, an ABC anchorman that had a panic attack while he was on air. There were millions of people watching that evening and Dan said it was absolutely the most humiliating experience of his life.
I also watched the video of him having this attack, and quite frankly I couldn’t really tell he was having one. I noticed he was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing that would indicate he was in dire distress.
Then again I really don’t know why I was expecting to see something more dramatic when I know how good I was at masking my anxious feelings from others. People who have suffered from debilitating panic attacks for years, usually have mastered the art of disguising their panic attacks. Continue reading
Often times when picturing someone suffering from PTSD, an ex soldier comes to mind.
The media fills us with images of veterans coming back from war, having problems adjusting to civilian life, isolating themselves and having vivid flashbacks of the horrors they witnessed in combat.
Now I’m certainly not disputing that going to war, then coming back home and trying to adjust to “normal” life isn’t challenging. My heart goes out to all vets and their families that live this scenario.
I am a product of a military family and my father was a Vietnam vet who suffered from post traumatic stress syndrome. So I know first hand the challenges presented from growing up in the military lifestyle! Continue reading
Although there’s much debate over what really causes anxiety/panic disorder, anyone dealing with these issues knows all to well that there’s no question that living with this condition is very painful and often debilitating.
Family Members
One of the clearer memories I have of my childhood is going shopping with my dear grandmother. She smiled through the whole thing being the sweet person that she was. I could sense, even as a child, that she was very nervous and uncomfortable.
The world for her, it seemed was too hectic and that she dealt with it because she had to. I also remembered how pleasant and happy she was when she was in less stressful situations or in a more peaceful environment.
Have you ever considered that one of the causes of anxiety/panic disorder is that is runs in your family? Maybe you’ve noticed that a close or distant relative suffered this condition of hypersensitivity, anxiousness and/or nervousness. You might also have witnessed a relative have a panic attack. Continue reading
