Responding to Fear and Anxiety – Shake Off Anxiety with Two Simple Words!
Have you ever noticed how anxiety is fuelled by one simple question you keep asking yourself?
That question is… what if?
What if I drive my car on the highway and I have a panic attack? What if faint in public, who will help me? What if I get sick or lose my job? What if my mind never stops racing with anxious thoughts?
If anxious ‘what if’s’ are not quickly defused, they tend to spiral out of control, leaping from one catastrophic thought to another. Before you know it these ‘what ifs’ have triggered a tidal wave of adrenaline and fear.
What if?…What if?…And then what if ?
You can’t stop these ‘what if’s’. They manifest outside your control. What you can control is how you respond to them.
A good strong response to a ‘what if’ is: ‘So what!’
What if I drive my car on the highway and I have a panic attack? So what! I’ll pull over and get through it like I have always done in the past.
What if faint in public, who will help me? So what! If I faint I faint. Someone will come to help me and in two minutes I will be conscious again.
What if my mind never stops racing with thoughts? So what! Thoughts are just thoughts and cannot harm me. Eventually my anxious mind will settle.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t fully believe in your own responses to these questions, the key point here is to quickly defuse the build-up of fear by answering the ‘what if’ with a strong enough response.
As long as you come up with something reassuring and dismissive of the initial ‘what if’ thought it will have the desired effect.
To make your response even more effective you can have a sense of humor with your replies. Humor is the fastest way to disengage your anxious mind. An anxious thought can be diminished in a flash of laughter.
This is effective because it neutralize the fear and places you back into a position of power.
Side step the trap of anxiety by always responding to fear and anxiety with a good strong ‘so what!
Responding to Fear and Anxiety – Play Anxiety Away
I am a huge advocate of using humor and play to boost mood and reduce anxious feelings. I know many people who transformed their anxiety just by doing focusing on play and laughter alone.
I recently recorded an interview with Charlie Hoehn who is a marketing strategist for several New York Times best-sellers , and the author of a new book called ‘Play it Away’.
I really liked his book because its basic premise is how to use play to snap out of an anxious state of mind.
BTW, if you suffer from burnout at work I think you will find this interview particularly interesting.
Besides Play the other topics discussed for reducing anxiety are:
-Tension Releasing Exercises. -Why you should stop watching the news. -Removing Coffee -Spending time outside in nature
Right Click the Download Audio link below select “Save Target/link As
By Barry McDonagh, who is an international panic disorder coach.He created the Panic Away program to help people around the world deal with their anxiety and avoid panic attacks – a subject that he is personally attuned to because he himself found that he was prone to these issues since he was young. His hatred of his powerless lead him down the path of finding natural ways to treat himself without having to depend on expensive medications.
A new study published in the journal Neurology reveals the amazing effect of a simple practice.
Migraine sufferers eliminated half of their migraine attacks while also reducing their medication by 50%.
Plus, they reported much milder migraine attacks with less pain.
The scientists recruited 114 people between 18 and 50, all of whom suffered between four and 14 migraines per month.
They divided them into two groups: one that received medication only and one that received medication plus yoga.
Before the treatment commenced, all the participants were asked to report the details of their migraines, the severity of pain and other symptoms, and the frequency of their attacks.
The researchers also provided both groups with medication and lifestyle advice such as the need for exercise, healthy dieting, and adequate sleep.
The yoga group was then given yoga instruction for a month, consisting of one-hour practice three times per week. The instruction included yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.
They then practiced yoga at home for five days a week for the following two months, as verified by their instructors.
Throughout the treatment period, both groups were asked to keep a diary of their migraines, frequency, and duration of attacks, the severity of pain and other symptoms, the amount of medication taken, and so forth.
Both groups experienced an improvement, but the yoga group benefited far more.
The yoga group reduced their headaches from 9.1 to 4.7 attacks per month, a reduction of 48%. The medication-only group reduced theirs from 7.7 to 6.8 attacks per month, a reduction of 12%.
The yoga group reduced their medication intake by 47% while the medication-only group reduced theirs by only 12%, showing that yoga can save you money too.
Lastly, the yoga group reported a larger reduction in pain than the medication-only group did.
The problem with migraine medication is that the drugs make no difference for many people; according to some studies, more than half of all people do not benefit from them.
Get Rid of Migraine-Associated Vertigo – It Worked for Migraines and Now for Vertigo
Although they don’t always go hand in hand, migraine and vertigo are very closely related conditions. So the things that help for one often help for the other.
So a new study published in the journal Neurology decided to test a simple FDA approved method that has helped migraine sufferers for years on vertigo patients.
The results were out of this world.
Electric stimulation of the vagus nerve through the skin of the neck can reduce the pain that migraine sufferers experience during attacks, but since migraines often coincide with vertigo, the research team decided to find out how well this treatment worked to reduce the severity of the vertigo attack associated with the migraine.
As subjects, they used 18 people who visited a medical centre for help between November 2017 and January 2019. 14 of these had vestibular migraines, the type that has dizziness as one of its symptoms. The other four had dizziness without a clear cause that was resistant to previous treatments.
They used a questionnaire to evaluate the severity of the vertigo before the vagus nerve stimulation and 15 minutes after it.
In the 14 patients with vestibular migraine, only one patient did not improve as a result of the treatment.
Two of them reported a complete cessation of their vertigo symptoms and five reported a 50 percent improvement.
Six others reported a significant improvement and the average improvement across the whole group was 46.9 percent.
All of them reported an improvement in pain. The average improvement in pain across the group was 63.3 percent.
This definitely implies that electrical vagus nerve stimulation is a good treatment for the vertigothat accompanies migraines.
The problem is that this method only “improves” migraines and vertigo (and then only a specific type of vertigo), but it doesn’t cure it.
Get Rid of Migraine-Associated Vertigo – Learning to Cure Vertigo and Migraine
It’s not always enough just to tell people about how to look after their health. After all, by now, there can’t be many people who don’t know that eating the wrong foods and sitting around all day will hurt their health.
But knowing what to do and putting it into action are two different things. How many of us always do what we know we should? Not many!
So scientists set out to teach people how to cure both migraine and vertigo. And the results were amazing. They published their findings in the Journal of Clinical Otorhinolaryngology.
Vestibular migraine is a common cause of vertigo. Sufferers get dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and faintness, among other symptoms.
A team of Chinese researchers wondered whether education about their condition and an understanding of its triggers could help them reduce the number of attacks they were getting and make the symptoms less severe.
They used questionnaires, memory diaries, and regular visits to see their 103 subjects so they could learn about their specific triggers and symptoms.
They had them fill in questionnaires before and after the study to measure their understanding of what was happening, their fear levels, depression, frequency of attacks, duration and severity.
The study group got face-to-face health education and multimedia presentations.
Researchers learned that 97.1 percent of their subjects suffered from sleep disorders, 93.2 percent of them had a family history of vertigo or headache-related vertigo, 87.4 percent of them had a history of motion sickness, and 77.7 percent did not exercise, because they felt unwell or thought it might trigger an attack.
Here are some typical triggers:
• 87.4 percent: enclosed spaces • 79.6 percent: general fear and anxiety • 76.7 percent: pressure at home and at work • 51.5 percent: specific foods • 7.8 percent: rainy or humid weather • 6.8 percent: time of year—the spring and start of the summer months
At the start of the study only 13 patients (12.6 percent of them) understood their conditions. After 15 months this increased to 101 (98 percent).
79.6 percent reported feeling fear and anxiety before the study, but this dropped to 7.8 percent by the end. Their depression scores improved as well.
Around two-thirds of them switched to healthy lifestyles too, taking up exercise and making better food choices, which probably also helped to reduce attacks.
By the end, 15.5 percent of the group reported having no attacks in the previous six months, and most of the others said that while they hadn’t stopped completely, the number had gone down.
In most cases, their attacks were also less severe and didn’t last as long.
Which goes to show that a little education can go a long way.
To learn how to get rid of migraine-associated vertigo, watch these 2 videos –
This post is from The Migraine and Headache Program, which was created by Christian Goodman. This program first explains how you can cure headaches and then gives you a simple, step-by-step approach to deal with it through easy exercises.
This program can free you up from the costly drugs and supplements which can pose adverse side effects. It enhances your brain’s oxygen level and gets rid of pain through exercises. Most importantly, it permanently treats your migraine and other types of headaches.
Wellbeing Tips and Tricks – 10 Plants That Clean Your House and Improve Your Health
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals that the levels of air pollutants found inside homes at times exceed the levels of outside air pollution- even as much as 5 to 10 times more!
Long term exposure to these toxins can drastically affect our health and well-being. It can cause breathing problems, allergies, immunity disorders and even lung cancer.
These plants use their roots, leaves and a soil bacteria to eliminate indoor home pollution.
The most common indoor pollutants are dust mites, carbon monoxide, high amounts of carbon dioxide, formaldehyde (colorless gas mainly found in household cleaners) and benzene (found in tobacco smoke).
Environmental toxins like formaldehyde, in high quantities, irritate the eyes and nose and can even induce asthma attacks.
The most powerful natural air cleaning indoor plants are:
• Corn Plant • Mother-in-Law’s Tongue • Janet Craig Dracaena • Pot Mum • Bamboo Palm • English Ivy • Chinese Evergreen • Gerbera Daisy • Peace Lily • Dracena
The recommended amount of indoor plants is at least 5 to 10 plants per every hundred square feet of the home.
Indoor plants are not just great air cleaners. Having them at home helps create a peaceful and serene atmosphere, greatly contributing to our health and well-being.
Another great tip to reduce the air pollution is regularly air out your home by increasing ventilation, removing the dust, and regularly cleaning your carpets and rugs (with natural, organic methods).
But cleaning your home may not be enough to tackle all disease. Here are more tips on natural ways to cure…
Pumpkin is a widely grown fruit in most climate zones throughout the world.
Its unique color and shape make it a great decoration for Halloween and other celebrations.
Nevertheless, this brightly colored fruit also offers unique health benefits. Pumpkin flesh is loaded with antioxidants, beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin B, and potassium. These nutrients are known to counteract the effects of sodium, which in turn, lowers blood pressure and supports cardiovascular health.
A recent study done on pumpkin’s health benefits revealed that it has a remarkable ability to control blood sugar levels.
Researchers found that the compounds in pumpkin improve insulin levels in the blood by helping promote regeneration of damaged insulin-producing beta cells.
The full research published in the “Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture,” concludes that including pumpkin to the diets of participants suffering from type 2 diabetes could significantly improve this dangerous health condition.
Another great health benefit of pumpkin is the ability to lower total blood cholesterol and regulate triglyceride levels. Eating this amazing fruit helps maintain healthy weight and support cardiovascular health.
A 100 g serving of pumpkin seeds provides 559 calories, 30 g of protein, 110% RDA of iron, zinc (71 %), and selenium (17 %); it also contains a very important health-promoting amino acid called tryptophan.
Preparation:
You can use cooked pumpkin pulp for various dishes; for example, muffins, cakes, soups or stews.
To prepare pumpkin pulp, remove the stem end of a pumpkin with a knife. Cut it in half and discard seeds. Cut pumpkin halves into wedges, peel them and cut the pulp into medium size chunks. Boil the chunks in a small amount of water until they become soft.
Vegetarian Pumpkin Soup Puree- recipe:
Ingredients:
• 1 cooked pumpkin • 2 tablespoons of butter • 2 medium potatoes, washed, peeled, chopped in small pieces • 2 cups cold water • 1 litre Veggie stock • 1 medium leek, trimmed, washed, sliced • 1 tablespoon of cream • 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped chives • 3 cloves garlic • Black pepper to taste • toasted Italian bread slices for serving
Squeeze 3 garlic cloves. Reserve for later. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek. Cook, stirring, for 4 minutes or until leek becomes softened. Add potato. Cook, stirring, for 7 minutes.
Add stock and 2 cups cold water. Add some black pepper. Cover and bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potato is tender. Stir in pumpkin and garlic. Bring to a low boil. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Blend pumpkin mixture, until smooth. Return to pan over low heat. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Drizzle with cream and sprinkle with chives. Serve with toasted Italian bread.
Wellbeing Tips and Tricks – 10 Serious Health Conditions Your Eye Exam Can Reveal
Today, we’ve a little different angle to your natural health discovery.
You see, a recent survey of 120,000 patients by the insurance company VSP Vision Care concluded that an eye exam first revealed 34 percent of diabetes cases, 39 percent of high blood pressure cases, and 62 percent of high cholesterol cases.
An eye examination by a qualified and informed eye specialist can reveal as much (and sometimes more) about your health as your general health checkup.
For 10 more reasons not to skip that regular eye exam, check out these 10 health conditions that your eye specialist can detect very early on:
1. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. People with these mental illnesses track patterns differently from people in the general population. Schizophrenics, for example, struggled to track slow moving objects.
2. Brain tumors. Poor coordination between your two eyes can indicate a brain tumor. For example, if one eye remains fixed while the other moves, or if one eye dilates when the other contracts, you might be in trouble as it shows that the optic nerve that connects your eyes to your brain is not working normally.
3. Multiple sclerosis. This abnormal hardening of body tissue and nerve tissue in the brain and spinal cord should ideally be detected early, as it is progressive. Eye ticks, the blurring of vision in and out of the full visual field, and a banana-shaped visual field defect below your macula caused by damage to your optic nerve are the best indications.
4. Liver disease. If your eye doctor says that the whites of your eyes are yellow, it might indicate hepatitis, obstruction of the bile duct, or some more serious liver disease.
5. Stroke. If you have already had a small stroke, you are obviously in danger of having more. An eye exam can reveal disturbances in your field of vision. Stroke sufferers often struggle to coordinate their eyes or see objects in their full visual field because of damage to their brains.
6. A brain aneurysm. When the blood vessels in your brain swell, they are in danger of bursting, killing you almost instantly. Drooping eyelids, increased eye pressure, crossing eyes, and retinal bleeding are all signs that your life might end soon.
7. Vitamin A deficiency. Some of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency are loss of night vision and damage to the surface of your eyes. Your grandmother was right, eat your carrots!
8. High cholesterol. If you have white rings around your eyes or yellow bumps on your eyelids, you’d better get your cholesterol tested. These are signs of plaque in your arteries.
9. Diabetes. If your blood sugar is high, small blood vessels in your retina burst, which eye specialists pick up as small red spots on your retina. Since it indicates high blood sugar rather than diabetes itself, it can even be used for early diagnosis while the condition is still easily treatable.
10. High Blood Pressure.If your blood pressure is too high, the blood vessels at the back of your eyes struggle as much as those in the rest of your body. An eye specialist can detect burst arteries, tiny hemorrhages, and hardened and narrowed arteries, all signs that the blood vessels in the rest of your body might be damaged and undermine comfortable blood flow too.
Bonus number 11: studies show that your optometrist or ophthalmologist can even detect early melanoma cancers from your eye exam…before your dermatologist even has any indication. Certain, specific changes in the retina can be seen during a slit-lamp exam that will tell your eye doctor if you need to follow up, many times while it is still early enough to treat.
