Anxiety Buster Bonbons

Tools For Healthier Lives

2008-06-20T18:34:00.013-04:00

You absolutely must go to the Mayo Clinic website.To use a popular cliché, it's a gold mine of information that will most certainly push you to take some kind of action, big or small.Start by watching this 15-minute video (give or take a minute) on Art therapy for stress management. If you've never practiced art therapy before, you can't imagine how beneficial it can be to your mental and

Anxiety Attack -- How To Manage

2008-02-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

This is an absolutely beautiful video. Please take the time to listen past the introduction, because the meditation-relaxation audio that follows is so worth it. I wish I would have had something like this to listen to way back when...

Anxiety Relief Through Acupressure

2008-02-11T22:06:00.000-05:00

A Safe Place To Feel Terrible

2007-10-28T13:18:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading Come Here, by Richard Berendzen and Laura Palmer.And I'm totally shaken by the experience.Richard Berendzen graduated from Harvard in 1969 with a master's degree in astronomy and an interdisciplinary PhD, and became an assistant professor in physics and astronomy at Boston University. After seven years of teaching in Boston, he moved to Washington where he was offered the

The Practice Of Mindfulness...Your Path To True Happiness

2007-10-08T14:53:00.000-04:00

In his book -- Why Is The Buddha Smiling? -- Mark Magill explains how you can eliminate sources of distraction in order to tune in to only that which is truly meaningful.Through a series of practical exercises, guided meditations, ancient parables, and everyday scenarios, he helps you to face down the daily meanderings of your mind -- not by ignoring the distractions, but by observing them from a

Women And Childhood Sexual Abuse

2007-10-05T14:41:00.003-04:00

Having experienced sexual abuse when I was a child, I'm always drawn to whatever deals with the subject. Here's a book that recently made its way to my attention, "Stolen Tomorrows -- Understanding And Treating Women's Childhood Sexual Abuse."The author, Steven Levenkron, is a psychotherapist whose works include "Cutting" and "The Anatomy of Anorexia." Together with his wife, cotherapist, and

Managing Panic Attacks -- You Can Do It!

2007-10-03T21:15:00.000-04:00

Rate Your Anxiety LevelAccording to the McKinley Health Center, you can manage your panic attacks by rating your anxiety level. Doing this exercise regularly will help you understand and manage your symptoms.Here are the common signs and symptoms:Shortness of breathDizziness, unsteadiness, or faintnessTrembling or shakingA feeling of chokingSweatingNausea and abdominal distressBlurry

Nap! Nap!

2007-09-21T05:29:00.001-04:00

"Imagine yourself in a perfect world. Your mood is positive. Your brain is operating at maximum efficiency. Your body feels healthy, energetic and agile. You have enough time to complete all the tasks at hand and still enjoy the company of family and friends. Every one of your goals is attainable."These are the opening words to "Take a Nap! Change Your Life" written by Sara C. Mednick. Don't they

Deal With Stress...Before it Deals You Out!

2007-08-20T22:59:00.002-04:00

Finding ways to relax - any time, any place - is finding the Holy Grail of Happiness. That's why applying relaxation techniques in the workplace can be just what the doctor ordered. We all know how easily we can be sucked into Job Hell, so make it a habit to stop at least every other hour...and BREATHE.I took a quick look around and found a site that offers a step by step guide to relax at your

Eating Disorder? Get Help!

2007-08-19T23:34:00.000-04:00

If you’ve already faced the fact that you have an eating disorder, or if you find you might be falling into an eating pattern that just might be detrimental to your health, then maybe it’s time for you to seek help. Caringonline could be the place to start. Right off the bat, you’ll find a short videoon anorexia.And if you want to delve even deeper into the complex world of anorexia,

I'm Back!

2007-08-18T16:28:00.000-04:00

Hello Dear Friends,Well, it's been a long time, hasn't it?Oh yeah...But you know what, it's good to take a break now and then. Personally, the last months away from this little cyberhome have made me realize how much I really want and need to share my views and experiences here. So let's get the ball rolling!Lots of love and a very special reunion hug,Muddxoxo

TREASURE MAPS

2006-12-11T16:43:00.000-05:00

Hello Sweet People! Last summer, I spoke of Shakti Gawain's superb book Living in The Light, A Guide to Personal and Planetary Transformation (re: August 26 and 27, 2006). While working through Walking in this World in my Diarrhea of Love blog, and ever since doing the collage called for in Week Three, I've been thinking about Shakti's Treasure Maps. In Creative Visualization, Use The Power of

DESCANSOS

2006-11-27T19:34:00.000-05:00

Clarissa Pinkola Estés is a Jungian analyst and cantadora,a collector and teller of stories.In her bestselling book, Women Who Run With The Wolves, Estés uses nineteen folk tales to empower and enlighten women. She attempts to reconnect us with the Wild Woman hidden somewhere deep within each of us. The Wild Woman is not wild in the sense of being crazy, angry or out-of-control, she is

TOXIC SHAME

2006-10-25T13:51:00.000-04:00

Rummaging through my boxes of documents yesterday, I was surprised and delighted to find this book, which I call a classic: HOMECOMING - Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child. The author, John Bradshaw, was my very first Personal Development Guru. Back when HOMECOMING came out -- in 1990 -- he was already referred to as "America's Leading Personal Growth Expert." The

Winter Blues

2006-10-18T14:06:00.000-04:00

They call it SAD. And indeed it can be...very sad. Seasonal Affective Disorder is recognized today as a distinct form of depression. It is a proven fact that changes in the weather and the seasons alter our brain chemistry and can affect how we feel, how we sleep, what we eat, and how well we cope with the everyday demands of our careers and relationships.

Mood Therapy

2006-10-17T15:51:00.000-04:00

"In clear, simple language, FEELING GOOD, The New Mood Therapy, outlines a drug-free cure for anxiety, guilt, pessimism, procrastination, low self-esteem, and other "black holes" of depression." What an introduction! After reading David D. Burns' book, I must say it does contain a treasure of information and tips to help you discover how to: Hello Friends! Well, I'm finally back from a nice long break. So let's get right down to business... Here are a few excerpts from Life After Trauma - A Workbook for Healing by Dena Rosenbloom, PhD, and Mary Beth Williams, PhD Trauma can turn your world upside down -- afterward, nothing may look safe or familiar. This supportive

More Help For Parents

2006-09-08T01:28:00.005-04:00

As I browsed around, searching for more information, I came across this FREE pdf document, also entitled Helping Your Teenager Deal With Stress.You can read it here.You'll need Adobe Reader to be able to access this document.You can download it for free here. Finally, for information on helping your preschooler and your school-age child deal with stress, click here.

Stress And Your Teenager

2006-09-07T14:53:00.000-04:00

Good Day Sweet People! Demanding schedules, changing responsibilities, questions of identity, noise pollution, poor diets, too little exercise, fear of the future, drugs and alcohol, job stress... So-called "adult" problems are also the lot of teenagers all over the world. As a matter of fact, long before teenagers reach their twentieth birthday, they have enough pressures to last a

Quiet! -- Please...

2006-09-03T19:19:00.001-04:00

To quiet your mind, focus on your breathing... As you breathe in, say slowly to yourself"I am" and as you breathe out,say slowly to yourself "calm." When your mind feels calm you may focus only on your breathing, with no thoughts at all.technorati tags:quiet, mind, breathe, calm

The Zaky Touch

2006-09-03T14:02:00.002-04:00

This is just too cute... The Zaky is an ergonomic infant pillow designed by a mom to mimic the size, weight, touch, and feel of her hand and forearm to help her baby with comfort, support, protection, and development. The Zaky can help calm your baby and help your baby sleep better through the night. To see and read more about it, go to the Pregnancy Store here. I wish I had giant hands

Mind Power

2006-09-03T01:37:00.000-04:00

Hi All! Here's a book that's been captivating my attention for the past two days... In Make Your Mind Work For You -- New Mind-Power Techniques To Improve Memory, Beat Procrastination, Increase Energy, And More!, Joan Minninger, Ph. D., and Eleanor Dugan offer different techniques to help you develop an experienced mind -- one that makes the right decisions and leads you to take the right

More Shakti

2006-08-27T21:22:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends, I'm still learning so much from Shakti Gawain's book, Living in The Light, that I just had to share more of my favourite passages with you.In the chapter entitled The World as Our Mirror, Shakti reminds us that the physical world is our creation. That we each create our very own version of the world, our particular reality, our unique life experience. And just as an artist looks at

Love Your Body

2006-08-26T02:02:00.000-04:00

Hello Beautiful Souls! Sorry I was away for so long. I've been celebrating my birthday since August 16 -- bathing in the love of family and friends, eating out, having fun, enjoying every bit of what life has to offer. I thought of you many times, trying not to feel guilty about not posting. I must say I'm happy to be back, and hope I'm not only older, but wiser as well. To continue on our

Guilty or Not Guilty?

2006-08-13T19:02:00.000-04:00

Hi Friends! Now here's a fun book to browse through.Who Are You? 101 Ways of Seeing Yourself is designed to help you find out more about yourself. It contains 101 mirrors of self-discovery in which you can recognize your dominant behavior, your body type, how you feel and act, how you think and approach your spirituality. The author, Malcolm Godwin, has drawn "tests" from ancient and modern

Health Anxiety

2006-08-12T22:53:00.000-04:00

Anxiety creates all kinds of weird impressions. For years, I thought I was afflicted with a whole bunch of ailments and life-threatening diseases. I was sure I had all the symptoms, but I probably created them all because of how I worried so much about dying. Here's a book I would have loved to read during that period: It's Not All in Your Head, by Gordon J.G. Asmundson, PhD, and Steven Taylor,

Let's Relax

2006-08-10T18:17:00.000-04:00

I just came across this very interesting website called Mind. In the Mind Guide To Relaxation, they talk about the link between stress and relaxation, what may be wrong with the way we relax, and how to introduce more relaxation into our everyday life. Here's a glimpse of what you can find on their site: Regular practiceYou need to have deep relaxation practices daily, or even twice a

Date Rape

2006-08-09T01:44:00.001-04:00

It's happened to me more than once. I thought for many years that it was my fault. That I had it coming to me because of the way I dressed, the way I acted, the way I drank. But I know better now. And I want all young people to know that date rape is RAPE, period. In The Truth About Rape -- a book intended for teenagers -- the authors make this clear. They point out that when most people

Zen Story

2006-08-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

Two monks were once traveling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was falling. Coming around the bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection. "Come on, girl," said the first monk. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud. The second monk did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer

Just Be Yourself

2006-08-02T10:54:00.000-04:00

Overpowered? Overextended? Overworked? Here's another interesting little book: Simplify Your Life, 100 Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy The Things That Really Matter. In way number 73, the author -- Elaine St. James -- has these words for us: Have you ever stopped to think about how much energy you spend -- and how much you complicate your life -- by pretending to be someone other than who you

An Ancient Oracle

2006-07-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

On January 1, 1991, my good friend Michael was slowly dying in a hospital room, and I stopped by to wish him a Happy New Year and to continue our conversations on death, karma and rebirth.I remember that day vividly because I was feeling down in the dumps for reasons that don't matter any more but at the time, they were choking me out of my every breath. So though Michael's life was being eaten

The Healing Stages

2006-07-28T00:26:00.000-04:00

One of the books that helped me along the path to recovery is The Courage To Heal - A Guide For Women SurvivorsOf Child Sexual Abuse, by Ellen Bass and Laura Davis. The authors explain that healing is not a random process, that there are recognizable stages that all survivors pass through. They provide you with a map of those stages, enabling you to see where you are, what you've done already,

Crippled Soul

2006-07-27T23:03:00.000-04:00

I was sexually abused when I was 3, 4, 5 years old. He was my father's co-worker and friend. He "did it" to me while my father was out supposedly buying cigarettes, but I know now that Dad was out drinking and "doing it" with prostitutes. For a good part of my life, I blocked the memory of these events. Well, not completely, because I had recurrent dreams, felt sick at my stomach, had this

To Sweat Or Not To Sweat

2006-07-25T23:09:00.000-04:00

In keeping with today's lesson, I'm reminded of a bookmy son introduced to me last year. Written by Richard Carlson, Ph.D., Don't Sweat The Small Stuff...and it's all small stuff shows you how to keep from letting the little things in life drive you crazy. How to put things in perspective. Here's a most appropriate excerpt for what happened to me today: Make Peace With Imperfection I've

Life Lessons

2006-07-25T22:09:00.000-04:00

I didn't know it at the time, but there's a lessonto be learned from my previous post. You see, prior to posting "Inspiration Corner," I was feeling guilty that I hadn't written anything yesterday, and I was a bit upset that I wasn't in that great of a writing mood today, either. But instead of beating myself up, instead of putting major strain on myself for not being Mizz Perfect Blogger, I

Inspiration Corner

2006-07-25T16:03:00.000-04:00

Hello!I admit, there are days when not knowing what to write can cause anxiety. I care for you, I want to provide you with interesting information, but sometimes I wish I could just be silent, look in your eyes and see your soul, reach out and touch your hand.So here's my way of reaching out to you today: this beautiful quote I found on my screensaver this morning. If a little dreaming is

Game Time

2006-07-23T18:06:00.000-04:00

Hello!Family life can be pretty rock and roll. The frantic pace involves thejuggling of career responsibilities, carting children to day care andsoccer practice, homework and housework. With all this going on,there's not much time left for families to "connect", to slow downand have fun. If you only find connection through sitting in front of the television set, then you're missing out on

Julia's Basic Tools: FREE PDF Download

2006-07-23T15:29:00.000-04:00

Hi!I just took a stroll on Julia Cameron'swebsite and found a free PDF download.It's called The Basic Tools, and you can downloadthe 16-page document if you click here.You'll get to learn all about Morning Pagesand maybe get as addicted to them as I am.I also discovered there's a Forum on her site.Go check it out...click here.That's all for today's Bonbons folks...Stay tuned for some games and

Deep Thoughts Time

2006-07-22T02:23:00.000-04:00

I just love Jack Handey's Deep Thoughts. You may be familiar with this popular Saturday Night Live feature.I find Jack's humour so deliciously absurd that I intend to makeDeep Thoughts a regular highlight on Anxiety Buster Bonbons. So here's today's selection.If you don't find it funny,then fake it!The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me.I remember we'd all pile

Don't Let The Bed Bugs Bite

2006-07-22T00:03:00.000-04:00

In her article, Yoga For A Good Night's Sleep, Sally Eauclaire Osborne's message is clear: If falling asleep is a problem for you, then stress is the likely culprit. We all know how important it is to get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation depresses the immune system, increases irritability, and slows reaction time, thus increasing the likelihood of car crashes and other accidents. But how much

A Mammoth A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

2006-07-20T02:27:00.000-04:00

Tens of thousands of years ago, our ancestors were much better at eliminating stress and anxiety than we are in our modern times.When confronted with a pack of charging mammoths,the stress and anxiety created by this dreadful occurrencelead to a pattern of physical reactions: their musclestensed, their breathing became rapid and shallow, and thestimulation of

The Anti-Anxiety Diet

2006-07-19T20:06:00.000-04:00

Now that you know what not to eat,assuming you have read my previous post,let's see what foods you should choose inorder to stay calm, even when the goinggets tough.The following menus were taken from an articlewritten by Sue Gilbert, Eat for Wellness: Anti-Anxiety Diet.This article can be found, along with plenty of otheruseful information, by clicking here.BREAKFASToption onewhole-wheat English

Feeding The Monster

2006-07-19T17:59:00.000-04:00

Nice to see you again!Now, here's a little story for you...When I was bored or stressed out,or just plain fed up with life,I used to go on eating binges.I would go out and buy a bag ofpop corn, a bag of barbecue chips,a bag of hickory sticks, a medium-sized bottle of Coke, a Caramilk bar,and a box or two of Smarties.I'd come home, pull out the bigyellow plastic bowl from underthe kitchen counter,

The Big Laugh...And How To Catch It - Part 2

2006-07-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

Pre-school-aged kids can laugh up to 400 times a day.And from what I can see, for no apparent reason.But by the time kids reach adulthood, the averagegoes down to a mere 17 times a day, give or takea chuckle.So what can we do to raise our Giggle Level,and maybe get rosier cheeks and regularbowel movement?Funny T.V. shows and movies come to mind.You can make a night of it and invite a friendto the

The Big Laugh...And How To Catch It - Part 1

2006-07-18T10:40:00.000-04:00

Just like hugs, laughs are a must if you wantto enjoy a healthy, happy life.It's been researched and proven that laughterstrengthens the immune system, reduces foodcravings, and in some cases, it increases yourthreshold for pain.Well...not if you laugh too hard.Then again, the benefits you'll get from a good,long belly laugh are certainly worth a littlepain in the gut.Because apart from reducing

Happy Days Are Here Again

2006-07-18T05:21:00.000-04:00

Every day is a happy day once you learn to relax.Yoga is, of course, a definite path to total OMness.Why not try this very simple posture, and seewhat it can do for you... The Child Pose (Bala-asana ) Instructions:1Sit on your knees with your feet togetherand buttocks resting on your heels.Separate your knees about the width ofyour hips. Place your hands on your thighs,palms down. (This is the

Time To Relax

2006-07-17T23:39:00.000-04:00

Hi!How about taking a few minutes to relax?We all know we need it...but we tend to put it off.Not today!If you really want to tackle your anxiety problems,then commit to spending at least 15 minutes a daydoing simple techniques that will change the wayyou feel AND the way you think.Once you feel more relaxed, you'll start thinkingdifferently. A relaxed state opens the mind topositive outcomes.I

Hugs And More Hugs

2006-07-15T19:31:00.000-04:00

Have YOU had your hugs today?Scientific research has shownthat every human being needs:four hugs per day merely to surviveeight hugs per day to maintain oneself at a strong emotional leveltwelve hugs per day to growNow that's a whole lotta hugs!And I'm ready to bet my Daisy that you and Iaren't even getting the required number of hugsto survive, let alone GROW.So what can we do about it?Because

Morning Pages

2006-07-15T15:04:00.001-04:00

Hi!Do you know Julia Cameron?She's a talented novelist, playwright, songwriter and poetwhose bestselling works on the creative process havetouched people all over the world.In The Artist's Way,Julia introduces a daily practice that has changedmy life for the better: Morning Pages.Now, you don't need to be a struggling artist to benefitfrom this practice. Anyone can do it.The Morning Pages are

How Much Anxiety Is Too Much Anxiety?

2006-07-14T18:15:00.000-04:00

The Anxiety Disorders Association of America (ADAA)has put together some great screening tools that will helpyou better understand what you may be dealing with.On their website, which can be found by clicking here,you'll be able to take the following tests:Anxiety disorders in adolescents: a self-testAnxiety disorders in children: a test for parentsAnxiety disorders self-test for family

Been There...Done That

2006-07-13T12:15:00.000-04:00

Hello!How insulting is it for you to betrapped in the mesh of anxiety?I know...I've been there.In the weeks and months to come,I will share with you my secrets.How I came to free myself ofanxiety, panic attacks, andrecurring bouts of depression.I have no miracle cure.But I do have plenty of tips,and lots of love and laughterto share.My mission--and I do accept it-- isto hear your say, loud and