The connection between our mental health and our physical health might seem obvious, yet so often we focus on one and not the other.

For instance, we often spend a great deal of time treating the symptoms of anxiety and panic, hoping that a full recovery will result eventually. We keep hoping we’ll find the solution that seems to out of reach. Yet we tend to ignore how we treat our bodies.

I’ve been reviewing a weight loss product and came across a snippet of information that deals with anxiety.

The book’s author, Victoria Johnson, is a fitness – aerobics – dance instructor who worked to reduce her weight after learning about the dangers her excess weight was causing her. While learning what she needed to do to reduce the weight, she stumbled on an unexpected positive result  from her program.

She was a woman who personally struggled with obesity, low blood sugar, poor self-esteem, lack of motivation. The weight loss system she devised resolved all of these issues. She did it simply by ensuring she ate the correct foods at the right times of day.

This was an interesting concept to me, because I don’t tend to think of specific types of food working better at certain times of day. Rather, I just accept the idea that eating healthy foods is good, regardless of when I eat them. The error in this thinking is clearly outlined in her “Quick Start Energy Program”.

Victoria states: “If you suffer from the following disorders you need to take a close look your diet: Low energy, headaches, depression, feeling tired all the time, anxiety, irritability, chronic PMS, water retention, frequent bloating. Food affects your mood. That’s right: food affects the way you think, the way you move, and the way you do what you do. It controls your performance.”

She explains how the foods we eat relate directly to our hormonal and biochemical levels. How our bodies respond to the food we eat changes at different times of day.

For example, one part of the day, our bodies need foods that provide energy while at other times, it needs foods that enable the body to repair itself during restful times. If we don’t get this right, our bodies won’t produce the right results.

So by eating properly and correcting our biochemical levels, we will also be able to regulate our moods and control our anxiety.

If you are overweight or just want to lose some weight, and also suffer from anxiety and stress, Victoria’s “Quick Start Energy Program“ provides excellent information on all areas of nutrition, not just weight loss.

The “diet” she has designed doesn’t require buying special or expensive foods or doing anything specific other than to ensure you eat the right foods, ensure you get some level of exercise every day, and track your progress.

She has included several tasty sample menus, food charts and an excellent explanation of this whole process of nutrition versus mental and physical well-being.

Just in case you’re wondering about how much you’ll have to restrict your diet, you’ll be glad to know her list of “acceptable” foods is quite extensive while the “unacceptable” list is considerably shorter.

She also shows you how you can eat more every day without gaining weight while giving your body the nutrition it needs.

This program is ideal for all members of the family simply as a healthy lifestyle. I was reviewing it just to benefit my readers, but now that I see what I’ve been missing in my own menus, I’m going to take her advice and follow her food lists next time I shop.

Besides, there’s this annoying midriff spread I’ve been trying to ignore. What better time to try her methods?

To learn more about Victoria’s “Quick Start Energy Program” Click Here!

Boy, time sure flies. I’m late getting to you this time because I’ve been re-reviewing some products that I recommended previously.

I decided to do this re-review because of all the negative comments I’ve been seeing lately about Panic Away, the popular program to stop panic attacks. It seems it doesn’t work for everyone, and I believe I know the reason why.

During this re-review of Panic Away, I couldn’t help also reviewing my own recovery process as well. Now realize it’s a long time since I did recovery fully, but looking back now, it’s actually easier to see the process in its entirety, complete with its pitfalls.

And then, Panic Away’s missing element came to light.

Joe Barry talks about how his One Move™ technique will help you to stop a panic attack the moment it begins. He details the process so you can apply it the next time one happens.

The flaw in this thinking is that for some people, this isn’t enough. Oh, it might work at the time of the attack, but where’s the lasting recovery, I wondered?

I wish I could say that Panic Away worked for me, but I was already cured by the time I discovered it. During my initial review, however, I did understand his thinking and how his technique would distract you from the attack so that it doesn’t happen. For some people this is all they need to recover completely. For others, it’s not.

He also teaches you how to let your anxiety run its course, rather than trying to hold back the fear. In my case, I didn’t quite recognize exactly what I did until I read Panic Away. That’s when I was able to put together how I had used ‘releasing’ as an effective tactic.

I had never really understood how mere distraction would lead to a permanent recovery. It didn’t for me, and I used many distraction techniques. Releasing contributed, but it wasn’t until I fixed my low self confidence that I was able to recovery permanently.

Just like other panic-relief products, Panic Away claims that by curing the anxiety your confidence with ‘soar’. Well, this might be true to some degree. Of course you will feel better about yourself when you no longer have to constantly dread the cycle of fear and panic.

Unfortunately, if there is an underlying current of low self confidence, his technique just might not work.  You might well be facing additional attacks or a regression after your initial recovery. It might happen in the first month while you are practicing this technique, or it might come back years down the road.

In my case, it came back 3 years later with a vengeance.

Recently, I’ve been on forums reading posts by people who have tried Panic Away. For them, it didn’t work. In fact, some of them are downright upset that the claims made just don’t deliver. I can understand why they would feel that way.

Keep in mind that everyone is different; not everyone will be helped by Panic Away or any other anxiety-relief product, for that matter.

But also realize that there is an underlying aspect of anxiety that these products don’t discuss in any significant detail. Your low self confidence and self esteem.
 
Researchers have proven that inferiority is a very real component of anxiety disorder. A sense of inferiority is an element of low self confidence as well.

This missing element became evident to me because while doing this re-review, I went back to my own anxiety-ridden days and recalled how low my confidence was back then. Even after my so-called ‘recovery’, I still had lingering apprehensions – kind of like when you get the hiccups. When they are gone, you still feel like another one is pending.

That’s the way I felt – like the major anxiety was gone but I still didn’t quite feel right. While reading forum posts about this issue, I was certain that many of them are in the same boat I was in. So I put together an ebook based on research and my own discoveries and first-hand experiences to fill this gap.

How To Build Confidence and Banish Anxiety Forever will teach someone recovering from anxiety and panic disorder how to build their confidence (and sense of inferiority) so the anxiety will be overcome once and for all. It provides the element that will make all the difference to the quality of recovery you enjoy.

This product fills a very real gap left by Panic Away. I’m giving it away as part of the Panic Away package.

Learn more at http://www.book-titles.ca/panicawaybonus.htm

The Linden Method and Panic Away are two of the best programs I’ve found that provide the help you need to overcome your panic and anxiety attacks.

Both offer natural anxiety relief. Each has varied the approach and the method used, but they have one thing in common. They both work to overcome the problems that are directly linked to the Amygdala – a small gland in the brain that causes us to over-react to issues in our lives.

You’ll learn more about this gland when you visit my review pages listed below.

Panic Away is an ebook produced by Joe Barry – a man who suffered anxiety and panic attacks for many years. It affected his entire life and eventually left him feeling there was no hope left. Then he discovered why he was having these attacks and what needed to be done to stop them.

He did his research and wrote his book in which he describes how and why his method works. The One Move™ technique is deceptively simple, yet effective. Anxiety sets up into a cycle – one attack triggers fear that you will have another one. Unless this cycle is broken, it’s impossible to become cured. His program breaks that cycle quickly and instantly.

The Linden Method is not another ebook. It is a more complete package that includes relaxation audios that you can listen to while working around the house or relaxing. They are short but very effective.

Charles Linden produced this program after he underwent years of suffering the torture of anxiety and panic. Today, he is anxiety and panic free. His program is so effective that it has been endorsed by doctors and psychologists.

Of the two programs, I would recommend The Linden Method because I believe it is the stronger of the two. It addresses all aspects of these conditions and provides the long term solution that has already helped thousands of people.

Charles also invites people who have purchased his package to contact him for additional help if needed. He provides empathy, support and knowledge – you are not alone. And you are getting the help doctors’ recognize as highly effective.

While Panic Away is a good proven program, I feel that the audios provided by The Linden Method add that extra element that can make the difference for some people. If you are the type of person who gets better results with written material, then Panic Away might be your best choice. If you do better with audio instructions, then The Linden Method is highly recommended.

You can learn more about these programs by visiting my page http://www.book-titles.ca/anxietycure.htm where I have done a more extensive review of both programs.

The important thing is to find the program that works for you. Remember, if you aren’t satisfied with one program, you can always return it and try the other. Either one will bring you the results you are seeking as they are both proven and respected within the mental health industry.

Last week, I was discussing anxiety with someone who wanted to know what caused the anxiety that came out of the blue without warning. He had already been told it was a thought in the subconscious that caused it but that didn’t help him much.

I knew what he was talking about, however. While discovering how to handle my own anxiety attacks, I learned that each one was triggered by a thought. This thought was little more than a flash, making it very difficult to know exactly what had just gone through my mind to trigger this fear.

It’s been quite a few years now since I became relatively anxiety-free so I had to really think back. Then I remembered that experience when that same strange fear rose from somewhere deep within me. Almost instantaneously, the anxiety would grow into panic and I felt totally out of control of my situation. Of course, that just worsened the attack.

The thought that triggered mine was sudden, unexpected and unexplainable and I knew I needed to find out what that flash was if I were to resolve my anxiety. With practice, I learned how to stop and focus on what had just happened the moment I sensed the beginning of the attack.

Surprisingly, in many cases I was able to recall what I had been thinking, looking at or worried about  that had caused the fearful thought. In most cases, I could link it directly to something that made me feel insecure. On occasion, it was based on something from my past that was still affecting my thoughts. Often, I had seen something that subconsciously reminded me of that insecurity. For a split second, the thought triggered the fear and the anxiety began.

The best I can explain it is to turn to dreams. Sometimes when we awake from a dream, we might not even know we were dreaming but we wake up feeling a certain way – perhaps comfortable or anxious. If it was an especially disturbing or happy dream, we want to remember it and figure out what was going on.

This is much like the thought flash that begins an anxiety attack.

The trick to catching these fleeting thoughts is difficult. It does take practice and you have to be prepared to let go of the anxiety and change the direction of your thoughts. Instead of focusing on the fear of the attack, focus on recalling your recent thoughts. Sometimes this alone can stop the attack.

These thoughts can be vague, but sometimes it’s possible to get the basic concept of the thought. In most cases, you can be sure it has something to do with your lack of confidence or low self esteem. At the moment you are able to grasp the thought you will begin to see this pattern.

If you can learn to make that jump in your thinking and identify those little ‘demons’ that remind you of your insecurities, you will be able to stop your anxiety before it becomes full-blown.

Recently, I was chatting on one of the forums when one participant expressed concern about the upcoming wedding of her friend. Her fears were that she’d have an anxiety attack while she was there. The friend apparently thought she was just joking and shrugged it off.

It was very serious to this poster, however. In fact, she was considering backing out altogether rather than face the possibility of embarrassing herself in front of a group of people.

Her fears are understandable since she’ll be among people she didn’t know and would be participating in the wedding which can be a little unnerving if you’ve never done it before. It would mean putting herself “on display” in a sense. Who wouldn’t feel anxious?

Back in the days when I experienced anxiety on a regular basis, I dreaded many things that would put me in an uncomfortable situation. I was a mess the day I had to interview my town’s mayor for a college project. Had I been much younger at the time, I would never have gone through with it. It helped considerably to have been older and a little more secure.

One method to alleviate my anxiety involved turning my attention to things that would trigger laughter. Mostly, it involved watching nothing but comedy shows on TV.

Then, I heard this woman’s story and offered another technique that has worked for me. Perhaps it will help you, too, next time you feel an attack coming on.

If you are going somewhere that makes you nervous, think about what you’re going into. Try to identify what, exactly, is making you fearful about it. Are you going to be in front of strangers? Making a speech? Will you be expected to participate in some way? Do you feel insecure about your abilities to handle whatever they request? Are you afraid of doing something foolish? Are you unsure of the people there? How you’ll be accepted? Of the event itself?

The fear will likely be related to something like that, but ask yourself more questions. Why does it scare you so much? What’s the worst that can happen and is it really likely to happen?

Next, set your mind in preparation for that day. Prior to the event, imagine what it will be like and the people who will be attending. Think about your actual fear and exaggerate whatever is causing it. Blow it all out of proportion to the point there’s no way you would ever truly expect it to happen like that. Make it ridiculously silly. Make everything about the whole event outrageously funny. Give everyone some quirky characteristic. Throw in some weird event within the event. Use your imagination.

Try to make it as humorous as you can. Give someone a very long nose that they trip over. Put funny hats on everyone and imagine them all in different funny poses. Imagine the floor is paved with soft flowery padding and listen to the silence as you walk across the room. See yourself being bowed to out of respect from your peers. As they are bent over, imagine something funny happening to them.

It’s best if you know who might be attending because then you can attach your funny images to those individuals. This is especially good if there will be someone there that you fear or who makes you tense. Or try to focus on people who have a humorous side. Think about how they likely will be acting and exaggerate that. Practice beforehand and when you see them at the event it will be easy to see them the way you imagined them.

Now, when you actually go to the event and you begin to feel anxious, draw up one of those funny images. Let yourself smile. Exaggerate everything into something funny. Listen closely to the words being spoken and how they sound and look for the humorous elements. Think of certain words and their other meanings – many words have dual meanings and if you change the meaning in the sentence, it can be quite funny.

I know some people who have a knack for turning everything you say into something sexual or rude. If that’s your thing, do that too. I’m not suggesting you insult people or be rude to them by laughing and making obscene comments, but often just thinking this way can ease the tension and stop the anxiety.

I’ve learned that panic (fear) and laughter don’t occur at the same time. By finding things that make you laugh (inside or out) you can quickly bring a halt to an oncoming anxiety attack.

If you find this works for you, by all means post a comment here and tell us how it happened so others reading this blog can try your method, too.

We all know the damage stress can cause to our bodies, from heart damage to emotional distress. And with today’s rapidly advancing high tech society, it’s that much more difficult for us to ease our stress. We are constantly needing to learn new things and how to use new equipment if we are to keep pace with society.

Think back to the 1930s when the most common form of communication was the telephone and a teletype machine. Those pieces of equipment for the longest time were the only things we had to learn and use.

Compare that to today. In 1980, the computer was becoming commonplace in society. No longer was it just confined to government operations and big business. Suddenly, we citizens could have them in our homes to write letters and keep track of recipes. Within the next 20 years, we’ve added cell phones, wireless phones, satellite TV, music playback devices, electronic phone books, and a major increase in computer programs to learn. To stay current, we must upgrade as quickly as these products do.

No wonder we are so stressed. Who can cope with such ongoing pressure to keep up? Throw in traffic jams and crowded subways, stressed check out clerks and rude drivers and it’s all we can do to stop from clobbering someone.

There is a solution to gain stress relief and relaxation. It’s called biofeedback.

Biofeedback measures your body temperature and heart rate and gives the individual lessons in how to control them. This is done using small painless electrodes attached to the body, similar to the lie detector tests.

One computer-based program I discovered is rather impressive. It is hosted by Deepak Chopra and includes high quality animations. As the program begins, you are taken through a beautiful garden where you are required to make a ball move. The electrodes sense your body’s reactions as you attempt to move the ball up or down by flexing and releasing certain muscles and lowering your inner tension. This change will be reflected on screen as you move through the program and learn more effective ways to control your involuntary responses to stress. The exercises are enhanced by relaxing music and soothing images.

I first came across biofeedback a long time ago, probably in the 1970s and I was impressed with the effectiveness of the exercises. Since tension is my middle name, I was grateful to discover this technique. It made me aware of my own tension and I must say I was surprised to learn that I actually was tense. It had become such a common state for me that I didn’t know I was tense. When I was able to make it subside, I realized how much better I felt.

If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining way to relax and relieve your stress, visit  http://www.book-titles.ca/WildDivine.htm and try out the free demo. I’m sure you’ll be as impressed as I was. Just a note – since this demo is so highly animated and graphic, you will require a fast download, like DSL, to fully enjoy it.

For the past little while, I’ve been scouring the internet for forums and blogs related to mental health issues. Some excellent blogs are not accepting comments, which is unfortunate when a post only covers one aspect of a topic. Often, there are other viewpoints not covered and it would help if people with that additional insight could add their comments.

I did find a few blogs that allow comments, but my search is far from 1/100% done. If I find any of great value, I will let you know.

I have discovered a couple of very good forums, though. They provide a great place to share your thoughts and experiences and get feedback from others who have had similar experiences. The help provided by fellow-sufferers and those who have recovered can be more beneficial than other methods.

The reason, it seems, is that people on forums can remain anonymous while they discuss sensitive issues of great importance. In therapy sessions and groups, this is not possible, so people who would benefit from such contact are reluctant to reach out.

The biggest precaution about commenting on forums is to be very aware of how much you are revealing, especially if it provides the reader with any possible means to track you.

Here are a few tips that may seem obvious, but sometimes online chats can become so “comfortable” that we are always at risk of revealing too much.

1. Refrain from giving your real address or any clues that will enable anyone to figure it out.
2. Don’t give out financial information, and certainly not anything specific.
3. Keep your status private. Don’t let people know you are single, rich, physically limited as in a wheelchair or bedridden.
4. Keep your distance from anyone who tries to get “too close” by asking to contact you by regular mail.

There are other things to watch for, but these are a few that immediately come to mind.

Apart from that, by all means visit and participate in forums which are, in essence, a type of support group. They provide a non-judgmental environment where your condition is understood and your reaction to it is appreciated not criticized. This is where you can express your struggles, thoughts,  ideas and feelings while hearing of other people’s struggles and how they overcame them. You can compare notes, ask questions and benefit from the experiences of those who have been there.

Here are two forums that I recommend for anyone struggling to cope and understand.

Two that I found are:
http://www.uncommonforum.com
(very active environment that covers anxiety-related subjects as well as self esteem building)
http://www.thetalkshop.org
(I just discovered this one but so far it looks promising. It includes a sizeable section on grief and loss.)

You’ll soon learn you are not alone.