Stress Center Peer Support

Hey I listened to lesson 11 and one thing kinda caught my attention. They said anti-anxiety medication can help in order to give that clarity of mind in order to learn the skills. It essence it can help you to access the resources of your mind in order to fully grasp what is being said. So I thought about this and remembered there was a natural herb that I was using awhile ago that was very helpful in this regard.

I was using something called Rhodiola or Roseroot in the form of capsules. This actually did help me out alot with being able to handle and cope with stress, why I didn't continue, i'm not sure. So if you need that extra support and are afraid of meds you can try this. It might take a little while to kick in but it has no side effects that I know of unless you quit it very suddenly, then it can bring back the anxious feelings.

Also Ginseng can help too but I wouldn't recommend the generic Ginseng which is Red Korean as it can cause alot of problems like thining out the blood vessels of the body and give insomnia and irritability and higher blood pressure. American and Canadian Is alot safer but definately research it. Also DO NOT take any kind of ginseng when you are sick as it can keep the virus or illness locked in longer this is why people complain about coldFX making colds linger. Ginseng is used to prevent illness. In chinese medicine there is something call wei chi which is the defensive chi around the level of the skin. It acts like pours of the skin where if its strong then it can close and not allow external pathogen to enter the body but if it is weak it can be like open pores and be vulnerable to it. The problem when taking Ginseng when you are sick is that you close that wei chi and nothing can get in or out so the virus just sticks around longer. Its something we were taught in Chinese Medicine class. Ginseng definately helped to prevent illness and give me some more energy and tolerate stress a bit better but I found the Rhodiola to help out more.

So definately take that into consideration. You can get American Ginseng in the form of tea which is pretty useful. The Rhodiola you can get in the form of capsules or tinctures. I prefer capsules but I believe both work. It'd be better to find something thats about 200mg or more.

By the way I am not a naturopathic doctor, the knowledge I have of herbs is limited so please do your research before you decide as I do not know everything about these herbs, I can only tell you from experience how they were.


Hope this helps,

Mike

The forums have changed and it's diffrent and going to take awhile for me to get used to but hey this is like changing a habit, like the ones we have that keep us stuck in anxiety and depression so we can utilize this as a learning opportunity. We can see that after awhile we will get to a point where we don't expect the old way and we become confident with using the new layout.

Now I just finished lesson 11 in the workbook and just wanted to post some things.

1)For the evaluation about the alcohol, I only answered yes to 1 thing and that in some situations I may need alcohol in order to be there. So I'm not an alcoholic, not like i had any doubt on that.

2)The other evalutation with the depression and level of personal satisfaction well I scored 20 for depression and 19 for the satisfaction so i'm moderately depressed and I lack in personal satisfaction.

3)When symptoms are severe and lasting, so that pain problems outweigh pleasure most of the time, it is time to seek professional help. Please don't try this alone. [I have decided to start taking that Rhodiola in order to help me with the anxiety symptoms so I can feel a little more comfortable with facing the situations that cause it and more capable of dispersing irrational thoughts and bad moods.

4)Action assignments
-Each day this week go out of your way to talk to someone other than a "safe" person.
-Each day walk outside [I do this already and it really does help out alot, I highly recommend it]
-Rent or go watch a funny movie twice this week [I am watching more comedy shows actually and it really does make a diffrence in life, I've done this for the past few weeks and I do feel alot better, it has the potential to do that and the more you feel good, the more you can feel good and the deeper you can experience positive feelings]
-Ask what you can do right that minute in order to feel better [This would be what THH calls Mike moments! It helps and your brain is capable of coming up with an answer to any problem it will ever be faced with but sometimes it takes time, and confidence in what you come up with]



Mike

Hello Everybody.... I have great news I HAVE A JOB!!!!!............. I start tomorrow.
I am happy and excited and nervous....
Also today I went to a Doctor's appointment... I had 1 year without visiting my doctor, I finally made it there. The appointment went fine, I just have to go back a take care of some lab tests.
I am feeling goooooood right now. I just wanted to share it with all of you.
Hope

Mschope
Thats awesome, i'm so happy for you. What is your new job? What do you do in the job? What were you telling yourself in order to acquire this job?

Also great work with the doctor, sounds like your creating some good emotional momentum! Keep up the good work.


Mike

Hope,
YAY! All good news! Let us know how the new job goes, best of luck to you!


Mike,
I'll check out "roseroot" next time I go to the store. Thank you for posting it. I remember hearing that as well in the tapes, and I believe it to be true, with the mind being more clear. My experience has been in support of that statement. I have kept my xanax in my purse and I know I can use it if I really feel out of control. I have been lucky as I have been able to work though some things with out it.There have been days where I questioned myself as to whether to take it or not, I chose not. Maybe I would of handled things better with it, but my body symptoms seamed ok, and that is why I didn't take it.



Forever,
I'm glad your doing well.

Thats great with the Xanax THH. The roseroot doesn't seem to be for anxiety in the moment but more for being able to cope with stress, so i don't think it takes away the ability to have an anxiety attack. I've been taking for a few days now and that is what I notice. I'm not as afraid of judgement which is cool but i'm also motivating myself to respond to judgement on a daily basis. I will post that in lesson 12.

All
I think the craziness with the site has subsided and I think it'll be a good idea to move onto lesson 12. I'll set it up and we can start tomorrow . I have some things to post for that thread which I guarantee would have some benefit to everybody if they choose to use it. I'll post the link on this thread to the next one.


Mike

Here is lesson 12
http://forum.stresscenter.com/viewtopic ... 34#p353734


Mike

Forever Young, I'm sorry about your dog, but I'm glad that DH was able to bury him for you. Thank you for your kind words about the loss of my dog and son. It is not easy...that's for sure. I would like to get another dog eventually but will wait for the right time. I want to be farther along on my anxiety issues or "menopausal" symptoms. Since I will be training this dog by myself. My late son was my main helper when my dog was a wee 6 1/2 week old puppy.

We had an E collar on him as well, because he loved to "herd" cars and our front yard doesn't have fencing. We have a doggy door for him and the cats. We did have to pay to have the invisible fence people bury the cable. since then though, DS has broken the wire. I get upset over this, as I plan on using it again. Hopefully DS can repair it when the time comes. He is my in house electrician ever since he was a toddler!

I ventured over to the other website, until I get use to this one again. The other one still has the small font size as this new format is showing. So I need to find a way to enlarge my font by way of my computer or the website does it. I can read it, but not as easily.

MSHOPE--Congrats on the new job!

Everyone Else--I hope I can get caught up with all of you. Paislee I like how there is an emoticon that has my name and smile on it. LOL!