Anxiety Road Podcast
378 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★ - 31 ratingsThis is the Anxiety Road Podcast, the involuntary journey in finding treatment options for people that have anxiety and panics attacks with side trips into related mental health disorders.
This podcast is treatment agnostic.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
ARP 359 - Medication Treatment Options in 2024
July 10, 2024 03:36 - 9 minutes - 8.71 MBI'm coming up on the anniversary for the podcast. I started in 2015 because even with the internet at the time, it was hard to find accurate information about having an anxiety or mental health condition. I also felt that limiting treatment just to medication or therapy didn't necessarily take into consideration the needs of a diverse group of people with the disorder. There are people that have symptoms and just want them to stop. Those folks need to know you might stop one se...
ARP 358 - Be Careful Using Nutmeg
June 26, 2024 04:38 - 8 minutes - 8.14 MBNutmeg has been around for centuries being used for good and for evil. The evil part comes in when traders who couldn't get their hands on the actual spice would make wooden balls out of anything and sell it . The TLDR is that you have to be careful with nutmeg. You can have it in small amounts. And I do mean small. A pinch, a dash or maybe just a quarter of a teaspoon. Anyway flimflam goes way back. And it does move forward. My email got flooded with news about nutmeg f...
ARP 357 Mindfulness vs Meditation
June 12, 2024 03:19 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBThere are times when you just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other. You will get to a destination. Hopefully the one that you intended to get to. In this episode I wanted to help make clear the difference between mindfulness and the practice/tool/application of meditation. I have to be honest, it isn't for everybody. There are people that have weaponized the terms. Or feel that it isn't strong enough for what they are going through. Or they don't have time to sit ...
ARP 356 Pebble on Panic Attack and Panic Disorders
May 22, 2024 04:38 - 7 minutes - 6.27 MBThis is a quick pebble in the road about the differences between a panic attack and a panic disorder. I got distracted by an ad for psycho-neutrients but I got there eventually. Just a bit of housekeeping. I will be making short recordings for the month of June. I have things to attend to and time is going to be a challenge. Might do more recording on my phones to keep up with the doings and the responsibilities. Well, today I had to do a recoding on my phone. My audio is jacked up a...
ARP 355 - L-Theanine and Anxiety
May 08, 2024 03:15This pebble in the road is about the amino acid L-Theanine. There are contradictory claims about how it can help a person. It can make you more alert versus it can relax you. It can help with getting to sleep versus it can help you to focus. It helps with stress and anxiety. And if you do a regular search, you will come up with very positive reviews and endorsements. Mostly from blogs and websites that have affiliate deals or who are trying to sell you something. I have been b...
ARP 354 Basic Info on A.I. and Mental Health Apps
April 24, 2024 03:34 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBThere is a lot of turbulence in the mental health space. All kinds of mischief is going on and a portion of Americans who are trying to go back to 1862. It is crazy but I don't think that is a strong enough word for it. In this episode, I have a very simplistic definition of what is an AI Language Model and what is a scripted AI chatbot and a wee bit on what is or could be a generative A.I. chatbot or treatment option. We need to understand what is happening in the entrepreneuria...
ARP 353 - ADAA Online Support Groups
April 03, 2024 03:32 - 5 minutes - 5.74 MBThis is a pebble in the road about the ADAA On-line Support Group. Sometimes you need to connect to an actual human being. Or a group of people that share your problem or have similar questions. Lots of things happening and I'm trying to adjust to them. In future episodes, probably starting with this one, there will be a transcript available. It will be 90% accurate. If your podcast player supports transcripts, it should be visible. Meaning, that most of what I mention in...
ARP 352 - Breathing Necklaces or Buyer Beware
March 20, 2024 03:19 - 7 minutes - 7.25 MBIn this episode a look at breathing necklaces, which are supposed to help you control your breathing. These things irk me. It isn't that they don't have a purpose. But you don't need them. It is ok to want one or have it around your neck as a touchpoint or you really do understand how to use them. That is what I wanted to communicate in the recording. I had to cut a lot of stuff out of the episode. I was going on and on about anxiety gizmo advertorials in traditional and on-line ...
ARP 351 Anxiety and Imposter Syndrome
March 06, 2024 03:57 - 8 minutes - 8.3 MBFor some of us, imposter syndrome is an anxiety generator. It goes to the heart of feeling worthy, being competent or having the right to be in a particular space. Doing this episode made me feel like an imposter. I can hear slurred words, tangents and howlers of editing. But here is the thing. I don't allow it to keep me from trying and doing. Sure, I could not do the show. Or hire and editor. Or let a freaking non-human try to emulate my speech patterns. I need to d...
ARP 350 When An Attack Sneaks Up on You
February 22, 2024 01:58 - 8 minutes - 7.8 MBThere is a spectrum of decisions between I can and I can't. Part of our healing journey is to understand the concept of acceptance. A video popped up called "A Panic Attack Ended My Winter Backpacking Trip" from the Miranda Goes Outside!! YouTube channel. I absolutely wanted to view that video. Spent a chunk of it nodding in agreement. Not to mention that I learned a little bit about not sleeping under a tree if there is snow. I felt validated in that there is actual vi...
ARP 349 Quick Look at Xaia Mental Health Companion VR App
February 14, 2024 04:04 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBTreatment options are evolving and this one is a pip. An expensive one, but it might be just what is needed in the middle of a cold dark night of the soul. Xaia aka eXtended reality Artificially Intelligent Ally is designed to work with the Apple Vision Pro.VR device. You can talk with it. Share your concerns and get feedback about your issues. That is the topic for a quick look at the mental health support VR app. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Li...
ARP 348 - Bear Grylls App and Men's Mental Health Resources
January 31, 2024 03:47 - 9 minutes - 9.36 MBIn 2024, of the things we have to change is the active cultural block against men seeking mental health treatment. We don't have time for it. All hands on deck or at least pull the ropes trying to point the ship in the right direction. This episode is a little different because it is resource focus. Go to Helpguide.org to learn about therapy or to Heads Up Guys to learn about stress. Or use the Mettle app from Bear Grylls. What I don't want you to do is suffer, grit your ...
ARP 347 - Ottawa Personal Decision Guide
January 24, 2024 14:17 - 3 minutes - 3.31 MBThere are a lot of decisions that you have to make when you are seeking treatment. Hopefully you find a good doctor or a mental health professional to guide you though the process. Those are aspirational goals by the way. You might run into a doc that just wants to give you medication and then report back in four weeks. Or you can't find or afford a provider in your area. I would suggest that you take some time and work on a decision guide as to what you want and don't want concernin...
ARP 346 - Breathing Practice Using Fidget Spinners
January 17, 2024 04:59 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBIn January, you often hear about the aspirational pledges. No shopping. No drinking alcohol. Go vegan or as close to it as you can get. My year round goal is to get folks at a basic level to take time to breath. Slow it down. Chill as in being quiet. Not as in ice baths. Me in a former incarnation; "Nuts to you, I breath all of the time. I still have symptoms." Future me: "Yeah, you dope. You also drink six cans of Coke or Dr. Pepper a day. Your diet is atrocious (but very tast...
ARP 345 Ideophobia or Fear of Ideas
January 03, 2024 03:29 - 9 minutes - 9.2 MBWith all of the book banning in the United States, a person could make a case that some sections of the country has ideophobia or the fear of ideas. Might also be bibliophobia. In this episode, a quick look at the definition of Ideophobia. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741. Resources Mentioned: Mind.org.uk Causes of Phobias self-help guide. https://...
ARP 344 Diabetes and Anxiety
December 27, 2023 04:37 - 4 minutes - 4.69 MBIf you have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and anxiety or depression, you have to deal with both conditions at the same time. It is a challenge but not impossible. There are resources and options to help you deal with treatment. This is just a quick mention of some of those resources that could be of assistance to you or someone you know. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” ...
ARP 343 Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families
December 25, 2023 04:54 - 12 minutes - 11.3 MBIn this episode, a look at adult people that grew up in an addictive or dysfunctional family. Because if you did, there is a good chance you might have an anxiety condition or a related mental health problem. How do you get to be an adult child of a dysfunctional family. There are many pathways. Many are raised in an abusive or addictive family. Others are raised in a generational trauma system. Some people are raised by adults who do not have a clue about how to be a par...
ARP 342 Adverse Childhood Experiences aka ACEs
December 13, 2023 04:42 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBI did an episode about ACEs a long time ago. It was okay but I know a bit more now. At the time I said something to the effect, "Childhood isn't easy even in the best of families, but what if your family of origin contributed to your current condition? I'm not saying that it has, but what if it did?" That part was ok but listening to it now I did not fully define it or give examples. When you know better, you do better. This is probably a three part series about childhood...
ARP 341 Sour Candy and Symptom Management
December 06, 2023 01:53 - 7 minutes - 6.99 MBSo in this episode I wanted to put a bit more context as to why sucking sour candy could work to stop panic attacks. Or not. Or not for the long term. Here is how it started. I have news feeds for anxiety. This story popped up. Delish is a food recipe and kitchen gadget website. I've seen videos on YouTube. I was confused when I saw the story about sour candy and panic attacks. It didn't match their usual beat. Sometime that can lead to good stuff. Like a fishing website th...
ARP 340 Cannabis and Cruising Do Not Mix
November 21, 2023 17:02 - 6 minutes - 6.72 MBI don't know if I'll ever go on a cruise ship. The only part that really interest me is tasting a wide variety of food in a short amount of time. Plus my anxiety about riding on a human petri dish would get the best of me and cause all kinds of embarrassment. Not to mention that there are hundreds of people around and having to move as a pack once you arrive for an excursion. Gives me the shivers. Anyway, there is a recent news story about a person kicked off a ship because of CBD Gu...
ARP 339 - You Need to Change Your Ways
November 15, 2023 02:30 - 5 minutes - 5.39 MBYou made it over the first hurdle. You know you have a problem. You might have even gone to the doctor or your health provider to obtain help. They might have set you up with pills or talk therapy. And that is a far as you got. You take the meds but you are still drinking. Or eating high sugar or caffeinated beverages. Babe, you gotta make some changes. Ones that you do not want to make but you have to do it. The resource this week is a movie that covers a lot of a...
ARP 338 Anxiety in Your Guts and Symptom Tracking Apps
November 01, 2023 02:44 - 6 minutes - 6.33 MBThere is a term called visceral anxiety. According to various sources, it isn't a medical term but more of a description of feeling anxiety in the lower center of your body. We are talking about the gastrointestinal track. For some with anxiety it is a persistent problem of pain in the stomach, being gassy or bloated. Or feeling queasy each and every day. (Pregnant people excepted). Now life happens, you get sick and have those symptoms. Or something you've eaten truly does not agre...
ARP 337 - When the World Is Crazy We Worry
October 27, 2023 03:47 - 13 minutes - 12.9 MBWorry is powerful, it can dishearten you and have you see nothing but shades of gray. There are techniques that even anxious people can use to reduce the amount of worry and get on with the business of the day. I've been around a few spins around the sun. There have been very few times when things haven't been crazy on this planet. Especially with humans having access to weapons. Gasses me up just to think about it. The only people and industries happy about current events are ...
ARP 336 Anxiety Symptoms and Nicotine
October 18, 2023 03:18 - 4 minutes - 4.39 MBYou can be a smoker that has anxiety or a person with an anxiety condition who smokes. Either way it is a bad deal that can not only make your symptoms worse but cause long term harm to your body. In this short pebble in the road episode, some resources to help educate yourself about the problem but some viable resources you can check out to separate yourself from the cigarette or the vape. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, th...
ARP 335 Beans or Knowledge
October 11, 2023 05:04 - 11 minutes - 11.2 MBI try to keep episodes short and to the point. But sometimes I need to talk about conceptual things that at first, doesn’t seem to have anything to do with anxiety treatment options. But it does. I need to talk about beans or knowledge. Or the do before the why. Which I like better but it isn't grammatical. I take comfort that I'm pissing off an A.I. generator. I know that many people that listen to the podcast like the give it to me straight and let me be on my way aspect of th...
ARP 334 Explaining Depression via Games
October 04, 2023 02:45 - 10 minutes - 14.8 MBThe American Psychiatry Association defines depression as loss of interest of activities once enjoyed, and that the symptoms must last longer than two weeks before an official diagnosis. There isn't just one kind of depression and they don't all generate from the same source. For people that have not experience depression, it is really hard for them to understand. Or they try to related to something that has no relationship to the actual condition. You can tell they don’t ...
ARP 333 Two Simple Meditation Techniques
September 27, 2023 02:17 - 5 minutes - 5.23 MBWhen things go wrong and you need a break, like when none of your audio software will record and you have to use your phone, you need to take a moment. Or two. Maybe have dinner as well. Some days you have to find ways to roll with it. A meditative break can help. That is the topic of this episode. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741. Resources...
ARP 332 Dealing With Jaw Clenching aka Bruxism
September 20, 2023 03:38 - 8 minutes - 8.53 MBMany of us hold our tongues or clench our teeth to protect ourselves from saying what you really want to say. Or feel. And for most of us, that works and we go about our day. But if you are clenching and grinding your teeth on a daily basis there is going to be a problem. Sometimes with your jaw. Or wearing away your teeth. Or having headaches or something worse. In this episode, a look at what jaw clenching and teeth grinding and some of the things you can do to reduce the sy...
ARP 331 Medication Options for Generalized Anxiety Disorder 2023
September 13, 2023 02:01 - 11 minutes - 10.5 MBI’ve done a couple of episodes on generalized anxiety disorder, sometimes referred to as GAD. However, there have been changes to some of the medication treatment options. And there are new options that did not exist in 2016 or 2018 so I thought that I’d catch everyone up on what is going to be current for the foreseeable future. That is the topic for today's episode. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Proje...
ARP 330 A Look at the Pulsetto VNS Device
August 31, 2023 01:37 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBI try to stay off of sites like Kickstarter and Indigogo. Too much temptation and even more disappointment. Back in the day, I use to support the up and coming companies. But I got tired of waiting sometimes month before the product arrived. I have been burned by companies that found out it was hard to be an innovator. Few days ago, I got an email that I was about to toss in the trash. Looked like spam. Anyway, I found out that it is an actual company that claims to treat anxiet...
ARP 329 Cat Coloring Book as Meditation Practice
August 09, 2023 04:09 - 7 minutes - 6.99 MBThe TLDR version: What I do know is that a coloring book could be an opportunity for those who have trouble with some of the traditional concepts of meditation or mindfulness practice. But be careful about making a purchase. When possible, buy from a human creator. The much longer version: I insist on being a human being so I still do my own research. Not saying I having dipped a toe or two into the new hyped up gizmo world of ask a question get a possibly faulty answer of A.I. ...
ARP 328 Breathing and Humming Resources for Anxiety
July 19, 2023 13:36 - 4 minutes - 4.47 MBI'm on the summer slow down vibe, but there are lots of interesting ways to handle and reduce symptoms. One of those ways is combining a breathing practice with humming. To be clear, I'm talking about the sound that humans make with their mouths. Usually involves the sound "hum". Take the human body, the Vagus nerve and an open mind and you just might have an additional tool to tell the body to relax, there isn't a danger or problem. Might work for you. Might not. I do know that i...
ARP 327 Is It Always Going to Be Like This?
July 09, 2023 01:21 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBAs I mention in the podcast, it is the eight anniversary of the podcast. The need to connect people to the various mental health services is still necessary. There have been times that my symptoms were stable and I could crank out an episode, no problem. But there are times when I'm at high tide, the symptoms are showing themselves to the public and I can or cannot produce an episode. Thing is, more often or not, I found a way. Making mistakes. Learning new ideas and concepts....
ARP 326 - More About PTSD Resources
June 25, 2023 01:42 - 9 minutes - 9 MBIt is the start of the summer slowdown where I'll post less often as I try to catch up on my sleep and elocution skills. I've been talking a lot lately and I can hear multiple imperfections. Really a bad idea to do five things at the same time. Anyway, last week's error has created this episode. As a standing warning. Never upgrade as you are working on a project. I've gotten away with it before but not last week. It destroyed my audio file. Totally my fault. I knew better but d...
Minding the Line and the Dog Ate My Homework
June 14, 2023 03:20 - 5 minutes - 5.2 MBAfter missing last week, I was determined to get an episode up. I recording and edited it. The SOS software decided to garble my speech. And then it stopped working. So I turned to my phone and made something happen. It ain't pretting but I dood it. This is a quick look at the new movie called Minding the LIne, which is a fictional movie about fly fishing, PTSD and coping as best you can. I'll get the rest of the episode re-jiggered and try again. I might have to miss an epis...
ARP 324 Dealing with Symptoms
June 01, 2023 03:38 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBIt has been a while since I’ve mentioned this; the focus on the podcast is for folks that have been medically diagnosed with an anxiety condition or disorder. However, all are welcome. The over-stressed, the somewhat anxious or those that are up against it and don’t know what to do. Everybody has anxiety. That is normal and necessary. We need it for our personal safety and awareness that there is a possible problem or danger. Anxiety’s job is to bring awareness. Not a good thing...
ARP Pebble in the Road on Acceptance
May 24, 2023 03:45 - 5 minutes - 5.41 MBThere are days when we muck it up. And spend hours berating yourself that you were not perfect or you did not catch one of the dozens of bug a boos that you handle in a day. On this day I would like to suggest that you stop being mean, nasty or hyper-critical about being fallible. Practice your breathing, drink some water, move your body and actively be kind to yourself. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project...
ARP Pebble in the Road - Fight the Reaper
May 17, 2023 04:05 - 4 minutes - 4.89 MBFor those of you that don’t understand about the experience of depression, I have two websites that might help folks get a grip on it. The first is Will O’Neil’s Actual Sunlight. It is a fictional narrative game about the experience of living and trying to exist in a depressive state. Another expression of the experience is an old school HTML website called Deprression Quest. It is an interactive experience about living with depression. What am I talking ab...
ARP 322 What is Health Coaching?
May 10, 2023 02:22 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBLast time, I talked about coaching. How there are different types of coaches and that it is an unlicensed and unregulated practice. There are good and bad coaches, and we need to find ways to figure out who is who. I tried to chop it down into chunks but this is a big topic. And not a lot of consumer friendly information sources. Many of the resources I found where connected to vendors wanting to either have folks sign up for their telehealth service or to take a class or course on hea...
ARP 321 What Is A Health Coach?
May 03, 2023 04:33 - 7 minutes - 7.63 MBI’m working my way through the mental health telemedicine providers and I’m coming across the word “coach.” I get a little leery about that word because I’ve had some experiences with people using it to wrap themselves in a health wellness cloak of respectability. I’ve gone to conferences and sat in on sessions that I thought were about how to best provide information to people wanted health information. A couple of those sessions went into details about how to lead your ...
ARP Pebble in the Road - Meditative Crafting
April 26, 2023 03:47 - 6 minutes - 5.94 MBThis episode is not for everybody. Some of you will be highly dismissive. That is okay. Different strokes for different folks. Knitting provides an object of focus for our practice. We can practice focusing our attention and letting go of distractions. The point is, doing something analog or tactile can help you relax. Or meditate or route you and keep you in the present tense. In this pebble in the Road a quick look at crafting as a gateway to meditation. If you need support...
ARP 320 Graphic Novel Memoires about Anxiety
April 12, 2023 03:49 - 6 minutes - 6.23 MBLong time listeners know that I am a connoisseur of the sequential arts. It is truly the theater of the mind because I can co-create with the artist to experience an environment or an adventure. I bring this up because sometimes healing can come from unexpected places. Like a graphic novel or a comic book. Three of the books talk about the experience of having a perpetual negative voice interfering with the quality of their lives. Three of the books speak to what t...
ARP 319 Clifford W. Beers and Mental Health America
April 03, 2023 03:43 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBThe anxiety symptoms can muck up our ability to see what we've done, whether it was fair, good, or excellent. There are a lot of wonderful people that have anxiety conditions that do mighty good things. People write, create or force a revolution into how we should treat each other as human being. In this week's episode, a look at a pioneer that helped to improve mental health care in the U.S. and a look at Mental Health America. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention...
ARP 318 A Look at AmWell for Anxiety Treatment
March 20, 2023 23:42 - 10 minutes - 9.84 MBAs one section of America tries to move forward there are others that are determine to hold on to what didn't work in the past and certainly won't work in the future. In this day, do the best you can. That is the lesson to be learned across all of time and space. I had to record this episode seven or eight times. I kept messing up. Mispronounced words. Forgot to explain something. Then there were the birds and the trash truck. Together. In harmony. You can aim for...
ARP 317 - The BetterHealth Consent Order
March 13, 2023 01:33 - 10 minutes - 10 MBThere are times when I find myself in unexpected territories. This is one of those times. It is why I'm trying to include more attention to the virtual mental health providers. If you have ever listed to a podcast or watch YouTube, you probably have heard or seen something about the company known as BetterHealth. You might have seen an advertorial from a social media influencer or from a podcaster. Yeah, this is pickle. BetterHealth presented itself as a service that helps us...
ARP 316 Proposed Virtual Prescription Changes
March 02, 2023 01:20 - 7 minutes - 6.94 MBA few years ago in an episode I said: Anxiety is so much more than the typical stress reaction. For some of us, we gag, we choke, we have heart pains, we have chest pains, we have diarrhea, we have gastric distress, we have excessive sweating. We can't leave our homes. These are not the kind of things you're going to be thinking your way through if your symptoms are that extreme. And there was a point where my symptoms got that extreme. I decided to take medication. I am now on ...
ARP 315 A Look at The Anxiety First Aid Kit Book
February 21, 2023 20:35 - 6 minutes - 5.89 MBI freely admit that I mentioned can soda too many times in this episode. But it had a profound effect on my body and parts of my brain. There are folks that use other substances in excess to deal with their symptoms or whatever else is going on with them. For me, it was sugar drinks and pastries. Almost never met a donut I didn't like. I no longer beat myself up on wanting to scarf up a sweet treat. I do get pissed at myself when I do eat a problem food. There are repe...
ARP Pebble in the Road Health Definitions
February 15, 2023 01:17 - 4 minutes - 4.19 MBSome providers of services use the term behavioral health. Some use mental health. I have spent the hours trying to get a concise meaning of both terms. It ain't easy. The American Psychological Association defines behavioral as: ...an interdisciplinary subspecialty of behavioral medicine that promotes a philosophy emphasizing individual responsibility in the maintenance of one’s own health and in the prevention of illness and dysfunction by means of self-initiated activi...
ARP 314 What is Ro Mind?
February 11, 2023 20:35 - 9 minutes - 9.1 MBUpdate 2024 - Seems like Ro Mind has bit the dust. Although the mental health only therapy explainer page is still listed on the website, it seems that there has been a downsizing of the medical services offered. Per the main page of the website, they no longer list anxiety, depression and seasonal affected disorder conditions. When I select the "What We Treat" menu, there are no mental health services. I will have a separate recording about the change but the podcast recording belo...
ARP 313 Mental Telehealth Services
January 31, 2023 04:22 - 12 minutes - 11.9 MBIn this episode, a look at some of the mental tele-health options that are in or will be introduced to the healthcare marketplace. Next time, and throughout the year I'll show examples of a virtual mental health service, what it does, the pros & cons and other items of interest. If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741. Resources Mentioned: SAMSHA Disaster Distress ...