ARP 378 Gatophobia or Fear of Cats

We all have that thing that gets under our skin. The thing we can't stand and won't abide in any form. That at best is an irritation. But for some of us, it can be a problem if it impacts the quality of life.

Those four-legged poof balls called cats can be a problem for people with a phobia about cats. In this episode, what it is, the symptoms and treatment resources.

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: 

The Cleveland Clinic has a page on ailurophobia, another name for the fear of cats.

If you want to go learn about the condition, there is a HelpGuide.org page on Phobias and Irrational Fears.

Psychology Today has a directory of mental health providers. You can search by city or zip code.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

 

News and Anxiety Resources - Courthouse News Service

There are gems in the muck of 2025 journalism access. Courthouse News Service is one of them.

Courthouse News reports stories in plain English.  It leans toward factual, non-interpretive reporting.

This is a commercial subscription service that provides court information to law firms, businesses and journalists. However, the site has a free to access public website that contains the doings in federal and state courts.

Front Page of Courthouse News Service

And if you need more that politics to fill up your news fix, there is also other areas of interest. To get the full range, you got to click on the hamburger thingy on the left side of the website.

Partial list of topics that the service covers.

Minor Con: there is opinion on the site. The editors do have opinions. 

They do express those opinions in the Op Ed pages. 

Sometimes forcefully. Many times with a touch of humor. More like a subtle smile.

Unless you don't agree them and then it is a grimace.

If you want straight news, stick with that side of the site. 

I'm balancing this as a minor con because visitors have full access to the news stories without nag screens or ads. This is very rare and I don't know how long it will last. 

One more thing. There is the Walt Girdner photo of the day. Many of the photos are lovely and take the stink out of 2025. The photo is usually toward the bottom of the main page of the site.

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: 

There is an app available via Google Play or the Apple App Store. It appears that the app is free to use on phone and tablets. 

I tried it out on my phone. There doesn't seem to be ads or nag screens. It is easy to navigate and read the news stories. 

I'm not endorsing or promoting the service. But I do use it when I need an understanding of what is happening with the conversations between the judicial and executive branches of government.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

News and Anxiety Resources - DW News

There are international broadcast news networks that have English language reporting. DW News is a German broadcaster that reports on what is going on in the world. 

This includes the United States national news that would be of interest to a global audience.

DW News is owned by the German government. Think of it like their version of PBS but with a hell of a lot more financial support and independent from constant threats of being shut down.

Pros:

Exposure to international and Germen specific news. There is a lot of content but it will be different than the current crap we are getting here in the United States. 

Global view of events and a different perspective of what is going on in the United States and the world.

The network is paying attention to disinformation and how to deal with it. There is a portion of the website that called DW Academie where they talk about the global problems of mal-information and disinformation. 

Scroll down the whole page, there is some very good stuff here. Probably should check out the DW Academie YouTube channel. 

Cons: 

There could be cultural difference that could lead to misunderstanding what is happening in a particular American news story. 

DW News is going to report from their point of view. There are going to be biases. We all have them. U.S. folks might be disturbed about how we as a country and as people are perceived overseas. 

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but at the moment our roses smell like poo-poo.

Lots of ways to access their content.

 

• English language version of the website is https://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097 
• DW has a 24-hour live news feed on their website.
• There is also an English audio version that gives the daily briefing of what is happening in Germany and the world.
• DW News YouTube Channel.

For those that have an interest, there is a section of the website that will help you to learn German or refresh your ancient high school skills. In case you are planning a vacation trip or thinking about, oh I don't know, relocation?

Hey, it is just a thought. 

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. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 377 - Stress Management Tips

There are forces that have us in a state of stress and unbalance. It is intentional. Our stress levels are way too high.  In this episode, I'm talking specifically about stress but those of us with anxiety still need to pay attention. 

We still have the ability to decide how we want to go forward. You might need a personal support system to help you deal with the days, months or however ever long we survive this moment in time.  

 

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: 

Stress definition and tips to handling it from the World Health Organization. The American Psychological Association has a dictionary style definition from their point of view.

The non-profit American Institute of Stress also provides information about stress. There is a stress questionnaire that could help you figure out your stress level and provide information on handling it. There is a fee for accessing the questionnaire and guide.

Mindful.org has A 4-Minute Practice to Clarify What’s Important Right Now.

If you would like help in getting started with a mindful practice the free app Healthy Minds provides lessons and practice session to help you learn how to do it.  https://hminnovations.org/meditation-app

The American Heart Association has an infographic that you can download to help you remember some of the techniques of stress relief and management.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

News Anxiety Resources - APNews.com

Those of us of an anxiety nature need to feel safe. Avoiding news is a thing and many have embraced Ostrich power. 

However, as I have learned from recent real life experience, that can be quite dangerous. I'm not being dramatic here. 

I turned off all news notifications from my phone and reduced my social media consumption. I certainly felt better.

But fire doesn't care. Earthquakes don't care. Floods are proactively destructive. Then there is that whole social upheaval and change in government thing. Just makes a person gassy.

Logo of the Associated Press

So we can be anxious but not willfully stupid. And with the daily infodemic flow of content, we need to have a strategy on learning what we need to know and filter out the gunk.

Find a way to stay informed but mentally healthy. One way to do that is to find viable resources.

Hard to do in the United States of America. We are being bombarded with fake news, twisted news and things that are not even remotely news in profiteers clothing. 

The ability of using AI to map another persons un-consenting voice to an AI generated body is spooky.

The other day, I viewed a video about how good AI avatars are getting. You can still spot the goofy but it is harder to do. 

So what can we do?

Plenty. One option is to visit known trusted as possible resources.

The Associated Press (AP) is a non-profit organization that gathers and reports on the news. They have their own reporters, camera crews and staff. 

The AP also has customers and cooperative agreements to provide their content to broadcast news and media outlets. AP goes out and gets the news. 

It then distributes those stories to a feed that print and broadcast media use in the their news stories.

If you want to access AP content as a consumer, then you will need to visit APNews.com

What You Can Find on APNews.com

For the most part, APNews, doesn't embellish or add spin reported stories. They talk to everyone liberal, center and conservative. 

You might not like the news story, but you will receive factual information known at the time.

Example of the cover page with menu options and the current story of the day.

Pros and Cons

Pro:

It is free to access apnews.com and ready any story.

Exposure to international, regional an and sometimes local news. There is a lot of content. 

Now more than ever, U.S. folks need to understand how we are impacting other countries. AP News gives you that opportunity.

Con:

It is a legit non-profit. You will be asked for a donation. Not once but each time you visit a new page. You can sign up for a one-time donation or become donor to remove the nag window. 

There is an APNews app that you can download. Bad news is that doesn't seem to have good ratings for functionality. You can access the web version on your phone or tablet.  

More bad news, I found that on phones and tablets devices there is more of a mixture of ads and news content. That is a problem. You have to look hard to make sure you are clicking on a viable news story.

APNews is not perfect. No person, business or corporation is. But it leans more fact based that most of the print and broadcast media outlets.

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: 

The public version to find news stories is APNews.com.

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

News Anxiety Resource - Reuters Fact Check

Some times a person can be their worst enemy. Or their systems and internal little haters can keep a person from doing something different. It takes a lot of effort to move away from severe self induced harm.

What I am trying to do is not perfect. I'm not a designer or social media creator or artist. Trying real hard not to use AI. 

But I do have ideas that can be shared. This is one of them.

The text version:

If you are dealing with news anxiety or infodemic levels of queasiness the Reuters Fact Check page might help you get the straight scoop.

Reuters is a business-to-business news service that sells primary reporting to media outlets like newspapers, broadcast TV and publications. 

I want to direct you to the fact checking page that focuses on visual or social media questionable stories.

The site has about three or four stories a day that are researched and evaluated. The team will look for where the story started or try to confirm or deny the statement made in the social media item.

Reuters is a signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

That means that as a fact checker, they promise to uphold certain journalism standards. 

So if you need to double check a social media post, meme or video this could be a good place to start.

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: 

The fact checking page can be found on the Reuter’s website. https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/


The International Fact-Checking Network is a project of the Poynter organization, with multiple participants. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

ARP 376 Quick Look at Book How to Be Yourself

Social anxiety is not about being shy or people not wanting to be social. People with social anxiety beats up on themselves before others get a chance to do it. 

It is a condition where an excessive amount of fear is generated by the anticipation of rejection. 

Either way, it can be harmful to the spirit. In this episode, a quick look at the book How to Be Your Self by Ellen Hendriksen, Ph.D.

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: 

If you need information about Social Anxiety Disorder, the Anxiety and Depression Association of America has a free PDF on the condition and suggestions on treatment options.

The Insight Timer app has a course by Dr. Hendriksen called Rising Above Social Anxiety. 

The Yale Medicine website has an explainer page on Social Anxiety.

Bookshop.org is a way to support independent bookstores. You purchase the book online via the website and an independent store will benefit from the purchase. 

Disclaimer: 

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.