ARP 364 - Anxiety Books Primer

In this episode, I want to do a dive into what you should know before buying a book on anxiety support or treatment. Depending on how and where you get that book, there could be a certain amount of misrepresentation. 

The topics in this episode include Private Label Release/White Label books, personal narratives and self-help/support and workbooks. One of my goals for 2025 is find current books that help specific populations. 

The music for this week's show is from Logan at www.musicformakers.com. I mispronounced the name of the website and had to take it out.

Wee bit of housekeeping. 

I am a real person. This is a 95% human generated podcast. I do use search engines. Many of them now have embed AI features. I write my own scripts and use an image editor that to my knowledge, doesn't use AI (yet). I use a company called Auphonic that does have AI sound cleaning features. 

Long time listeners know I need all the help I can get in regard to sound quality.

I need to say all of that because there is now technology that an AI generated audio show hosted by two non-human AI voices. That podcast can be created and uploaded in about 20ish minutes. 

There are humans that subscribe to that service. Mainly for income generation. More podcasts, more access to advertiser money. 

For those of you new here, I do not accept ads, affiliate deals or influencer perks. I don’t do interviews for free or for profit. Not saying I’ll never do it but I haven’t in 8 years so yeah, that is a thing.

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: 

Descriptive Personal Narrative Resource: Scott Stossel's My Age of Anxiety

Self Help, Support & Workbooks: 

You Will Get Through This: A Mental Health Tool Kit―Help for Depression, Anxiety, Grief, and More by Julie Radico PsyD, Charity O’Reilly LPC, Nicole Helverson PsyD

Combo Personal Narrative & Self-Help/Support: 

From Stuck to Unstuck: Break Free from the OCD & Anxiety Loop Using the Triple-A Response® and Take Back Control of Your Life by Matthew Codde LCSW. There is a website with information about the book. There is also a podcast that talks about mental health issues.

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 362 - Boomers, Anxiety and Alcohol

Update: it is actually episode 363 but I goofed. Humanity is assured. 

A quick pebble in the road on those in the population that know what a party line is, not to be confused with the groove line and the collective horrors of swallowing Cod Liver Oil.

Anxiety does not have an age limit or time out feature. Age doesn't necessarily protect you from having an anxiety condition. 

This is just a brief look at some of the things you should consider if you are take a swig to deal with your symptoms.

P.S, really not a good idea.

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 U.S. National Institute on Aging has a facts information page about aging and alcohol.

The (UK) Royal College of Psychiatrists on Alcohol, Mental Health and the Brain

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Mental Health in Canada page on Alcohol Use in Older Adults

And from the U.S. Veterans Health Library, Unhealthy Alcohol and Drug Use and Mental Health, this has the breakdown on how much an adult can drink in a day. 

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 362 - Healthy Minds Program App

This is a quick look at the Healthy Minds Program App and what can do for you to help you chill out.

One way to think about mindfulness it is an intentional period of time that you practice of grounding yourself in the moment. 

Meditation is a method that you use to help you get to a mindful space.  Some of those tools include breathing, movement, or a specific mental practice to create healthy pathways and move out the muck.

What can it do for you:

• Meditative practice
• Audio education on training the brain and understanding the mind.
• Tracking your wellness level.
• Helps to reduce anxiety levels.

There is no charge to use the app but they would not mind if you made a donation to support the non-profit that created it.

This app is available on Android and iOS devices.

Just a reminder, I do not accept advertising or have affiliate links. I seek out the resources and products. 

In eight years, I have never done an interview. I don't want to. I'd rather have a conversation.  But not necessarily via the podcast.

This has not stopped PR people from sending me possible interview candidates. I have a special folder where they go into purgatory. I use to email them to tell them that. Doesn't seem to matter to them. 

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: 

Meditation and Mindfulness: What You Need To Know from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. 

The Healthy Minds Program App in the Apple App store.

The Healthy Minds Program App on the Google Play store.

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.

Some ARP Changes and Apple Podcasts

Update: I found a better theme. Still having problems but such is life. Google Plus does not exist anymore but dang if I can remove that icon. And I paid cash money to have the ability to customize the template. Grrr...

Hi folks, just wanted to give you a update on some things. 

I was messing around and decided that the blog could stand an update. I made some changes, found out it didn't work but I couldn't exactly restore the prior version. My fault. I overwrote the backup copy.

Anyway, I have it at a functional level for now. It looks different and it will probably change again. I like a two column format and I can't make this version show the second column.

Looks good on mobile but cuts off the images on the desktop front page version. The line spacing is giving me fits. I'll work it out. Or not. 

The second thing is that there is now Apple Podcasts on the web. You don't need iTunes to use it. You don't even need a subscription. Unless you want to.

Main Apple Podcasts on the web site

ARP show page

This is a potentially a good thing for Android and Linux users. Or for folks that do not like fiddling with a podcasting app.

You can bookmark it on your phone or tablet browser and then bobs your uncle you will be on the main podcasting page. (I've been watching a lot of UK TV.) You can search for the podcast and it will take you right to the show page.

There is a URL for it but is a long one ARP on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/anxiety-road-podcast/id1033739334

For the time being, it seems to be easier to go to the main Apple Podcasts site and search for the show. 

You can also read the transcripts but they are jacked up. They were nice and neat when I submitted them but something got lost along the way. Readable but not pretty.

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 361 - Your Anxiety Toolbox

Those of us that want to find solutions or treat their anxiety have a lot of things to think about. We also need resources and practical things that can help us deal with our symptoms. 

You might need a centralized place to keep track of treatment, apps, concepts and skills to improve your health.

A toolbox is a container for those items that help you with a project. An anxiety toolbox is a real or metaphorical container for the things you need to help control your symptoms and treat your condition. 

In this episode, I want to talk about the idea of what an anxiety toolbox could be. I can't define what your toolbox would look like. But I can tell you, especially when you are at high tide, it could be very helpful.

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: 

KFF News story about a non-therapist spouse providing mental health session via an on-line service.

CCI Fact Sheet on the Viscous Cycle of Anxiety from Western Australia

Mental Health America fact sheet on Coping Toolbox Strategies

The Anxiety Journal: 7 Weeks of Prompts and Exercises to Overcome Anxiety Paperback by Richard S. Gallagher LMFT.  You can find this book at many on-line retailers and it might pop up at places like Walmart or Target. Not an endorsement, just an option for you to check it out.

National Institute of Mental Health brochures on mental health topics. 

Anxiety and Depression Association of America has resources, member discussion groups and webinars. They also have a YouTube channel.

Helpguide.org is a non-profit website that talks about a variety of mental health issue. They have a specific section on anxiety disorders and anxiety attacks.

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 360 - Mental Health Treatment Options for 2024

This is the second part of a look at some of the mental health treatment options in 2024. There have been changes since the creation of the podcast in 2015.

For example, in 2015 there were limited telehealth options, no entrepreneurial mental health apps and service providers. No A.I enhanced apps. And mental health services was primarily provided face to face or in a group setting.

There have been changes in technology and access to care.

For my overseas listeners, I'm sorry but this one is going to be U.S. centric. There are cultural, governmental and way too many differences in access to treatment.  Please continue to listen and glean from it what you can.

Before I get to that, it helps if you know the terms, vocabulary and some of the science based options for your anxiety. 

One of the resources that is accessible is located at the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health - Booklets and Fact Sheets. Consider this a starting point in your treatment, so that you have a understanding of what is going on and some, but not all of your treatment options.

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: 

U.S. National Institute of Mental Health - Booklets and Fact Sheets The documents can be viewed on the website or downloaded as a PDF. There are also Spanish language versions.

Mental Health America page on Screening Tools for Anxiety

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) focuses on identifying and changing negative thought patterns and behaviors. This therapy is suggested for people that have anxiety, some forms of depression.

In the Anxiety Disorders booklet, there is a section on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. There is a much longer definition I found at the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

If you prefer your information in an audio format, the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists has a self-help section that has recordings about various CBT topics, including dealing with anxiety. 

Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) therapy the focus is that it routes you into the present tense, along with providing skills to handle problems.

There is a lot of treatment definitions on the Psychology Today website:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Equine Assisted Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is for folks that need help in regulating emotions, developing mindfulness skills and help with challenging situations. Harvard Health has a page about DBT, 

And Everyday Health has an extensive guide about DBT,

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 359 - Medication Treatment Options in 2024

I'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 set of symptoms but if you don't address the problem, they will come back.

I also have folks that will not, cannot and should not take medication. Therapy can help but you might have to do other things, like learn to meditate, breath for symptom control and manage you sugar intake.

Movement is important. Proper amount of sleep is essential. Work/Life balance isn't a dirty concept, it is what our bodies need to function and thrive.

So I'm breaking this up into a series of post. The first one is about Medication in 2024.

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: 

Mental Health America Screening Test for Anxiety. This is not a diagnostic test but it could give you indicators that there is a problem that you might need to address. There is also a version of the test in the Spanish language.

If you are new to this, you want to start with authoritative information.

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has a page on anxiety disorders and the types of medication generally prescribed for the condition.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America has a page on medication options.

Helpguide.org also has information, they would prefer you to consider medication as a last resort but they have good information about anxiety disorders and attacks.

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.