To all my fellow Canadian readers and bloggers, I want to wish you a happy Canada day.
Today, marks the 147th birthday of Canada and many cities across the country will be hosting their own festivities including an amazing display of fireworks coupled with great live entertainment for both the young and the young at heart.
One thing I love about Canada day or any festival is the presence of the oh-so-popular mini-donuts vending booth. If you never tried these freshly baked little piles of golden donut goodness, I encourage you to give them a try. You can get them covered in yummy icing sugar or cinnamon. No matter which flavor you choose, I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Today, I’m heading over to my in-laws for a bar-b-q with my wife and our son. Afterward, I think we’ll be heading downtown to soak up the planned entertainment and activities. I’m hoping there is a magic show. For those who may not know, I use to perform magic professionally from the age of 15 to 25, so I love a chance to watch another magician perform to the amazement of the audience.
My hair is starting to curl under my hat, which means it is time for me to call and make an appointment with my hair dresser.
To those who know me, this may sound absurd. After all, I have very little hair left on my head. Bald jokes aside, it reminded me of a time when I use to experience anxiety while getting my hair cut.
I use to get my haircut at a local barber shop about 15 minutes out of town. I got my first haircut there when I was a baby and my father and grandfather used to go there too. Long story short, the son took over the shop and it wasn’t the same anymore. So for over a year I tried to find myself a hair dresser that would take the time and cut my hair right — most were lazy and left me looking like a conehead.
I think getting your hair cut is a personal thing, you have to have some sort of rapport with the person cutting your hair. Or at the very least feel comfortable with them.
I never felt comfortable with most of the hair dressers. I would often times get nervous and fear getting all hot and start sweating, which would make my hair wet and I would fear what they would think of me. Looking back its a stupid thing to worry about, but I did worry about it.
I also, would get nervous about what to talk about, which made my stomach feel uneasy, which in turn I worried about having to get up out of my seat to rush to the bathroom. I’d than start worrying… asking myself where was the bathroom? Most didn’t have any, which would require me to leave the shop. What would they think of me, if I rushed out of the shop?
These all seem like ridiculous fears, but at the time they were real… and going to get my hair cut wasn’t a pleasant experience for the longest time.
My haircut anxiety stopped when I stopped worrying about what others would think of me and started to focus on others. Instead of not knowing what to say, I would ask simple questions like “has it been a busy day today?” or ” have you seen that new movie?”. I learned that I didn’t need to know what to talk about, instead I could ask general type questions I knew the hair dresser would already know and have him/her talk. People love talking about themselves, so stop worrying about what to say, just ask them questions and listen.
Another thing that helped me overcome my haircut anxiety was to realize that I was always in control. I was never trapped in that chair and if for any reason I needed to get up and use the washroom, I would and I couldn;t care less what others would think — even if I had to rush outside the shop to a nearby restaurant to use some public facility. I was in control and I did not worry about what others would say. Just knowing I was in control allowed me to relax and feel much better.
What about yourself? Have you ever experienced haircut anxiety? If so, feel free to leave a comment and share your story so we can let others know that they are not alone and that many people have gone through similar experiences.
I read a great blog post over at The Reality of Anxiety about morning anxiety. It talks about how is it possible to go from a state of relaxtion to one of anxiety and panic?
The symptoms of morning anxiety can be contributed to the physiological aspect of anxiety. Including higher levels of cortisol production and low blood sugar, due to not eating throughout the night. But like any anxiety trigger.. it is simply that, a trigger.
However, there is also a psychological side of anxiety. Remember that thoughts are things. Your thoughts will control your beliefs which control your feelings which control your action to produce your habits, and thus your reality. So, although these physiological triggers may be present in the morning, the catalyst that fuels the fire of panic and anxiety is really how you think about the whole situation.
Aimee makes use of distractions to ward off her morning anxiety. She mentions she wakes up and loses herself in a game of Scrabble on her iPhone. But is avoidance a good strategy? Or does it only offer temporary relief for that time. I think its nothing more than paint on rust. Temporary repair at best.
The way you think is the most important factor influencing your morning anxiety. You need to stop worrying about having morning anxiety and start embracing the new day instead. Sounds simple, and it is. Try these tips and let me know how it works for you.
Make A To-do List Prior To Bed. This will give you direction instead of distractions once you awake.
Get Yourself An Alarm Clock That Gradually Wakes You Up The loud buzz of traditional alarm clocks immediately shoots you into immediate shock upon waking up, adding only to enhance your physiological triggers caused by the already high levels of cortisol in your body.
Turn Some Music On.
Music ( sound vibrations) have a way of changing your own personal vibrational state. Turn up your favorite tunes and groove like no one is watching.
Yesterday I got into a bit of a negative rut, I started to think negatively about the direction of my life. I just felt like I was simply moving along with no control over my time or schedule.
I had two choices to make. First I could believe my thoughts and continue to feel as though I had no direction in my life or I could take control and decided what direction I wish my life to take. It really is as simple as that.
A great way to change the way you feel is to focus on what you appreciate and are grateful for in life, rather than focusing on what you don’t have or how you don’t feel or even how “bad” the world may seem. Remember that what ever you think about most is the reality you will create for yourself.
A great way to shift the way you feel and think is by using a gratitude journal. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, lined paper in a binder would work just fine.
At the end of the day, prior to bed, grab a pen and your journal and list the things you are grateful for that day. You may begin each sentence with ” I am grateful for….”. Upon writing what it is you are grateful for, you will immediately begin to feel a change in your state ….one from despair to abundance and joy. It truly is amazing.
I’ll leave you with this great video… if you want, try watching it in the mornings when you wake up to shift the way you think and put yourself in a higher level of vibration of wellness.
I once heard a saying that hard work never killed anyone. As I stop and reflect on that saying, I would have to conclude that for the most part it has some truth.
I would assume that most people die more of boredom than they do from actually doing something they enjoy. Unless of course, what you enjoy doing is wrestling crocodiles, in which case a certain level of risk may be present.
Putting silly crocodile jokes aside, how is it, that in a time in history where we have more technology to help automate tasks, so as humans we don’t have to do much physical work, are we still coming home at the end of the day exhausted to the point where we can barely think for ourselves and all we want to do is sit down on our couch and rest?
Are we really that exhausted from a day at the office? Is typing on a keyboard, answering a phone, chatting by the water cooler, or driving home really that physically demanding? No. Of course not.
It is a well known fact that your emotional attitude usually has far more to do with producing fatigue than has physical exertion.
Have you ever worked all day, come home and felt exhausted to the point that you didn’t want to do anything, then all of a sudden a good friend calls and invites you to go dancing or partying — you immediately spring up, with a sparkle in your eye, rush to get your favorite outfit on, go and stay out till the early morning and when you finally do get home, you’re not the slightest bit exhausted but instead exhilarated and can’t even fall asleep?
How is this possible? Were you faking your exhaustion? No. You really did feel exhausted. But why? You weren’t physically exerting yourself.Here’s why….
Mental work alone can’t make you tired. There have been studies a few years back where scientist have tried to find out how long the human brain could labour without reaching a ” diminished capacity for work” ( a fancy scientific definition for fatigue). Contrary to popular cultural belief the scientist discovered that the blood flowing through the brain when it is active, shows no fatigue at all. On the other hand if you were to take blood from a labourer while he was working, you would find it full of “fatigue toxins” produced from the physical exertion he/she was doing. But take a drop of blood from an office worker who uses their brains more than their might and it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
Interesting, isn’t it? So if the brain is utterly tireless, what than causes you to feel tired if not from using it all day long?
Most fatigue is derived from our mental and emotional attitudes. J. A. Hadfield a known psychiatrist had said that ” the greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin; in fact exhaustion from purely physical origin is rare.” I would like to add that exhaustion from purely physical means is easily eliminated through getting proper sleep. If you ever exhausted yourself through physical labour you understand how great it feels to sleep and how refreshed you feel the next morning. It’s amazing.
So what are the mental origins of feeling tired? Is it from feeling joy and contentment at work? No! It’s boredom with work, resentment of work, futility with work, anxiety of work, hurry, worry — these are the emotional factors that exhaust office worker all around the world, everyday.
So how can you eliminate these emotional feelings that make you tired? Here’s a few tips to get you started on the right path.
Do something you love. If you don’t like what you are doing, then why on earth are you wasting your time in a job you hate? Find one that fits your interests.
If you’re not able to find a job that fits your interests than consider making your current job more interesting. Challenge yourself to make a certain number of calls each day or learn new skills you can apply to your line of work. If you do customer service, grab a book on interpersonal skills and how to provide great customer service — become the number one person on customer service in your company. ( I smell promotions )
If you can’t find a job that interests you and you hate your current job and therefore do not feel like researching how to be better at it, maybe you should consider what it is you enjoy doing and starting your own business utilizing those skills.
I hope this blog post has helped you gain a basic understanding why you feel the way you do, even if what you do isn’t physically demanding. By knowing the emotional factors that cause your fatigue you are better equipped to look at them and figure out how to change them or your situation. Awareness is always the starting point to fixing something.
If you’ve been wondering why I haven’t posted for a while it is because my spouse and I recently moved into our new house. We bought my grandmother’s duplex as she is now living with my parents.
Moving is stressful. The process of buying our first home was confusing but It all worked out. We didn’t use a Realtor as it was a private sale, so the challenges working with the bank, our lawyer and all other parties involved was a great learning experience. Now we know the process, so when we buy our next property ( maybe a nice cottage to relax at) we’ll know what to expect.
I’m working on my first book. It’s titled “The Anxiety Management Blueprint” and its focus is on providing people with a basic foundation of understanding of what anxiety is, how it develops, what causes it and how one can manage it and start living a life full of joy free of anxiety and panic. The will be based on my own experiences with anxiety and what I learnt over the past 19 years. I’m going to be giving it away for free as an ebook, but for those who preferr a hard copy I’m considering providing that option as week. I plan to have the book done within the next two weeks. Stay tuned.
I have no Internet until this coming Friday. There was a mix up with our new addred, so the technician won’t be able to come out until thia coming Friday. I’m writing this post via my iPhone which is pretty cool, but a pain when trying to type a lengthy post. I’m looking forward to getting my Internet back as I have made a commitment to blog daily about the latest strategies and tips you can use to eliminate your anxiety and panic.
That’s it for now, Ill be back up and running officially Friday in the afternoon.
Susan Boyle, the Britain’s got talent sensation, was released June 6th from The Priory after suffering from what her brother says was an anxiety attack.
Poor Susan. The stress from her instant fame brought her to a total break down, luckily she is better now. See, anxiety is only a symptom and can be managed.
I can only imagine the pressure and stress she must had gone through going from a little known village woman to an International Internet sensation, paparazzi and all!
This reminds me of an important strategy for managing your anxiety. Stress is an ultimate anxiety trigger. How do you deal with stress? How do you deal with the constant pressures of work life? Family Life? Personal Life? Is is overwhelming? Does it feel like there just isn’t enough time during the day to get everything done?
One strategy that I am trying to implement in my life and I would encourage you to do so as well is to simply go with the flow. When or if plans change, go with it… flow. Don’t get all stressed. Everything happens for a reason. Life is perfectly balanced. Even when things seem like they aren’t going our way, they really are. They are actually going exactly the way we intended them to go. Believe it or not.
Another great way to calm down and get rid of stress is to listen to Susan Boyle sing, it just way overwhelm you with so much joy that you’ll cry, I know I did. Susan is amazing. Enjoy the song that started it all…
If you haven’t already heard A&E has produced a docuseries called Obsessed that examines the lives of everyday people that are imprisoned by anxiety disorders, repetitiveness and fear. The people featured in the show are those suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and even social disorder.
Obsessed premiered last week and the next episode will be Monday, June 8th at 10pm EST. You can find the full schedule on A&E’s website.
One thng I like about what I have read about the show so far is that the therapist is using cognitive behavioral therapy to help the subjects understand their thought processes which contribute to their symptoms.
If you have been reading my blog for while, you’d know that I believe that many of the symptoms associated with these disorders can be managed effectively by becoming aware of how we think and modifying such thoughts.
I missed the premier episode, but luckily some episodes are available online, so I will make sure to watch them at a later time as this show seems really interesting. I encourage you to watch the episodes too, the first step to awareness is realizing that you are not alone. There are others going through the same things you are.
I wanted to do a quick post today to share with you two great resources I found, regarding finding other people who may have had side effects due to the medication they are on for anxiety or other ailments.
You can also use these resources to report any side effect you may experiencing from any medication you are taking as well.
I only search for a couple of known medications used to mask anxiety, what I found interesting is besides the various side effects people listed as having ( which are bad enough), most of them were able to eliminate their anxiety without the prescribe medication. This is interesting and is inline with my belief that medication for anxiety disorders do nothing but cover up your symptoms and do not deal with the root cause of the problem.
Here are the two resources, one for the USA and one for CANADA. Search for the medications you are on and read what other people have posted. Its interesting.
My hair is starting to curl under my hat, which means it is time for me to call and make an appointment with my hair dresser.
I read a great blog post over at 
I once heard a saying that hard work never killed anyone. As I stop and reflect on that saying, I would have to conclude that for the most part it has some truth.
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