If you're like 90% of the population, you will feel anxious when speaking in front of an audience. Knowing almost every one has some type of performance anxiety doesn't make it better. Why is that? I don't know. I'll first start with the common symptoms, then move to the two most effective … read more
Last week we discussed fear of flying and I said there are different types of treatments for it. Today, I'll review them with you. 'm going to show you the top 3 used by most mental health providers: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Medicines, and Virtual Reality. 1. CBT: This treatment is based on learning to confront … read more
My battle with the fear of flying had limited my travel options for at least 25 years. This is hugely embarrassing because for most of those years, I was working as an Air Force psychologist. In the past, I resorted to stopping by the airport bar, and ordering a couple glasses of liquid courage … read more
You need to get on an airplane for a business trip or vacation. Maybe someone you love is waiting to see you in some far off place. No matter what the reason, the thought of stepping on a plane triggers all the alarms. No thinking required--just instant panic. You don't want to tell anyone because whenever it comes up, people just don't understand how bad … read more
Most of us have seen the commercial where a young 20-ish woman is walking home and looking anxious as if she knows some dangerous criminal is following her. She rushes home while looking over her shoulder out of fear that he is catching … read more
The feeling of being in control quickly drops the farther we get from home. Which begs the question,"Do I really need to go on this trip?" Every traveler asks this question now and then, even the ones who don't suffer from excessive anxiety. They, can push past their hesitation to get on that plane, train or automobile. So what about … read more
Today, in Boston, the news was terrifying, "stay in your homes, do not go outside." The message came on the heels of the shooting of an MIT police officer. We had a decision to make: follow the caution or head to the class we came here to take. We listened to the news. The two bombing suspects hijacked a car. There ...read more
We decided to walk the Camino de Santiago from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago, Spain, a 500 mile journey. Okay, now that we decided how and where we were going, I needed to determine how I was going to overcome my fear of heights …read more
The anxiety of a teenage girl in high school runs deep, really deep. From the moment I step on campus the very first day of my freshman year the battle began. I'm …read more
There is a cold rain falling and we are lost on a dark, narrow logging road in the steep mountains of northern Croatia. It's pitch black outside and the desolation combined with our traveling in previously war-torn country is where my irrational …read more
When I first heard about the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School I was working out at the Newtown gym. It felt like 9/11 again, people around me panicking and calling to check on their children …read more
Here is a topic that would normally make your eyes glaze over and work like a fast-acting sleeping pill. So why would I risk writing about it on my fledgling blog? It is because while the topic itself may be boring, the effect it can have on your every day life can be striking. If you want …read more
Why do people with "Anxiety" ignore the benefits of their condition? In the past I'd done the same thing. Even though I am a psychologist, I have struggled with "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" all my life. I would often fall into the anxiety …read more
I don't know why but I'm much more worried about this new Camino that our last. My sleep has been limited to 6 hours a night and I'm working non-stop from dawn to dusk. If it isn't trying to catch up on the daily task I have with my job, than I'm packing and repacking my backpack, reading Camino del Norte blogs or getting bills squared away in preparation for my absence. I'm carrying camping gear this time in preparation of … read more
The Camino is calling me back for a second time and I have to listen to that sirens song. We'd written last year how the Camino was such a personal experience as well as how it enhanced our relationship. I've always avoided the use of the word "soul mates" because I thought of it as cliche and overused. The pilgrimage changed that, … read more
I wake to total darkness in unfamiliar surroundings. It's 5 o'clock in the morning and Joe isn't laying there beside me. He's sleeping on a twin bed on the other side of the room. We've just spent our first night in an albergue in Staint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, a small town in southern France. We are nestled at the foot of the … read more
A few weeks after our return from Croatia, Elaine and I were sitting with her elderly parents. While I was telling stories of our latest adventure, Elaine spoke up and said, "I'd never, ever been as scared in my whole life as when we were lost on those narrow logging roads on a rainy night in the remote mountains of Croatia." For my part, I'd gotten damed scared when we were …read more
Our exploits in taking our 80+ year old parents, Winslow and Lydia, to a third world, Central American country might not be what we'd consider "Adventure Travel" but then we weren't 80 years old. I know for a fact they have a different opinion on the subject. We once again emerged ourselves into the local culture, loading ourselves into dugout canoes …read more
The soft roar of the flames in the "kiva" fireplace mix with the mellow bass guitar music emanating from the sound system in our room. The CD we're playing was handed to us by a solo Hungarian street musician this morning. He was closing up shop on the sidewalk of the snow-covered Central Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The wind chill had stiffened his fingers to the point that he …read more
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