I have been gone for awhile. Those of you who read my article regularly have noticed, I am sure! Those of you who suffer from anxiety and panic will understand.

My entire family came down with chicken pox, my sister-in-law went through a life threatening pregnancy and several other small glitches in life have kept me from my keyboard. Not a big deal for most people, but for someone who suffers an anxiety disorder, any small problem has the potential of magnifying stress levels to almost unmanageable proportions.

I say "almost unmanageable" because I firmly believe that all anxiety attacks are manageable - you just have to know how to do the managing! With the holidays upon us, many people are approaching "Stress City"! Take a few moments and follow the below techniques to bring yourself home!

#1: When you face a decision or problem, ask yourself how important it really is. Is it worth pushing yourself to the brink of a panic attack? Probably not. Learn to let go of things that are out of your power of control.

#2: Are you reading minds? "Dad will hate the gift I bought for him" or "Mary is going to tell me how terrible this outfit looks on me"? Stop putting words in people's mouths and minds! You don't know what they are thinking! You cause yourself undue stress by mind reading!

#3: Don't allow yourself to get sucked into family squabbles. Decide ahead of time that you will enjoy your holiday and stick to it. Politely tell the gossips and scrooges that you will not allow them to steal your joy!

#4: Remember to breathe properly when you feel the anxiety coming on!

In the New Year I will be highlighting the various treatments - medical and homeopathic - for anxiety/panic disorder. Please visit often and together we will try and locate a treatment that works for you!

Happy Holidays and here's to a bright New Year!

December 23, 1998