Change – And Breathe……

Anxiety and the Brain: Part 1 – Neuroscience.

October 9, 2018October 9, 2018Paul Harris

Neuroscience – Any or all of the sciences, such as neurochemistry and experimental psychology, which deal with the structure or function of the nervous system and brain.

As I mentioned in a previous blog ‘Time to Science the S**t Out of this’, I have been reading up on how anxiety is created in the brain, and most importantly how you can rewire your brain.

The best book I have read about this is called ‘Rewire Your Anxious Brain, how to use the neuroscience of fear to end anxiety, panic & worry’ by Catherine M. Pittman, PhD and Elizabeth M. Karle, MLIS (below is an Amazon link if you are interested in the book).

Now, I am not scientifically minded, but I have found this subject fascinating, and this book went a long way to answering a lot of questions that I had about my mental health problems.

Time Pressures and Amended Goals.

September 11, 2018September 11, 2018Paul Harris

One of my biggest anxiety triggers is time pressure. Most people will be able to relate in some way to this because modern life is run at a fast pace, and we don’t seem to be able to take a break.

For me most of the time pressure came at work, I was snowed under and never felt as though I was on top of the workload, I always seemed to be playing catch-up. E-mails were the biggest problem for me because the time taken for people to respond was pretty quick. It is the speed of modern communication that causes a lot of additional stress at work because people can respond almost instantaneously, or jump on the phone as soon as they have seen your e-mail (sometimes without reading it properly…..)

The pressures of time also spread to my home life; working Monday to Friday, it only left the weekend to do homey things, such as cleaning. I had so much I needed to squeeze into a weekend that it was Monday before I even knew where I was. Read more →

Time to Set Some Serious Goals

August 10, 2018Paul Harris

One of my biggest problems has been feeling lost, and having a distinct lack of direction. I have ideas, and know what I would like to do, but it all feels so far away and overwhelming.

I have decided that I need to try and set some goals that I can focus my mind to working towards.

“If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it, then I can achieve it.”

– Muhammad Ali

One trigger for my anxiety is time, and feeling that I never have enough time to do everything, so I am going to try and keep these goals fairly open to start with and see how I go. Read more →

Fear and the Giant Green Rabbit.

June 29, 2018Paul Harris

FEAR:

An unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm.
A feeling of anxiety concerning the outcome of something or the safety of someone.
The likelihood of something unwelcome happening.
A mixed feeling of dread and reverence.
Be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or harmful.
Avoid doing something because one is afraid.

Fear and anxiety go hand in hand.

It’s hard for most people to understand how it feels to be so scared of something that you are unable to function, that is why it is hard for people to understand anxiety.

Dr Karl Albrecht (listed in the top 100 thought leaders in American business) believes that there are ONLY five types of fear: Read more →

A Big Change – Physically Great; Mentally All Over the Place……

June 13, 2018June 13, 2018Paul Harris

Kim and I have recently moved from Chiswick to Henlow in Bedfordshire. To say it is a massive move is an understatement; both of us have been in London for around 20 years, so moving to the countryside is a big change. While I grew up in the countryside, Kim lived in Johannesburg, so the change is something she has not experienced before.

The move has been a physical and mental challenge; there were times of joy and periods of immense stress, but in general the move has been the best thing we have ever done.

We were in a 1 bedroom flat and now have a three bedroom house with a garden! Just having space is incredible; for the first time in a long time I feel as though I can actually breathe. Read more →