i actually wrote a book on stress management. it's not a bestseller LOL i wish it was and i learned a lot in the process. altho i am always learning so one day i will revise it. i hope it sells enough for the publisher to order a reprint or to sell it to other countries.

andrea i sent an email to you yday but i got a message it still hasn't been delivered. i guess your mailbox is full? or the aol server is down?

hi sweatpea!

yes its a MR.....ivegot cerebral palsy so the flex is for that good luck friday! do you mind if i ask a ? do you have to see the dr often to renew your meds? i do and i hate it bc bein in there brings out my anx....good thing he can handle anx and cp!

did you use andreaphilip3 or illip3 cuz theres only 1 l.....

i only have to see my doc every 3 mo to renew meds but i sometimes have to go more often to get forms completed for my ins co.

i don't mind going to the doc. i do get anxious. i spend days (or weeks depending on waiting list) rehearsing what i am going to say and going over and over all my worries and fears but the actual apptmt is ok. i like my doc she's really lovely and helpful. plus it gives me someone to talk to who actually understands how i feel and what's going on. most of my friends can't relate . they're very practical people and very physically active. one lives next to a dancing school, i'd have to move. the noise would make me want to scream or even be violent. it just upsets me so

what i hate is taking meds. i sometimes skip them and if i can i will reduce the dose. if she tells me to take 2 i'll try to get by with only 1. and i go for periods where i don't take them and then either get suicidal or raging with anger and wanting to kill everyone and everything or completely overwhelmed and can't cope

i replied to the email you sent, so it went to that email addy. andreaphilip3

I had some wine tonight and it relaxed and cheered me up big time. If only I could have it every day... it really does help. But of course that leads to it's own problems.

I had a healthy dinner followed by 2 desserts LOL. Still it could be worse. At least I had some moments where I felt good and I did do a little dancing after dinner too. A good end to the day. It's after 1am here on Sunday morn so I have to go to bed. Altho I will probably read for a few minutes first. Hope everyone else had a good day.

hi sweetpea. still no mail. weird. im sorry youre strugglin today. me too!

it's a new day here today. so far i am doing ok. let's hope it continues

what do you do for self-help when you are struggling? perhaps we can swap tips. weird about the email but i guess it will turn up lol

i think you asked if i had OCD and i said no but i have OCD tendencies. i also have a personality disorder so lots going on. Guess the same is true of you and the CP! Do you work? have a family? I am on my own except for my gorgeous pets who bring love and sunshine into my life. I don't have a job altho I am hoping to finish a book I am writing. I have several that I have started at various times in the last 10 yrs. Sometimes it is hard to know which to work on or whether they are viable.

hey!

lol im sure it will! was just curious cuz it s-o-u-n-d-e-d like ocd but my apologies i was wrong...i never claimed to be a dr tho

yea ive def. got cp alright.... the pd is digging a dark hole of trouble lately and m not sure how to pull myself out....

no need to apologise!!! as i say i have OCD tendencies so you were on the right track. It's just not quite enough for an official diagnosis and I have pulled back on things. I force myself to keep driving even tho I am desperate to go home and check that the gate is shut and locked, that the door is locked, the garage is closed, the fence hasn't fallen over and the dogs haven't run away. Eventually by not giving in I would get better because I would get home and everything would be ok and I would know all my fears are irrational.

pd is hard to get out of. hmmmm feel free to share what you are comfortable with. I have a psychology degree (wanted to understand myself and others better) and wrote a book on stress mgmt so I've learned a few things along the way. Trouble is a lot of the time I know what I should do and have trouble applying it. All I can say is I am getting better all the time. A few steps forward and a couple back. I am zig zagging towards my path - it's not a straight road

Last year my resolution was to make real life friends as opposed to online ones and do something social each week. It took my several months to get there including weeks on end where I just hid at home. In fact that's the second year I made the resolution so it took me almost 2 yrs to achieve it. I counted anything that was going out as social. So if I took the dog to obedience lesson = social. If I met my mother in town for a few minutes = social.

thanks sweetpea....sometimes ive trouble w sharin my feelings but i will try. its aweful what we go through isnt it? im a mess ive been eating non stop since yesterday. i know i must stop tommorrow. hope youre well!

thanks !
i had a couple of glasses of wine and felt better. but i did OD on pineapple lumps which i will be paying for. i'm the same i keep eating when i am in emotional pain. this morning i looked in the mirror and could see a double chin is starting to show. NOT HAPPY

that might scare me into change...

Hi Andrea!! I joined just for this thread! I'm so happy you started it!
My name is Dawn its my first post here at 3 chicks. I'm a friend of Andreas.
This is a great link. I have Social Anxiety and OCD and I have been diagnoised with depression.
I have the panic attacks at work in meetings, I sweat, my heart beats really fast and I have to leave the room. I feel like I will just scream something out or passout. Its a horrible feeling.
I was on meds for a month but I hated them so I'm completely off meds. I thought I was doing better until recently. I'm not sure where to turn now. I don't know if I should take meds and go to a doctor or try to be strong and do it on my own.
Meds and Dr's are expensive.....
Well very nice to meet everyone here. Thanks for the link Andrea!

hi dawn!!
we are glad you came!!! i know youve been struggling lately too, join the club! heheh.(sorry just a joke but its not really funny)

we need to all hang in there!
hi sweetpea! i know, ive been oinking out all weekend and now im really sick

dawn glad you joined

oh diane i do the same thing. i have to keep writing myself a note to remind me that eating crap gives me diarrhoea and a double chin. maybe that will wake me up!

off into the sunshine. it's good for my mood

HELLO ALL! to Dawn!!

Diane and Sweet - I hope you ladies are having a good Monday. I hate to hear when you're struggling but please let me know if you need an ear to because I know what you're going through. It's strange the peace you find in the comfort of strangers.....at least for me, anyway.

P.S. Sweet, I am with you on the double chin thing - it is my daily motivator everytime I look in the mirror or at a recent picture of myself. It really makes me feel disgusted with myself that I let it get to that point, but I take a bit of comfort in the fact that I am at least doing something about it....