Talent Development Resources.....................anxiety relief :   articles  books


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> article - Eight Simple Ways to Cope with Holiday Gatherings

by Deanne Repich

The holidays are just around the corner. Here are some easy, simple tips to help ease your anxiety during holiday gatherings.
 

[image from tv series Malcolm in the Middle]

 
 
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Stage fright Is Good and Makes You 
Better Looking Too!

Before you learn how to deliver your lines, it is important to be ready to deliver your lines. Stage fright is a phenomenon that you must learn to control. 

Actually, stage fright isn't the most accurate term for the nervousness that occurs when considering a speaking engagement. In fact, most of the fear occurs before you step on-stage. Once you're up there, it usually goes away. 

Try to think of stage fright in a positive way. Fear is your friend. It makes your reflexes sharper. It heightens your energy, adds a sparkle to your eye, and color to your cheeks. When you are nervous about speaking you are more conscious of your posture and breathing.

With all those good side effects you will actually look healthier and more physically attractive.

Many of the top performers in the world get stage fright so you are in good company. Stage fright may come and go or diminish, but it usually does not vanish permanently. You must concentrate on getting the feeling out in the open, into perspective and under control.

Remember Nobody ever died from stage fright. But, according to surveys, many people would rather die than give a speech. If that applies to you, try out some of the strategies in this section to help get yourself under control. Realize that you may never overcome stage fright, but you can learn to control it, and use it to your advantage.

from article Stage Fright Strategies by Tom Antion
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Have you ever felt stuck?

Like one part of you wants to overcome your anxiety, and another part of you doesn't? How do you get unstuck anyway?

Here's a letter I recently received from a woman about that very subject. 

"Dear Deanne,

I decided to write this note because I believe you can help me. I am confronting difficulties and this makes me very angry because I am doing nothing to get better and I know I should. I feel stuck.

It feels like a part of me wants to work, go out, and feel great, but the other part of me seems to pull me down. Part of me has the attitude of "Who cares?", "What for?", or "I don't have time."  ///

Here's my reply to her and anyone else that feels stuck in their anxiety. I hope you find it helpful. 

"I understand what you're going through. When I suffered from anxiety, I used to do the same thing myself. One part of you wants to stop feeling sick and tired and anxious, and another part of you doesn't want to let the anxiety go. 

So you self-sabotage and then beat yourself up about it. You end up feeling stuck. 

You are not alone.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Everyone that overcomes anxiety goes through the same types of feelings you've having. They self-sabotage. 

So what makes the people that are successful in conquering anxiety different from the ones that stay stuck?

Do they feel any differently? No, they don't. The difference is that they take a little step forward each day IN SPITE OF those feelings.

from article Have you ever felt stuck?
by Deanne Repich

 
.related page:.....self-limiting behavior
 
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*----more :** articles : anxiety........articles.: mental health....
 
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>>also see  anxiety relief : sites

 
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--books:
 
 
 
The National Institute of Anxiety and Stress, Inc. offers a breakthrough self-help program for conquering anxiety and stress. It can help you address your symptoms, change your anxious thought patterns, and create a relaxing, fulfilling life. 

Free ebook "Anxiety Tips" also available from site : 

ConquerAnxiety - Tools for Creating a Healthy, Anxiety-Free Life


 
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Although our thoughts influence mood, behavior and physical reactions, positive thinking is not a solution to life's problems.

Most people who are anxious, depressed or angry can tell you that "just thinking positive thoughts" is not that simple.

In fact, if we do try to think only positive thoughts when we have a strong mood, we may miss important signals that something is wrong.

Cognitive therapy suggests instead that people consider as many different angles on a problem as possible. 

Looking at the situation from many different sides -- positive and negative and neutral -- can lead to new conclusions and solutions.

...from book : Mind Over Mood: Change How 
You Feel by Changing the Way You Think 
- by Dennis Greenberger, Christine Padesky 
<Amazon.com>  <Powells
<Amazon.ca>  <Amazon.co.uk>


 
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Becoming Your Own Therapist

Practical Effective Strategies For Managing Your Moods and Behavior 
[link to workbook site: more info & instant pdf download] / excerpt:

 What are most people anxious about?

Research has shown that there are two primary areas of concern. One involves fears about physical health. The other involves fears about negative social consequences.

When a patient discusses these issues with a cognitive therapist, they first explore the risks she/he perceives. By talking about fears in a safe, confidential setting, many people are able to quickly recognize the thoughts which are causing their anxiety. 

Cognitive therapists use a process called “guided discovery” which allows patients to identify thought patterns which trigger discomfort.

How can I make anxiety work for me?

We can start by understanding the meaning of our body’s signals to us. Rather than a catastrophic interpretation of our sweaty palms or racing heart, we can understand that our body is trying to get our attention. ...

Rather than automatically assuming that there is real danger, we can instead ask ourselves what thoughts or images have been going through our mind. One question many people find helpful is, “What is the negative prediction you are making about the situation?”

Frequently this will help us to become more aware of the thoughts which are frightening us. Once we’re aware of the negative predictions we’ve been making, we owe it to ourselves to consider the “upside” or the positive possibilities. 

Asking ourselves, “What’s the best that can happen?” can help us to become aware of what usually is the opposite extreme. Take a moment to reflect on some of the things you have worried about and see how they tended to turn out. You may find that many things
have turned out better than you thought. 

Mark Twain was quoted as saying, "I’ve had a lot of problems in my time, fortunately most of them never happened."

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1. Expect, Allow and Accept That Fear Will Arise. If you have panic disorder, expect that you'll have to deal with it.

2. When Fear Comes, Stop, Wait, and Let it Be.  Our urge is to run from fear. Running only re-sensitizes you. Stay with it and allow the feeling to be there.

3. Focus on the Present. Use your senses to get grounded.  Touch; smell; notice the colors and sounds around you.

4. Label Your Level of Fear from zero-10.  A level of 0 is calm; 10 is pure panic. When you reach a 10, you can't do anything but "ride the wave." There's peace on the other side of panic.

5. Ask Yourself, "What Am I Really Afraid Of?"  Work your way through every "what if" scenario.

6. Ask Yourself, "What is Actually Happening?"  Compare reality to your fear.

7. Function With Fear -- Be Proud of Your Achievement.  Even if you're doing everyday things, it's an advancement. Feel good about each step you've taken.

8. Expect, Allow and Accept That Fear Will Reappear.  Understand that this is a condition you have. Take the fear out of the fear.

--from : Jerilyn Ross Triumph over Fear
A Book of Help and Hope for People With 
Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias

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Gavin Andrews et al. The Treatment of Anxiety Disorders : Clinician Guides and Patient Manuals

David Bayles, Ted Orland. Art & Fear

Judith Bemis, Amr Barrada. Embracing the Fear: Learning to Manage Anxiety and Panic Attacks

[from The WomanSource Catalog & Review: Tools for Connecting the Community for Women; review by Patricia Pettijohn:] "Nothing to fear but fear itself? For anyone who has ever suffered from the palm sweating, heart pounding, trembling, panting, exhausting terror of anxiety or panic attacks, that is more than enough. This book, authored by two recovering agoraphobics, offers strategies for managing anxieties and phobias, emphasizing the need to first accept our anxiety and panic, encouraging us to take risks, and giving specific dialogues to counter fearful self-talk."


Harold H. Bloomfield, MD. Healing Anxiety Naturally

Tamar E. Chansky. Freeing Your Child from Anxiety

Anxiety is the number one mental health problem facing young people today. Childhood should be a happy and carefree time, yet more and more children today are exhibiting symptoms of anxiety, from bedwetting and clinginess to frequent stomach aches, nightmares, and even refusing to go to school. Parents everywhere want to know: All children have fears, but how much is normal? How can you know when a stress has crossed over into a full-blown anxiety disorder? Most parents don't know how to recognize when there is a real problem and how to deal with it when there is. In Freeing Your Child From Anxiety, a childhood anxiety disorder specialist examines all manifestations of childhood fears, including social anxiety, Tourette's Syndrome, hair-pulling, and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and guides you through a proven program to help your child back to emotional safety. [from the book]


Peter Desberg, PhD. No More Butterflies : Overcoming Stagefright, Shyness, Interview Anxiety and Fear of Public Speakingy

Albert Ellis. How to control your anxiety before it controls you

Janet E. Esposito M.S.W. In The SpotLight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performing

Suzanne Falter-Barns. How Much Joy Can You Stand : A Creative Guide to Facing Your Fears and Making Your Dreams Come True

Robert W. Firestone, Ph.D. et al. Conquer Your Critical Inner Voice

Bruce Goldberg. Self-Hypnosis: Easy Ways to Hypnotize Your Problems Away

Ada P. Kahn, Ronald M. Doctor. Facing Fears: The Sourcebook for Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties

Susan Kolodny. The Captive Muse : On Creativity and Its Inhibition

[Publisher:] "Challenging the view that making art is typically linked to psychopathology, she demonstrates how our internal conflicts interfere with rather than foster creative work. She explains the resistances that crop up along he way and the inner voices by which artists and writers are encouraged or beset. She shows how who we are helps to determine what happens when we revise and how the stages of psychological development contribute to an eventual ability or inability to do creative work. She quotes from interviews with six productive artists and writers who speak candidly about their work, then points out instructive differences between the unimpeded and those who become blocked or stalled."  author site


Mark R. Leary. Social Anxiety

Joseph J. Luciani. Self-Coaching: How to Heal Anxiety and Depression

Eric Maisel, PhD. Fearless Creating : A Step-By-Step Guide to Starting and Completing Your Work of Art

Eric Maisel, PhD. Fearless Presenting : A Self-Help Workbook for Anyone Who Speaks, Sells, or Performs in Public

John R. Marshall. Social Phobia : From Shyness to Stage Fright

Dennis Palumbo. Writing from the Inside Out

"The traditional stereotypcial view is, 'Oh, my neuroses cause my writing, so if I cure my neuroses, I won't write anymore.' But my experience is: There is no cure. It's a mistake to think that there is some perfectable you in the future freed of conflict and problems. And if that happens, you won't write anymore. The conflicts and sensitivities that drive a person to write are with us forever. They're what make us who we are, and they're what make us writers."


Stan Popovich. A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear - Using Psychology, Christianity and Non-Resistant Methods [ebook or paper]

"The author through his research, including discussions with professionals in the psychology and religious fields, presents a general overview of several techniques that are effective in managing persistent fear. This book describes three powerful but different approaches to managing fear: general counseling, psychological techniques and non-resistent methods--asking for God's Hel... This book is not a substitute for the guidance of a professional, but simply a way to present ways you might never have thought about in managing your fear..."


Ronald M. Rapee. Overcoming Shyness and Social Phobia : A Step-By-Step Guidey

Mitchell W. Robin, Rochelle Balter. Performance Anxiety

David Roland. The Confident Performer

Jerilyn Ross. Triumph over Fear : A Book of Help and Hope for People With Anxiety, Panic Attacks, and Phobias

Billie J. Sahley, PhD, Katherine M. Birkner. Heal With Amino Acids and Nutrients: Survive Stress, Pain, Anxiety, Depression Without Drugs, What to Use and When
   > also see amino acid formulations, herbal supplements for anxiety relief on page anxiety relief sites

Paul G. Salmon, Robert G. Meyer. Notes from the Green Room : Coping With Stress and Anxiety in Musical Performance

Ann Herbert Scott. Brave As a Mountain Lion

[Publishers Weekly] Set on a contemporary Shoshone reservation, this book is a refreshingly atypical addition to the Native American genre. Spider, a boy terrified of participating in his school's spelling bee, is strengthened by the loving and distinctly Native American advice given by each member of his family...


Gloria Shafer. Performance Power

Adrian Wells. Emotional Disorders and Metacognition: Innovative Cognitive Therapy

[Book News review:] "Helps to develop an understanding of the internal rules and processes that guide thinking, and the factors that lead individuals to become trapped in cycles of negative and distorted thought. Addresses limitations of cognitive theories and describes how metacognition, self-attentional processes, and worry/rumination strategies are central to emotional vulnerability, the maintenance of trauma-related stress reactions, and to emotional disorders."
 
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.....books: mental health.........books: nurturing mental health.........books / sites : depression..........

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