Surviving Anxiety, Depression & More

HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF THIS QUESTION?

Let's look at what you are doing to take care of yourself, we all need to take care of ourselves not just those with emotional upset.



Are you receiving the support you deserve?

Are you using the appropriate tools? Do you have tools to use?

Are you choosing to feel this way? And if so, how does this benefit you?

Is it time to consider an Rx or have your Rx re-evaluated?

Could updating your coping skills be of benefit?


A therapist is there to provide: support, perspective, tools, healthy coping skills and more. Your job is to put into practice what you are learning and discovering.

(805) 204-7315

I am happy to report that the recent launch of

http://www.805Therapy.com

is proving to be a new and exciting success

Struggling With Loneliness?

Loneliness is a state of mind, being alone is in relation to the physical proximity of others. For those struggling with loneliness, you know what it feels like to be in a relationship or room full of people and still feel lonely.

Contributors to that lonely feeling include:

Negative self talk
Low mood or depression
Poor self esteem
Difficulty adjusting ( to a loss )
Grief
Isolating

What can you do?
It is important to combat tate negative self talk, get a check-up with your physician to rule out and underlying medical issues that may be contributing to your low mood or depression, and consider joining a therapeutic support group or individual counseling. This is a means in which to explore many other options that help combat loneliness and begin to feel better and connected. It takes work and you are worthy of the effort!

What is available
In terms of groups:: Men's Group, Women's Group, Anxiety & Depression Group and more!

*Free initial assessment and affordable group fees. Camarillo, CA

Ashley Bretting, M.S.
Marriage & Family Therapist
Registered Intern #IMF51514
Supervised by Lynn M. Jones, Ph.D.
Lic # MFC021739
Morbrook Institute A non-profit agency
in collaboration with Camarillo Health Care District

(805) 204-7315

AshleyBretting.com

*Limitations apply to this offer, as outlined on AshleyBretting.com

To Find Joy in your Solitude Is A Worthy Accomplishment.

Suicide is not the answer

Suicide is a permanent action in response to a temporary problem.

Yes, difficult economic times such as these can have a profound effect on our emotional well being. Suicide is not the solution.

Recent and ongoing news coverage of suicide and family massacres, may be caused by feeling fearful about the future. Help is available!

Depressed, despair, seeing no way out, feeling hopeless, riddled with anxiety?
Support, guidance and a safe therapeutic support group can help with these overriding emotions.Please consider this alternative before taking drastic, irreversible measures.

Weather Economic Storm Together (W.E.S.T. Support Group)
*Free Initial Consultation & Affordable Group Fees

(805) 204-7315 Camarillo, CA

*Limitations apply to this offer, as outlined at AshleyBretting.com

Ashley continues to provide 8 free sessions to individuals and their families affected by the September 2008 Metrolink accident.

This was a traumatic, life changing event for all involved, either directly or indirectly. Time and talk therapy that addresses post traumatic stress may be just what you need. You may also want to consider the use of an appropriate medication, however this is not a requirement for this free service.

(805) 204-7315

Need Therapy?

THINGS TO CONSIDER

First thing: Not All Therapists Are Alike! Different training, life experiences, personalities, therapeutic approaches and having done their own therapeutic work comes into play.

You want to look for someone trained in dealing with emotional issues this would include an MFT (Marriage & Family Therapist) as MFT's are specially trained in these areas, relationship conflicts and more.

Be realistic, acknowledge that not every person you meet may not instantly be a good fit. Give it a chance 3-5 sessions minimum, is my recommendation. If you find that it is not a good fit, discuss this in what you deem to be your final session and ask for referrals (you can expect 3 referrals). Acknowledge it was just not a good match, and not your fault!

What is NOT OK when it comes to the client/therapist working relationship includes:
* The therapist is a business client or you interact in another professional or personal manner
* Any sexual or romantic gestures
* Breaking confidentiality - To name just a couple of big issues, there are more.

What To Look For:
* Feeling comfortable and safe
* Feeling Heard and Understood
* Getting your needs met, learning, discovering, understanding, self awareness, options...

For anyone suffering from emotional pain, relationship problems, loneliness or life transitions such as divorce, losing your income or home, struggling with anxiety and/or depression as well as issues of panic, self harm or loss and you are in the vicinity of Ventura County, California you can call Ashley's office for a *FREE assessment and help - mention Squidoo.
805-204-7315.

In other areas and for other options - check with your health insurance, try dialing 211, a trusted friend or your primary care doctor all of whom may be able to provide you with the information you need.

*Some limitations apply
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Group Therapy

Serving Ventura County, California

*Free assessment prior to attending group or individual sessions. Affordable fees.
These groups are professionally facilitated.

Womens Anger Management
Monday's 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Men's Group

Monday Evenings
6:15 - 7:30 pm

Anxiety Depression Group
Wednesday's 4:00 - 5:15 pm

Other groups are available, please inquire

Available for presentations and talks

*Limitations apply

Individual Therapy

When working with a therapist one-on-one vs. in a group, the focus and time is all devoted to you - your issues that you have come to work on and get help with.

Individual therapy in this context also refers to Couples and Families.

Take a nice deep breath

The Anxiety Wheel

One can be suffering with anxiety and not be fully aware of it.

HOW CAN THIS BE?

Do you or a loved one have a habit of counting, picking, checking and rechecking, always cleaning or struggle in social situations or driving, maybe leaving the house? What do your closets look like, extremely organized? Ever feel detached, like you're outside of yourself?

These can often be attributed to anxiety.
Have you ever been called a "worrier", struggle with insomnia or depression? There are also physical symptoms associated with anxiety.

Anxiety can reek havoc on our physical well being, weaken our immune systems, heart muscle and other vital organs.

It's not uncommon for individuals suffering from various forms of anxiety and even depression to turn to 'self medicating'. This may take the form of alcohol and or drugs, self destructive patterns of behavior and negative self talk.

To have a quiet mind, what might that be like and how can you achieve this - It is possible!

Focusing on one thing helps calm the mind, it does take practice to train your mind to focus. Breathing can be a good focal point.
(This was copied from another of my lenses at:Squidoo.com/AshleyBrettingMS)

For further help, support or guidance you may want to consider joining a support group, I facilitate several in the Ventura, CA area. Or you may contact your local social services agency.

Ashley Bretting, M.S.
Marriage & Family Therapist
Registered Intern #IMF51514
Supervised by Lynn M. Jones, Ph.D.
Lic # MFC021739
Morbrook Institute A non-profit agency
in collaboration with Camarillo Health Care District

(805) 204-7315 (Cell)

AshleyBretting.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





Relax & Renew

Self-talk is our internal dialogue - the words we use when we talk to ourselves, Reflecting and creating our emotional states.

You can feel calm or worried, depending on what you tell yourself. Your self-talk can influence your self-esteem, outlook, energy level, relationships with others and how you experience life. It can even affect your health, determining, for example, how you handle stressful events, or how easily you replace unhealthy behaviors with healthy ones.

Examples :

Focusing only on problems: This is the essence of complaining. We dwell on the problem, instead of solutions. Instead: Assume most problems have solutions, and ask "How do I want this situation to be different?"

Catastrophizing: Every bad thing that happens is a horrible disaster. Instead: Be realistic ...

Expecting the worst: "What if he doesn't like me?" "What if I don't pass the exam?" Expecting the worst does not encourage you to behave effectively. Expecting the worst only promotes anxiety. Instead:...

(There are so many more )

If you are interested in seeking help with your own inner dialogue/ self talk, want to change it and need some assistance, do not hesitate to get in touch... (805) 204-7315

Ahem, mumbling not encouraged :)
.

Are You A Sleepy Head?

Looking at your bedtime habits may reveal why sleep is elusive. Here are a few strategies to help improve your chances of getting a good nights sleep:

Dim the lights an hour before bedtime, this can help trigger the brain that "rest time" is approaching

Resist watching t.v. in bed

Avoid eating/ snacking in bed

Only use your bed for sex and sleep

Listen to some relaxing music

A warm bath or shower helps some individuals

Make yourself a nice warm cup of tea (decaffeinated)

Focusing on one thing helps calm the mind, it does take practice to train your mind to focus...

Breathing can be a good focal point, the use of a 'white noise' machine has been found helpful for many - this item can be found under Helpful Tools at a reasonable price.

For further help and individualized strategies make an appointment for your *free assessment.

Ashley Bretting, M.S.
Marriage & Family Therapist
Registered Intern #IMF51514
Supervised by Lynn M. Jones, Ph.D.
Lic # MFC021739
Morbrook Institute A non-profit agency
in collaboration with Camarillo Health Care District

(805) 204-7315

www.ashleybretting.com

*Limitations apply, see AshleyBretting.com

If you wake early, have trouble falling asleep, feel sluggish throughout your day these may signs of insomnia. What is going on? While our emotional state plays a significant role in how we sleep, it is good to rule out any physical causes such as sleep apnea (Sleep apnea is when breathing is disrupted).

Which came first?
Tricky question - Emotional struggles can interfere with sleep, on the other hand, lack of proper sleep can create changes in mood.

You may consider asking your doctor for a referral to a sleep study.

Did You Know...

In Victorian times depression was referred to as hysteria. Even earlier the symptoms of depression are described under one of the 7 deadly sins as Sloth, where they thought depression and melancholy was a 'choice'.

Only in recent history and with the giant steps of scientific advancements was the culprit identified as that of a chemical imbalance. In the 1980's with the introduction of (SSRI's) Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors was the chemical imbalance properly addressed, in part.

I support each clients decision whether they choose to use medication or not. As was the case during the Victorian era, talk therapy has tremendous benefits and continues to evolve into more useful styles as is the case with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This is an interactive, effective and current day approach used by many, including myself to help with depression, anxiety, relational issues, self esteem matters, addiction, self harm and much more.

Depression Symptoms Include:

Deep sadness
Emptiness
Hopeless
Helpless
Changes in sleep
Changes in appetite
Suicidal thoughts
Exhaustion
isolating yourself

You can survive depression. Reach out for help, even though you don't feel like it. Because you are worth it and help is available.

Depression is too dangerous to keep a secret. Learn how to actively challenge your automatic negative thinking. Let's beat it together.

We are spiritual beings


having a human experience

At some point in our lives, each of us faces the loss of someone or something dear to us. The grief that follows such a loss can seem unbearable, but grief is actually a healing process. Grief is the emotional suffering we feel after a loss of some kind. The death of a loved one, loss of a limb, even intense disappointment can cause grief.

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has named five stages of grief people go through following a serious loss. Sometimes people get stuck in one of the first four stages. Their lives can be painful until they move to the fifth stage - acceptance.

Five Stages Of Grief

1. Denial
At first, we tend to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from our usual social contacts. This stage may last a few moments, or longer.

2. Anger
The grieving person may then be furious at the person who inflicted the hurt (even if she's dead), or at the world, for letting it happen. He may be angry with himself for letting the event take place, even if, realistically, nothing could have stopped it.

3. Bargaining
The grieving person may make bargains with God, asking, "If I do this, will you take away the loss?"

4. Depression
Feeling down, numb, although anger and sadness may remain underneath.

5. Acceptance
This is when the anger, sadness and mourning have tapered off. The person simply accepts the reality of the loss.

Grief And Stress - During periods of grief, it is common to have many conflicting feelings: sorrow, anger, loneliness, sadness, shame, anxiety, and guilt.

Denying yourself these feelings, failing to work through the different stages of grief, is harder on the body and mind than going through them.

Help is available to assist you through this difficult time. (805) 204-7315

Beyond The Stages Of Mourning

* If you are mourning for a recent loss make sure to make time for feeling the emotions that arise, whether they are anger, sadness, or pain. There is no need to judge these emotions as good or bad and know that it is Ok to feel these and they will not last forever as all things come and go. You may even create a little ritual where you spend time with the picture or object connected to the person who has passed.

* Friends sometimes get uncomfortable around grief and if they try and make you feel better in the moment, thank them for this, and let them know it is normal and natural to feel how you feel.

* Make sure to also take care of yourself during this time, go out on a walk, make sure to eat healthy.

* Try and open your eyes to the delights around you. It could be a smile on a child's face or your own. Smelling a wonderful flower or maybe tasting your own favorite food. Even in the midst of grief we can be open to the wonders of life.

* Know your limits and allow yourself to take a break from feeling when it's becoming overwhelming, but make sure to let your grief know that you will come back. Make a time to revisit it otherwise it will occupy you all day.

* Being altruistic can be a great way to move through grief. Maybe you would like to volunteer at a homeless shelter or make some things for those you care about.

* Support has been known to be very helpful and so joining a grief or support group either online or in person can be enormously supportive.

latimes.com/features/health/la-he-closer25-2010jan25,0,5766082.story
latimes.com

Study: Doctors delay communicating end-of-life care issues with terminally ill patients
Delays may mean patients might not be able to make informed choices early in their treatment.

By Jill U. Adams

January 25, 2010

Most doctors don't talk about end-of-life issues with their cancer patients when those patients are feeling well, a new survey has found. Nor do they talk about them until treatments have been exhausted. Those delays mean patients might not be able to make truly informed choices early in their treatment.

The study, published online Jan. 11 in the journal Cancer, surveyed 4,188 physicians about how they would talk to a hypothetical cancer patient with four to six months to live. A majority of respondents (65%) said they would discuss prognosis, but only a minority said they would discuss do-not-resuscitate status (44%), hospice (26%) or preferred site of death (21%) at that time. Rather, they would wait until symptoms were present or until there were no more treatments to offer.

Current guidelines, from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, say that such conversations should be initiated whenever a patient has been given less than a year to live, if not at diagnosis.

Doctors gave various reasons for not following the guidelines. Some didn't want to dash patients' hopes; some wanted to continue treating patients. In addition, said lead author Dr. Nancy Keating of Harvard Medical School: "There's at least some evidence to suggest that patients don't want to hear about these things."

Here's a closer look at why end-of-life discussions are important.

If done sensitively and as part of ongoing medical care, discussing whether to resuscitate, when to seek hospice care and where patients want to spend the last days of their lives can actually empower patients, rather than making patients lose hope, say Keating and other palliative care experts. Instead, the talks help patients gain some control over treatment and over the final stage of their lives.

"My own view about this is that the whole approach to dying is really an approach to living," says Dr. Katherine Kahn, a UCLA physician and co-author of the new study. "The more we can make these discussions about end of life part of a larger set of discussions with patients about how they approach medical care and how they approach life, the better we can honor their medical wishes when it comes time."

To do this, patients and doctors need to accept the facts, says Dr. Michael Levy, an oncologist at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. He chaired the panel that crafted the cancer network guidelines.

Only 15% of patients with Stage 4 cancer have a viable chance at a cure, he says, and even in those patients, only 50% are cured. "That means that 92.5% of patients with advanced disease will die of their cancer," Levy says. "So you've got to just talk about it."

Patients may not fully understand the implications of additional chemotherapy or aggressive interventions. Further chemotherapy can limit the number of days in which they feel well enough to enjoy the company of friends and loved ones. And interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation often don't work as well as people expect. Less than 10% of cancer patients who get CPR recover enough to leave the hospital, according to a 2007 review published in the American Journal of Hospital Palliative Care.

A study published Jan. 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology found that patients who watched a six-minute video explaining lifesaving procedures, hospitalized care and palliative care made much different choices than those patients who didn't watch the video.

Of 23 brain cancer patients who watched the video, 91% chose care designed primarily to keep them comfortable rather than basic hospital care or life-prolonging care. The latter includes CPR and ventilation. Of 27 subjects who heard a description of the different care levels but didn't watch the video, 22% chose comfort care, 52% chose basic care and 26% of patients chose life-prolonging care.

Research also has shown that informing patients about end-of-life care can reduce medical costs. (See related story.) Moreover, nurses and family members reported more physical distress and worse quality of death in the uninformed patients.

In addition to medical costs, the number of treatments and the amount of suffering go up when patients are not informed about palliative care choices, says Dr. Ira Byock, director of palliative medicine at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. "When I look at the unnecessary costs that accrue at the end of life, the first ones I see are the high human costs of suffering and the toll that that takes on patients' -- and families' -- well-being." He described one woman with advanced cancer who was sedated and intubated in the intensive care unit after a bowel obstruction. "To her family, the worst thing they can imagine is their dear mother dying," he says. "To those of us who do this work, we know that in fact there are worse things than someone you love dying. The most obvious thing that is worse is having someone you love die badly, to see them die suffering. Often they're sedated or having their hands physically tied down so they can't remove [tubes]. Perhaps even worse than even that is realizing at some point that your loved one's suffering is largely unnecessary."

In order to have such conversations, doctors first must give up their own notions of what constitutes good care, Levy says. Reflecting on his early years in cancer care, Levy acknowledges: "I honestly found it easier to give end-of-life care to someone else's patient than my own. Because [after] having entered that contract of 'I'm going to control your disease, I'm going to get it,' it really is hard not to feel some sense of failure."

By reframing the doctor's job -- or contract, as Levy calls it -- palliative care becomes a useful and necessary part of care. He says doctors' jobs are to provide care for that patient rather than engage in battle with the cancer.

Keating says many doctors are more comfortable when patients say they want to do everything possible to fight their cancer. Then the doctor can simply move on to the next treatment plan, which might have some effect. "But what does 'some effect' mean?" she asks. "It might slow the progression of your tumor temporarily, but it's not going to cure you. I think that's where the lack of communication is the most important."

In fact, the hypothetical patient from Keating's survey was by definition already eligible for hospice care -- "a significant package of services for patients and families," Byock says.

Under Medicare, people 65 and older are entitled to hospice care. "In not mentioning that to patients, the clinicians are limiting access to valuable services in a way that does not conform with best practice," he says.

health@latimes.com

Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times

As evening arrives earlier and earlier with winter approaching -

I feel like I need to be home and not out in the dark.

Mood Swings?

Bipolar (Manic Depression)

Bipolar is a psychological disorder affecting an estimated 6 percent of the population. Bipolar disorder equally affects people of all races and backgrounds.

What is Bipolar ?

Bipolar disorder is a condition in which periods of extreme euphoria, called mania, alternate with periods of severe depression. Bipolar disorder is sometimes also called manic depression.

Learn what you need to know to stay healthy.

Know someone who may benefit from a new investigational treatment?
Maybe you're just curious to see what new horizons are being explored in the medical field...

ClinicalConnection.com

Clinicaltrials.gov

Centerwatch.com

Clinicaltrials.ucla.edu

Giggles Allowed!

Never underestimate the power of laughter. If we can find the humor in everyday life and the silly, sometimes dumb things we do - it can lighten our load and be uplifting... knowing that we all have blond moments or as I like to call them "I Love Lucy Moments".

Some of my own can be found at the lens listed below, I hope they make you smile :)

squidoo.com/EverydayHumor

On To Retail Therapy

Ways anxiety & stress
impact your physical health


SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION
HEART MUSCLE DAMAGE
BRAIN CHEMICALS ALTERED

This was my own response to the prompt

Describe your day to day life:

I wake each day of late, with joy and purpose - this was not always the case.

I bring hope and reason to the distraught and disillusioned, offer to hold anothers pain while they are in the room - giving them a rest and reprieve from from their burdens and hurt, their shame or guilt and whatever else they carry in their heart & soul.

I've found my purpose, am living my dream, experience incredible joy when my clients are healing and feel blessed for all that I have survived to be here for them.

Strange how life works out, isn't it...

Ashley B 22-Oct-2008

We are all connected

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