Merry Christmas

I am off down south for a few days with Chloe & Rory to spend Christmas with my family .

Hope you all have a great Christmas and a New Year that reveals your strengths for you to meet your goals and ambitions.

Merry Christmas

Finally Got Back Into A Shop

My daughter was at home last week, and we had planned to go shopping for christmas together. I couldn’t get into one shop and Chloe even had to do my food shopping for me, so we didnt get our christmas shopping done. Chloe did what she could and was very understanding about the whole thing.

But, I am happy to say that I made it into 3 shops on Friday that I could park right in front of, and today I made it into 2 more shops, one of them a toy wharehouse - as if getting into the shop wasn’t hard enough I had to put up with hundreds of parents with laden arms and their kids running amok. I started to panic when I was in line waiting to pay, but managed to breathe my way through it. The one thing I kept on thinking about was Marie coping to get straight back into a shop after a major panic attack. Thanks Marie, for your distant support

I can’t believe that it has taken 3 weeks for me to start getting back on track after the allergy attack. I have been reading a book “Who Turned Off My Brain?” written by psychologist, and she explains exactly what happens in our brain with negative (and positive) thoughts and how the Panic Attack starts off, and how all of this affects the rest of body, its a very intersting read. Anyway, she has a theory that allergies can start after long term stress, panic attacks etc and why the body and mind reacts to stimuli the way it does when its something you were not allergic to prior to the onset of mental health illness.

So here is hoping I can get the rest of the christmas presents I still need to buy

7 Weird and Random Facts About Me

I was asked this question by Coffecup “I’d like to nominate you to tell us all 7 ‘weird and random’ facts about yourself”…. hmmm I will give it a go.

1. I am a bit of a gypsy and have moved house more than 60 times.

2. I am an organisational nut, but am not very tidy

3. My favourite foods are Cheeses and Cold Meats

4. I enjoy decoupage

5. I have a warped sense of humour that some people just don’t get

6. I am the black sheep in my family, apparently I don’t “conform”……. to their ways of thinking

7. I am a reflexologist

Hope this qualifies

1. coffeecup on December 16th, 2007 10:44 am

   Ha ha wonderful Ruby. Thanks for revealling all. Wow! Didn’t know you did reflexology! Some super facts there, hope you enjoyed having to think of them?

2. Ruby on December 22nd, 2007 9:32 pm

   It was a difficult task, thought of lots of things, but did I really want to put them on my blog - that would be definately not
   It was fun though

   Ruby

3. Panic Guy on December 30th, 2007 3:16 am

   Hi Ruby! I’ve never commented before, but this post struck me a little. You have moved house more than 60 times??? That’s an awful lot of moving! How did you endure all that?

4. Ruby on January 6th, 2008 9:44 pm

   Hi Panic Guy
   Yes a bit of worry really A lot of those moves were going back to the parents house between moves, but its still moving really.
   In hindsight I think that it was my anxiety that caused all the moves, and each time I moved I felt great for a while when learning all about a new place, and I did love setting up a new house and getting to know the culture of the place.
   Since the kids came along I lasted 4 years in each place.
   I am glad to say that I have lived where I am for nearly 4 years and don’t have itchy feet yet, I think that is because as I get older I don’t enjoy the hassle of moving anymore.

Overcomer’s Package

I have a subscription to Overcome Panic which is written by a female Christian Minister in the US. (I am not a practicing Christian but I have long held beliefs. I just received an email saying that they are offering free postage for the rest of December for local and international orders, so I thought I would share in case any one is interested.

I have ordered Overcomer’s Package for myself as I found that the best value, but they have a variety of CD topics on overcoming anxiety and panic attacks. The Overcomers Package has a book, workbook and a set of CD’s, so I will let you know what I think when I receive it.

1. coffeecup on December 9th, 2007 4:49 am

   Dear Ruby, I hope that you don’t mind but I’d like to nominate you to tell us all 7 ‘weird and random’ facts about yourself. The only condition is that you must link back to me as sender, and choose and link ideally, to seven other people to give up a little frivolous bit of info about themselves. It’s just a bit of fun and a gentle way of networking. Best wishes, Steph

2. Max on December 28th, 2007 8:02 pm

   great stuff - cu

3. Ruby on January 6th, 2008 9:38 pm

   Thanks Max
   Hope to see you again soon

   Ruby

4. Max on March 12th, 2008 3:33 am

   omer’s Package : Life With Anxiety & Agoraphobia thanks for this post!

5. Max on May 22nd, 2008 2:26 am

   Thanks for this post!

Feeling a Bit More Positive

At the end of my last post I said I had to get to work, I couldn’t make it out of the house till 3 hours later I was in such a state, I was seriously wanting to quit work and lock myself away again, but I pushed through the few horrible hours. Once I got to work I was great, but the drive in was horrid.

But I am glad to say that I am feeling much better now, I kept slapping myself across the face (figuratively speaking - not that bad - yet) everytime I had a negative thought and made myself counteract it with a positive one. Now a week later it seems to have worked because I am not having as many negative self destructive thoughts. Work has even been enjoyable with no dramas driving in or home.

I haven’t had the chance to get to shops yet though as I had a busy weekend with friends from out of town staying Saturday night, and Sunday morning my gorgeous dog had four puppies, so all day Sunday I sat admiring them and their mum.

My daughter is home for a few days and hoping to get enough sleep in the morning to go shopping with her in the afternoon, I am really looking forward to spending some time with her as she arrived on Monday night and I had to head of to work so haven’t had much of chance to catch up.

I am at work, so I better get back to it.

Ruby

1. coffeecup on December 6th, 2007 9:03 am

   Gosh Ruby there’s so much going on there’s no time for you to feel anxious. Wonderful to hear that your getting through work so well and many congrats for the puppies! How you going to part with them? So cute when they’re little. Hope this positivity continues going on a roll and I’m very interested to hear about the benefits you get from the programme. Great to hear all this confidence!