Stress kills. Period. Stress, anxiety, worry, fear, panic… these sorts of things start as psychological or emotional discomforts, but end up manifesting as physical illnesses. Our bodies create symptoms as a red flag to our brains: “Whatever you are doing, STOP IT!!!”

Recently I told you I was waiting for a diagnosis, because I felt worse than I’d ever felt in my life. My blood work, chest X-rays, and EKG all came back squeaky clean. I’m fit as a fiddle (contrary to all probability, given my lifestyle). This was great news, but didn’t answer the question of why I felt like I was dying.

As it turns out, the answer seems to be… stress.

Posted in Life, Overcoming Challenges, anxiety, balance, inner peace, mental health, serenity 77 Comments »

I was once a bit OCD. I don’t mean that my house was neat and tidy (though it probably was), or that I was a control freak (though I definitely was); but rather, I had obsessive thoughts that I compulsively acted on, even when I knew I shouldn’t. I would tell myself NOT to act on those thoughts… but, when they arose, it was like I was on autopilot. I absolutely, compulsively, had to follow through, no matter what.

When I was dealing with this issue, I learned that OCD people live in an imaginary world that is Beyond Reasonable Doubt. Some doubts, of course, are reasonable and prudent.

For instance:

I just cut raw chicken on the counter, so I should disinfect it. (Reasonable)

Posted in bad habits, balance, choices, compulsions, mental health 38 Comments »

Something strange has been happening lately; the sun is falling out of the sky! Or at least, it feels that way to me. I don’t mean that metaphorically, like: I’m depressed and so the world is in perpetual darkness. I mean, it feels like the sun has lost its will to live.

Let me frame this for you, so you can understand where I’m coming from:

As many of you know, I grew up in Costa Rica, and that meant spending LOTS of time at the beach. My siblings, friends, and I would head off exploring down the beach to the estuary (where the river meets the sea), sometimes for a few hours. My mom would pack a lunch for us and say something like, “Be back by 1:00!” (Or two, or whatever.)

Posted in about me, depression, mental health 39 Comments »