Well, the holiday season is upon us once again and I hope wherever you are, you and your family have a great time– with a minimum of stress and anxiety! 

I don’t think I’m giving away any big secret by saying that many people find the holiday family get-togethers stressful. And in the past, we’ve talked about ways to minimize the anxiety that is sometimes inherent in these situations.

If you’re one of the many people who find the holidays stressful, it can be comforting to realize that you’re not alone. And whatever you do, DO NOT blame yourself about it.  Many, many people find the holidays a bit tough to deal with.

My advice is to keep in mind that these holiday get-togethers usually only last a couple of days, and then it’s back to “real life.” And if all else fails, have a little holiday drink to help you relax — just don’t go too far with it. Family get-togethers can quickly turn into a nightmare when too much alcohol is added into the mix, increasing the general level of anxiety for everyone. 

Like most things in life, a little bit of “holiday cheer” is a good thing, but too much is worse than none at all!

Happy Holidays from all of us here at EasyCalm!
Jon

www.easycalm.com

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 Nearly every day I get a few e-mails describing a variety of strange physical and emotional symptoms. The majority of the people e-mailing me want to know if their symptoms could be panic attacks, or something altogether more serious. And because I’ve been doing this a while, it is pretty rare for someone to describe a type of panic attack symptom that I have never heard of– however, it does happen occasionally…

 In this post I want to mention a few of the more “unusual” symptoms and issues that can be caused by panic attacks and anxiety.We’ve talked about all the “normal” panic attack symptoms in the past, such as stomach discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, obsessive yawning, tingling in the arms and legs, and many others. Now let’s take a look at some of the more “weird” symptoms. 

One unusual symptom of panic attacks that is rarely discussed is a morbid fear of eating in public. I’m not sure if this is becoming more common, but I have noticed that I get more e-mails about it than I used to. Hmmm….

Another eating-related symptom is an extreme fear of food touching the back of the mouth when eating.Those who experience this sometimes feel like they are on the verge of choking when this happens; and it often triggers panic attacks.

Different types of separation anxiety are not particularly uncommon, but there is an unusual variation of this that has come to my attention: a few panic attack sufferers have a fear of being alone, and MUST be around their close friends or family at all times–but at the same time, they experience a type of social anxiety when they ARE around their friends or family. So it creates a Catch-22 situation. This one doesn’t appear to be very common (thankfully), but it can make life hell for those who are living with it.

And finally, I have to mention this one: in the five and a half years we have been online, I have received two e-mails from individuals who had severe phobias about seeing another person’s feet. Both of these individuals claimed that if they saw anyone’s naked feet, panic attacks would ensue right away.  And surprisingly, one of the e-mailers even claimed that he would become panicky if he saw his OWN feet without shoes or socks on. I can only imagine how hard it would be to try to avoid the sight of your own feet throughout your whole life –not an easy way to live. 

Those are just a few of the more unusual panic attack symptoms that have been reported to me over the years. But please, leave a comment and let me know if you have an unusual anxiety or panic attack symptom that I haven’t mentioned. Remember, you can do it anonymously if you like– we are all about protecting everyone’s privacy here at Easycalm.

 The EasyCalm Video Series teaches methods to overcome panic attacks, no matter what kind of symtpoms you may have. That’s because EasyCalm doesn’t just deal with the symptoms, but gets to the root of the problem to help you quickly change the “mental environment”that is allowing the attacks to happen in the first place.  One of the great benefits of this is that it creates a greater sense of self-confidence, reassuring you that you CAN deal with panic attacks. Once this confidence begins to build, most users overcome the attacks altogether. And as a former sufferer of severe panic attacks, I know what a sweet feeling it is to be rid of them (good riddance!). 

Take care,
Jon Mercer
www.easycalm.com

www.easyalm.com

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