Hello anxiety my old friend

Walking the old wall 36 years ago - Not bad for a CP er

I am thinking of the lyrics of Simon and Garfield's Sounds of Silence,
"Hello darkness, my old friend (my anxiety fear of going asleep)
I've come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping"
 I have blogged the value of medication and treatment for anxiety and depression. I believe as we learn more of the brain and nervous system our treatment will improve. I look back over the progress in the last 50 years. One common treatment back in he 70's was shock treatment for clinical depression. One of my jobs was to assist the patient from start to waking up with these treatments. I will not share the details of this, but we do a lot better today.
There is another part of the treatment that is just as helpful. Through my therapy and reading I have used behavioral techniques that are very helpful. I have gone from insomnia sleeping in a recliner to sleeping back in my bed, most nights the night through. Once a week I practice breathing skills such as 4 square breathing. Using the count of 4; I breathe in 4, hold breathe 4, breathe out 4, hold intake 4, repeat cycle. I practice so that I can use skill when needed.
A have a picture frame life long friends smiling at me on my wall. Reminds me of kindness and not being alone.  If I need to burn some energy I do 2 sit ups off the bed for each friend. The sit ups and squats off the bed are good for me, but doing them gives me assurance I am not trapped but can move off the bed as I need to) Exercise puts my focus off the fear. I use my iPhone for relaxing music and sounds to distract. I also have a few favorite Psalms I read. I have a copy of Ken Boa's book Face to Face an excellent resourse for prayer and meditation.
Last night panic fear visited me after I went to bed. I did something just a little different; (1) I have learned such fear won't harm me, (2) Panic fear doesn't last it will pass (3) I accepted it was there, I didn't fight it (4) I turned on the reading light and did some light reading and used an app on my phone of gentle wave sounds. (5) turned off light and music put on instrumental for a few minutes and relaxed into a night of sleep. Anxiety doesn't visit me every night like it did before, I may go weeks or even a couple of months with out an attack. But I see it now for what it is a temporary interruption that I can do things to return to sleep.

Leaving my friend anxiety I have returned to daily walking 10,000 steps or more. Thank you Lord for the foot brace. In my picture tonight I have part of the old walls of Jerusalem, looking down at ruins from the time of Christ. Looking at the street and ruins I realize Jesus and the disciples walked there. The old wall I actually walked on, I don't think they let you do that today. The walls come from the late middle ages. The photo brings me back to that walk.
I read today and artical by Dr. Oz on the value of 10,000 steps turning off  fat genes.

http://www.realage.com/diet-weight-loss/walk-off-weight-turn-off-fat-genes?eid=1010665570&memberid=27731989

Keep walking