As I’ve been writing more about anxiety and panic—for dogs and humans—I’ve been talking about it and thinking about it more, too. Something has emerged from all those conversations and ponderings: a million little tactics we come up with to cope. Ask anyone about this, whether they have a dog who’s scared of the vacuum […]
Finding Balance
How to Teach a Dog to Come: Make a Vocab List
June’s 7-to-9-month hormone surge (blerg) and her small bouts of increased courage (yay!) are leading to a little defiance issue. You know the one. I say, “June come!” a command I taught obsessively when she was a scared, squirmy puppy, one I used to show off to my friends. She was so cute when she […]
How a Dragonfly can Help Those With Anxiety
I used be apprehensive of any dragonfly that got too close. As a kid, I’d see a few darting along the tops of the hedges, but avoid them. They’re so big for bugs. You would not assume this was helpful for anxiety. But a dragonfly is a great spirit animal for the anxious. Then, after […]
Easy Meditation: The Lazy Woman’s Way to Meditate Daily
Easy meditation: It’s a bit of an oxymoron. I’ve been trying to start a meditation practice for at least a decade. Certainly since Eat, Pray Love came out, and that was 2006. I had plenty of starts and stops, but when a new challenge arises, like moving, having a baby, or starting a new job, […]
10 Quotes About Fashion That Don’t Suck
Quotes about fashion are meant to be inspiring. I’m a fan of anything that encourages people to show their individuality. I am not a fan the snobbishness that is so often the undercurrent of what’s being said in fashion publications. This is nothing new. Mainstream fashion media feeds off this attitude, probably because it works. […]
Anxiety Survival Guide: Fight Panic Attacks like Dementors
If you don’t know what Dementors are, you aren’t cut out to be a reader of this blog. We are about to get very geeky. I’m re-reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” where Dementors are introduced to the series. I find it comforting to re-read, or partially re-read Harry Potters before bed when […]