Show 093 Woebot App

Update 2026 The Woebot app has been retired. This is now an historical post.

There are a lot of good articles from creatives worried about how humans do not necessarily want to be around other humans. But the humans still want, still need and still crave attention. This is a problem.

There are now apps that are providing support to people who are stressed or have anxiety. Woebot is one of those apps. It uses a foundation of cognitive behavioral therapy to assist the human in dealing with the problem by tracking moods and providing suggestions.

It does not yet provide a human to cuddle.




Feeling shaky? If you need support contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255, the Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 or text “START” to 741-741.

Resources:

Webpage for Woebot App for Facebook Messenger

Healthguide.org page on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Anxiety and Depression Association of America aka ADAA

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements. 

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only.

Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Blood Stripe 2017 Trailer - Independent Movie About PTSD

Want to give a head's up about a new movie that is going into the pipeline. I don't know if it will get national release or attention.

It is a story about a woman returning from her third tour of duty and has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. There are scars; outside and on the inside.



2019 Update: The full movie is now available on YouTube. 

Word is that the film will have a limited release in September and October 2017 but I suspect it will hit the streaming services a few months after that.

If you're having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

Resources For PTSD:

• After Deployment page on Post Traumatic Stress, there is a video tutorial/explainer and other resources.
• Buried Above Ground - documentary of people having the condition and their path to treatment. 
• PTSD Screening Test at Mental Health America 
• Veterans Administration - Department of Military Affairs National Center for PTSD

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Show 092 What Is the Deal about Magnesium?

In this episode taking at look at magnesium because you need it. You need it for sleep, you need it for brain and body functions and if you are a stressed or anxious person you really need it.

Still on the summer scheduled with infrequent episodes until the fall.




If you're having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Resources Mentioned:

• Huff Post article on Panic at 30,000 Feet, Is there A Dentist In the House?
• Verywell post on Managing Panic Attacks While Flying
• The Mighty 22 Unexpected Relaxation Techniques 
• Lisa Jacob's new book It is Not Just Me; Anxiety Depression and Learning to Embrace your Weird.  
• Chiropractor Eric Berg has a good explainer video about the importance of breathing for sleeping and also for stress reduction. 
• Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia Magnesium in Diet
• Australian National Health and Research Council page on magnesium, what it is, the benefits and drawbacks and how much should you consume.

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Lisa Jakob on Anxiety and Acceptance

Yea, verily it does come down to acceptance. This is what you have and how are you gonna deal with it?

Lisa Jakob is a writer and speaker that knows about anxiety and depression because she has it. On her website she also mentions that she has Social Anxiety as well.




In this clip, Lisa talks about acceptance as recognition that you have a problem. You cannot cure, fix, treat or deal with anything that you are in denial about or refuse to say out loud.

Lisa has a new book out called Not Just Me, anxiety, depression and learning to embrace your weird.

You can find it at most of the major book sellers. If you are interested traipse over to her web site for more info.

Show 091 A Look At Symptom Management and Other Resources

Well it is a day that ends in y so it must be time to crank out a podcast. So much going on but we are focused on the doable around here so in this episode a look at three symptoms and what you can do about them.




If you're having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Resources Mentioned:

• Robert Consulmagno sets world record in standing abs roll out as he deals with PTSD and Bipolar Disorder. There is another blog post from the VA about using Ju-Jitsu to tap into his energies. 
• For active duty and vets you can check out the Real Warriors page on anxiety conditions and resources. 
• National Alliance of Mental Health (NAMI) page on substance addiction and mental health issues. 
• NAMI also has a page specifically on mental health issues for active duty and veterans mental health concerns.
• New Hampshire Public Radio's Rewind has an 2010 encore episode on the changes in mental health treatment; the switch from talking and working out treatment plans to medication. 
• American Sleep Association page on Hallucinations and Sleep Paralysis, then there is a separate page on Sleep Paralysis and the auditory version.
• Tips to Manage Your Stress and Anxiety from ADAA.org
• 10 Minute Walking Mindful Walking Practice from Mindful.org
• Harvard Health Publications has a $20 guide on Coping with Anxiety and Stress Disorders. It is from the Harvard Medical School and before purchasing you can check out the table of contents and read from a passage in the book.

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Show 090 Mental Health Days and Fear of Elevators

There are treatment options that range in zero cost to a couple of hundred dollars. There is also a cost in time, being ready to accept that you have a problem and being open to the possible.

Some of the solutions might sound threatening or off the wall. I'll try to point you to viable, and authoritative sources. Or sources that are giving you the straight scoop but might have an ad on the page.

Learning as I go into the mystic.




If you're having suicidal thoughts, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for immediate help: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Resources Mentioned:

• Ben Congleton post on Medium about Mental Health Being an Issue in the Workplace
• Money/Time Magazine special report on the costs and obstacles about obtaining mental health care and support.
• NAMI Health Care by the Numbers posters - you can download them or just grok on the statistics that are on the website.
• From the University of Colorado The Hard Call podcast looks at real people facing the challenges about their mental health condition. 
• Frederick Neuman MD on Where Should A Phobic Person Sit or Stand He also has a Psychology Today post about the fear of elevators.
• Helpguide.org on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Good Therapy.org page on Exposure Therapy
• Welcoa PDF Introduction to Panic Attacks

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. 

Show 089.25 - Pebble on Medical Doctors Treatment Option

All of the cool kids are doing it. Honestly, I'm burnt out and need to inject some vacation time.

This is an Auphonic Audiogram extract of episode #3, what your doctor might offer you as a treatment option for your condition. If you are a newbie with your condition or diagnosis then this is important to listen to; if you have been around the block a few times it is a reminder.






Hit the play button and you will here the podcast as as small visual animation flickers on the screen. Sorry about it not being captioned. There is a change in voice quality. The microphone that I thought wasn't doing a good job apparently did a much better job than I realized.

The newer microphone I used to replace it, well...life happens. I need to rack up more failures anyway.

Resources Mentioned:

• Anxiety and Depression Association of America
• HelpGuide.org focuses more on non-medication related treatment and resources.
• Calm Meditation App for Android, Chromebook, iOS and Windows via desktop
• UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center’s Free Guided Meditations http://marc.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=22

Disclaimer:

Links to other sites are provided for information purposes only and do not constitute endorsements.

Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with questions you may have regarding a medical or mental health disorder.

This blog and podcast is intended for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing in this program is intended to be a substitute for professional psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.