OT: non-drug treatments for anxiety and depression

[Don in Austin]

Exercise, exercise and more exercise! Whatever level you can comfortably do, be it a slow walk around the block or a 10 mile run or a bike ride. And try to gradually ramp it up as you start feeling better.

It is hard to go wrong with exercise.

Picking a mode you can enjoy is critical. An MP3 player can enhance exercise, but please don't ride a bike with headphones.

Hope this helps....Don

[Sleepster]

What's the problem with wearing headphones while riding a bike? As long as you wear the right type, and don't play the music too loud, you can still hear what's going on around you. I ride trails where motor vehicle traffic is not allowed.

I agree that exercise is a good way to help you get a better night's sleep. It has other benefits as well, including improved mental health.

[Don in Austin]

What's the problem with wearing headphones while riding a bike? As long as you wear the right type, and don't play the music too loud, you can still hear what's going on around you. I ride trails where motor vehicle traffic is not allowed.

I agree that exercise is a good way to help you get a better night's sleep. It has other benefits as well, including improved mental health.

Yep....can't go wrong with it.

On trails without cars, cycling with headphones is maybe not so bad. But I would be worried about not being able to hear overtaking cyclists -- but perhaps nobody passes you!

When on the street I look at it like this: A cyclist is at a horrible disadvantage compared to a motorist -- essentially completely unprotected and vulnerable. But, the cyclist has one enormous advantage which is a far greater awareness of everything around him/her. I choose not to compromise that advantage in any way.

[DreamDiver]

I like the mindful meditation route. It can help clarify the muddled mind.

[Paptillian]

What's the problem with wearing headphones while riding a bike? As long as you wear the right type, and don't play the music too loud, you can still hear what's going on around you. I ride trails where motor vehicle traffic is not allowed.

I've had a few accidents on the mountain bike out on the trail and prefer not to wear earphones just so there's one less thing to get wrapped up in the mechanism and cause me to fall. No matter what kind of earphones I've tried they always find a way to come loose, or the cord comes off the device and dangles.

Also, I bike within city limits and need to be super-aware of anything following me... 2 or 4-legged

[Don in Austin]

What's the problem with wearing headphones while riding a bike? As long as you wear the right type, and don't play the music too loud, you can still hear what's going on around you. I ride trails where motor vehicle traffic is not allowed.

I've had a few accidents on the mountain bike out on the trail and prefer not to wear earphones just so there's one less thing to get wrapped up in the mechanism and cause me to fall. No matter what kind of earphones I've tried they always find a way to come loose, or the cord comes off the device and dangles.

Also, I bike within city limits and need to be super-aware of anything following me... 2 or 4-legged

Actually I am against headphones while cycling also. What appears to be a quote of me is actually my quote of someone else who feels OK wearing headphones while cycling.

Don in Austin

[Paptillian]

Yeah, sorry, something didn't transfer well with the quote tags.

Fixed.

[stephaniesc1]

I used to have a lot of nightmares and anxiety problems and tried everything imaginable to stop them - including tons of SSRIs. Halfway through my senior year of study at a community college I started to have serious nightmares, the kind where I'd get up discovering my whole bed drenched in sweat.

What was strange was that my scenario was often a similar: I would be in the park when all of a sudden hail would overwhelm me. I would then wake up wide-eyed and petrified, too afraid to go back to sleep.

It's like a joke now, but in those days I absolutely dreaded sleeping. I would try the craziest sleep schedules to avoid having nightmares, but I always would forfeit the fight against the urge to rest.

Anyways after a terrible dream I was skimming blogs with the purpose of finding potential cures when I came upon the idea of lucid dreams. I discovered many electronic "guidebooks" with tons methods for lucid dreaming. But, after attempting these methods for just under two weeks I continued to have no authority over my nightmares. I then noticed an online review on one guide - google "ReviewsPanel fast track" and take a look at the review for the Lucid Dreaming Fast Track product suite - and as a result of my annoyance decided to buy it. Doing so was a great choice... After about four months I observed great dominance over my nightmares. I conclude that my success is due to the powerful audio cues in the Lucid Dreaming Fast Track course.

At any rate, that's my two cents.