Wednesday, March 16, 2011

ANXIETY AND THE SQUEAKY DOOR

A Clinician’s Viewpoint

Most of us have a door that squeak. The cure is often sandpaper or the plane. Once fixed, we are good for a year then its back. Then we go through the same routine.

The squeak could be caused by the whole building settling. Why would it shift? Water around the foundations could do it. The solution then could be some tile work to drain the water.

For a house foundation to be firm it needs a good slab, tile drains, solid walls, waterproofing and solid base of soil and sand. Houses built like that are less likely to have squeaky doors that keep returning.

This is the story of our own wellness and anxiety. Our foundation must have the essentials. The Wellness Rainbow says there are six: Health, Relationships, Knowledge, Family Roots, Values and Faith. Our chances of chronic anxiety go way down with such a solid foundation.

If we ignore our foundation, we do what we are now doing. When there is a squeak, we go for a quick fix - like some drug. Like the door, this is not really a fix. It is a band aid that lasts only a short while.

The trouble with band aids and drugs is that they can become habitual. Or, they can have bad side effects. In the case of the door, it loses its shape. In our case, we can end up with stomach, sleep or concentration problems.

Sound mental health comes from a solid foundation. On that base, when problems occur, wellness will see us through even if medication is needed.

For more information on the Family Wellness Rainbow please see:   www.familycybermall.org.

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