CK

I visited a new shrink not too long ago who told me that I don't breathe right and it probably has a lot to do with my panic attacks. So I started doing Yoga and it really helps!

Tulum is fantastic! I spent a week there in September. Ahhh… I'm sorry you missed two days of it. I missed one, but I won't go into it. (Avoiding confrontation here, but I will write about how am confrontational, as I usually am – great idea.)

Thanks for the tips on coping with anxiety. I laugh often, and you're right. It does help. I've never used a paper bag though. I thought that only worked on sitcoms. I'm going to give it a try.

You're right about confrontation. It's totally like paying bills, or cleaning out a closet, or going to the dentist (which I keep meaning to do, so thanks for reminding me).

My wax problem is all done with. From what I can understand, I was diving a lot and salt water does something crazy to ear wax. Makes it more like cement.

Thanks for reading.

For anxiety, here is what I recommend. To beat it before it gets to you, find ways to laugh as often as possible. At work, surround yourself with people who make you happy. I play board games at lunch, sometimes in the afternoon, too…I just know that there are people I can relax with – and not necessarily by talking about problems – I just have to escape them sometimes. Keep a paper bag in your cube. Just in case you hyperventilate, it works. Know that if you are patient, the worst of the anxiety will pass. The better you get at dealing with that logically, let less it keeps its hold on you. Exercise. I came home totally pissed off and keyed up last night. I threw all of that into my exercise DVD and felt 200% better afterward.

On dealing with confrontation…I do it because I know that I'll feel so much better once things are resolved. It isn't fun, but it's kind of like going to the dentist or paying bills. It's all part of being that fabled responsible adult. And usually I do feel so much better after I deal with it, I think that I've trained myself to deal with it to get to the feeling better part.

Good luck with it. BTW, my sis had the same wax thing happen once. It was such a big chunk that she took it home with her in a little glass bottle and showed her friends. That would be a unique travel souvenir.