I Have Something in Common With This Girl

 

I’m from a world of wealth and abundance.  A place molded by Ipods and web sites.  Streets where women dangle Vuitton, Coach, and Dooney and Bourke over their shoulders.  Men sport around in pristine Nike sneakers.  And the robust scent of Starbucks invites crowds willing to pay more for a cup of coffee than a gallon of gas.        

This girl is from a place  of extreme poverty where a day of rain is a blessing and a cheeseburger with fries is non-existent.   

Our lives have no similarities, yet we both have malnutrition.  She is malnourished due to famine.  I’m malnourished due to fear.  A fear so incredible it controls my life.

My complete story is at http://fearsandphobias.blogspot.com/2008/03/this-is-repost-of-my-first-blog-entry.html

Politics, Floods, War and it’s connection to Emetophobia. Why Fox News makes me sick.

To tell you the truth I don’t watch that much TV, although I sometimes flip through the channels, briefly stopping at the nightly news. Most of the news I get comes from reading it on the internet or from discussions at work with co-workers.

For at least 6 months after the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, I was addicted to Fox News. Nowadays, I don’t even know what channel it’s on. And since I stopped watching it, my stress level has come down.

Part of the reason I get bad emetophobic days is due to stress. I believe the start of my emetophobia was triggered by stress and I tend to bring it own over the smallest things.

When I hear of awful diseasters or terrible acts of nature that happen in the world, I tend to experience more hearburn, upset stomach, and that queasy butterflies in my stomach feeling which sets off panic attacks. The video footage of events that bring the viewers to the front lines of tornadoes whipping through homes or weeping Mothers making desperate pleas for abductors to return their child have a traumatic effect on me.

Am I the only emetophobe who can claim that Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and every other news channel makes my emetophobia worse? I would love to hear your response.

My blog:  http://fearsandphobias.blogspot.com

Honey-Ginger Lemonade

This lemonade has ingredients emetophobics can’t live without. Not only is it refreshing to sip by the pool or at a barbeque, but this honey-ginger lemonade settles the stomach and your nerves.

I tote it along in my backpack when hiking in the park.

Honey-Ginger Lemonade

Ingredients
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup peeled fresh ginger slices
7 sprigs fresh mint
2 cups purified water
4 cups ice cubes

Instructions
Put the juice, honey, ginger, and 1 chopped sprig of the mint in a large pitcher and stir, pressing the mint and ginger to release flavor.
Add the water and stir until the honey dissolves, then add the ice.
Pour into six 10-ounce glasses and garnish each glass with a sprig of mint and a fancy straw.

Hope you enjoy it.

What’s The Difference Between A Fear And A Phobia ?

A fear is an emotional reaction to something that seems unsafe or dangerous.  Healthy fears may produce anxiety, but doesn’t stop someone from doing what they want.  For example, feeling nervous about flying but still being able to walk on the airplane.

A phobia produces an intense, uncontrollable physical fear.  Just the thought of going to an airport causes a severe emotional meltdown and the decision not to enter it even if it’s to pick up or drop someone else off who may be flying. 

Fears are manageable and can be healthy if it cautions a person to stay safe around something that could be dangerous.  Phobias cause you to alter your lifestyle to accommodate the fear.  A phobia is like a thief: it steels your freedom.

Most phobia sufferers feel ‘out of control’.  Emetophobia is a good example.  Emetophobics, who are afraid of vomiting, feel completely powerless when there is stomach distress.  Humans can’t control this bodily function – where or when it happens.  Emetophobics will alter their day to day activities, diet, hygiene, and social lives to avoid any situation that can trigger nausea and vomiting.

A healthy fear serves a purpose (fear of fire, drowning, etc) whereas phobias sometimes make no sense at all.