It’s time for the monthly panic, anxiety, and phobia support group phone call. Led by Grace, a longtime panic sufferer living in the DC area, the call is open to anyone and everyone who is experiencing a problem with anxiety or its close cousins.

I Googled “most relaxing song ever”. And what did I expect to find? Well, a bunch of songs esteemed Most Relaxing by the court of popular opinion. But instead, I found…science. Maybe.

The call will take place at 6 p.m. EST this evening (Sunday) and all anxiety and panic sufferers are invited to call in. Dial 1-559-546-1700 and enter access code 640024#.

The shortest day of the year is the day when the earth betrays us and withholds the sunlight we need to lift our mood, to grow, and to thrive. But it all gets better from here.

Our fast-paced daytime lifestyle often bleeds over into the evening hours without our consent or mindful attention. Once you become aware of how you stimulate your body and mind before bed, you can take conscious steps to reduce that behavior.

The last time I took a nap on a bed of paper was in grad school, in the library, on a wide splay of photocopied research studies from various communication periodicals.

Although I’d had three panic attacks in the days leading up to the earthquake, I didn’t panic when the quake hit. My anxiety manifested itself as excitement instead. After all, it was my first earthquake and I was…well, intrigued.