Holding back the fear

In 1920, in Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920g), Freud emphasized the difference between fear and anxiety in terms of their relation to danger: Anxiety is a state characterized by the expectation and preparation for a danger, "even if unknown," while fear implies a determinate object. In Inhibitions, Symptoms, and Anxiety (1926d [1925]), he further insisted on the association of anxiety with a state of expectancy and the use of the term fear—"in keeping with current usage"—to represent the situation when anxiety has found an object.

So to understand the above, once fear has entered - you are in trouble! Anxiety is a worry but fear has reality.

Or so you think it does.

That is what is dangerous about fear. Fear is when you have allowed the anxiety to take control.

It is easy to fear. If you are like many people today, you have fear of the unknown. Your financial status could be in jeopardy because of unemployment or having to take a pay cut just to have a job. Your cost of living is rising even though you are doing all that you can to live off less money.

The world seems to be in a scarier, shakier place and that can cause anxiety.

How do you cope with the stress of life? What do you do when you suffer from chronic depression and then you have worry that comes into your mind?

It seems to me that many people have their stories of struggles today. If not theirs, then someone close to them. It is touching everyone.

You must hold back the fear. Worrying doesn't solve anything. Sometimes I believe that worry actually attracts fear and invites it into your life. It causes more problems than you had before.

Fight back the fear by learning how to deal with the stress. Don't sweat what you cannot change; instead learn how to adapt. It is a changing world and although we may not like the changes, sometimes we can only learn how to go with the flow instead of fighting to swim upstream.

Bonding over Daytime Drama

Luke's Intervention is the subject of General Hospital today. I have been a fan of GH since I was in junior high. My mom worked in real estate and used to rush home in order to see GH. Those were the days before dvr's and Soap Net. If you weren't in front of the tv at 3 p.m., you missed it. My mom eventually gave up daytime television but I didn't.

Although I worked outside the home, I still managed to keep up with the goings on in Port Charles.

My youngest daughter, who is now in her first year of high school, is starting to get "hooked" on GH also. It started slowly when she noticed the character Ethan and soon she got caught up in the characters.

It is amusing to me at times. Many times as I watched my ABC soaps she would complain that it was the worst acting ever and so "boring". Now she is hooked.

The Spencer family is still reeling from the death of little Jake who was accidently struck and killed by a car that was driven by Luke Spencer. Luke is one of the most contraversial daytime characters ever. He date raped Laura and later married her in the biggest soap opera wedding ever. They went on to have two children together and although Laura is no longer on the show, Luke is still Luke.

His family will be confronting his drinking today. His drinking has always been seen as just part of who he is but after he was the one who killed his own grandson, Lucky decided that enough was enough. It is time for Luke to face his drinking as being a problem.

Daytime television tackles tough issues. It isn't always bed-hopping and crazy, unrealistic situations. The subjects of drug abuse, alcoholism, abortion, lesbianism, post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder; I could go on.

With the recent cancellation of two of ABC's long running daytime dramas, an era is ending. All My Children and One Life to Live have been a part of our lives for over 40 years. Even though many soap followers joke that you could miss a week and jump back in- knowing that they were always there was something you could rely on. It is an escape and also comfort. Following characters throughout their lives made them feel familiar.

For now, I will enjoy these two soaps until they are gone and hope that now that Emmi and I have found something to bond over we get to enjoy it for years to come. In the ever-changing world of daytime television, it doesn't seem likely.

Presents

I found out this morning that my cats left me a gift outside my bedroom door last night. Thankfully, my daughter removed their gift before I saw it.

It would not have been pretty or quiet.

Although I appreciate the idea that my cats are taking care of unwanted mice that are crawling around in my home, I don't need to be presented with their bodies as trophies.

So, I very well could have woken up in the middle of the night, stumbled out my bedroom door on my way to the bathroom and stepped right on this token of my cats' affection. There would have been some screaming and making it across the hall to the bathroom might not have happened. (LOL)

In a cat's mind, she/he was doing something nice for her/his human.

It is the thought that counts.

Technologically Challenged

Some people are gifted with the ability to take things apart and put them back together. I am not one of those people. I have my strengths and I have my weaknesses.

One of my more frustrating weaknesses is my inability to grasp technology. It took me quite some time to learn how to copy & paste for example. Not a good thing when you make your living doing web content writing. Yup, some things challenge me.

Yesterday I got a new cellphone. A sense of panic had already entered my mind at the thought of having to learn how to navigate a new phone. Unlike my last phone, this one has a touch screen. Okay, how hard can that be?

Hahahahahahaha- for me, quite a challenge obviously.

This morning I was supposed to call my mother to check up on her because she was not feeling well last night. I picked up my phone and realized that I didn't know where to find the keypad to put the numbers in to call my mom. ( I resisted the urge to say "dial" my mom's number,lol)

The apps (?) seemed clear enough but touching the one that said "phone" didn't bring me any closer. After about 20 minutes of frustration, the keypad magically appeared. I have no clue how or why or what I did.

Ugh. Technology sucks.

Reconnecting

Yesterday was a great day. After barely seeing my husband for days, I got to spend some time with him.

Didn't know how much I needed it. By days end, I felt revived. Guess I depend on him more than I thought.

People choose to get married for many different reasons. Sometimes I think that they are not being honest about what the real reasons are. I know why we got married. It might have seemed sudden to some and long overdue to others. In our case, the decision to get married was made only a few days before the deed was done.

We were already committed to each other. What we lacked was that "piece of paper". I was tired of calling him my "boyfriend" and after some personal family issues happened, I realized that life is short. Why were we waiting?

So on a Friday night, the 13th of July, we did it. With family present we made it official. In typical untraditional fashion, there was no honeymoon or even wedding rings. Do you really need symbols when the love is in your hearts? My new husband worked shifts and after returning from the ceremony he had to go to work. For us, somehow, it works.

Our life is complicated. It can be crazy but no matter what happens, I know he is there for me. We may go days without too much time spent together, but in my heart and very soul, I know he is sharing this journey with me.

When we do get the time to reconnect, it just reminds me of how lucky I am to have found my other half. He is the one who completes me.

We may not have a lot but together we have it all.