You ladies are so welcoming! I appreciate the feedback on my post and my web site. Vicki and Sheri, some thoughts about your questions:

1. Stress is best managed by the wisdom you've probably heard elsewhere, but it's worth repeating. Get plenty of exercise--aerobics like walking or swimming, and stretching like yoga and Pilates-- but don't forget resistance training either. Weight training does wonders for increasing the body's capacity to relax (not to mention combatting osteoporosis). Watch nutrition. Minimize the consumption of sugar and alcohol, since both affect blood sugar, which can wreak havoc with your moods. Emphasize plenty of fruits and vegetables and complex carbs. Getting out in the sunshine every day (an hour or so is ideal), since exposing the eyes to natural sunlight helps with the conversion of melotonin to serotonin--the "feel-good" chemical in the brain--and encourages good sleep. I agree that boosts like aromatherapy can be helpful--lavendar is relaxing, and rose lifts mood--and I also agree that you don't want to expose yourself to too much of each, since the olfactory system tends to get desensitized--it's best to switch to different scents. I also recommend things like massage therapy, which helps in a myriad of ways. A good acupuncturist or energy healer can make a big difference. And the judicious use of medication can be very helpful. Just make sure you find a doctor with whom you can be a real partner in decreasing your stress and optimizing your health--stay away from "rubber stamp treatments" that may not be geared to your particular needs. And it goes without saying, but Dotsie's "friends heal friends" motto is critical. Being able to laugh and cry with people you trust, to vent your emotions, and to gain some perspective, can make the difference in being chronically stress-plagued and seeing periods of as a signal that you need to focus more on self-care, rest, and exercise.

Just some basic ideas. As to the question about social anxiety, it helps to practice getting out for small periods of time. Try to avoid seeing any outing--a trip to the grocery or a party or church--as a "test" of your wellness. Try to see it instead of an opportunity to practice being out among people for a period of time you can tolerate. Social anxiety can indicate several things: A brain chemistry imbalance that needs to be addressed medically. A problem with your energy system, addressed by an energy psychologist or healer. An unhealed trauma or a loss or grief that is asking for your attention. Or it can indicate simply a new phase of life--and midlife is filled with changes, as we all know.

This is what I've learned from both personal and professional experience: Self-judgment is the primary enemy of wellness, both in stress management and in social anxiety (and, for that matter, in a lot of other mental health challenges. .) It helps sometimes to simply notice the self-judgmental thoughts we are feeling. Know that those anxiety-demons tell us lies about ourselves. They're implanted in our psyches by the culture, and sometimes by our families. Every symptom is really a signal from the psyche that we are ready to become a little more whole. . .

Thanks for asking--hope this helps.
Daphne
www.daphnestevens.com