Hi Mosaic,

Thanks so much for including the day/time details in your reply. The link you posted is the same one I went to before, but I still can't see the details. Anyway, I can make Monday evening US chats - yay!

As to how to help -- I think having a regular "real time" connection with a support group will make a difference. Also, I will be more willing this time to ask for help when I get stuck.

Last time around (a few years ago ), I did well with breakfast, joined the list, posted, had good support there. And could feel that breakfast made a big difference. I still regularly go back to a program breakfast when I feel my anxiety creep up on me. But I also "forget", or let other things get in the way - and I go back rather than going forward.

My real stuck place was Step 2, journal - I got spooked. My life got very hard a few years back (a long story for some other time). And in the journal, even with steady breakfast, I kept writing and seeing every day, variations on feeling horrible anxiety. It seemed the more aware I was of how I felt, the worse the feelings got. I couldn't see past where I was or how I could feel better.

I felt caught - didn't know what to do about journal (and I did not ask anyone here of course!), and knew I shouldn't try moving to step 3 until journal was "steady" - like breakfast. And I wanted to crawl out of my skin most days. I guess I expected journal to have a positive effect on how I felt - like breakfast had; and when it didn't, I gave up, felt like I failed the step somehow.

Fast forward to present day -- I've found that my anxiety responds well to eating protein, browns & veggies three times a day LOL! But I know there is more: I'm not doing the program, and I want to. My life situation is still hard, and I know eating well only some of the time is not going to get me healed - and I need to heal in order to improve my life (very slow to get that message!).

So - breakfast today was a roast beef & cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread. On time for the first time in a long while (timing is the first thing to go for me). I think I may re-join the breakfast list until I'm steady, and see how Conversations goes.

Thanks again!
Jane