Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba
On Track
SEPTEMBER 2014
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
A Calm Head Prevails ...
There are many exceptional things about people who are
working to overcome anxiety, but one of the things that has
really struck me in my time with ADAM is the honesty,
kindness and generosity that I have encountered since arriving here in January.
Mary Williams
Executive Director
Starting a new job is high on the stress scale, what with the
unavoidable learning curve. I am grateful for the kindness of
the staff, who have been very helpful, cooperative, and generous in their sharing of information and knowledge.
Prior to coming to ADAM, I had spent most of 2013 extremely involved in providing emotional and practical support to an ailing, elderly family friend. Until
April of last year, I was the Executive Director of Hospice & Palliative Care Manitoba, where I had worked for five years. At the end of April, my friend was placed
onto the WRHA Palliative Care Program and I saw and experienced palliative care
from a whole new perspective. One of the things that struck me during that time
was the importance of honesty in communicating with my friend and with her
health care team. Because English was not her first language, there was significant
potential for misunderstanding. What I found surprising and at times, unsettling,
were the different ways in which people interpret honesty.
Last year’s experience, and others throughout the course of my career as an Executive Director with several non-profits, have led to encounters with people who
pride themselves on being honest – who are proud of the fact that they “call a
spade a spade”. I have problems with that, because it sometimes feels hard or
‘brutal’. Is there a place for ‘brutal honesty’? Perhaps, but thankfully, you won’t
find it at ADAM. Brutal honesty has been described as lazy, because it doesn’t take
the time to empathize with and understand the other person and their situation.
Brutal honesty can also be construed as another word for insults.
Events to explore
 Join us for our Childhood
Anxiety Video Launch!
See Page 3.
 Visit us at St Vital Centre
October 9 & 10 for Mental
Illness Awareness Week
 We now offer Information Sessions about
anxiety every month at
our Winnipeg office. Call
for details!
 You can find us on
Facebook!
Inside this issue:
On the other hand, what I see at ADAM is kind honesty. Honesty tempered with
kindness allows us to see the vulnerability that we all share. Rather than feeling
disconnected, isolated or alienated, kind honesty allows us to connect on a deeper
level, recognizing the fears, hopes, and desires that drive our behaviours.
September Settling
2
Child Anxiety Event
3
Kind honesty demonstrates a great generosity of spirit that is clearly evident when
people share their personal stories, struggles and successes. It’s a deeply rewarding
aspect of working with this peer-based, self-help, charitable organization.
PSR Save the Date
4
Did you know?
4
Personal Story
5
Workshop
6
Parkinson’s Program
6
As the month of September gets underway, the lazy, hazy days of summer become
a fond memory. Time pressures, deadlines, and heavier demands may loom before
us or weigh more heavily upon us. With the return to work routines, other commitments, and tighter schedules, one thing to keep in mind is the importance of
kind honesty in all of our interactions, with ourselves, our environments, and the
people we encounter. Kind honesty is a fundamentally important tool in our kit to
overcoming and managing anxiety. May you practice it and experience it as we gear
up for a busy new season.
ON TRACK
Page 2
September Settling
Back to the busyness of Life
“Every
accomplishment
starts with a
decision to try”
- unknown
Ah... September, a time when
we say goodbye to summer
and welcome in a change of
seasons. Stores are filled with
school supplies, clothing in
fall colours, and even Halloween treats begin to make their
appearance. The air smells
crisp and the evenings are
cooler and shorter. It also
brings change in our awareness of time. Gone are the
lazy, laid-back days of summer. Instead, we find ourselves back in the routines of
school and work and for
some, the added time pressures, extra-curricular activities, even extra traffic on the
road, can create anxiety. It
isn’t just an adult experience
however. Children feel
stresses and anxiety as well.
Their routines change and
become more strict. Kids
often feel anxiety about heading to school, concerned
about new teachers, how to
fit in with peers, or meeting
expectations of parents and
teachers.
In life, every transition brings
with it some stress, whether it
is seen as good or bad. It is
up to us to find out how to
handle these times in a way
that breeds confidence and a
positive outlook. It begins
with a look at our internal
and external resources. Have
we faced similar situations
before? What did we do
when we were faced with
challenges in the past? How
did we get through it? Do we
have friends or family support to turn to? Recognizing
that we all possess inner
strength and the ability to
survive whatever life has
thrown us in the past is a
good basis for looking to the
future.
When we look at our to-do
lists at home or at work,
sometimes they seem daunting. Breaking down projects
into smaller pieces or having
a friend act as a sounding
board to help sort through
and prioritize tasks are two
effective ways to move forward. Sometimes we need to
simplify our lives a little and
learn to say no to requests.
Team up with another parent
and take turns shuttling the
kids to their activities. Ask a
co-worker to share a task or
talk to a superior about your
priorities and theirs. That
way everyone is involved in
making decisions about the
next item to tackle. Another
tip is to put down the cell
phone when you get home so
work time and home time
stay separate. It can help to
make us more present in the
moment and stave off the
guilt we often feel when trying to do it all and perceiving
that we have failed.
Getting out for a walk or a
bike ride can do wonders for
reducing stress. For some it
is a time when they do their
best thinking. For others, it
is a time to enjoy the natural
beauty around them and put
aside the pressures of life. All
the while, your physical body
is enjoying moving! Our
bodies don’t like sitting in a
car to and from work or shuttling the kids around, sitting
at a desk during the day or
sitting in front of the TV at
night. Getting up and moving makes our brain produce
chemicals important for negating the effects of stress
and help to make us feel happier. Isn’t that worth it?
And finally but most importantly, we need to give ourselves permission to be human. We can’t do it all and
that’s ok. We do the best we
can with what we have.
When we start to put our
mental health ahead of the
demands of this new season,
we may notice a shift in our
overall wellbeing. Wouldn’t it
be nice to feel less tense, get a
deeper sleep, and be less irritated? We might even be
more productive in the activities and projects that we keep
on our agenda. Let’s invite
September in as the start of a
season of positive change!
-KR
Page 3
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
ON TRACK
Page 4
“Worrying does not
take away
tomorrow’s
troubles. It takes
away today’s peace.”
- Randy Armstrong
Did You Know?
Group programs are good
Did you know we run many
different programs here at
ADAM?
here or through a psychologist
and are looking for ongoing
support.
Join us Mondays from 12-1:30
pm for a drop in support group
for those with any type of anxiety.
We run three cognitive behaviour programs throughout the
year for Panic and Social Anxiety.
Monday evenings from 7-8:30
pm we host a drop in support
group for those who have been
through a CBT program either
And this fall we are partnering
with Parkinson Society and
Movement Disorder Clinic for a
pilot CB group for those with
depression/anxiety who have
also been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. (see Page 4 for
details).
This fall we are also offering free
information sessions about anxiety. Learn more about anxiety,
contributing factors, treatment
options and resources. Visit
adam.mb.ca for details on dates
and times.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
Page 5
Personal Story (Outreach)
It's a terrible thing to hide
your pain; to lock it away or
bury it down deep, hoping
nobody can see it; wanting
nothing more that to pretend
it was never really there.
However, even at the best of
times, it's always there; just
under the surface. It's in
every hesitation, every doubt
and every moment you
waited silently when you had
the opportunity to speak
your mind. It's the voice that
keeps telling you that you
can't, that you shouldn't try,
that you’ll fail.
didn't was to bother anyone.
So I kept it to myself; hid it,
buried it and pretended it
was never really there. This
was the creation of overwhelming anxiety.
I was quiet from birth. It
used to worry my parents
that I didn't cry often as a
baby. I grew up quiet. As a
child, and later a teenager, I
didn't raise much of a fuss,
didn't cause much trouble
and tried to stay quite clear
of mischief. I had my older
brother's errors to learn consequences from. I adopted a
“worst-case scenario” way of
thinking; if there was a
chance it could get me in
trouble, I wouldn't do it. So I
didn't say or do anything to
get in trouble. I grew up
quiet.
I was taking on too much. I
had a new job I knew very
little about and was worried
about making mistakes. I was
working half an hour away
from home and was worried
I wouldn't be there for my
family when they needed me.
I was worried I wasn't doing
enough; worried I wasn't
doing things right; worried
that I was losing my mind.
One evening I broke down.
There was no hiding it. I told
my wife I needed help.
Growing up quiet is great for
the parents but, when you're
a child and you've incorporated your own fear of
speaking your mind, the
value of it changes. I never
expressed how I felt because
I didn't want to make waves.
I wouldn't say what I wanted
because I didn't want to be
selfish. I didn't say what I
wanted or needed because I
I've been hiding for as long
as I can remember; decades
now. However, I discovered
you can only hide so long.
That soon, no matter how
hard you push things down,
you only have so much space
inside you to keep these feelings pent-up. There is always
a breaking point.
She told me about an organization she'd heard about;
A.D.A.M. (Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba). A woman by the name
of Tami Giesbrecht had
come to her workplace to
discuss what this organization had to offer to people
who suffered from anxiety. I
decided to call.
It's a big step to make that
call. As a person who has
anxiety, you worry about the
unknown. However, you
know when you're ready; you
know when you can't take
hiding anymore; you know
when you need help. I met
with Tami, shared with her
my story, how'd I'd come to
picking up the phone and
calling her. She offered a
spot in a course about how
to manage anxiety.
A.D.A.M. teaches you about
the different types of anxiety,
the processes of feelings and
thoughts that lead to anxiety
but most importantly, the
tools to help you manage
your anxiety on a daily basis.
With these tools, some time
and practice, you begin to
take control over the anxiety
that used to control you.
I still worry; everybody does.
However, now, thanks to
Tami and A.D.A.M., I worry
less and I worry smarter. I'm
mending now instead of hiding.
“I was worried I
wasn't doing
enough; worried I
wasn't doing things
right; worried that I
was losing my mind.
One evening I broke
down. There was no
hiding it. I told my
wife I needed help.”
Know this: anxiety is common. I thought I was the
only one. I was wrong. There
are people out there, more
than you would believe, who
are fighting the same battle
you’re fighting.
So, if you're hiding your pain;
locking it away or burying
down deep, hoping nobody
can see it, you can stop now.
There is someone you can
talk to; when you're ready.
Bill
Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba
100-4 Fort St.
Winnipeg, MB
R3C 1C4
The Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba (ADAM) was formed in 1986, for and by people suffering with anxiety disorders. We receive expert, ongoing, and current advice from specialists in this field.
Last year, we celebrated 25 years of serving Manitobans with anxiety!
Phone: (204) 925-0600
Fax: (204) 925-0609
E-mail: [email protected]
We are a peer-led organization; our staff has personally experienced and overcome the disabling effects of
anxiety, and is now sharing that knowledge and hope with others.
ADAM is a registered self-help charity. Your donations are welcomed! You can make a positive difference
in the lives of many Manitobans who suffer with anxiety disorders!
www.adam.mb.ca
Up and Coming ...
Workshop:
Managing Uncertainty in Uncertain Times
With Dr. Richard Shore
October 25, 2014
Join us for a full day of learning. Develop the skills to effectively manage your
thoughts and stress in today’s changing times. Information, Q & A, yoga, relaxation techniques, and more!
Call or email to register: (204) 925-0600 or [email protected]
New Program for People with Parkinson’s
The Movement Disorder Clinic, Anxiety Disorder Association of Manitoba, and
Parkinson Society Manitoba have come together to offer a unique program for persons with Parkinson’s disease who struggle with depression and anxiety.
Movement Disorder Clinic
Participants will learn relaxation techniques, how to identify and challenge negative
thinking patterns, and set weekly practice goals, all in an effort to better cope with
depression and anxiety.
This pilot program will begin in the fall of 2014.
Please call Tanis Newsham, MSW, RSW, for more information
Movement Disorder Clinic 204-940-8432