welcome to feeling emotional five!

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feeling sad
feeling safe
feeling satisfied
feeling secure
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feeling sensitive
feeling serene
feeling serious
feeling shaken
feeling shameful
feeling shy
feeling sickened
feeling sincere
feeling slighted
feeling special
feeling stable
feeling stifled
feeling strong
feeling stubborn
feeling successful
feeling supported
feeling suspicious
feeling sympathetic
feeling tender
feeling thoughtful / thoughtless
feeling threatened
feeling tolerant
feeling tormented
feeling tranquil
feeling trapped
feeling traumatized
feeling trust
feeling truthful
feeling understood / understanding
feeling validated
feeling valued / values
feeling victimized
feeling vindicated
feeling violated
feeling vulnerable
feeling wise / wisdom
feeling worthwhile / worthless
feeling wounded

nowhere within the emotional feelings network of sites is any opportunity for me to make any profit from any of the 28 + sites within this network. this network of sites has been put together as a personal mission to help others by informing those who need information concerning mental health, eating disorders, lifestyle factors, and every other topic listed within.

navigational hint: all underlined link words open up a new window instead of changing your present one, taking you to another site within the emotional feelings network of sites - or to another site referencing the underlined link word!

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 It's very important that you visit the next page: keeping in touch!
Reason being: If you're here because you're searching for an answer to your feelings of dissatisfaction, unhappiness, feeling sick, or just general feelings of misery in your life - you need to find a volunteer opportunity that you feel comfortable with.
 
You can help yourself by helping others. You might not think so; but it's true. Find something you can do to help some worthy causes. "Keeping in Touch" will show you some important causes that need you!
 
Why not just click here now to get it over with! So even if you leave this site after finding some information concerning an emotion or feeling... you'll also leave with the seed of thought concerning volunteer work that might produce some results bringing you a sense of accomplishment & find yourself feeling better!

 welcome...
 
i'm really glad to see you!
 
you've found your way to
 
the emotional feelings network of sites
what was once - extremely emotional
is now
 
feeling emotional, five!
 
What was once - (5 years ago) - only
"understanding anxiety"
is now an entire network of 28 + self-help personal growth & recovery journey informational websites.

click this logo to visit anxieties 101 now!

5 years ago I was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, depression & I was also experiencing an eating disorder that no one knew anything about; night eating.
 
While I was miserable in experiencing all the symptoms of post traumatic stress, an anxiety disorder & depression - which often accompanies anxiety disorders; I was overjoyed in finally finding out what was wrong with me!

all the lonely people, where do they all come from

Why would someone spend 1000's of hours designing & keeping up these websites to offer free information to others?

I have to reply - "You're absolutely right! It does take many, many hours each day to work on these sites. I'm a mother, a wife & an individual who has tons of personal work to do as well as the usual family responsibilities!
 
How would I find the time?
 
Why do I do it? I use the opportunity to combine my own recovery - personal growth journey with an important concept that I've made a commitment to:
 
"Helping yourself thru helping others..." 
 
I was so excited when after years of searching for the answer to my everyday question, "What's wrong with me?" that I felt determined to show others that if you don't quit & you know the path to take, you can find your answers as well!

what is your situation now? how are you feeling?

 
My immediate concern was "mental health." While I didn't know what was wrong with me, I did have one medical specialist tell me that my physical pain was due to a "mental problem."
 
I didn't quite understand it all, I was wallowing in many different symptoms of mental illness like panic attacks, severe anxiety & finally my eating disorder symptoms of waking up numerous times in the night to eat.
 
Just as you may have seen recently on either public service television commercials for depression or in your doctor's office waiting room; mental illness can manifest itself in physical symptoms that include many sources of discomfort. I was also experiencing the symptoms of "irritable bowel syndrome," that had started early on in my life. So I'll start with the mental health site that now exists within the network:
 

celebrate each & every small accomplishment!

 
I've reached a point in my own personal recovery & growth journey that I believe I can describe accurately most of the emotions & feelings within the emotional feelings network of sites without using any information from anyone else.
 
But since the ruination of the "extremely emotional" site - I had to stop & ask myself - remembering to be aware & mindful of what's happening in my present moment -
 
"Why did this happen to me?" (the unreasonable ruin of my site, of course!) 
 
or - Choosing to seek a positive return for a negative energy passing my way - what would the positive ramifications be of having to go through every single page of a network of 28+ sites to delete the links to my ruined site?
 
Geez... now that I think of it... I've asked myself that question quite a few times before... "Why did this happen to me?" & I searched & searched for an answer, wasting time & positive energy on something very simple... Life is what's happening. Just look to find the positive about it instead of the negative
 
This is what I am looking for now in all aspects of my life. I'm looking for the "positive" reasons things happen. I remember what I've learned from my past to be prepared to have to confront negativities with my re-gained "power & control" on my side now instead of the enemy; but I choose now to look upon the face of countenance instead of upheaval.
 
After pondering a few days on this subject, while going through every page of the emotional feelings site - here - to unlink all the emotion & feelings words "s" thru the end of the alphabet - I realized something magnificent.
 
"This is my opportunity to take the time to check ALL linked words to be sure they're being directed to the correct places. This is my opportunity to re-check spelling & grammar. This is my opportunity to try to express in my own words - the most meaningful knowledge I've recently acquired!
 
I'll write what I've learned about the whole cake, almost 6 years of growth - not just reveal a the first piece of the cake! - I still offer other author's works to explain situational inferences to emotions & feelings!
 
I'll try to the best of my ability to explain the importance of every emotion & feeling. I'm honored you chose the emotional feelings network of sites to visit!
 
kathleen

 Important notice:
 
Please be patient! I thank you for your visit to the site and I apologize for any inconvenience if your emotion or feeling isn't available at this time!! 
 
With the unfortunate, untimely and mostly unexpected deletion of my extremely emotional site - it's been difficult to delete all the links from that site throughout 28+ sites - then the construction of this site in replacement of the deleted site - then re-establishing the underlined work links throughout 28+ sites!!! it's been quite a job!
 
As you can see... this replacement site is going up as fast as I can possibly work it! Thank you again for your patience and please stop by daily to see if the emotion or feeling you were searching for has been posted!
 
kathleen

click the link to send me an e-mail!

click here to send me an e-mail!

Imagine yourself as the newborn baby you once were. Whether you're a man, woman, teen, grandma - you've somewhere in time encountered the miracle of a new born baby. The miracle of course is the fact that the baby is pure. It hasn't suffered anything. It's beautiful, perfect in all of our eyes. We can feel the newness, the pureness of heart & the wonder of the moment of pure innocence.

 
Close your eyes to picture the very moment that you were born. Maybe you know the story of your birth, maybe not. But if you have some kind of idea, do you know who was in the room when you were born? Who was in the waiting room of the hospital? Who waited at home for the phone to ring, saying that the time had come?! You were born! And what was the very first thing you did?
 
With your knowledge of your birth moment right this minute - how does your personal birth picture make you feel?
 
What is the first thing that everyone wants to hear when a newborn baby is born? The cry! Can you see the picture in your mind?

(Before the beginning of my personal growth recovery journey - I never asked myself these questions before! Have you?)

And so it is with every baby that is born upon the face of the earth.  Did you ever think about your own birth? What were the circumstances of your birth?
 
Each of us has a different story. Each of us are unique. We all had different beginnings. It's this unique, individual beginning that we build on. As a newborn baby we are perfect. We are an empty slate that will be written upon throughout our entire lives. This is how you must think of yourself as you go through the emotion & feelings pages.
 
This process is how I learned that emotions & feelings were a vital part of personal growth & recovery. How can we emerge into a state of well being at a much later age, like me - beginning again at age 45! How could I understand why I was the person I was at age 45 if I didn't go backwards & see exactly what was written upon my empty slate - from the very beginning of my life?
 
It's not an easy task, but I challenge you to walk through each of the sites with me as I tell you my story & how you can go back to see for yourself - how you became the person you are today & what you can do to begin a life full of understanding & well being - both mental & physical!

I'm sure you can think of all the possibilities that the babies being born into the world today might encounter. What's being written on those clean empty black slates that belong to the newborn babies of today? Just as when you were born, it's all different.
 
When I began with the websites, I began with the mental health site, anxieties 101. This didn't bring forth the description I just offered you. I was blind. Although I had just been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression & an eating disorder - I had been put on some medications to control the symptoms of the mental illnesses I was experiencing - & I was going to weekly counseling sessions - I wasn't presented with the initial picture as I have just presented to you. I had to figure it out for myself.
 
The reason is simple. I had NO clarity of thought. I had confusion, hurt & a thick fog. I was living in such turmoil & pain that I wasn't able to start at anyone's beginning. I did the best I could under the circumstances I was dealing with. I had to wait for the medications to take hold to alleviate the severe symptoms of mental illness I was experiencing.
 
I had to admit to myself that I was experiencing mental illness. That's sometimes a tough piece of meat to cut through. I had to grasp at straws to find a starting point after living one year in my bedroom - totally isolated from everyone. I had to "come back to life" so to speak & find some element of who I was before I could go back to my beginnings - able to see the connections.
 
You see our life is nothing but connections. The connection of our birth to what was written on our blank slate from then on. How we coped with the elements that were detrimental to our well being as newborn babies, toddlers & then children. Connecting our early childhoods to our teenage years. Continuing the path of the volumes of written experiences that formed us into the people we eventually turned out to be as a young adult.
 
It's all connected. Your family history, your first, second & third year of life, pretty much establishing by then the actual personality, temperament (additional info concerning temperament click here) of the person you are today. Believe it or not... that's how it happens & if anything disrupted what might have been a "perfect" upbringing - who knows what might transpire.
 
Developing coping mechanisms when our needs weren't met, pushing through the parenting techniques of an untrained parent, dealing with not enough attention, too much attention, whatever happened... it all has a bearing on who you are right now as you read my words. And this is why I'm using this opportunity - the fact that Lycos messed up one of the sites that is interwoven into the network - as a positive stepping stone to introduce to you all what I've learned throughout my 5 - 6 years of personal growth & recovery.

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If you don't believe that getting your head screwed on straight is important...
 
click here and listen to this video on youtube.com! It's a long video so go there now and just click the address on your favorites if you don't have time to listen to it right now!
 
kathleen

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The first site I designed was titled, "anxiety understanding." After awhile, the whole concept had to change because I use "free sites" offered by Tripod. There's only so much "free space" per site - & I had so much information to share with everyone.
 
I had no idea in the beginning about how much information I would need to acquire an adequate understanding of mental health & mental illnesses. 
 
"anxiety understanding" evolved into anxieties 101 after I had the benefit of learning volumes about mental health & mental illness.
 
I'm not sure how I grasped the concept of having to change the "whole person" to recover from mental illnesses, but I had read so many articles that stressed the importance of some basic lifestyle factors & the direct correlation between the mind/body connection.
 
I also learned that each age group & gender had their own individual symptoms, problems & concerns that needed to be taken into serious consideration. 
 
End result after many different attempts -  anxieties 101 is divided into 3 major sections:

 anxieties 101: this site contains information concerning the following 3 basic topic groupings.
 
For a successful recovery journey - each topic must be studied fully. What's needed is a complete understanding of how all topics involved are connected.
 
Mental Health & Mental Illness
 
Did you realize that more than 1/2 the people recently polled believed that mental illness, i.e., depression - was simply a "state of mind" that one needed to "snap out of."

anxiety disorders

generalized & social anxiety disorders:

separation anxiety mentioned as well

caregiver anxiety

panic disorder:

information regarding panic attacks included

phobias:

specific phobias, social phobia, agoraphobia - additional page linked off of this page: the phobia list

obsessive compulsive disorder:

mention of other obsessive compulsive disorder (tourettes, etc.)

post traumatic stress disorder:

acute stress disorder

Since depression is very often co-existing with the above anxiety disorders as well as negative coping mechanisms resulting from unresolved emotions & feelings, eating disorders, abuse & other forms of dysfunction, there's plenty of information regarding depression & other mood, or affective disorders included.

depression page: links to other depression information within the site - additional pages linked off of this page: bipolar disorder, mood & affective disorders

how it all works:

This page is offered because I found the information very important in understanding mental illness & recovery processes, how your brain works, how your brain is linked to many subjects, etc. as well as a glossary of mental health terms...

The more you learn about mental illness, the more you begin to realize about how prevalent it is within different age groups. therefore, I've broken it down into different age levels on each of the following pages...

Age & Gender Groups

children & mental illness:

Topics concerning children & mental illness as well as info concerning the currently being developed site, children 101 - this site can be accessed while being developed! Additional pages linked off of this page: parenting 101

teens & mental illness:

Different topics concerning teens & mental illness for parents to look over as well as info about the teenscene site!

young adults & mental illness:

What concerns young adults directly in relationship with mental health & well being, i.e., college, eating disorders & other issues?

men & mental illness:

What concerns men directly with mental health & lifestyle, parenting, job related issues?

women & mental illness:

What concerns women directly in relationship with mental health, parenting, career & other issues -separate page for women about hormonal changes & connection with mental illness?

seniors & mental illness:

What concerns seniors directly in relationship with mental health, life transitions & other issues?

Lifestyle factors have a huge link to our mental health. Thru my research I found that I needed an education concerning my lifestyle habits that had a great bearing on my well being, so I included lifestyle pages on this site as well.

Lifestyle Factors 

lifestyle diet:

It's surprising to learn the ramifications of a nutritious diet in relationship with your mental health & well being!

 

lifestyle exercise:

a direct connection to mental health! the importance of exercise in your life!

lifestyle sleep:

information regarding sleep habits, sleep, sleep hygeine & the importance of sleep in relation to mental health....additional pages linked from this page: insomnia, special sleep problems in children

lifestyle relaxation:

descriptions concerning different relaxation techniques & explanations as to how important relaxation is in our lives

lifestyle counseling: 

explanations of different kinds of counseling, the importance of counseling, definitions concerning counseling, etc.

lifestyle medications:

information concerning medications used for different mental illness & sleep disorders

disasters unpredicted:

page accessed from this page: understanding trauma

According to CBS News, "According to the Pentagon's latest mental health survey, 31% of Marines, 38%t of soldiers & 49% of the National Guard reported psychological symptoms such as anger, depression or alcohol abuse after returning home. As the director of the survey said, combat stress isn't something you just get over.

"It may manifest and change their lives forever. These are men and women who have undergone experiences that are unlike anything else in humankind," Vice Adm. Donald Arthur said.

For wounded soldiers like Staff Sgt. Daniel Shannon, post-traumatic stress disorder adds insult to their injuries.

"I started smashing furniture, very rapidly; so fast I didn't know what I was doing 'til it happened. I'd get mad so fast, so angry, and just lash out," Shannon said."
 
You can read the article in its entirety by clicking here!

If you're feeling as though there might be a possibility that you're experiencing depression, anxiety, panic, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or a phobia - I urge you to click on one of the above underlined links to visit anxieties 101 to see if you're dealing with the symptoms of an anxiety disorder &/or depression.
 
Since anxieties 101 has been so busy, I've tried over the 5 years I've been working on the sites, to keep new & updated material & information available for you always. In keeping with this thought, you'll see on every page of anxieties 101 a section titled, "in the news...."
 
You'll find pertinent articles that have been recently published on the internet. All you do is click on the underlined title & a new window will open with the article on it.

 
Keep reading in the right hand column as there are additional facts concerning the emotional feelings network of sites over there!
 
After I removed the majority of the abuse information from anxieties 101 & emotional feelings - to make more room for mental health information, I designed abuse 101 to be sure to include the important information concerning abuse & domestic violence.

"anxiety understanding," my original website - included a section concerning domestic violence & abuse.
 
These topics had to be omitted because of space limitations with the Tripod free websites. As I felt that there was more information that needed to be addressed with each topic, I omitted the topic from anxiety understanding and then opened a new site for the omitted topic.
 
This process is how the network of 28+ sites came to be!
 
The new website - dealing with domestic violence & other types of abuse - abuse 101 - was born.
 
I survived domestic violence & other types of abuse growing up & as an adult. While abuse 101 is in existence, it only has basic information available & it remains in need of more work on my part to make it more complete.
 
The important thing I learned about abuse is that if you're in an abusive situation now or if you've been abused sometime in your past - the result of that abuse can be - a huge pit of unresolved emotions & feelings - that you've buried inside of you for a very long time. We all do this without knowing it. We simply erase the memory of these painful emotions & feelings from our minds because we don't understand how to cope with these negative traumas, crises and abuses.
 
These buried, unresolved emotions & feelings don't just go away because you're not thinking about them anymore. They lay inside of you & fester. The intensity of those unresolved emotions & feelings escalates & manifests themselves into physical & mental illnesses - other emotions & feelings known as secondary emotions & feelings that begin to develop because your negative coping mechanism isn't working well enough to cause you to eliminate the total memory from your current thoughts.
 
If you've ever asked the question, "Why doesn't an abused woman leave her abusive situation?" your answer is - she's probably suffering from several types of abuse that have escalated into some kind of mental illness & even physical illnesses. If she's depending upon her husband's insurance to be treated for a physical illness - she can't leave the relationship.
 
After living in one + domestic violence shelters in my adult years, I was never once asked if I was experiencing symptoms of mental illness. They may have asked me entrance questions; but I don't recall anyone referring to mental illness. It was never suggested that I check into having a mental health evaluation. It was never once suggested that my children receive a mental health evaluation or counseling.
 
I have to tell you that although domestic violence shelters are a necessary system in today's world, they need to be re-evaluated to establish a routine of helpful assessments to help reduce the times a woman returns home to her abuser. A mental health screening might save hundreds or even thousands of lives if a victim might receive new of a diagnosable mental illness that needs attention.
 
If a woman who has escaped into a domestic violence shelter who has been experiencing depression due to her abusive relationship and environment - she needs to know that her children are at a very high risk of developing depression, anxiety disorders or even an eating or sleeping disorder as well. 
 
Also it's a proven fact that the woman who tends to be a victim of domestic violence usually has few life skills. You can visit the Life Skills 101 website by clicking here! Check out how you can improve your sense of well being by learning how to be an independent person who is able to take care of herself and her children without that abusive spouse or partner.
 
A new avenue to think about... keep an eye on abuse 101. It has several types of abuse listed within the site.

Here are some of them:
  • physical abuse
  • mental abuse
  • verbal abuse
  • domestic violence
  • child abuse
  • sexual abuse
  • financial abuse
  • spiritual abuse
 
& there's also information concerning:
  • abuse of power
  • control
  • intimidation
  • manipulation

Those of us who experienced or witnessed domestic violence or abuse as children within our family or origin or our extended family may have found those experiences confusing at the time. I certainly was confused as to how an adult could allow this to happen to children.

But after the same domestic violence occurred in my own family; I found my adult children echoing the same concern, "Mom, how could you let our step-father hit us & punish us the way he did?" The betrayal instilled into their hearts by my lack of knowledge cut like a knife into their psyches.

Now I know what to do and I know that by educating myself and my children - that we've nipped the domestic violence in the bud - ending a generational acceptance of family violence and betrayals.

I was laying in bed the other night, listening to some soft music on the radio, and this song played. I kept forgetting to find it to look at all the lyrics to be sure that they were what I thought they were. But... I was surprised to find the title, Superman! (It's not easy to be me)
 
I was thinking in some of the lyrics that I could identify with it sometimes. So I'm posting it. How many people in our lives believe we're that "Superman" or "Superwoman" in their lives?
 
And we're thinking ...

Superman
(It's Not Easy to be Me)

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive

I'm just out to find
The better part of me


I'm more than a bird
I'm more than a plane
More than some pretty face
beside a train


It's not easy to be me


Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I'll never see


It may sound absurd
but don't be naive-
Even Heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed
but won't you concede?
Even Heroes have the right to dream

It's not easy to be me


Up, up and away: away from me
It's all right
You can all sleep sound tonight
I'm not crazy or anything


I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
Men weren't meant to ride
With clouds between their knees


I'm only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me

It's not easy to be me.


 

do you understand what I was thinking?

Here's a story I wrote for Newsvine.com - a group I belong to...
 
At The End Of Your Day...
 
by Kathleen Howe
 

At the end of each day, do you reflect back from the time you woke up and ask yourself, "What did I accomplish today?" or "Who did I touch with something I said or did today?" and honestly take the time to search your day for answers to these questions. Each of us - if we are to live with ourselves in good conscience; must have a deep seeded belief that we are to treat our fellow man as we would like to be treated ourselves. If this is fact, why wouldn't we take the time each day to hold ourselves accountable? Why wouldn't we take the few minutes it would take to account for touching someone elses' life besides our own?

Does it matter what religion we follow in order for this to be of utmost importance to us? Is politics your religion? Do you think more of what candidate lies the most or who will ruin our country the fastest than you do of what you personally can do to change the life of just one person each day you are alive? Is it too difficult for us to reach out to others? Are we too selfish to expect this type of servitude of our own selves? I'm curious, does it hurt too much to try to help someone and they don't respond? What is it that isn't changing our world as we know it? Why aren't we all wallowing in the "love light" of loving our neighbor as our self?

People ask who is responsible for the state of our economy today and the answer is truly visible should one dare to look at it. Who in business has lied today? Take a number, you are responsible for the aching need within the one country in the world that catches the world's eye no matter what happens within. Who in business has been greedy today? Take a number as well, the meat counter is very busy today with "special cuts" of beef being on special. If you can grasp that analogy... think about it some more.

Who in business has disregarded the health and well being of other Americans today while keeping their own needs, wants and benefits in their decision making processes? Who cares about those who don't have what they have in life - like a job? It has been a cut throat, man eat man, woman eat woman world in America's business history in the past twenty-five years and I believe that the state of the economy has been the fat sacrificial pig.

Has capitalism finally met its demise in the true sense of the world? When big business is forced to use the governmental credit card they've been saving to survive - just as millions of Americans have been forced to do for decades, the pot has truly called the kettle black. What gives? I'll tell you. There are not many business people in this world hanging on to the Golden Rule. It's not just business that has shifted to this "easy way" of living. It's government, it's the educational system, it's not a dog eat dog world anymore - people are gnawing their way through other people as if the cannibal special is working its way to extinction. Which it just might be.

I took a week off of Newsvine