Footprint

MOVED TO WORDPRESS

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Migrating to Wordpress

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

The reason for my pronounced absence is because I'm in the process of moving ( or trying to) this blog to wordpress.com ( later on to paid hosting). Still working on themes and designs colours ; boring stuff really.

So whoever reads this blog should expect to see it revamped and with a new direction but on a different platform. I might or might not be updating this blog so don't expect anything for a while; at least until I change my mind about moving.

Michael Jackson - smooth criminal LIVE

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:48:00 +0000

Video of the Day - '' Tecktonic Dance''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:22:00 +0000

I got introduced to this dance by a little French friend of mine ( no not my gun:-) scarface reference...anyway) Pretty smooth dancing style perfect for our white cousins

Film review 'Kabluey'

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:44:00 +0000

For the past couple of weeks, Viasat 1 has been airing movies from a particular production house, New Films International. The movies that have been shown have however been a hit and miss.I thoroughly enjoyed ' Dating games people play' but slept through most of 'November' starring Courteney Cox (plays Monica in Friends).

In addition to the six or so movies I've seen from this production company, Kabluey is the best out of the lot in my opinion. It it is movie that talks about a family, that is made up of frustrated-with-life mom, two sons that are out of control( euphemism for Lucifer's incarnates) and a dad that's been posted to Iraq. Things naturally get to a boiling point for Leslie ( mom- Lisa Kudrow of Friends fame) who in an act of desperation ,turns to her estranged brother-in-law for help.

Salmon to the rescue.

Things dont get off to a good start with the kids though, the elder of the two in particular, turning on him with their juvenile destructive energy. Salmon eventually gets a menial job working as a walking ad campaign handing out fliers as a marcot for his employers.

The actor-writer-director of this film, Scott Prendergrast does a brilliant job with his impecable comedic timing and delivery. He reminds me of John Heder who plays the lead actor in Napoleon Dynamite ( a cult classic) with his geeky-awkward-funny-without-saying-a-word look.

For those of you who didn't see the film, buy the DVD or pray for the repeat on VS1.

My Favourite entries

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 16:57:00 +0000

For lack of having anything to blog about for the moment, I have made a list of my favourite postings for the past couple of months. They range from music, arts, video and the like.... so in no particular order...

Tricky the cool genius

Over 1.5 million views for my videos on youtube - until yt decided to take one of them down because of copyright infringement

My Favourite videos of all time !!! NO JOKE!!!

Weird and interesting things Part 1 & Part 2 [ My fav of the two ]

The Davos Debate 2009: A Question of Ethics

The War on Gaza: Most one sided war I' ve seen

Arts.21 : A short clip of one of my fav TV shows

Prince: Another favourite

Pardon my abuse of the word favourite, it just happens to be my favourite word :-)

The curious case of the 'LAFA'

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:35:00 +0000

Van Vicker -- shameless 'LAFArian'

Look i dont know what the whole fuss is about with this 'LAFA' ( which stands for Locally Acquired Foreign Accent for those of you who arent in the know) phenomenon as we call it locally. When you really think about it how do people in general acquire their accents? How does someone who has lived all his life within the shores of his/ her mother country, end up talking like someone from east London or New York? Answer: Very simple. Human nature.

When we as human beings, get exposed to a certain culture whether we get to experience it first hand or long distance we will end up picking up elements of that foreign culture; Accent, food, fashion sense and yes, even our taste in women or men for that matter. Whether this happens consciously because one finds it more appealing and cooler to talk like an American or we just slip into the tongue just because we watched too much TV flooded with foreign programs is beside the point. The fact is it happens; its human nature.

People who acquire LAFA are constantly exposed to MTV, CNN, listening to music reading foreign entertainment mags etc...( yes you can acquire LAFA by reading; i was once told i had a Brit accent just because i said 'pity' instead of 'its a shame' ; and this was when i was instant messaging!

So for me the hating from all of these expats and locals alike is unjustified.The same way our brothers from abroad get offended when we, who are supposed to be their brothers and sisters at home, call them 'obroni' or when you call someone a 'villager' (derog) because he cant speak proper english we shouldnt label LAFArians as frauds.

There I've said my peace so until next time its Later Homies !! :-)

'Britain's Got Talent ' UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:37:00 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised by the show and a bit numbed by the concept however; winning a competition to get an audience with the Queen just didnt go down well with my anti-class alter ego . May be I would have a different view of things hadI grown up in Britain. But thats in another life :-)

As expected, the turnout was huge ( not American Idolesque mind you, smaller country:)but the hardwork of sifting and sieving through the human rubish present must have been monumental. So after the elimination round where those who couldnt manage to cross that faint line that separates weirdness and weird talent, fell by the way side or on this ocassion were 'X'ed off stage in front of millions . Feel your pain guys especially when you told your ex you were going to be famous after you win the show.

In the end I was pissed because the people I was rooting for lost (Susan and Flawless) .But truth be told I kind of had a sneaky feeling that Flawless werent going to win especially when they were up against a rival dance group with the more pleasing and less cocky name Diversity. Coincidence that the public went for a more embrassing name or they were just better dancers? Better dancers i dont know about that , but with the cute kids and flawless performance Diversity deserved to win. For once Flawless werent so flawless.They just didnt put on a performance worthy of a grand final . [ main problem : shoddy and over-elaborate choreography]

Ooh Susie Susie Susie. I feel for the old gal. Coming from her little corner somewhere in Britain to snatch the hearts of thousands in the process building massive good will and a solid momentum to win the competition only to fail at the final hurdle. No wonder she ended up seeking medical help of a psychiatric nature ( apparently she's out as I type these here words) She could have done with more rouge on the cheeks; showbiz is lets face it, about looks and charm so in the end the more dazzling competitor won.

Author Spotlight:- Ayesha Haruna-Attah

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sat, 09 May 2009 12:30:00 +0000

I watched this girl on Kwaku Sintim Misa's (KSM) TGIF show on Metro TV yesterday and was impressed by her achievement. She recently launched her book ( not sure of exact location) ''Harmattan Rain'' after going through a 9-month writers' workshop in Senegal hosted by none other than Ayi Kwei Armah author of ''The beautyful ones are not yet born''. (beautyful not spelt wrongly :-).

My only hope is that people wont be put off by the 400-page book before even buying it. For reason that are not yet clear to me, most African lit comes in less than 300 pages. Cost? Running out of creative steam? Going out of one's mind getting dry plots to stick? hmm

If her personality is anything to go by then her book should be a engaging read; good writers tend to do that, infuse their work with bits of their personality that is.

Video of the Day: Flawless - Dance Act - Britains Got Talent 2009

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 19:58:00 +0000

Some spine-twisting, spine-tingling dance moves from the dance group FLAWLESS

Flawless - Dance Act - Britains Got Talent 2009 - The most amazing home videos are here

SelektoR: Prince - " How come you dont call me"

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:44:00 +0000

	Prince - How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?

	Found at bee mp3 search engine

Football: Man Utd Knocked Out Of FA CUP

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:18:00 +0000

Ooh what a fucking disaster. Personally I didnt get to watch the match live because of work but managed to get commentary from BBC, on the patched-up radio I had nearby.

The first 120mins went by like a flash, except for the fact THAT WE WERE ROBBED OF A CLEAR PENALTY IN DAYLIGHT. So without any goals takin the game went into penalties. But then I hoped against all hope that Ben Foster, our dimunitive England team aspiring goalie, would come to our rescue. But instead it was the American goal keeper ,Tim Howard who i still think we sold at the wrong time; ends up saving two penalties so even though Tim Cahil blazed his effort over the crossbar Everton came away winners with a 4-2 scoreline.

Why oh why did Fergie field so young a squad... yes we have a lot of important matches coming up but he could have fielded the fringe players instead and not the youngsters. Surely a great manager like Fergie wasnt expecting Macheda to repeat his wonder goal scoring spree.... huff. What I didnt expect from him however was to join Arsene Wenger in blaming the pitch for not winning.

So bad judgement and cruel referreeing has stolen our chance of winning the cup because we all know that we could beat Chelsea should we have met them in the finals.

Video of the day: Anais - ''Mon Coeur''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 13:51:00 +0000

I just love, love, loooove this girl. Enjoy this clip.

Fabulous picture show - 09 april, 2009

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:02:00 +0000

PART 1

PART 2

A.L Kennedy

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:11:00 +0000

For the past couple of weeks i have been reading with great interest and enthusiasm, the blog entries on and of the Scottish writer A.L Kennedy on the Guardian website.

For some reason I can't explain, I find that her prose writing style and just her writing in general, tends to appeal to me a great deal. May be its the gloom that just wraps around you when you read about her suffering from back pains, a secluded life and her unabashed admission of having sex once every five years. I must confess that I am not the avid reader I should be since I have very lofty ambitions of becoming a writer ( which she advices against, naturally. No writer would wish for anyone other than themselves to go through the pain writing involves; fiction writing at least) since reading and writing, for me at least go hand in hand. According to her, taking the bold and foolish decision to become a full time writer ,ie earning a living through words should only come as a last resort of sorts. It is too much of a sacrifice learning the craft and after years of trial and error, solitude and mental torture finally be confident enough to type your first sentence.

Anyway,I am yet to read any of her short stories or novels for that matter but I have a feeling that I will greatly enjoy my reading when I finally do. She isnt main stream like John Grisham and Danielle Steele so it's hard getting her books locally.

But in the mean time you can watch her talk about her latest book, ' DAY', in the video below.

Video of The Day: The Lonely Island - '' Jizz in my pants''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 18:17:00 +0000

Another vid i found while vidigging when all of a sudden I JIZZ IN MY PANTS

Sacarsm At Its Best : ''How to write about Africa''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:57:00 +0000

I have never read any piece of writing that hit home with such unashamed sarcasm that was also funny and very true about most novels, articles and writing in general, that are about Africans .In a nutshell, this is a ''Dummies Guide To: How Not To Write About Africa''.

Click HERE to read the full article

Champions' League QF draw

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 12:24:00 +0000

I was really praying we wouldnt get to play a typical big team during the draw and thankfully my prayers( of sorts) were answered. When I mean 'we' I mean Manchester Utd.

Below is the full list of how the draw unfolded.

first Quarter-finals .
Arsenal - Villareal

Second Quarter-finals
Manchester United - Fc Porto
[ Winner of this tie meets winner of first Quarter-finals]

Third Quarter-finals
Liverpool - Chelsea , again!

Fourth Quarter-finals
Fc Barcelona - Bayern Munchen

Man U's tie is going to be tricky; on the surface it looks like we got an easy pairing but with the likes of their influencial Argentine captain Lucho Gonzalez and the one they call ' The Hulk' it might just prove to be a very slippery away tie for us if we fail to win at home convincingly. Tomorrow's game against Fulham is going to be very important in terms of building our self-confidence after being pumelled to death by our sworn enemies Liverpool at home. GO REDS !

SelektoR : '' Peaches Mixtape ''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:12:00 +0000

Video Of The Day : '' Watchmen '' - trailer

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:25:00 +0000

Here comes another on screen comic book adaptation but this time from the studios of Paramount , Warner Bros, Legendary pictures and DC Comics.

It is for this reason alone that I will make it a point to see this flick. From the gossip circulating the WWW it sounds like its going to be one hell of a movie; that is if you are into adaptations of comic books into movies.Or if you are into comic books at all. Or if you don't mind some big-shot Hollywood director murdering your favourite super hero characters on the big screen. Last year, the phenomenally successful Dark knight set a very high bench mark and this undoubtedly means the viewing audience is going to settle for nothing less than that. That would take some doing though(Watchmen out grossing the Dark Knight). But Some say they are two different movies and shouldn't be put into the same category. Its still about a bunch of super heroes and heroins dressed up in psychedelically-coloured, suffocating spandex costumes.

Director Zach Snyder who brought us 300 with the backing of Legendary pictures is in charge of this one as well. I loved 300 especially the part where one of the elders of the council was consulting the 'Oracle'. Since when did Oracles become this hot. She been giving dude a huge boner every time I watch it, even after watching the movie over four times. Anyway back to movie at hand. Watching the trailer, you notice that Zach again employed a couple of the techniques he uses in 300. The special effects am is outstanding no two ways about it... but the main thing movie aficionados are worried about is the ending. Too many movies have thrived on the popularity of brilliantly edited trailers only to be 90 minutes cinematic flops.

Hope for Mr. Snyder's sake this movie goes down well with audiences ( call it artistic solidarity or just old fashion well wishing.)

SelecktoR : Kanye West - '' Amazing''

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Man Leggings? Ouch

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:30:00 +0000

I cringed when I first read the headline stating the horrifying fate for the male genitalia, in a sense .

I know there is a certain androgynous quality to our MTV generation. More unisex everything, unisex clothes, unisex shades unisex condoms [ sort of :-) ]. The macho most men is being replaced and eviscerated by the feminine. We all know that most male designers are either gay or bisexual but tend to have a higher affinity towards the other sex more than they have for their own balls. For those of us whose very reason for living lies in between our thighs wearing nut vices isn't our idea of a good night out. There is no way on God's fucking planet i or any guy in his right senses would be caught dead wearing one of these,errr meggings( Credit Jonathan Heaf of the Guardian.co.uk with this one ).This style is waaayyy too rock and roll for me; I bet even some rockers will find these sort of pants too left field for their taste. They'll prefer to stick to their groupies and do lines from here to the moon before wearing one of these. For me , I'll just stick to the music... My liberal tendencies don't stretch that far, sorry.( pun intended ).

Read the full story below here

Before I get some hate mail, let me make this clear, this isnt a queer bashing blog so chill.

First Studio Experience

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 13:17:00 +0000

I had an absolute blast yesterday deep within the bellies of the pyramid house on the Osu re road and deeper still into the studios of VIBE fm.

It was a super cool experience for me although for some reason, on the spur of the moment, i chose to remain anonymous, should i have gone on air. Meeting Que? for the first time was very interesting indeed. This guy is a walking music reference book on any and everything music. My mind was doing laps just trying to keep up with this man. Absolute genius; you think you know your shit until you meet someone who makes you feel as though you're now beginning your music education.

-- Que? if you are reading this how the hell do you keep up with this stuff; the people you know the books, the writing, djing and to add to all the above juggling a day job as well?. --

The evening proved to be a very pleasing one and less tense than i had anticipated. We talked about everything. Music, music celebs , places he's djed at. Another discovery, Que? happens to be a big Prince fan and not so much Michael Jackson; not surprising. Am yet to meet someone who is a fan of both superstars. Mostly the geeks for the Prince ( aka the man who once named himself after a sign) and the popsters lean towards wacko jacko.Alas, i didn't get to play the tracks i took along, due to some smaalll technical hitches.Am back in two weeks time to the show and hopefully by then i can make the playlist available to the show.

I had a great time and it was an honour and a great pleasure to meet you Que?

Learning Deutch

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:09:00 +0000

As of today I have enrolled in a German language study course at Livemocha.com.

This is a well-designed and thought out site with a very intuitive feel to it .If your wish is to learn a new language and meet friends, and share language learning tips amongst others,then this is the place. This is my first day over there and am already waxing lyrical about the site.

Its Italian and Spanish languages next after I complete this course. So until then its your junge (boy) saying :'Ich bin ein reich alt mann '; which literally means ' I am a rich old man' :-) [ my vocabs are a bit limited at the moment] . Learning a new language is proving to be more exciting than i thought .

Dealing With Panic Attacks

noreply@blogger.com ([ ] dUke [ ]) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 21:24:00 +0000

I have been a long time sufferer of panic attacks without even for one second knowing it. I now know the reasons behind all the heart palpitations, hyperventillation and an incessant sense of impending doom.This condition has landed me into Korle-bu general hospital twice but still hasnt stopped. I recently read this article talking the possible causes and remedies for the condition which i have found very, very helpful indeed. All i have to do now is to follow the recomended steps to be taken when you-know-who strikes again.

My reason for talking about it, is two fold. One being for cathartic purposes and second i suspect a lot of people suffer from panic attacks and dont even know it and would probably blame it on one old cannibal witch back in the village.

The article below i feel talks extensively about the above issue[ fear of the name only hightens fear of the real thing so i'll say PANIC ATTACKS]. Leave a comment and share your experiences; us fierros got to stick together :-)

Anxiety and panic attacks

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is an emotion you feel when under threat as your Sympathetic Nervous System kicks in to prepare for danger. Physically, adrenaline begins pouring through your system, your digestion shuts down, your heart beats faster, your liver releases stored sugar into your bloodstream, you sweat and your pupils dilate.

Anxiety is a vicious circle of thoughts, sensations and behaviours. The origins of an anxious mood lie in your thoughts, some of which you may not even be aware of! These thoughts lead to reactions in the body, causing physical sensations and affecting your behaviour. An anxious person tends to think more distressed thoughts, maintaining a vicious circle.

Common symptoms of anxiety include:

Worrying
Lack of self-confidence
Self-consciousness
Inability to relax
Constant feeling of dread
Irritable and irrational behaviour
Loss of concentration
Forgetfulness
Fear of criticism
Nightmares
Fear of being alone
Fear of being with other people
Loss of sexual interest
Sleeplessness

Challenging anxious thoughtsThe symptoms of anxiety are unpleasant, but they’ll eventually disappear. You can, however, accelerate this process by recognising and challenging common patterns of anxious thinking. Some of these are:

All or nothing attitudeYou think you’re either brilliant at something or terrible at it. If you make a small mistake, you feel you’re a total failure!
Making rash generalisationsYou didn’t get on with people at a party once, so you tell yourself "I never get on with people at parties".

Ignoring the positiveDismissing your successes or good qualities, or not even noticing them to begin with.

Mind-readingThinking you know what others are or will be thinking about you.
Always worrying about the worst-case scenarioIf you have chest pains you worry that you’re having a heart attack or if you've got a headache you worry that you’ve got a brain tumour.

How to challenge these thoughts
Check if they fall into one of the above patterns.

Ask yourself what evidence there is and if there is any to contradict this.
Ask yourself what are the realistic chances of the things you dread happening?
Reassure yourself that you can cope. Never underestimate your determination, resilience and ability to learn new skills.
Try to find a positive thought to replace each anxious one!

Calming your physical sensationsEssentially you’re trying to stop anxiety symptoms escalating by reinforcing your bodies calming mechanisms. Breathing and relaxation are two simple and effective methods, which become even more effective when done together.Whether you are in an anxious mood, you are likely to be breathing too quickly. This upsets the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood, leading to unpleasant symptoms of anxiety and panic.Slow down your breathing and aim to breathe 10-12 times per minute. Pause between breaths and time yourself. You’ll naturally breathe slower through your nose rather than your mouth. Try to exhale for as long as you inhale.Anxious breathing tends to push out the chest only. Instead breathe from your diaphragm, steadily taking air right down into the bottom of your lungs and pushing your stomach out.

Breathing exercises

Put one hand on your chest and the other between your breastbone and belly-button.

Take 10-15 slow deep breaths and try to get your stomach moving in and out whilst keeping your chest still (this takes practice!)

Once you can do this, you can do ‘3-6-9’ breaths. Imagine each your lungs as three-floored buildings that are going to fill with air.

Breathe in to 3 filling the top floor, into 6 filling the middle and to 9 filling the ground floor.

Now breathe out, imagining you are emptying first the top floor (9,8,7) then the middle floor (6,5,4) and finally the ground floor (3,2,1).

Repeat this 5 times.

Sit or lie down. Relax all parts of your body as much as possible.

Take 10 steady breaths, count upwards and say “relax” or “calming down” to yourself each time you breathe out. When you get to 10, count back down and

repeat.

Relaxation exercises

Twenty minutes to half an hour of progressive muscular relaxation every day is a great way to reduce anxiety and stress. It is body based and uses your breathing, so it can really absorb your attention (giving your mind a rest).
Sit or lie down somewhere warm and comfortable (where you will not be disturbed).

Let your breathing settle into a slow rhythm. Be aware of your tummy rising and falling, but don’t make an effort to breathe deeply (when you’re relaxed you naturally take shallow breaths).

Tense and relax parts of your body in tune with your breathing. Breathe in and tense muscles and relax them when you exhale. Practice this using a clenched fist to start with. Keep your breathing regular and try not to hold your breath!
Apply this to the rest of your body, starting with feet and calf muscles, moving to general leg muscles (throughout the legs), onto buttocks and groin, stomach, shoulders (hunch up to your ears), arms, hands and face. Repeat each tense-and-relax at least twice.

Spot-check your body for parts that are not relaxed and do them again. In particular check your stomach, neck, shoulders, and face.
When you’re feeling completely floppy and heavy, keep your breathing steady. Enjoy feeling at peace and completely relaxed.

Tips

Practise improves your ability to relax.

Don’t worry about overlap between different body parts. It’s impossible to

clench your buttocks without your thighs, for example.

It may help to say things while breathing out, like “relax” or “exhale”.

When you relax your face, check your forehead, jaw, eyelids, lips and tongue for tension.

Soft calming background music helps your brain get the message.

Do these exercises a few times each day, until your breathing patterns change.
Then put the breathing and relaxation exercises together. Your thoughts will distract you at first, but persevere and your concentration will improve. If you do this twice per day, you should notice an overall reduction in anxiety levels within a week or two.Challenging your behaviourHere is a list of behaviours linked to anxiety

Drinking alcohol
Pacing/fidgeting
Lack of exercise
Smoking cigarettes
Driving aggressively
Avoiding people or situations
Spending too much money
Drinking too much caffeine
Working long hours
Bottling up feelings
Taking drugs
Irregular eating patterns
Biting your nails

Do you recognise yourself in this list? Lots of people do these things every day! If this applies to you, take some constructive steps, starting with things you already believe you can succeed at.Anxious people can be destressed by:A healthier lifestyle

Eat regular meals, including breakfast (even if it’s only a banana), to keep blood sugar levels steady.Avoid junk food and sugary or fatty snacks.
Limit your alcohol and caffeine intake.
Reduce or stop smoking (it feels calming but physically it causes your body stress).

Maintain a balance of work, rest and play.
Try to keep regular sleeping hours.
Build 20-30 minutes of exercise into your daily routine, even if it’s just walking around the block.
Time and Resource Management
Plan ahead and prioritise by allocating time for both work and recreation.
Don’t procrastinate and then leave yourself in a mad rush to meet a deadline. - Be realistic about time and try to finish one thing before moving on.
Live according to your means because big debts are anxiety-provoking (credit cards particularly). If you are in money trouble, acknowledge it and seek advice from our Student Financial Support Service.
Emotional Support and Release
Don’t bottle up your feelings.
Pent-up emotions feed anxiety.
Talk to friends, family, a counsellor or someone else you trust.
Try to let yourself cry if you want to.
If you’re angry but there’s no one to vent to, find a non-harmful way to relieve the stress.
Some people shut themselves in their car for a good scream. Others lift weights, beat up their bed or smash eggs in the bath!
Facing up to difficult situations

If your anxiety is tied to particular situations (such as giving presentations), the only way you can learn to deal with these is to face them. If you avoid them because you’re anxious, you’ll feel even worse about it next time.
Build up to the situation by imagining it. If you notice yourself feeling anxious, pause and do some breathing exercises and physical relaxation. Unfold the scenario and imagine yourself coping with the fear and getting through successfully. If necessary you can do these in public without people noticing.Dealing with panic attacks

Physical symptoms of a panic attack include:
Palpitations/racing heart
Trembling
Weak knees
Dizziness
Chest or stomach pains
Pins and needles
Nausea
Muscle pains
Diarrhoea
Breathlessness
Feeling of unreality
Weak bladder
Visual disturbances
Tension
Dry mouth and throat
Sweating

Panic attacks are extremely unpleasant but not dangerous. The best tactic is to try to head it off when you feel yourself starting to panic.
You can do this by:
Diverting your attention (talk to someone, count backwards from 50, take in every tiny detail of your fingernails or do the crossword etc).
Thinking positive, reassuring thoughts such as "I am stronger than my anxiety".
Taking a few long, slow breaths while consciously relaxing your whole body.
Doing something you find comforting (phone a friend or play a computer game).

Talking directly to the panic, “Forget it, you’re not winning, now go away”.
Breathing slowly through your nose and making sure you exhale for as long as you inhale.

Cupping your hands over your nose and mouth if you’re feeling light-headed (this will make you breathe in more carbon dioxide, which helps).
Observing the symptoms you’re experiencing and explaining them to yourself as the body’s anxiety reactions (e.g. “I’m dizzy because panic leads to constriction of the arteries to my brain”).

Thinking positive, coping thoughts such as “I know I can deal with this panic,” or “I’m going to relax my body and get through this”.

This factsheet was prepared by the Counselling Service in 2004