A perfect three-day escape to Portland, Oregon

By Mia Bertelsen

Oregon is a popular destination to visit in the summer. Portland does not disappoint those who seek to see spectacular green trees, mountains, rivers, city views and more. I must share that Portland has a piece of my heart as I grew up in Oregon and miss it a lot.

I hadn’t been in Portland for a long time and I was excited to rediscover the city. I knew that I had to renew my link with nature. Hiking was top on my list.

Day 1: Our first stop was Multnomah Falls. It is located east of Portland on I-84. The drive is easy and is about 32 miles from downtown Portland. You can see the iconic falls from the freeway and I am embarrassed to admit that I have never stopped and properly admired its beauty. I am so glad that we did this trip. If fact, Multnomah Falls is the most visited natural recreation site in the Pacific Northwest with more than 2 million visitors annually.

There is parking right in front of the entrance, but we decided to take a shuttle and bypass the stress of finding parking. It can be very busy, especially during the summer. The Waterfall shuttle, 60984 NE Frontage Rd. Cascade Locks, OR, was easy and affordable. You can even rent an ebike from the shuttle parking lot and ride it to the entrance to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

The falls are fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain. There are three separate drops (upper falls, main falls and lower falls) for a total of 635 feet, making it the tallest waterfall in Oregon.

Our favorite part was just enjoying the views and listening to the water. Once you hike up a bit, you are rewarded with a huge panorama of the powerful Columbia River. If you can’t hike, the main part of the entrance is paved and very accessible. We saw people of all ages enjoying the scenery and the awe inspiring beauty of the power of nature.

Day 2: The Pittock Mansion hike was a wonderful day. The Tunnel Trailhead starts just a short drive from downtown Portland. The hike was 3.7 miles and had us walking under a blanket of lush green trees and winding trails. We stopped to study the plants and animals and were surprised to see the biggest slug ever. Oregon is home to many species of slugs and snails.

We emerged to an opening in the forest to find a Victorian-era mansion that has huge gardens and an enormous view of the Portland skyline and Mount Hood. The mansion was built in 1914 for Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife, Georgiana Burton Pittock. You can enter the mansion and tour it for $12, but to walk around the grounds it is free. The roses bloom in abundance and the view can take your breath away. At one point the mansion was abandoned and damaged from a serious storm in 1962. Developers wanted to tear it down and build a subdivision of houses. Portlanders saved the mansion and preserved it for future generations.

Day 3: Downtown Portland is still a great place to visit. Its reputation has taken a beating lately, but I still enjoy going there. The homeless population and other ugly downtown city issues that don’t go away are visible. Yet, the energy and vibrancy that makes Portland unique is still there and thriving.

Powell’s Books, 1005 W Burnside St, is a great place to get lost and appreciate the independent book store. The store is huge and it boasts to be the world’s largest new and used bookstore. It has a section for everything and you can find something that speaks to you. I really liked how there were so many suggestions on what books to read. The reviews came from employees and customers too. There is a café and many inviting places to sit and read.

You may have heard the saying that Portland is weird. It is true. There are many strange things going on. Voodoo Doughnuts, 22 SW 3rd Avenue, lives up to that name. It was founded in 2003 and strives to create a doughnut experience that doesn’t fit the traditional mold. You can even get married in the shop. They offer unique doughnuts like the voodoo doll that has a pretzel stabbing her heart. Some doughnuts feature the male anatomy. Often there is a line to go in the store and get your dozen. The doughnuts were delicious and made us laugh with their creativity.

We were sorry to leave Portland. On the last day we were reminded that rain is the one constant in the Pacific Northwest. We woke up to the gentle sounds of water hitting the roof and keeping all those plants healthy, vibrant and green.

Let’s discuss anxiety. It seems ever-present in our lives, and it is also often misunderstood and vilified.

It may be the idea of visiting family, dating, or perhaps the expectations of work. These are just a few, and there certainly are others, but one thing they have in common is anxiety and stress.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorder in the US, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. However, they’re highly treatable with therapy.

Despite the prevalence, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about the symptoms and treatment of anxiety disorders. This misinformation can make it hard to get the help you need. Let’s dig into what’s fact and fiction about anxiety.

1. Anxiety disorders aren’t real because everyone has anxiety

Given how common feeling stress and anxiety is, some may believe that anxiety disorders aren’t a real thing. However, there is a clinical distinction between normal day-to-day worry and anxiety disorders.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Health, characterizes generalized anxiety disorder as excessive anxiety that occurs most days for at least six months. The person must also find it difficult to control their worrying to the point that it causes significant stress and impairs their ability to function. A simple way to think about it is that anxiety is how you react to stress.

Anxiety disorders are relatively common, with over 40 million adults living with an anxiety disorder in the US. That’s 19.1% of the adult population. Some people’s anxiety disorder presents outwardly and is easy to spot with physical symptoms of panic, while others may not be noticeable to people around them.

2. Social anxiety is just being shy

Some of the social anxiety behaviors can look similar to being shy. However, they are very different.

Being shy is a personality trait. Social anxiety is an anxiety disorder marked by fear of social situations paired with extreme worry about how to act or perform. Those with social anxiety worry that they will embarrass themselves, and the people around them will dissect everything they do, look - ing for errors. Social anxiety can impede your ability to function socially.

Those who are shy are more likely to have social anxiety, but you can be shy or reserved without experiencing excess worry and build-up of panic in social situations.

3. You can get rid of anxiety

There are a lot of myths floating around about the duration and treatment of anxiety. Some view anxiety as a phase. Or that a healthy life full of exercise and vegetables will eliminate anxiety. These myths are likely born from normal fluctuations in day-to-day worry or times when someone with an anxiety disorder sees a reduction in symptoms.

However, clinical anxiety disorders don’t disappear. Symptoms are persistent until treatment. If you don’t get treatment, symptoms will likely worsen over time. You learn how to manage, decrease and even eliminate symptoms with counseling and coping techniques.

Lifestyle changes can improve overall health and reduce anxiety. However, these changes don’t work for everyone and should not be generalized to everyone with anxiety.

4. Anxiety is just a part of life

Being stressed and worried is common. It’s how our brain warns us of threats or dangers so we can act appropriately. However, persistent worry or panic are not just a part of life, they are symptoms of an anxiety disorder. And while many people live with anxiety disorders, if left untreated, it can significantly impact your ability to function. Anxiety has also been linked to a higher risk of developing a chronic illness.

5. Only adults have anxiety

What do kids have to be worried about?

It’s a common myth that anxiety is limited to adults, who have financial, interpersonal, and professional problems to worry about. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 9.4% of children between the ages of 3 and 17 have anxiety.

When a child doesn’t outgrow the expected fears of being a child -- being separated from parents or home -- and it impedes their ability to function at school or when playing with other children, it may be an anxiety disorder.

6. You can solve anxiety by avoiding stressful situations

While removing yourself from a stressful situation is a way to decrease symptoms in the moment, it won’t solve anxiety or its triggers.

Some common situational triggers for anxiety can include:

Social situations or large groups

Conflict in personal and work situations

Public speaking

Enclosed spaces

Avoiding situations isn’t a long-term tactic for regulating anxiety -- there’s no avoiding stressful situations forever. Withdrawing from these situations can impact your ability to participate and function in daily life.

Anxiety treatments like counseling (such as Soul Expansion) or medications can help you better navigate stressful situations and manage anxiety symptoms. Therapy for anxiety will help you identify which factors contribute to your anxiety. You’ll also learn how your thoughts about these factors or triggers contribute to symptoms.

7. Medications are required to deal with anxiety

For some people, medication is essential for living with anxiety. However, that’s not the case for everyone, and often they are overprescribed. You can manage anxiety without taking medication. Studies show that counseling therapies are just as or more effective as medication for many people.

If you’re experiencing substantial anxiety or stress, consider gifting yourself this holiday season. You’re invited to learn more about Soul Expansion and how to identify the root of yoru anxiety - and how to begin healing and moving beyond them.

You are cordially invited to the rest of your life! Take the next step towards Soul Expansion with the gift of a Complimentary Discovery Session or call (619) 832-2750.

Learn how this innovative practice bypasses common bottlenecks faster than traditional therapy to celebrate your purpose with clarity, awareness, and personal strength!

Daniel Allen is a writer, speaker, and spiritual & emotional counselor on the subject of relationships (including the one we hold with ourselves), and an advocate for love and raising consciousness. For more information or article suggestions please visit www.SoulExpansion.com , email info@SoulExpansion.com or call (619) 832-2750.

public’s challenges over the past three years have heavily contributed to heightened levels of overall ill health. “People are more depressed, more anxious.” A new approach to mental health, especially, is needed.

Sean Leonard is a Nurse Practitioner specializing in psychiatric care, based in Serene Health’s Oceanside office.

“I’m a board-certified primary care geriatric nurse practitioner and board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioner,” says Sean. His background in both addiction medicine and psychiatric stabilization, along with TMS, is just one reason Oscar counts him as a vital part of the organization.

“I have been a friend of Oscar’s for over five years in several other healthcare adventures,” says Sean. Coming now to Serene Health through a partnership, furthers my hopes of delivering PrTMS® to the masses. Working with Serene is the piece that had been missing in my profession.”

Putting It All Into Perspective

Every client is seen and evaluated by a psychiatrist, even if their primary issue is physical, and treated according to the psychiatrist’s recommendations. An initial EEG (electroencephalography) is taken, which records spontaneous electrical activity of the brain, for analysis.

A psychological evaluation is done and putting it all together, a personalized plan of action is established, using any of several treatment methods provided by Serene Health. EEGs are taken every week of treatment, so the protocols can change accordingly.

Coming full circle here, the comments from patients of Serene Health’s therapy are emphatic about its beneficial effects on their lives.

Chris Peters knows first-hand the benefits of PrTMS® treatment, not just in seeing the changes in his clients, but experiencing them himself.

After thirteen years as a firefighter, Chris didn’t think the job had impacted him that much, but he woke up one day and everything had just accumulated, piled on his shoulders, and “I just didn’t feel right, didn’t feel like myself,” Chris recalls. “I was in a fog every day. I couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t get thoughts out, and it began to interrupt my home life. I just wanted to sleep.”

He decided to seek help and was fortunate to see a doctor who knew Dr. Murphy and his TMS program. Chris took treatment and by the end of two months, he’d seen amazing results. More importantly, said Chris, his family “… saw dramatic improvement almost immediately. It’s just my belief, but I personally feel every firefighter could benefit from this.”

A police officer from San Diego, came to the MindSet by Serene Health Group with sleep-related issues, including moodiness and irritability. “From the very first session in the van, I felt a sense of peace, as though taking these steps would not only identify some of my issues, but could relieve them. It filled me with a sense of excitement.”

On a lasting basis, he found, “The treatment afforded me the ability to recognize when I was about to enter a high state of stress.” It provided him a type of buffer, and a marker, “… so I could more readily shift out of the ‘red zone’ into a more comfortable tempo. Especially at work.”

By being less reactionary, the officer explained, “I am able to take a tick and process the scene; feel like I have better clarity while making decisions under stress.” And at home, “My wife saw a difference in me and commented on how I was more at peace and easier to be around.”

The need for brain-to-body treatment should be fundamental, beginning with children in sports. Anthony Miller, former wide receiver for the San Diego Chargers, confirms recent news reports that football players (for instance) often pay heavily later in life, for their combative career choice.

Looking back, Anthony mentioned, “… I had three recorded concussions, and they said, ‘when you see stars, those are minor’; and I said, ‘man, I didn’t have just minor concussions—and I had those even in high school’.”

Today, however, he didn’t think he was having more problems than the average aging process seems to include. He also comes from a family of strong cognitive capacities and longevity, with his mother at eighty still going strong, following in the footsteps of her mother who lived to be ninety-eight. But, “… me at fiftyeight,” he admits, struggles with memory loss and absentmindedness.

“At first, I thought it was just me, then I started talking to some of my friends that played football and we realized we were experiencing some of the same conditions, like forgetting someone’s name and it comes to you five minutes later,” and he added with a laugh, “or a couple times I left the oven on and my girl [pointedly] reminded me. I’m not as sharp as I used to be … so I would do block puzzles and other things to stimulate my brain.”

Friend and Chargers’ hall-of-famer, Wes Chandler, put Anthony in touch with Serene Health. “It’s been very helpful to our guys who have played the game, with [resulting] concussion issues, and their overall health.” He attended a meeting in which Serene staff offered treatment which he thought could be beneficial. Anthony appreciated their convenient mobile unit too, which delivered an intensive month