There will be no support group meeting on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve. Please join us at our first meeting of the New Year on January 7, 2008 at 7 PM.

Happy Holidays.

We’re off for a hike with members of the Long Beach Chapter. Our destination is Casper’s Wilderness Park in South Orange County where we will tread the ridges beneath the Santa Ana mountains and enjoy the shade of a natural live oak pergola.

We meet at 1 PM, Sunday November 18 2007.

Directions to Casper’s:

Take Interstate 5 South to ORTEGA HWY / CA-74 exit- EXIT 82- toward SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO. Turn left onto Ortega Highway and proceed 7.5 miles. The park will be on your left. Admission is probably $5. Ask the attendant for directions to the windmill parking lot.

Bring water, snacks, a hat.

Dinner at Asia Buffet in Lake Forest afterwards.

Everyone experiences stress and an occasional sleepless night. And we are all anxious at times. During National Stress Øut Week, take time to de-stress and discover the difference between everyday stress and an anxiety disorder. Affecting 40 million adults in the United States, anxiety disorders are persistent and overwhelming fears and worry, and they can interfere with daily life. They are identified as generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobias.

This year National Stress Øut Week highlights the connection between anxiety and sleep. According to the 2007 Stress and Anxiety Disorders Study, nearly half the adults surveyed report that stress and anxiety interfere with everyday life. Of the respondents who reported daily persistent stress or excessive anxiety, seven out of ten indicated they have trouble sleeping.

For more information click here.

The California Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Convention will take place on October 12 and 13 at the Ontario Airport Marriot Hotel, less than an hour from Orange County. The convention will feature workshops and speakers including Tom Wootton, energetic author of The Bipolar Advantage; David and Diane Marriant, authors of Surviving Bipolar’s Fatal Grip; and comedian David Wetzel.

Click here for more conference information.