Understanding Anxiety Attacks as a Part of Life

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Filed under: Anxiety Treatments 

Understanding Anxiety Attacks As A Part Of Life

Almost everyone suffers from an anxiety attack at some point in life. Whether it’s a fear of failing at an important task or a concern that an animal or some other force will cause harm, the mind and body go into synch and actual physical symptoms tend to manifest themselves. For some people, however, normal fear becomes paralyzing and persistent and actual full-blown anxiety attacks become almost a way of life.

Understanding what anxiety attacks are, how they present and what can be done about them can help people around an anxiety sufferer better grasp what a friend of loved one is going through. It can also help the person who suffers from the attacks realize the need to seek out effective treatments before anxiety waylays life.

Anxiety attacks are very similar to the mental/physical reactions that happen in the fight or flight phenomena. The mind perceives a threat and the body reacts. The difference between a “normal” attack and an abnormal situation generally involves the perceived threat. In the case of anxiety disorders, the “danger” can be quite mundane, but not always. What does happen here is that threats are perceived when they are not really present, or the reaction is out of proportion to the situation. For example, a person who has an extreme fear of public speaking isn’t really in danger, but his or her mind might think so; therefore, the body reacts.

In most cases, anxiety attacks have very intense, fast onsets. They are typically characterized by the following symptoms:

• Intense feelings of fear and danger

• Chest pains, heart palpitations, sweating, trembling and other physical symptoms

• A feeling of depersonalization or a surreal atmosphere

• A strong sense of doom and fear of death

• Lack of breath

• Hot flashes or chills

The unfortunate thing about anxiety attacks is that their symptoms often mimic other serious health conditions. This can lead to false diagnosis and even fuel the fears that death is imminent. When anxiety attacks are properly diagnosed, people generally are treated with a combination of medications and therapy to help them regain control of their lives.

Anxiety attacks can have a one-time presentation or they might occur on a repetitive basis. In the case of the latter, therapy is almost always advised as repetition is generally a sign of a more serious anxiety disorder.

 

Anxiety attacks are very real manifestations of fear. They can actually be quite normal reactions to a serious situation, or they might present out of irrational fear. If they are repetitive, help generally is required to combat and overcome them and the cause.

Peter Marshall-Farrimond
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/understanding-anxiety-attacks-as-a-part-of-life-708203.html

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Comments

4 Comments on Understanding Anxiety Attacks as a Part of Life

  1. Patricia D on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 3:08 am

    2. Go to your parents and get them to take you to the hospital and talk to the on calll Doc…you need some extra help right now. More then this forum can probably do. Nothing wrong with that. Anxiety attack are the pits. Please go talk to them at either the ER or mental health.

    OK sinced you added on that you cannot go to a hospital…and I am assuming your meds have been taken properly…anxiety attacks scare the heck out of you. Mental imaging can help along with refocusing your attention. Try listening to soft music. Especially when your trying to sleep at night. Try to slow your breathing…focus on your chest raising and falling…or place yourself in a place that you really like. And concentrate and slow everything down. You will be able to do it. You were strong enough to come and ask for help your strong enough to do this. If the breathing gets out of control have a brown paper bag near by…not to pop…but to breath in to help in slowing things down. Paper bag!!! Not plastic please…your a good kid…you will be fine.
    References :
    Years of thearpy

  2. Raphael on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 3:10 am

    3. Right, sit down and look at the wall in front of you and stare for a few minutes, think about the wall, it is solid, it doesn’t move sleep or eat and yet it is there solid and dependable, now in the time that you have been looking at this wall has anything happened to you? if you stare at the wall some more do you think that anything will happen to you.
    In the time that you have stared at the wall you have been in complete control of yourself and nothing has happened .
    You are better than the wall you have been staring at, you are unique and there will never be another you ever, so you won’t kill yourself, you are going to slow down and be yourself and plan for your future and if you find yourself slipping down the road of anxiety, sit quietly and stare at the wall and renew your strength.
    You will pull through by strength of will yourself and nothing will happen to you unless God permits it to happen, He created you out of pure love, trust in Him and I promise He will never let you down.
    References :

  3. mustangirl on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 3:12 am

    4. Wow!!!! You are really young to be having anxiety attacks. I really don’t know what i could say to help because i know exactly how you feel. I used to get them really bad before. I don’t know what came over me. I went to bed 1 night and suddenly, i started shaking and then i couldn’t catch my breath. I did not know what was going on with me. I really thought that i was dying. I suffered with anxiety for a year. People would ask what was wrong with me and i could just not explain. I felt that life was nothing. I had this blank feeling all the time. I cried so much and could not be alone. I needed company with me all of time. When i would drive by funeral homes i could not look cause i thought that i was going to die and was so scard. I never had thoughts of suicide. I was just terrified of dying. I also went to see a therapist but that did not help me at all. The only thing that helped me was a prescription that my doctor gave me called, Paxil. It toke about a month before it really worked but i was back to normal. I felt so good. I had to take that medication for a couple years and slowly whinned myself off of it. Now, i am so much better and i have not had any more anxiety attacks even though i have gone through really hard times in my life. I do wish you lots of luck cause i know the feeling and i feel really bad for you. Maybe you should talk to your doctor and see what he says. It is really difficult for anyone to understand what you are going through but be strong and i hope you get better.
    References :

  4. BMF on Tue, 17th Nov 2009 11:06 am

    5. Help! anxiety attacks are getting worse each day! bad thoughts and feelings?
    ok im 15 years old ive suffered from anxiety for most my life and recently its gotten much worse. I get this feeling that im dead, nothing exists. and the worst part it i feel no one or thing can help me. i cant think of a place where i feel happy, and my parents are trying to help me as much as they can, and it really hasnt helped. i havent been sleeping well due to fear of attacks. i feel like something will take me over and i will go over the edge and kill myself. if i were feeling how i used to killing myself would be the last thing in my mind. i go to the pshycitrist next thursday, and i fear i will not make it till then. I’m just scared and out of options until next week. i went to the therapist and it didnt do much. if anyone can help me better understand this, and help me id really appreciate it. i just want my old life back, and my family. And i also just cant see life, everyhting feels weird, even though its not. i understand its all in my head but i just cant fix it.
    thanks
    i cannot to to the hospital because i am out of town.. and leave friday, and get back saturday

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