Is your Lifestyle Causing Stress and Anxiety?
Although there are many types of anxiety, the majority of us at one time or another suffer from general anxiety which makes us feel anxious and worried about what’s on our mind. Although it’s considered normal to feel anxious or worried at times, general anxiety is characterized by excessive or unrealistic anxiety and worry about life or circumstances
Understand that this isn’t a fleeting concerned are a thought process that’s recognized in passing, but is persistent and ongoing. Many of the symptoms can also be related to the panic attacks as they are as much physical in nature is mental. While the symptoms aren’t as pronounced as those of a panic disorder, they can include muscle tension, sweating, stomach and intestinal pain, headaches and muscle tension. These symptoms are due to your body are working to prepare itself to deal with the perceived danger or situation that’s causing the anxiety.
The cause of anxiety disorder or excessive worrying is really unknown. Specific medical conditions and dealing with serious medical issues have been identified by some professional sources is one cause of anxiety. This should be questioned however, given that a reasonable person facing a serious medical condition or even someone dealing with that condition would naturally show concern and worry.
There are many people that believe that worrying about things that you can do nothing about is not only unproductive but can be a trigger for anxiety. This is not really accurate as even though you cannot directly control the cause, it can still impact you. A good example of this is the ongoing stress in many work environments today.
In earlier years, people in the workplace had to deal with office politics and satisfying the customer. Today however, the pace of technology has made many jobs obsolete or placed the unreasonable demands on employees. Add to this, the ongoing loss of middle-class jobs to offshore outsourcing companies, huge increases in taxes and Social Security that all but eliminate savings for many, and you have the perfect storm for many people to be anxiety ridden. Add to this the high cost of living that keeps many only a few paychecks from being homeless and anxiety can same very appropriate.
It’s simplistic to assume that someone coping with stress and anxiety in that sort of situation is worrying excessively. Although very few can directly change many aspects in this example, this may also tend to lock them into an anxiety ridden cycle.
If you believe you’re suffering from ongoing or constant worry caused by your life situation, you may want to consider rethinking your career and life with a view to simplify it. While the goal may originally have been the big house in the suburbs, two cars and a demanding career, the cost to obtain and keep that dream may be the ongoing worry and stress of anxiety disorder.
Abigail Franks
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/is-your-lifestyle-causing-stress-and-anxiety-105618.html
Anxiety: What is Panic Disorder?
Fear and anxiety are part of life. You may feel anxious before you take a test or walk down a dark street. This kind of anxiety is useful – it can make you more alert or careful. It usually ends soon after you are out of the situation that caused it. But for millions of people in the United States, the anxiety does not go away, and gets worse over time. They may have chest pains or nightmares. They may even be afraid to leave home. These people have anxiety disorders.
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder. It causes panic attacks, which are sudden feelings of terror for no reason. You may also feel physical symptoms, such as:
* Fast heartbeat
* Chest pain
* Breathing difficulty
* Dizziness
Panic attacks can happen anytime, anywhere and without warning. You may live in fear of another attack and may avoid places where you have had an attack. For some people, fear takes over their lives and they cannot leave their homes.
Panic disorder is more common in women than men. It usually starts when people are young adults. Sometimes it starts when a person is under a lot of stress. Most people get better with treatment. Therapy can show you how to recognize and change your thinking patterns before they lead to panic. Medicines can also help.
Anxiety can be quite detrimental to your appearance, your social life and sometimes your overall health. When it lasts for long periods of time, it becomes a serious issue that should be addressed by a medical professional. Like any other health problem, there are many causes that can lead to severe anxiety.
A major cause of anxiety can be genetics. Biology determines a great deal of how we are, from eye color to nose shape, and right down to the main core of our personality. If one or both of your parents tend to worry about things frequently, then chances are you will have the same reactions to situations. It is possible for this type of trait to skip generations, but more than likely whatever does not trickle down from heredity will catch with you from the nervous environment in which you live.
As alluded to before, your environment can heavily impact the amount of anxiety you may feel. But, even more than that, social pressures in your life can influence your personality, and cause you to be distressed about things you never thought you would worry about. Between work, children, pets, running a household and other such responsibilities, life can sometimes feel overwhelming.
When things are thrown at us all at once, many of us tend to go into survival mode. Feeling intense nervousness and experiencing worrisome behavior can actually be quite normal when we feel trapped under pressure.
Everyone experiences anxiety at one time or another ‘butterflies in the stomach’ before giving a speech or sweaty palms during a job interview are common symptoms. Other symptoms include irritability, uneasiness, jumpiness, feelings of apprehension, rapid or irregular heartbeat, stomachache, nausea, faintness, and breathing problems. Anxiety is often manageable and mild, but sometimes it can present serious problems. A high level or prolonged state of anxiety can make the activities of daily life difficult or impossible.
Since we often can trace the direct cause of our anxious behavior, the next step is to find ways to work through it. There is no point to going through life constantly feeling tense and worried. Over time, it will take its toll on you and you will find yourself feeling worn out and restless. Remember to take a step back, breathe, relax, and get plenty of rest. Everything falls into place. There is no need to worry about every little thing, because every little thing is going to be all right.
Sherry Harris
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/anxiety-what-is-panic-disorder-484143.html
Recognizing Anxiety Symptoms
Everyone experiences moments of unease or panic. You’ve said the wrong thing or locked your keys in the car. The situation is resolved and those feelings go away. At least, for most of us, they do. For over two million Americans, they are a constant feeling of helplessness and hopelessness.
Anxiety symptoms range can vary, depending on whether or not your anxiety disorder is specific or generalized. They can be both psychological and physical. Every person is different; each can experience different symptoms and still have the same diagnosis of anxiety disorder.
Anxiety symptoms include interference with sleep and nightmares. These can really hinder your everyday life, as you must battle feelings of exhaustion on top of anxiety. These can also intensify other anxiety symptoms, such as irritability or confusion.
Anxiety symptoms such as self-consciousness and insecurity can lead to avoidance of social activities. Feelings of restlessness often create a strong urge to escape from any social situation. This creates a tense situation for the anxiety symptom sufferer.
Some anxiety symptoms manifest physically as well. Heart palpitations, otherwise known as an irregular heartbeat, and shortness of breath can lead anxiety disorder sufferers to fear they are having a heart attack. Nausea, frequent urination, and diarrhea can be mistaken for the flu or other viruses.
Sweating is another anxiety symptom, which can be embarrassing for the sufferer in public situations. Hot flashes or chills are also common. Tremors can lead to muscle aches and tension, which make the anxiety disorder patient even more uncomfortable.
The cause of anxiety symptoms can be found in changes to the amygdala, which is an organ in the brain. The amygdala is involved in emotions of fear and aggression. This is where anxiety disorder is created and where it continues to haunt its host until treated. The amygdala becomes over stimulated by stress or other emotional factors. The body responds accordingly and creates anxiety symptoms. Once the pattern is started, it is stored for repetition in the amygdale.
Your family doctor will need to rule out a physical cause for anxiety symptoms. As pointed out above, these symptoms can mimic other physical ailments such as thyroid disorders, insulin disorders, asthma, and certain heart conditions. Once those have been examined and rejected as cause, your doctor will likely refer you to a psychotherapist.
A psychotherapist will be able to help you identify the triggers for your anxiety symptoms. You will learn new ways to deal with stress and other emotional factors. A therapist might also ask that your family doctor prescribe you with anti-anxiety medications.
There are also holistic treatment options which have been found to be helpful when dealing with anxiety symptoms. Acupuncture, hypnotherapy, and relaxation techniques can be used in conjunction with any other therapeutic means or on their own.
You can also help yourself by doing the following: exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, eliminating caffeine. Also, make sure that you surround yourself with supportive friends and family. Anxiety symptoms can be beat with the right tools.
Samantha Davis
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/recognizing-anxiety-symptoms-99879.html
The Cause of Anxiety Attacks in The World of Today
Are there causes of anxiety attacks? In today’s world anxiety disorders many times may be the most common mental illness. In the United States 40 million (18.1%) of the adult population is affected. These numbers are on the increase all over the world, demanding immediate attention. Even though studies are usually made only on adults (over 18 years old), this disorder affects all age groups.
We all blame it on stress, too much work load or other over pressuring day to day activities. However, the scientists have found out the cause of anxiety attacks are:
Brian Biochemistry or chemical imbalance
There are two primary neurotransmitters; serotonin and dopamine, that affect a person’s feeling. Any imbalance of these chemicals can provoke a cause of anxiety attacks expressed through feeling depressed or sad.
Genetics
Anxiety disorders are also inherited as they tend to run in the family, thus passing it on from one’s mother/father to the son/daughter or any other close relative. The structure of the brain and its process are inherited in totality and that can be another reason why people with chemical imbalance can pass on the anxiety disorder thus, being the cause of anxiety attacks. Also growing up as a child in an abusive home, where the family expressed anxiety and violence constantly can be the cause of anxiety attacks.
Fight or Flight Mechanism
When we sense danger, the body prepares itself to either fight or run away. This is known as fight or flight mechanism. This mechanism is triggered mostly by a part of the brain called Amygdale. Sometimes the brain misunderstands the message and a situation and translated it as dangerous when it is not in reality. This can be a cause of anxiety attacks.
The symptoms are very real and frightening. Thus, convincing us that something is wrong and we get scared and untrusting. The flight or fight failure, the scientists say, is the main cause of panic attacks.
Along with the various medications, the scientists also have discovered the possibility to reserve these symptoms now, with the modern science and technology. Now, all we need to do is to learn to recognize these symptoms and consult the doctor as soon as possible. As any other disorder or illness, treated in time, it can be almost always treated successfully.
Be aware of your body and recognize when is giving you the wrong symptoms. Make sure you consult your Doctor as you never want to rely on your own diagnosis. Your doctor may see or know something that you never thought of. Build your knowledge base and learn some techniques that will help you to stop your anxiety attacks dead in its tracks. You may want to try a book and audio that I have used. You can find a link at the top of my web site “A Guide to Eliminate Stress and Anxiety”.
Feel free to visit some of my sites Stop Anxiety Attacks and Stop Anxiety Now
By: Paul Schmitt (Free Download Anxiety Treatment eBook)
About the Author:
For more information please visit my website at Stop Anxiety Now
Systematic Desensitization in Anxiety Treatment
Systematic desensitization is a type of behavioral therapy used in the field of psychology to help patients successfully conquer phobias and other anxiety disorders. Pioneered by a South African psychiatrist named Joseph Wolpe, this type of therapy treats a patient by gradually exposing him to what he fears. The idea behind this therapy is that the more a patient exposes to his feared object, the more able he becomes to tackle the cause of anxiety and find out how to deal with his feelings.
This technique is also called “graduated exposure therapy”. Quite understandably, patients must first be trained to calm down and manage their fear before they are actually exposed to the feared object or situation. Once the coping skills have been taught, the patient will then utilize them to respond towards the feared object and try to triumph over tough feelings including anxiety.
As you can imagine, almost all phobia patients have been deliberately trying to avoid the sources of their fears, such as spiders, dogs, snakes or situations like being in a confined space, amongst crowds or in high places. This purposeful escape, however, does not help them conquer their anxieties, and they eventually feel the need to deal with the root cause of their problems.
There are also a group of patients who have tried distraction methods to cope with their anxiety. Distraction methods, as its name may suggest, mostly involve trying addictive behaviors such as drinking alcohol, smoking, or even taking drugs. Traditional medications can be also be used to treat the phobic type of anxiety, but they actually slow down the patients’ minds in order to adjust its exaggerated reaction to the stimuli.
The key in systematic desensitization is to gradually, rather than quickly, expose the patients to the phobic objects. By being slowly forced to confront what they fear, most patients are able to turn from reconciling, tolerating, to finally accepting the object. If this technique is applied too quickly or without any precaution to the patients, the result can be dangerous or even traumatic.
Along with systematic desensitization, some other treatment techniques are often used in the same time. These include relaxation methods such as breathing techniques, or reinforcing positive thoughts. Another effective technique is called cognitive reappraisal. In this technique, the patient is required to imagine what will happen when his feared object is right in front of him. After the actual exposure, the patient is asked to compare his overstated imagination against his actual reaction during the exposure. This has proven to produce an astoundingly serene effect on the patient.
Despite its sensitive nature, systematic desensitization is a very safe method for anxiety treatment when applied with professional care. Instead of deliberately avoiding the source of fear, anxiety patients now have an option to shoot straight into the root of their problems.
By: Sandy Adamson (Get FREE Anxiety Treatment)
About the Author:
Click here to learn more about the causes and symptoms of anxiety attacks, and a revolutionary method for treating anxiety effectively and safely.
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