How to Tell if You Have Anxiety Disorder
February 19, 2011 by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
Filed under Panic Attacks
If you’re someone who can never earn enough or have enough money to relax about it, and to enjoy spending it, you may have underlying anxiety problems that you haven’t had to face, or you haven’t wanted to face. If opportunities to travel become reasons for days or weeks of anxiety-induced upset tummy, while you worry about packing, not packing; getting to the airport on time; finding the right terminal; getting lost in a foreign airport, driving in a foreign country, then it might be a good idea to look at other areas of your life.
It’s Important To Confront Your Anxiety
Not so that you can find a label to put on your behaviour, but so that you can face your problems as the first step to managing them. Why? Because chances are that if you worry excessively about something as everyday as money or as unusual as travel, you may see that you spend a great deal of your day, every day, worrying in an unhelpful way about other things.
You probably also worry unduly about your job performance, and you’re far too concerned about running late for appointments and about your contribution to work meetings. Your anxiety switch is turned up way too high. Your anxietylevel is excessive to a point where your quiet enjoyment of life is being seriously impaired. Forget about whether or not you’re ill, your life is so filled with unhappy fear-filled feelings that you’ve forgotten how to feel joy and happiness. Joy is your birthright.
A person who has problem levels of anxiety, tends to worry far too much. Worry is their middle name.
They predict the worst about everything.
They worry, and sometimes feel intense levels of fear, about big and little issues. That anxietymanifests itself as uncomfortable physical symptoms throughout the day. Although that person may have days, even weeks, without feeling too much fear and anxiety about life, if they’re invited to address a meeting at work, or represent their political party at a debate, the roof of their world will cave in. Sometimes, the person with what I term background anxiety (anxiety that doesn’t manifest itself as debilitating attacks of panic, but stays in the background of your life), sometimes that person has had much more serious episodes of panic attacks and anxiety disorder in their adolescence or early twenties. Once they escaped from those attacks as many people do just by a process of maturation, they regard the less severe anxiety as perfectly normal. It’s not.
Generalized anxiety refers to a level of concern and worry that has become dysfunctional rather than helpful in your day-to-day life. As I mention throughout Calming Words, anxiety is a very important part of our lives. Without it, we would not get up in the morning in time for work, we wouldn’t study for exams, train hard for the Olympics, and nor would we make an effort to escape real and present danger.
In other words, if your plane leaves at 6pm and you have to be at the airport at 4pm, then you need to be there at 4pm. Making sure that you get there by 2pm or even 2.30pm can place a lot of extra strain on you, your family, and friends. Your normal, functional and helpful anxiety which works with you to get you there on time, has gone over the top. Given that you may not travel a lot, that sort of highly anxious approach may be understandable, and it’s not likely to affect your life too much.
However, it is likely that the same person who stresses out about being on time – to the point where he or she is obsessively early – that person will also always, or usually, think the worst when their relatives or friends are late, or ill.
Generalized anxiety is not just about being pessimistic, though that is a component of this type of anxiety. It is more that in every single sphere of life, the person worries, feels ill at ease, and yes, just plain anxious. The alternative – that of feeling positive and joy-filled is a state that s/he rarely feels.
Seeking Help With Your Anxiety Problem
Many people with generalized anxiety do not seek help for their anxiety because they put it down to “that’s just the way I am. I’m a worry wart”. That sort of generalized anxiety is perhaps more difficult to diagnose and treat than something like a panic attack. The panic attack is so intrusive into your life, and makes life so obviously unpleasant and difficult that people do reach out to seek help.
In the case of people who have generalized anxiety, they live a life of quiet desperation and profound unhappiness. Rarely do they just relax and enjoy, or even recognise, the blessings they have in their lives. A great deal of their time is spent criticising work colleagues and even family and friends – often seen as the cause of their anxieties. Because they rarely breathe in joy themselves, they are not as capable of transmitting sheer pleasure and joy in being alive to those around them.
Although it is always difficult to define what is a natural and normal level of concern about work, study, family, finances and the state of the world, it is such a waste of the great and finite gift of life, to spend so much of it in a negative, fear-filled, state. And usually, there is no good and rational reason for feeling that fear.
How often have you heard the expression: “Everything’s a drama to her”?
In all likelihood, that drama queen is a highly anxious person. Their anxiety and worry has led to the person experiencing at least three of the symptoms listed below.
If you regularly experience three or more of those symptoms, please check with your doctor: you may have physical reasons for those symptoms or you may have an anxiety disorder.
Author’s Note: Article published here.
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Dr Jeannette Kavanagh has a counseling and coaching Practice in Melbourne Australia, to help people find their unique solutions to anxiety and panic attacks. For over two decades, Jeannette has helped thousands of people overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Visit her website http://www.calmingwords.com/ to sign up here for a FREE MP3 Relax on Cue.
Read more articles written by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
How to Recognize Anxiety in Children and Adolescents
February 10, 2011 by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
Filed under Panic Attacks
Problems with a too-high level anxiety can start in childhood with children and adolescents worrying to a greater extent than their peers about all sorts of things. Some behaviors are an indication of a fussy and over tidy child. When we go just a little bit over fussiness and we have entered the realm of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety in childhood is obvious when children and adolescents worry to a greater extent than their peers about school performance, sporting prowess, their appearance and their popularity. If the child has grown up with overly anxious parents, the tendency will be exacerbated. Even quite laid back, relaxed, children can become tense and anxious adolescents if their parents transmit their own fears and anxieties about their performance to their children on a regular basis.
Children who are growing up in a fairly relaxed family atmosphere can simply come across as ideal students, and parents may even be counting their blessings that their son or daughter does her/his home work without being nagged about it. The highly anxious child will be a perfectionist and s/he will require an excessive amount of reassurance about their performance. Although we all love our children to come home with an A grade, it is vital to watch for signs of anxiety accompanying their school work. A child who frets and even cries about an assignment in elementary (primary) school, cannot automatically be diagnosed as having generalised anxiety or indeed, any anxiety problems. However, it is good for parents to monitor those sorts of reactions. Children and adolescents with generalised anxiety may also worry about being punctual, their appearance, or impending catastrophes such as earthquakes, floods, meteors flying to Earth and nuclear war.
Obsessive Thoughts And Compulsive Behaviors
If you notice that your child is excessively neat – send her or him to my place. I jest of course because we accept our children even when they missed out on the tidy gene. However, excessive concern about the tidiness of one’s room, or how clothes are arranged in a drawer, these are signals that say two things. First, you just happen to have a tidy and neat child. Secondly, the degree to which they are concerned about tidiness will let you know whether or not that often sought-after trait is actually a sign of their underlying anxiety. This article is not about obsessive compulsive disorder as it’s known. But it is important to mention that all obsessive thoughts and compulsive or ritualistic behaviours have their base in anxiety. Keeping those socks exactly 2.5cms (1 inch) from each other, having all the white shirts together, making and re-making the bed; those behaviours are used to keep the underlying feeling of anxiety at bay.
Signs Of Anxiety In Children
In many ways, it’s easier to diagnose anxiety in children than in adults because they haven’t learned yet to censor themselves. If they feel anxious about giving a talk at school, or even about going to school, children will communicate that to their parents or carers. In fact, many anxiety prone children will communicate their fears in very clear and sometimes alarming ways. The important thing for those around the child or adolescent with anxiety is for us to be supportive without being enabling. By that I mean that as a parent or older sibling, or friend, we must treat with respect the very real fear that the child is expressing. The injunction to “snap out of it” or the advice that “there’s nothing to be afraid of, you goose” might make you feel alright, but it will only make the anxious person more fear-filled. They will be less likely to open up to you when and if their anxiety escalates. So please don’t trivialise the fears. As for enabling some parents when faced with an obviously anxious child begin to over-protect them. They keep the child away from school camps and sometimes even from school.
Keep A Diary For Three Months
On the one hand most of you can readily diagnose whether or not your child’s anxiety switch is on overload. It’s the subtlety of some behaviors that can allow anxiety to go undiagnosed and untreated for years. Most of my counseling clients talk about being anxious at school and about being more generally anxious in their childhood. Yet none of them was treated for anxiety. While I certainly don’t want to suggest that the child who expresses worry and apprehension about delivering a talk to the class has anxiety and needs treatment, it might be interesting for you to keep a little diary of how your child reacts in other situations. If it’s a one-off very common fear of public speaking, your diary will remain blank. If not, you’ll have good material to discuss with a therapist if you decide to make that intervention.
Having said that many of my counseling clients were anxious children, it is also important to say that anxious children do grow out of their anxiety in the vast number of cases.
Editor’s Note: Previously published here.
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Dr Jeannette Kavanagh has a counseling and coaching Practice in Melbourne Australia, to help people find their unique solutions to anxiety and panic attacks. For over two decades, Jeannette has helped thousands of people overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Visit her website http://www.calmingwords.com/ to sign up here for a FREE MP3 Relax on Cue.
Read more articles written by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
How to Tell the Difference Between Anxiety and Normal Worry
February 4, 2011 by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
Filed under Panic Attacks
Anxiety is a normal feeling people experience when faced with threat, danger or stress. Feeling anxious can sometimes be a good thing. Occasional anxiety is part of normal life. However, for some people anxiety is a constant factor in their lives. When a person has anxiety problems, it interferes with their ability to function normally on a daily basis. Anxiety disorder can cause people to feel intense, long-lasting fear or worry, in addition to other symptoms.
Anxiety can actually help you by motivating you to prepare for a big test or by keeping you on your toes in potentially dangerous situations. It’s very important to realise that one should never be seeking a cure for anxiety, as in the total elimination of anxiety from your life. You need anxiety to equip you to get out of the way of real and present danger, to motivate you to do your best in school, work and sporting events.
Understanding Anxiety
Problems with too-high a level of anxiety involving unrealistic fear and worry are very common. It is estimated that that they affect about 16% to 20% of the U.S. population including people of all ages, races and backgrounds with one exception. Women tend to be more likely to have problems with anxiety than men. Either that, or as with all areas of health, they report their issues more than men.
Anxiety is a set of responses which everyone has when they perceive a threat to their safety, that is, when they feel danger. The human body is hardwired to automatically pump adrenaline into our system when danger confronts us. That awareness of a danger signals the involuntary nervous system to send immediate messages throughout the body, to either ‘fight’ (take the situation head on) or ‘flight’ (escape from the situation) or ‘freeze’ (as in a kangaroo caught in the headlights of hunters). This ‘fight, flight or freeze’ response is characterised by:
The anxiety response is essential to deal with dangerous or stressful situations.
However, if this reaction of fear does not subside when the real and present danger is over, it can become an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorder has a significant impact on a person’s life. The person will feel edgey all the time. They react to situations in a fear-filled way, even when the situation is not a threat or a danger. They know at an intellectual level, that their reactions to situations are inappropriate. They know that they are not really in danger. That awareness often means that people with high levels of anxiety criticise themselves for feeling those fears. If you feel fear sometimes amounting to terror, in a crowded restaurant, or at the Mall, or in a lecture theatre at College, it makes sense at one level to avoid those situations. After all, who wants to suffer through mounting feelings of fear? That’s why it’s so important to seek help.
While the first couple of episodes of fear can be tolerated, the way anxiety disorder and panic attacks develop is an ever-repeating cycle of (1) eg fear and panic felt at a concert;(2) next time you’re going to a concert, you anticipate that you might feel that panic again (3) just thinking you might feel it, almost always guarantees that you will. (4) Not surprisingly, you want to escape from the situation and eventually, you (5) start avoiding going to concerts. With the proper therapy, you can learn very quickly and easily how to react in a different way to situations that now make you have panic attacks.
Are You An Overly Anxious Parent?
Being a parent can provide everyone with legitimate moments of worry and even high anxiety. If your child has a high fever, you’d have to be made of concrete not to be anxious, fearful and a bit worried. Many first time parents err on the side of caution with their very young children whose temperature is often due to something as unthreatening as teething. It’s a balancing act. If you’ve raced your two year old to the Emergency Room at the local hospital with a high fever,which immediately dissipates after one dose of paracetamol or aspirin, no one would immediately diagnose you as overly anxious.
If from other symptoms you know that that child is cutting her or his two year old molars and likely to run a fever, then taking that child to the ER with every fever spike ( before administering an aspirin and waiting half an hour, to see if the fever eases) that’s perhaps an indicator that you’re overly anxious. So what? With young children, it’s better to be sure than sorry. Right? Yes. And no. Many of you reading this article will know that the panicky reactions you had to your two year old’s temperature spikes have never really left you.
You worry excessively if your nineteen year old daughter is even half an hour late. You constantly nag (or try to motivate) your adult children about their University assignments. Your adult children keep many things secret from you because they know your reaction will be an over-the-top show of concern. You spend far too many hours worrying and fear-filled about your children’s latest partner: none of whom is ever good enough.
It is normal for parents to worry about their children when they first learn to drive, and it’s even more normal to worry when children don’t come home at an expected time. What I’m referring to here is once again, a matter of degree. When a parent is actually becoming so distressed about an adult child being late that s/he is almost vomiting or getting diarrhea, then we are looking at anxiety which has become dysfunctional. As with all anxiety, it can be conquered.
Author’s Note: This article previously published here.
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Dr Jeannette Kavanagh has a counseling and coaching Practice in Melbourne Australia, to help people find their unique solutions to anxiety and panic attacks. For over two decades, Jeannette has helped thousands of people overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Visit her website http://www.calmingwords.com/ to sign up here for a FREE MP3 Relax on Cue.
Read more articles written by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
How to Treat Your Anxiety and Panic Attacks
January 1, 2011 by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
Filed under Panic Attacks
Next to Depression, one of the most common disorders which affects an estimated 2.4 million people in America alone, is anxiety disorder. Anxiety can manifest as a generalized anxiety, panic attacks, social anxiety and agoraphobia. Anxiety disorder can be mild or so totally disabling that the person is confined to her or his home. All forms of anxiety can be extremely frightening to those who experience it frequently, but many individuals have found comfort in the fact that anxiety disorders can be treated.
What are Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks are a sudden flow of overwhelming anxiety and fear, sometimes amounting to terror, which takes over the individual’s body. During a panic attack, the individual will experience a pounding heart rate, difficulty to breathing and may also experience dizziness and a feeling of nausea. In some cases, the person having an attack may also experience a feeling that they are going crazy or even dying. If left untreated, these episodes of panic can result in panic disorder and other conditions which can make it extremely difficult for the individual to enjoy everyday life. However, effective treatment is available, and as with other conditions, the sooner you seek treatment, the better.
In most cases, an episode of panic will strike out of the blue, without any warning. Often, there seems to be no reason for the panic attacks. They can occur at times where you’re feeling relaxed or even asleep. For many people who experience anxiety, an attack will commonly occur when you are away from home as this is when you will feel less safe and secure. Symptoms can present abruptly and can last for up to thirty minutes. A typical attack of panic fuelled by adrenaline will usually see the symptoms reach their full potential within ten minutes.
Symptoms Of A Panic Episode
The main symptoms are:
Someone who has experienced one or two panic attacks will continue to live their life without any further attacks. However, in other cases, people find that through their panic attacks they have entered what we call the panic attack cycle. That cycle includes:
Agoraphobia
When someone allows that fear of the next attack of fear to take hold, they can develop agoraphobia which means fear of the marketplace, or intense fear about being away from home. People with agoraphobia fear having a panic attack in places where they’ve had them in the past and where they feel it’s difficult to escape the situation. Places such as concert halls, Malls, sports stadiums, going to school meetings, attending lectures at College – these can all trigger fear. It is for this reason that people with agoraphobia choose to remain at home as much as possible. Home is where they feel most safe.
However frightening it may be for someone to experience any of these conditions, there is security in knowing that they can be treated. The most effective treatment is called Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). It works by focusing on the thinking patterns which trigger an anxiety and panic attacks. This helps the individual to look at their fears more closely, and changing their reaction to those thoughts.
If you currently suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, you are not alone. Nor are panic attacks something you have to endure for the rest of your life. There are many proven ways to treat all forms of anxiety disorder. By learning about the condition itself and the reasons why you experience the panic attacks, you’ll be on the journey out of anxiety and panic attacks back to a normal life once again.
Article also published here.
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Dr Jeannette Kavanagh has a counseling and coaching Practice in Melbourne Australia, to help people find their unique solutions to anxiety and panic attacks. For over two decades, Jeannette has helped thousands of people overcome anxiety and panic attacks. Visit her website http://www.calmingwords.com/ to sign up here for a FREE MP3 Relax on Cue.
Read more articles written by Dr Jeannette Kavanagh
What is Panic Disorder
July 5, 2010 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
View more Panic Disorder Videos from Mental.HealthGuru.com
View more Panic Disorder Videos from Mental.HealthGuru.com
View more Panic Disorder Videos from Mental.HealthGuru.com
Herbal Remedies for Anxiety and Panic Attacks
December 11, 2009 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
Many people have touted the effectiveness of herbal remedies to alleviate anxiety and panic attacks. However, when it comes to using alternative methods for treating health-related matters, it’s useful to understand the advantages and disadvantages.
Althought many users have claimed that herbal remedies for anxiety can be as highly effective as psychotropic medications and without causing any side effect, these methods have not been approved by the FDA as there is still lack of scientific evidence. Most of the positive results are based on users’ experiences. And different people may also experience different experience.
If you have decided to try herbal remedies for anxiety and panic attacks; we suggest you to inform your doctor first. Ask your doctor to share his or her thoughts on alternative methods for treating anxiety. If you’re currently taking any prescribed medication or other herbal remedies, you also must inform your doctor about it.
Informing and communicating with your doctor is a necessary precaution to avoid undesirable result especially if you’re currently under a medical prescription. This is to ensure that the herbal remedies you’ll be taking do not interact negatively with your medications. Interaction of medications can produce undesirable side effects and can be dangerous to your health as well.
Some of the popular herbal medications for alleviating anxiety and panic attacks include:
• Saint John’s Wort
This herb has been used for centuries to treat mental disorders and as a sedative as well. It acts as a mood stabilizer as well as an antidepressant. For those who suffer anxiety disorder, this herb can be taken everyday to help balance your stress levels and help manage your feelings or moods more effectively. You need to this herb for at least a month before you begin to see improvement.
One disadvantage of St. John’s Wort herb is that it may interact with some drugs. The herb may speed or slow a drug’s breakdown.
• Valerian
A soothing herb that has long been used for sleep disorders and anxiety, this can be taken at bedtime or at any time of the day when you are beginning to feel a little anxious. This herb has also been used for depression, headaches and irregular heartbeat.
A known disadvantage of valerian is that it may cause some mild side effects such as dizziness, stomach upset, and feeling fatigue in the morning.
• Passion Flower
Passion Flower is a natural plant-based supplement that is used as a mild sedative and sleep aid. It also helps to reduce restlessness, anxiety, and nervousness.
Passion Flower has a disadvantage of causing allergic reaction. Some symptoms of allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, dizziness, trouble breathing. Seek medical attention if you think you’ve an allergic reaction from this herb.
• Chamomile
This herb is effective for treating anxiety, sleeplessness and gastrointestinal conditions such as upset stomach and diarrhea. Chamomile is also used topically to treat mouth ulcers. There is a reason why chamomile tea is used before bed. It helps to soothe your stress and manage your anxiety.
Disadvantage: There are reports of rare allergic reactions in people who come into contact with chamomile herbs. Some of the symptoms include skin rashes, throat swelling and shortness of breath.
The above is by no means the complete list of herbal remedies for anxiety and panic attacks. They are just some popular herbs or natural supplements used to alleviate anxiety, stress and panic attacks.
There are many tips and successful techniques you can learn at our site how to curb anxiety and stop panic attacks.
How Relaxation Techniques Play An Important Role In Treating Anxiety Disorders?
December 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
Anxiety attacks had always been common among working population, but with changing lifestyle and personal expectations of people anxiety is today a disorder found among every other person. With medicine being a prominent solution for every other disorder people often tend to spend large amount of bucks on their hospital bills, but not many know that it is always possible to treat such strokes of fear, tension or worries by following simple and safe relaxation techniques.
Relaxation with anxiety disorders plays a vital role, a role as important as any other medication, all because of the safe and beneficial principles of various relaxation techniques.
Before understanding how the equation of relaxation with anxiety disorders works, it is important to have an idea about the benefits and purpose of following various relaxation techniques. Relaxation is more or less a spiritual as well as non spiritual way to control the internal disturbance of a body and mind. Most of these relaxation techniques are designed to control the stressful and unstable mind as well as to heel the weary outlook of a body. Anxiety being a condition where a body is nervous and mind is under panic or excessive tensed situation, thus by simply controlling a disturbed mind with relaxation one can always treat those anxiety disorders or attacks.
Relaxation in itself is of various types, but each of these different relaxation techniques are based on one common purpose to benefit mind and body with peace, strength, stamina and calmness.
Relaxation with anxiety disorders is the best way to come over those panic strokes and attacks of angst. One such example of relaxation techniques heeling anxiety is, the fact that deep relaxation involves physiological changes in a person causing a decrease in respiration rate, heart rate, skeletal muscle tension, metabolic rate and analytic thinking.
Relaxation with anxiety disorders helps in overcoming its symptoms like nausea, headaches, irritation, shortness of breath, increased heartbeat, sweating and palpitation, suffocation, chest pain, dizziness, fear, tremors and nervousness.
Since anxiety is more of a mental and physiological disorder, therefore some of the most common relaxation techniques that are well designed to relieve a body of its anxiety disorders are meditation, yoga, ample sleep and good diet. When you experience attacks of anxiety with any of the symptoms mentioned the first thing to do is control your breathing, which can be done by either meditation or yoga. When you feel too much tension and inability to feel or think anything, it is always better to rest the over burdened brain.
Another quick relaxation technique is breathing exercise, when feeling stressed and anxious while working the best thing to do is take a break and then work on your breathing. Out of many big relaxation techniques, this breathing exercise is the easiest and works the best, as all you need to do is your eyes (you can lie down or can sit somewhere comfortably) and breathe slow and deep. By simply following this technique of relaxation with anxiety disorders for 15-20 minutes (or 10 minutes if you do not have that much time to spend), you tend to control your mind and calm it down. Breathing exercise is one those instant techniques that work with sudden attacks of anxiety, another thing to be done when feeling such sudden symptoms is to drink water, possible cold water.
No doubt, today there are dozens of good medicines and drugs available out in the market claiming to treat and some actually treating the hyper and anxiety disorders, but in many cases anxiety is all about the emotional state of the mind and thus can be best treated with relaxation techniques. Relaxation with anxiety disorders is not just capable of overcoming physical weakness, but also has the power to control or balance the emotions experienced by the body.
Some of the other relaxation techniques synchronizing relaxation with anxiety disorders for its treatment aroma therapy, aromatherapy, progressive muscle relaxation and visualization. Right diet and right amount of sleep are two important relaxation factors that act as both the precaution and the treatment. If you are sleeping for a comfortable 7 to 8 hours and eating the nutritious, balanced, healthy and fried less diet chances are you will not become a victim of any of the anxiety symptoms. Also, if you experience or have an anxiety disorder make sure that you eat food that is less oily, with more of vegetables and is not processed. Try not to have tea or coffee, as they are possible triggers of mood change and many other anxiety symptoms.
Relaxation techniques are simple methods to calm down an unbalanced mind and to refresh or rejuvenate an exhausted body, its no magic simple science. Thus, if you are someone being troubled with anxiety disorders three things you need to do is consult a doctor, take the medication (if prescribed) and follow relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, sleep well and eat good.
Natural Remedies for Anxiety and Panic Disorders
December 10, 2009 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
Because a lot of people today do not like taking medications for their disorders, they often opt for alternate medication for their anxiety. This includes aromatherapy, acupuncture, herbal supplements and meditation. These will work well if the anxiety is not severe and there is no severe underlying depression that is causing the anxiety or panic disorder.
We all get anxious once in a while – we wouldn’t be human if we did not have some anxiety in our lives. But some people have extreme anxiety while others have mild anxiety. The difference would be someone who suffered frequent anxiety attacks caused by an underlying condition such as obsessive compulsive disorder or panic disorder. These conditions cannot be mixed with those who suffer from anxiety over taking a math test.
In cases where the anxiety is not as severe to the point where it is stopping someone from doing their every day business, they may try alternate means of treatment before they resort to medications. Some of the alternate means of treatment include:
Herbal supplements
Kava , St. John’s Wort, Valerian and Sam-e are all herbal remedies that have been known to quell minor anxiety and depression. Kava has a very calming effect and can be taken a few days a week to help with minor anxiety. St. John’s Wort is better in treating depression, that often accompanies anxiety. Valerian and Sam-e of the newest herbal supplements that have shown promise in helping with anxiety attacks. However, you should not take these supplements along with prescription remedies and if you find that they are not helping you, you should talk to your doctor about another option. These herbal supplements are made for those with mild to moderate anxiety and depression and not for those with severe disorders.
Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the anxiety healing art of inhaling infused oils that will get into your bloodstream and cure whatever ails you. Aromatherapy can also be used when mixed with other oils as a massage oil. Many people swear by this type of treatment in that it does them wonders. Again, this type of alternative therapy is made for those who have mild to moderate forms of anxiety or depression.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture is a way that some people use to rid themselves of all sorts of problems, including anxiety and depression. Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years and can help heal aches, pains and even headaches. Some people who suffer from depression or anxiety swear by this healing method which has its roots in ancient China.
Meditation
Meditation is yet another way that you can help yourself overcome your anxiety attacks. Meditation is something that has been around for thousands of years and is often associated with Hinduism or Buddhism. But it is also very good for finding peace of mind when you are trying to relax. You can take a class in meditation or you can watch a DVD to learn how to master this ancient eastern practice.
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Home Exercises for Anxiety: 4 Proven Exercises for Reducing the Symptoms of Anxiety
December 6, 2009 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
Do you have anxiety or panic attacks? Do you find that although you have anxiety, medication is not for you? Or maybe you are taking medication but want to supplement with some home exercises for anxiety to get even better results?
There are many things you can do at home to relieve your anxiety symptoms, reduce your anxiety or even prevent it. The number one key to treating or eliminating anxiety is relaxation, and the University of Michigan Health Center has released as guide explaining both why you need to learn to relax and how to do it.
The guide talks about the relaxation response; defined as “your personal ability to make your body release chemicals and brain signals that make your muscles and organs slow down and increases blood flow to the brain.” Drugs can to a certain extent help you achieve this, but did you know you have the ability to do it yourself without the help of drugs?
There are several different ways to achieve the relaxation response, but it’s important to understand what it is before we go into the how. When I talk about relaxation as a home exercise for anxiety, I’m not talking about taking a nap or relaxing on the couch. The relaxation we’re aiming for is a state where your body is relaxed while your mind is still alert.
Examples of relaxation techniques that you can use as home exercises for anxiety are meditation, yoga, deep breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation and visual imagery. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel your anxiety evaporating immediately as you start practicing your relaxation; all of these are techniques that can be taught, and the more you practice them the better results you’ll get.
So how exactly do these home exercises for anxiety work, and which one’s the most effective? According to the University of Michigan Health Center, there is no indication that any of these techniques are superior to the rest; they all work and you can practice one, some or all of them. It’s up to you to figure out which ones suit you better.
Meditation
There are a lot of different types of meditation that can help you, but practicing mindful meditation seems to be the one that has the best results on anxiety. Mindful meditation is about being completely present in the moment. When you use mindful meditation as a home exercise for anxiety, try to not focus on anything but what is happening right this second. Focus on a word or a phrase like “peace” or “I am very relaxed”, and repeat it to yourself over and over. If you have a hard time using words, you can try counting slowly or focusing on your breath. If you notice that you are “spacing” or that your mind is wondering off, just gently reel yourself back in by focusing on you “mantra” or your breath.
Yoga
Yoga is also about being present in the moment. There are many different styles of yoga, and you can get DVD’s for a guided yoga class in your own home. If you are completely new to yoga, I will recommend that you attend a beginner’s yoga class to learn to do the postures correctly. This will help you get more out of your home exercises for anxiety, and you will learn to avoid injury.
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation may sound complicated, but it’s really not. It’s simply put a series of exercises where you tense your muscles before you gradually relax them. The “science” behind this technique is that people with a lot of stress and anxiety in their life tend to have tense muscles even when they are resting. By tensing the muscles one area at a time and then relaxing, your muscles will not only go back to the state they were in before you tensed them, they will be more relaxed.
Visual Imagery
Visual Imagery is all about using your own imagination to distract yourself from your anxiety. If you experience bad anxiety, you may not initially believe that using your imagination can be one of the really effective home exercises for anxiety, but it really can. Visual Imagery is not just about imagining things, it about using certain techniques to activate all you senses while you are visualizing. It can take a little bit of practice to get into the visual Imagery technique, but when you do, you learn to focus all your concentration inward on your imagery and it’s a quick and easy way to beat anxiety and panic.
Deep Breathing
Deep breathing is not the same as a lot of breathing. When people are stressed or anxious they tend to breathe a lot of short shallow breaths. According to the University of Pittsburg Medical Center, shallow and fast breathing into our upper chest creates short restless brainwaves. Deep breaths into the abdomen and not just the chest creates longer, slower brainwaves, similar to the ones we have when we feel relaxed. Practicing deep breathing techniques is an easy and very effective home exercise for anxiety.
All About Anxiety and Anxiety Attacks
November 29, 2009 by admin
Filed under Panic Attacks
Where does anxiety come from, and how can you control it? If you suffer from anxiety, you will find several tips below to help you live a more productive and happy life.
Anxiety attacks can happen to anyone. If you are under a great deal of stress for any reason, you may easily suffer from an attack. Oftentimes, people who are experiencing difficulty with family or friend relationships — such as problems with marriage or parents — suffer from anxiety. Some people suffer from anxiety that is caused by problems or unhappiness with a job, a boss, or a co-worker. Some people stress about health or money issues. No matter what the problem stems from, one thing is for certain: anxiety can be extremely difficult to deal with.
What happens when you have an anxiety attack?
When you have an anxiety attack, you may experience a shortness of breath. You may begin to sweat. You may feel numb, or you may have a sense of extreme panic. You may develop a rapid heart rate and find that you can’t breathe well. If you have an anxiety attack, it is important to get it under control. You can do so by practicing breathing exercises or taking medications. Let’s look at some other steps that you can take to get your anxiety under wraps.
How do you live a normal life and get your anxiety attacks under control?
You should be aware of a several things if you want to live a normal life and deal properly with your anxiety. In the first place, if your anxiety is severe enough, you can take a prescription anti-anxiety medication to help you. Anti-anxiety medication is prescribed by a qualified mental health professional such as a psychologist or even a family doctor who knows your medical history very well. Some anti-anxiety medications that may be prescribed include Valium, Xanax, and Ativan. It is of utmost importance that your doctor or mental health professional monitor your usage of these drugs. This is due to the fact that they can be very addicting or cause a large variety of side effects, based on your body’s chemistry. Your doctor or mental health professional will make sure that you are administering your medication correctly and are getting benefits from it.
Oftentimes, just having a person to talk to can help you deal with your anxiety. Talking to others can help to take your mind off of your anxiousness. It can also help you to bond with others and make connections that will help you through any panic attacks you may have in the future. Laughing, joking, and just talking to family and friends can make a world of difference when it comes to controlling panic attacks. Being around positive people promotes a sense of well-being and happiness.
Exercise is one other thing that you can do to improve your mental state. Exercise helps to increase the seratonin levels in your brain’s chemistry. These seratonin levels enhance a sense of well-being. Finding an exercise routine and sticking to it will enable you to better your day-to-day anxiety levels. It will also help you to feel better about yourself and your body in general.
So, if you suffer from any for of anxiety, follow some of these tips and life will seem mush easier and happier!
