What is Anxiety?
Anxiety can be a normal reaction to
stress and pressure. The apprehension before an important meeting, or the stress of meeting a deadline normally can be a positive form of motivation. In general it helps us to cope with the everyday demands of life, however, high levels of
anxiety can have a debilitating effect.
Psychiatrists tend to take a varied approach to
anxiety disorders. However they mainly put it into three different categories which are:
General anxiety
Panic disorders
Phobias.
If there is a difficult or stressful situation in one area of life such as at home, that anxiety can spill over into other areas of life such as at work. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is another form of
anxiety that a person can carry with them all the time. The fear of experiencing the same trauma again such as an act of physical or psychological assault can lead to very high levels of
anxiety.
Symptoms
People with General Anxiety may find that they:
- Experience restlessness,
- Are easily tired
- Have trouble concentrating
- Are irritable
- Have muscle tension
- Experience sleep problems
People with Panic Disorders may experience more severe symptoms such as
Palpitations
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Sense of choking
Chest pain
Nausea or other stomach upset
Dizziness
Numbness or tingling
Chills or hot flashes
People with Phobic disorders may experience:
Intense, persistent, and recurring fear of certain objects (such as snakes, spiders, or blood) or situations (suchas heights, speaking in front of a group, or public places
Terror- A persistent and overwhelming fear of the object or situation.
Physical Symptoms- Dizziness, shaking, palpitations.
Obsessive Thoughts- Difficulty thinking about anything other than the fear.
Desire to Flee- An intense instinct to leave the situation.
Anticipatory Anxiety- Persistent worrying about upcoming events that involve the phobic object or situation.
Treatments
Treatments of anxiety vary to the severity of the individual’s anxiety. Either or both medication and psychotherapy can be used. Typical medication includes the use of anti depressants and sedatives. Psychotherapy treatments include cognitive or behavioural psychotherapy such as encouraging patients who have phobias to face their fears.
A healthy diet and regular exercise can be a very effective way to control anxiety. Avoiding too much caffeine such as in tea or coffee or in soft drinks can make a big difference. Gentle aerobic exercise that gets the heart pumping can also increase your body’s well being and prevents depression and anxiety taking over.
The most important thing to remember is that anxiety can be treated and that simply asking for help can be the biggest step in overcoming it.
For further information on anxiety and stress management you may like to visit the following links:
Anxiety help for your child
Cycling Clubs
Tragerwork
Stress Management
Hypnotherapy
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