Anxiety Relief Can Be A Reality
Alleviating anxiety is something that we all should learn how to do. Anxiety can show up in many different ways. You may not even know that is what is going on inside of your body. Anxiety can cause your blood pressure to rise or your heart to beat more rapidly than it normally would for no obvious reason.
You may get pains in your stomach or a headache that is so painful that you will wonder if you should go to your doctor immediately. Your breathing will escalate and a thousand thoughts will race through your mind. You may even feel as though you are about to lose consciousness or pass out on the floor. Your entire body, from head to feet, will be affected by this feeling.
The most critical aspect of dealing with severe anxiety is that you should realize that you are not alone. Millions of people deal with constant anxiety and find that when they ask for help, they learn how to deal with this very terrifying feeling. They also learn that they are not dealing with a severe or rare type of mental illness that cannot be treated. They realize that they are suffering from a relatively common condition.
There are many different types of anxiety and anxiety disorders. For example, many people feel anxious or stressed when they have an important meeting or when their supervisor asks them to come into the office and they are not sure why. These are completely normal feelings that will affect nearly everyone at one point in their lives or another.
The root cause of anxiety is often found deep within the body in what is known as our danger centre. You will get the feeling that you must fight or flee. You probably have heard this response referred to as fight or flight response.
The fight or flight response is actually a defensive instinct that everyone is born with and excess adrenaline production is often caused by anxiety. This is the reason why people can often do amazing and superhuman feats. Now that you understand how severe anxiety affects your body, we’ll check out how people can work on alleviating their anxiety levels.
You must realize that you will not always be able to stop your anxiety when it strikes. Instead, you should try to respond how you respond to the anxiety you feel. In other words, you can try to stop the way anxiety affects you. If you are in the middle of a very stressful event and are able to take a break, you should go for it.
Get away from the stressful experience, the annoying person or even the frightening thoughts and do something else for a little while. Give yourself permission to take a break from the anxiety. Doing this can dramatically lower your stress and anxiety levels.
Do whatever you can to simplify your life and alleviate anxiety. A complicated life brings more anxiety. If you currently have a stressful lifestyle where there is a lot of daily chaos because life seems to occur all around you, you will need to put up some stop signs.
Don’t rush all around in the mornings frantically trying to get everything ready for your day. This is a very stressful way to live. Instead, get everything ready the night before. Pick out your clothes for the next day. Lay everything in a place where you can easily find them. Just doing this one simple thing will take a lot of pressure off you.
Create a list of everything that you need to get accomplished. A list will help you stay on track and break your life down to a more manageable and predictable level. If you keep up with your to-do lists, you will notice a reduction in your severe anxiety.
Alleviating anxiety techniques can vary from person to person. Some anxiety sufferers find it is helpful to buy some self-help books or systems. Others require the use of medication and therapy to alleviate anxiety.
You may have to try several different things before you figure out what works best to alleviate your anxiety. Whatever works for you, know that you will not have to live with severe anxiety controlling your life.
A Few Steps To Great Anxiety Relief
Are you suffering from anxiety throughout the day? Do you find yourself in unpredictable situations that cause you to enter a “flight or fight” mode without a second thought? You may need to practice anxiety relief techniques listed below to handle this life-irritant.
For instance, take some time to yourself to break the mould causing these uncomfortable feelings. An open-minded approach, nature, and counselling services may be the keys to experiencing a more fulfilling lifestyle.
1. Open-Minded Approach
What are the best ways for you to relax? Some people suggest exercising three times a week, while others suggest taking medicines. Some experts recommend writing in a journal to relieve your stress for the ultimate gain on anxiety relief. Your journal will play a vital part in watching your development into a stronger individual to conquer to stresses you experience in everyday life.
Other ways to tap into your understanding of the anxiety is by relieving the tension within your soul. As we are all different individuals, our approach will be different in many ways. Finding the niche for you to tap into requires a bit of trial and error dynamics, but the real solution may be available for you with no problem.
2. Natural Exhibition
Tap into nature for a better perspective of your life. Sit in a garden and observe an ant community environment. They work together, some have roles they must play, and they do not worry about others. If you need anxiety relief, nature is the answer for most of our problems. Imagine living the life of a bird; no work environment to foster, possibility of losing your flock (or family), and instinctive behaviour. Would you like to live a life such as this?
Relieve yourself from anxiety by placing yourself in the mindset of a free person with no responsibilities. This kind of lifestyle may seem tempting since you are already experiencing stress and anxiety from your daily demands. On the other hand, it may not be as fulfilling in the end.
3. Counsellor Services
Measuring the consequences of living a fruitful life could open your eyes to why you are the way you are. The issues you are experiencing can hinder the route you take in finding anxiety relief in counselling services or other means. Counsellors are available to suggest other methods of understanding your anxiety.
Anxiety relief workshops may be available at the local centre in your city. Contact the community centres and other community college counselling services to inquire. Their methods may include exercises to tap into your energy levels and tag the perfect techniques for you.
Be sure to personalize whatever you learn – it helps to do it the way you want to. As tried-and-true techniques do exists, you can never reap benefits better than knowing yourself.
Anti Anxiety Medication Can Offer Just Temporary Relief
There are various types of anti anxiety medication because drugs are usually the first to make use of whenever suffering from an intense and unpredicted panic attack. However, tranquilizers don’t provide a cure for the health problem and they have the disadvantage of producing all sorts of side effects.
Here are some of the unpleasant and at times paradoxical adverse responses related with the administration of anti-anxiety medication in general. Even though the major benefit from their usage consists of the relaxation of the nerves, too much calming can make the person feel tired even if you will need alertness.
Slow reflexes, poor dexterity and fatigue are the anti-anxiety medication unwanted effects caused from the drugs preventing some particular chemical release within the brain. Some people also complain about dizziness, confusion, disorientation and impaired thinking, not to mention the impossibility to drive or operate machines.
The extensive use of anti-anxiety medication can also cause depression in very severe forms that push one on the verge of suicide. Drugs do eliminate the anxiety discomfort, but they also make it impossible for the sufferer to experience pain or pleasure thus affecting the quality of life in very many ways.
There are also a few unexplained paradoxes in some individual’s reactions following the usage of anti-anxiety medication. For instance, the use of tranquilizers is aimed at inducing relaxation and calm, but in specific cases medications can increase the turmoil and the irritability level. Plus, mania, hostility and even rage have been noticed in some cases.
The severest forms of side effects include hallucinations and aggressive behaviours, which, although rare, remain very dangerous. The majority of paradoxical reactions to anti-anxiety medications are usually encountered with the elderly and children, as well as with patients with developmental disabilities.
Consequently, picking the therapy to stop anxiety attacks effectively and also supplementing it along with some other type of therapy signify important phases to the patient’s complete recovery, and thus ought to be considered as priorities for almost any treatment program or strategy.
Anti-anxiety medication only eliminates or alleviates symptoms without restoring the medical problem in any way. The factor or the problem that generates the panic attacks remains lurking at the back of the mind, in some way hidden, and once the medical treatment is stopped, anxiety will be back all over again.
Consequently, all the treatment efforts need to be focused in the direction of attacking anxiety and depression by appropriate analysis and detection of the factors guiding the disorder.
15 Coping Measures To Relieve Your Stress
Here are 15 healthy positive coping skill exercises you should incorporate as habits in your life for relieving stress. Print them out and then post them in an area you will see while having a stressful episode.
You may find the exercise that works best for you by reading this list one-by-one. Rather than practicing any type of hurtful behaviour while you are trying to cope with stress, try practicing some of the exercises as a healthy alternative. You can use these 15 coping skills exercises to help you redirect your mind away from any crisis you are presently experiencing.
Healthy Alternatives For Coping With Depression Or Anxiety
1. Change your surroundings. Go for a long walk at the mall, on walking trails or at the park.
2. Make yourself feel better by listening to some feel good music that can lift your spirits. Avoid angry music, since it stimulates the negative feelings you are trying to overcome.
3. Call/text/email a SUPPORTIVE friend or family member. I emphasis supportive! When coping with anxiety attacks, sometimes friends and family members think they are helping us, but really they are hurting us. Find that special person you can trust.
4. Make yourself laugh, by watching your favourite comedy movie, DVD or video. You might collect some of your favourite funny shows when you are suffering through a stressful episode. Then sit down and watch them as you laugh your troubles away.
5. Have a special treat. Treat yourself to something special when you are feeling down in the dumps. This can help you feel better as well as create a happy moment for you.
6. Take yourself and a friend out to eat. You can treat yourself and a friend to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Ensure that the friend you do take is supportive and someone you can trust and then enjoy each other’s company.
7. Play a game of cards or a board game by yourself or with others such as family or friends. You may even enjoy playing a computer game to help redirect your mind from that which is upsetting.
8. Read a good NON-THERAPY book/novel. I spent so much time reading therapy books; I forgot the joy of being transported to another time or place by reading a good non-therapy book. You need to give yourself permission to take a “therapy” break.
9. Get your feelings out by journaling or drawing. This is an all time favourite of many individuals. You can write anything you feel or the experiences you are going through. You can choose to keep it private or you may want to share it in therapy. Drawing is a great release. You may want to get your own colour crayons or pencils to work with.
10. Take time with your pet. If you have a pet, you can enjoy their feelings of unconditional love towards you. Sit with your pet or play with your pet. Take your canine companion for a walk, listen to the purring of your cat or watch the tranquil activity of your fish.
11. Ride a bike and get some exercise and relaxation. There are hidden trails that you may wish to travel just to get away from it all. Allow these trails to transport you to a more peaceful atmosphere. Take in the wonderful sights and sounds of the natural world around you.
12. You can exercise your depression or anxiety away by joining a gym. This helps to change your surroundings, while doing something good and healthy for yourself.
13. Do volunteer work. I did this at my local hospital and I felt so useful again. Not only was I doing something for myself, but I was helping others at the same time.
14. Join an online or local support group. I tried this, but it proved too overwhelming for me. Only you can be the judge of this suggestion. I would give it a try and really listen to your voice inside as to if it will hurt or help you.
15. Work a puzzle. You can work on a puzzle either alone or with friends and family. Puzzles are always fun activities. You may want a small one you can complete in one sitting or you may prefer a large puzzle that you can return to time and time again.
These are just a few strategies for coping with stress. Write down some ideas of your own. Write them down, because you cannot think clearly when you are in that moment. It really helps!
Anxiety Treatment: Natural Remedy For Relief
Anxiety is a disorder that can wreak havoc on a person’s life. Many people who deal with anxiety have difficulty functioning in their day to day normal activities. There are many options that can help you treat anxiety that include medication, psychotherapy, and natural alternatives.
One way to treat anxiety naturally is through exercise. Studies have shown that exercise can lessen the symptoms of anxiety and perk up your mood. Exercise benefits you physically and mentally in many ways.
When you exercise your body releases brain chemicals that can help reduce depression. Exercise also reduces chemicals in your immune system that can actually make the effects of anxiety worse. The increase of temperature in your body during exercise has been shown to have a soothing effect.
Exercise is a great way to boost your confidence, distract you from your problems, and provide an outlet to interact socially with other people.
Massage therapy is another form of natural treatment for anxiety. Massage therapy helps you to get rid of emotional pressures that are related to anxiety. The techniques used in massage therapy help to rid your body of tension that causes your muscles to become stiff and also boosts the flow of oxygen all over your body.
Yoga has become an increasingly popular way of naturally providing relief from anxiety. The purpose of yoga is to reach unification of your body, mind, spirit, and universe. The practice of yoga has been around for thousands of years.
Yoga incorporates a variety of postures that require you to breathe, focus, meditate, observe, restrain, and absorb. There are a variety of different types of yoga that include Hatha, Kundalini, Bikram, Kripalu, Viniyoga, Iyengar, and Ashtanga. Each type of yoga provides a different benefit to your body and has been proven to improve your overall mental and physical well-being.
Aromatherapy is another natural treatment choice among many people that suffer from anxiety. Aromatherapy is based on holistic medicine and seeks to heal not only your body but the mind with fragrances that are plant based. The purpose of aromatherapy is to help a person regain physical, mental, and spiritual balance.
Aromatherapy treatment incorporates the use of a wide variety of oils. Some of the more common oils used in aromatherapy are lavender, sage, vanilla, ginger, ylang ylang, and rosemary.
Massage therapy provides an outlet to help reduce stress and increase relaxation. There are a variety of different types of massage that can help you find relief from anxiety. These types include relaxation massage, reiki massage, and rolfing.
Herbal medicines are another form of natural treatment for anxiety. Anxiety creates emotions of supposed dangers or threats to you. Your body’s natural reaction is to “fight or flee”. As a result, anxiety causes you to have a physical and emotional reaction. Herbal medicines can reduce or eliminate many of the physical and emotional reactions you experience as a result of anxiety.
One widely used herbal medicine is Valerian Root which acts as a gentle sedative. Studies have shown this root provides a calming effect and lessens the symptoms of anxiety. Lemon balm is another herbal medicine that has many benefits in treating anxiety. Lemon balm has been shown to diminish heart palpitation, get rid of headaches, and even decrease your blood pressure.
Great Strategies On How To Relieve Stress – Dealing With Anxiety Stress
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but that doesn’t mean it has to take over your life. Bear in mind that stress can actually hurt your health if it goes unchecked. The following paragraphs contain a number of successful ideas you can apply to contain the stress in your life.
Plan ahead today in whatever you can, and the feeling of a lighter burden and less stress will amaze you the next morning. Everything that happens day by day can cause stress, so plan ahead to save time and stress.
You can relax by taking time to exercise. It is not a quick fix, but it is an ongoing way to make life better and gives you something to look forward to tomorrow. Exercise eases stress and gives you self confidence. You will feel better and more in control of your life.
Since stress can come from so many different sources in our lives, it is important for you to identify the causes of your worst stress. It’s not possible to eliminate all stresses, however, removing those that can be is important. You’ll feel better in no time.
Living a less stressful life is not as impossible as you think it is. Figure out what is causing the stress in your life and then try your best to avoid these situations.
Drinking some tea is an excellent way to reduce stress. There are many varieties of tea that help with stress, such as chamomile or kava kava. Steep the tea for about ten minutes to achieve the maximum strength from the herbs. Enjoy a steaming cup of tea every morning or immediately before bedtime.
Spearmint oil can be used as a stress reduction method. When you are feeling a bit overburdened, just place a small bit on your temples as well as your neck. Small things like homeopathic treatments may have a huge effect on your stress levels.
Stand next to a stationary wall, put your hands up against it and push really hard, keeping your feet pressed into the floor. The stretching and exertion of your hamstrings can relieve stress.
If you’re romantically involved, go for a candlelit dinner with your loved one. This will focus your attention on the one you love so that you can enjoy yourself for the moment and not worry about past and future events.
An excellent method of lessening stress and feeling better is to have a relaxing bath. Adding some bath oil or burning some scented candles nearby will make the experience feel more luxurious. Optimize your relaxation efforts by bringing along a good book or playing soothing music. A relaxing soak is very effective in resting your body and brain, as well was letting go of stress.
To avoid encountering stressful mishaps, prepare ahead of time for things that might go wrong. Keep a spare car key on you in case you get locked out of your car, have some small snacks at work, and always have a backup plan for whatever you are doing. It pays to be prepared when it comes to reducing and eliminating stress in your life.
Apply this advice, reduce your stress level, and live happier and healthier. Stress will impact both your mental and physical health if you let it. Don’t let it! Your life will improve when you can reduce your stress.
Improving Both Body And Mind For Stress Relief
Exercise is important, and so is education and learning. They keep the body and mind fit and active, promoting good health. As beneficial as these may be, it’s sometimes difficult to make time for everything. Has the focus of your efforts been on either your body or mind, but not both?
If so, it’s certainly good to know that you can keep both your mind and body fit, and it’s easier than you may have imagined.
It’s important to make a commitment of time and energy, even if the time you can devote to this endeavour is short. Lives are busy, and people have to pursue the things that matter most to them. You should do the same. Just avoid doing it at the expense of your health and happiness. Balance is needed in all areas of life for optimum enjoyment.
Ways To Improve Your Body
If going to the gym or enduring long exercise routines is what you think of when you consider improving your body, you’ll be glad to discover that there are many other ways to work plenty of exercise into your schedule. For a super-quick workout and a good energy boost, you can also: • Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park farther away from the store.
- Run and play with your children or pets.
- Walk around the block after work or after dinner.
- Walk in place or move around while watching TV.
- Clean a room. Cleaning burns a lot of calories.
Besides these activities, there are plenty of other ways to get the exercise you need so you can take good care of your body. Be creative. Any activity can provide a good workout as long as you’re moving!
Focus on what you can do in just a few minutes a day, to improve your body. Can you sit up straighter? Can you lose those stubborn five pounds you’ve wanted to get rid of? Can you smile more? Of course you can!
In addition, simple things like your posture and the expression on your face can go a long way toward how others see you, and how you see yourself, as well. Even if your body shape or size doesn’t change, it can look drastically different, giving you more self-esteem and happiness.
Improving your body is easy if you keep the right attitude and take small steps in the beginning. Even little changes can make a big difference.
Ways To Improve Your Mind
New experiences and learning new things on a daily basis are great ways to challenge and improve your mind. Your brain needs to be stimulated, and there are many ways to give it what it craves. If you’re looking for ways to improve your mind and have fun at the same time, consider these options:
- Take a class on something you find interesting.
- Learn a foreign language.
- Do crosswords, word jumbles, or Sudoku puzzles.
- Read a challenging, interesting book.
- Research online in an area you’ve always been fascinated with.
- Write a short story, book, or play, or start keeping a journal each day.
- Pray or meditate.
There’s nothing wrong with watching TV or just relaxing, but avoid making that the only thing you do when you’re not at work. Instead, see the value in your time and use it to become even better, happier, and more fulfilled than you are now.
It’s easy to get started, and you shouldn’t worry about doing it all at once. It’s just you, setting your own schedule. The most important thing is to take that first step and get started. Once you do that, you’ll move forward into improving your body and mind and creating the life you really want and deserve!
Anxiety Disorder and Stress
Let us see what anxiety disorder is and how it is related to stress. While they are not the same, there are a lot of similarities between them and, therefore, often we could use the same approaches to deal with them.
Anxiety Disorder vs. Normal Anxiety. What’s the difference?
Each of us could be anxious about something at different times. If you have exams, compete in a sport event, or learning to drive a car, there is a high chance that you feel some anxiety. It is perfectly normal to have worries and anxiety about some problems or life situations with somewhat unknown outcome. Anxiety is just one of stress symptoms. It mobilizes your internal resources when you need them to reach you goal, to protect yourself or to avoid some undesirable situation.
However, anxiety disorder is different. First, it is extreme anxiety. Next, it is improper anxiety, it is overreaction. Actual reasons could be negligible or even absent, but anxiety is severe and could last for long time. In addition, it could be really painful and overwhelming for your body and mind. Finally, it disables you and imposes various limitations on your life.
Anxiety disorder is a mental illness.
Have you noticed any similarities between good stress (eustress) / bad stress (distress) and normal anxiety / anxiety disorder? What is interesting about this disorder? You could have a perfect understanding that your anxiety is completely irrational and yet, you are not able to do anything with this.
Some Facts and Numbers
1. Anxiety disorders affect 40 million of Americans ages 18 and older, which is about 18% of the country population. This is the most widespread mental illness in United States.
2. The medical cost for these disorders is comparable with the cost for the depression, with 54% of the cost associated with non-psychiatric medical care of physical complaints.
3. Anxiety disorders typically affect more women than men (except Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Social Phobia)
4. Rates of detection of this illness in primary care are low. About 50% of patients with these disorders remain untreated in primary care.
5. These disorders are inheritable. Genetic factors make up 30-40% of risk for the development of the most of the disorders.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
Psychologists identify the following types of anxiety disorders:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder
- Panic disorder and Agoraphobia
- Social Phobia
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Specific phobias
Let us take a look at them…
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
People with generalized anxiety disorder have constant and excessive worries about possible health, work, financial, relationship problem, etc. What is important is that there are no serous reasons for this anxiety. However, it could go on day after day for months or even years. Such anxiety could make someone really miserable. From physiological perspective, This disorder is similar to so-called “fight-or-flight” response that fails to shut down. Alcohol, drugs, and smoking significantly affects the development of this disorder [75].
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
In the case of obsessive-compulsive disorder, people can not get rid of repetitive and unwanted thoughts (obsessions). Most common thoughts are about germs and toxins, cancer, dirt, safety, proper order and symmetry of different things, unwanted sexual activity or images, and fears of hurting loved ones.
In order to calm themselves, people with this disorder create some special rituals repeating again and again one and the same action (compulsions). Typical obsessions are washing hands multiple times, cleaning the house, locking and re-locking doors, rearranging and touching different things, and various mental exercises in order to suppress “bad” thoughts with “good” thoughts. However, while these rituals take a lot of time and interfere with everyday life, they give only minor temporary relief.
Panic disorder and Agoraphobia
Panic disorder causes extreme fears and panic attacks with no appropriate external reasons. The fears are so intense that causes shortness of breath, rapid or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, trembling and shaking, and upset stomach. People feel that something really terrible is happening and lose control completely. They feel as if they are going to die or go crazy. Panic attacks could occur unexpectedly and even during sleep.
In about 30% of cases, Panic disorder results in Agoraphobia when people are afraid to leave home and go to public places where it could be difficult for them to get help during possible panic attack. This anxiety makes them stay in some selected special zones and routes, and over the time they are not able to leave them without experiencing severe stress.
Social Phobia
Social phobia could be called abnormal shyness. People with this disorder have severe fears and anxiety about different things that could go wrong during various social interactions. They are afraid to be in the center of someone’s attention and feel themselves horrible because of hypothetical disapproval by others.
Examples of these social situations include public speaking, participating in sport events, dating, making reports for supervisors, talking to a sales person, etc. Social phobia could be general and connected to multiple social situations or it could be restricted to some specific events only, e.g., public speaking.
During undesirable social interactions and communication, people with social phobia have strong stress. Their typical reactions are blushing, sweating, increased heart beat, trembling, headaches, and stomach problems.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
When people have post-traumatic stress disorder, they relive and re-experience again and again some life-threatening events from their past. These events could be natural or technological catastrophes, war, sudden death of a loved one, child abuse, rape, torture, and other situation where a person witnessed physical or emotional harm.
The recollections of these past traumatic events are called flashbacks. Flashbacks could happen during a day or at night in dreams. Flashbacks may seem so real that a person with post traumatic stress disorder could decide that everything takes place in his or her current life.
People with post traumatic stress disorder try to avoid everything what could be connected to the traumatic event. They lose interest to their past activities, no longer enjoy social communication and often feel embarrassment and anger.
Specific Phobias
Specific phobias are abnormal and irrational fear about some objects and situations that are not considered dangerous by other people. The phobias may be associated with heights, bridges, enclosed spaces like caves or tunnels, animals, insects, riding on a car, or flying a plane, seeing blood, etc.
When people with specific phobias find themselves in undesirable situations or face undesirable objects they experience severe anxiety or panic attack. What is interesting is that these phobias could be really very specific. For example, a person with some specific height phobia could be unable to use stairs or an elevator but could be totally fine when flying a plane.
Connection between Stress and Anxiety Disorders
Many anxiety disorders could be triggered or worsened by acute or chronic stress. What is really interesting is that we could look at these disorders as internal stress causes! Think about this. For a number of these disorders, there are no external objective reasons for anxiety at the time when it develops. In other words, there is a stress response, but there are no external causes, only internal ones.
Even if we consider 30-40% risk associated with genetic factors, there is still a lot of room for other causes.