How Your Anxiety Affects Your Mind And Your Physical Body

By Andrew Tudor Jones 

Photo: 4.bp.blogspot.com

Our response to anxiety is the normal reaction to anything that happens that we recognize to be a threat to us or those close to us. Some of the stimulating effects of this response can be good for us but if our anxious awakening is excessive and unrealistic pertaining to the situation we are faced with, then our heightened levels of anxious arousal will take its toll on our health. In fact over time giving our minds constant fight or flight messages can and will do life-threatening damage to our physical bodies.
Here is a list of some of the things that happen to our physical bodies during increased anxiety or a panic attack, remember these things happen every time our anxiety exceeds normal healthy levels.

• Skin: Our sweat glands immediately start working to lower our core temperature in case we need to run or stand and fight.
• Breathing: Our lungs start working harder and faster, forcing the oxygen in which will be needed by the muscles to perform well.
• Heart: Our heart starts to beat faster and harder, raising our blood pressure and pulse beyond normal levels.
• Immune System: With all our major organs on high alert, fighting germs takes a back seat and our immune cell system slows right down leaving us open to attack.
• Cognition: Our brain anticipates the worst possible outcome, going into override and we start to feel impending doom.
• Digestion: Our digestive system becomes very low on the bodies priority scale and slows right down leading to stomach problems like bloating, indigestion, diarrhoea, vomiting etc.
• Metabolism: Hormonal changes affect both our appetites and the way we burn calories, upset metabolisms lead to other problems such as obesity.
• Nerves: Our nerve system becomes oversensitive and this leads to increased awareness of pain.

As you can see we are putting our bodies under tremendous stress every time we have an anxiety or panic attack, with a severe attack doing untold damage over the long term.
Imagine you have particularly nasty infection which you need your immune system to get to work on immediately to fight off the foreign invaders which have entered your body but because you are in a constant anxious state then your immune system is almost closed down and will definitely lose the battle and leave you with a possibly life threatening infection needing immediate medical intervention.
Perhaps like me you would like your heart to continue working well into old age, are we helping it achieve that outcome by continually stressing it unnaturally?
So now we have a strong case for overcoming our anxiety or panic disorder, not only will we feel much better mentally but we will also be giving our physical bodies the best possible chance of operating at optimal rate for a long time to come.
© Andrew Tudor Jones.

Andrew Tudor Jones is the owner of http://www.anxietydepressionselfhelp.com, a websit dedicated to anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression.The website offers valuable information on these conditions as well as 2 e-books which can be downloaded for free and a Blog,updated on a regular basis with relevant information. You can connect with Andrew on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/selfhelpforanxietyanddepression.

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Anxiety Treatment With Drugs

By: Jamie Snodgrass

Anxiety
Do you often find yourself stressed out because of certain misfortunes of the past or uncertainty of future? How frequently do you feel a pang of an unpleasant emotion in anticipation of some ill- defined calamity? If very often it is time for you to realize that you are suffering from some anxiety disorder that causes innumerable psychological and physical tribulations.

How to get help?
Once diagnosed, anxiety can be treated fairly fast. There are many ways of treating anxiety.

• Since anxiety a psychologically originated disease, at the primary stage it can be treated through counseling provided by, psychologists, social workers, and counselors. However these counselors should have specialized in behavior therapy or cognitive development or in any such related area.
• Anxiety can be cured by cured by prescribed medications. Psychiatrists or physicians usually prescribe anti depressants or anti anxiety drugs that help during the advanced stages of anxiety.
• Other ways of treatment are group therapies or combination of all the above. This would mean psychologists and counselors work closely with the physicians and psychiatrists and help the patients.

Anxiety drugs:
While focusing on the second method of treatment, namely intake of prescribed drugs, we must realize certain important facts about drugs prescription.

• The physician begins by giving low dose of the drug at first however gradually increases it.
• These drugs have side effects; however the body gets accustomed to them over the passage of time.
• The dosage is tapered slowly once the doctor feels that the patient is nearing normal state.

Some anxiety drugs:
Some of the anxiety drugs are given below.

• Doxepin : is a common drug with regular side effect incase of over dosage. Common side effects like nausea and vomiting
• Clomipramine: over dosage can toxicity to the individual.
• Amoxipine: it comes along with the general instructions of how to use the drugs and the common side effects.
• Ziprasidone: is another kind to monitor anxious behavior.
• Moclobemide: this is taken to regulate the mental functioning.

Anxiety Pills
Severe anxiety is unfortunately one item among the unwanted stuff. The more one tries to forget an experience that caused fear or severe discomfort, the stronger the memory of it becomes. When people suffer from recurring panic attacks or from a specific phobia such as that of height, bridges or highways, they usually don't think of a specific memory or thought as the real culprit behind their predicament, but there often is one

Anxiety and pills:
Anxiety is more of a mental and psychological condition which many people feel cannot be cured (like physical ailments) using medicines. But the reality is the fact that anxiety can be controlled using drugs called "tranquilizers" whose basic aim is to relive stress and make the patient feel better and more positive about life. Also known as "chill pills" some drugs can really help the patients a lot. Anticonvulsants like Neurontin and Gabitril for anxiety. Seroquel, which works on schizophrenia and manic depression, also seems to control anxiety and stabilize sleep patterns in low doses. There was a study in which one group of dental-phobic patients was given Geodon, an anti-psychotic, and another group was given Valium before a dental visit. Geodon was just as effective as Valium, but without the sedative effect.

The most popular of these tranquilizers is Valium, which doctors have long prescribed to relieve symptoms of anxiety. The drug is also used to lessen the anxiety, agitation and tremors that occur during alcohol withdrawal.
The results of one study conducted in 1993 showed that valerian and hops are calming to the central nervous system and reduce depression and anxiety. In fact, the herbs were reported to work faster than the prescription drugs. Hops and valerian worked in only two weeks, as opposed to a longer period required for conventional drugs. The herbs also caused far fewer side effects.

Anxiety pills and their future:
The chemical cousin to Neurontin, Pregabalin, is an anticonvulsant that's in trials. It's also being looked at for social-phobia anxiety disorders. There's another type of drug in development that works on regulating the pathway of the stress hormone cortisol directly. But that's down the line.
Anxiety and non-prescribed remedies:
Too many people self-medicate their anxiety with alcohol or marijuana. While those options might bring acute relief, later on they can lead to a worsening of anxiety symptoms. So, unfortunately, they represent a bad pharmacological choice.

Why take drugs?
Drugs help a great deal to overcome that problems arising out of anxiety. Following are some of the reasons why drugs are advisable.

• They help to reduce extreme sadness.
• They reduce lack of interest in life.
• They help to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• They also cure the pain arising out of problems like approaching menopause etc

Thus, prescription drugs are advisable; however one must be aware of its side effects, the most vital of which is addiction.
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How to Get a Grip on Severe Anxiety Disorder Right Now

By Af Riaz
Severe anxiety disorder is an illness that encompasses a diverse range of pathological fears and anxiety. All of us suffer from stress at some point in our lives. It's inevitable. The majority of people handle this anxiety or will ride it out until things improve safe in the knowledge that it will. However, some people aren't as strong and can let these emotions get on top of them. For these people the feelings of anxiety are hard to shake and will end up taking over their lives and cause concern to their families.
This is not a disorder that happens to a minority of the population. Extensive medical studies have shown that up to 18% of the American population is impacted by one of the many forms of panic attacks (quite a few suffer from more than one form of the disorder). Of all the many forms of anxiety disorders, anxiety attacks and panic attacks are the most prevalent. They are even more common than alcoholism and depression so all sufferers can be rest assured there are many other people out there like them going through the same emotions.
The panic attack symptoms are many and varied but they will typically consist of four (or more) of the following signs/actions:

• Fear of dying
• Fear of loss of control or of going crazy
• Nausea or stomach pains
• Blank mind
• Diarrhoea
• Feeling the need to escape
• Dizziness
• Profuse sweating
• Highly accelerated heart rate
• Shortness of breath/suffocation
• Sense of confusion
• Dry mouth
• Tightness or pain in the chest
• Shaking/trembling
• Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
• Hot flashes or chills
• Feeling as though time is going by incredibly slowly

The symptoms of severe anxiety disorder aren't nice and for many sufferers the feelings and emotions can be so intense they actually feel as if they are going to have a heart attack and die. Probably the most frightening thing about the panic attacks that occur is that they can happen at any time, night or day. It can be totally random and can get triggered by (to the outside eye) the most meaningless of things. Phobias play a big part in severe anxiety disorder. It could be a fear of animals, confined spaces, flying or simply leaving the comfort of ones house. For those people that know what triggers their panic attacks, this is no consolation as although they know they are coming they feel helpless.
Anyone who can relate to these symptoms really needs to do something about it. There are many options in terms of treatments for anxiety and overcoming panic attacks. Arm yourself with information and the many resources available online and you can beat this problem. You can start by trying to learn some relaxation techniques and trying to lead a healthier lifestyle.
This will help to eliminate some of the negative feelings severe anxiety disorder can make you feel. At the moment it is controlling you, the aim is regain control, to start thinking positive thoughts and start living your life again. It's not easy but with a bit of willpower, mental toughness and trying to reinforce a more positive outlook on life you'll find overcoming panic attacks and ridding yourself of severe anxiety disorder will be like a new lease of life.

Stop giving in to negative thoughts and start overcoming panic attacks. We have all the information you need on our site to help you rid yourself of severe anxiety disorder including treatments for anxiety to start living your life once again.

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All Of Us Have To Deal With Anxiety

If you never have days when you're not a little nervous or stressed-out about something, you're probably not fully alive or human. Everyone gets upset, jittery, anxious, fearful or filled with dread on occasion; this is a natural part of the human condition. But what happens if you're always feeling anxious or afraid - so anxious and afraid that your fears and anxieties stop you from living a normal life?

The same way as our body reacts, it can also save us from danger. May be we feel unpleasant, it really stimulates an individual to become more cautious and concentrated upon. However, there are some occasions where we may experience a feel of uneasiness and worrisome immensely so much so that it casts a negative effect on a person's life.

An anxiety disorder can be manifested in symptoms such as restlessness, fear, worry and irritability. Medical symptoms include an increased heart rate, breathlessness, excessive sweating, insomnia and nausea. Anxiety also causes depression because these symptoms also lead to it.

Anxiety attacks may also be called panic attacks. Such attacks, which can last about ten minutes or so, can manifest themselves in extremely frightening ways. Sometimes the sufferer may feel like he is dying. Some of the physical manifestations can include heart palpitations, chest pains, hyperventilation and hot flashes. Some mental manifestations can include mania, a feeling of detachment, and an overwhelming sense of panic.

The treatment for such disorders can involve therapy, medication or a combination of the two. Cognitive behavioral therapy is strongly recommended. This is a form of treatment in which the patient, with the help of a psychiatrist, is trained to recognize and confront disturbing thought patterns. The patient then learns how to deal with these patterns by being taught how to separate real and non-real thoughts. One may also be taught how to regain a sense of control of situations that can trigger such negative thoughts and emotions that can lead to manifestations of this disorder.

Medications and Relaxation techniques also help a victim to gain control of this disorder. Meditation, Yoga and breathing exercises reduce feelings of anxiety to a large extent.

Majority of people opt for medications to combat this situation. However, the drugs available, ranging from beta blockers to beta blockers to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors to Benzodiazepines can only alleviate the anxiety symptoms and not to eradicate it from the root. All these are having various mechanisms of action; however these medicines can control manifestations of anxiety disorders. One of the main draw backs of these drugs is that it ultimately make a patient an addict to this treatment because of its overdependence due to prolonged application.

There is another treatment for this anxiety disorder and that is changing a person's life style in the form of adequate sleep, having a balanced diet, doing exercises to improve overall body health. All these activities help an individual to reduce his stress and allow all his organs to function normal thereby extremely minimizing the physical manifestations of anxiety disorders.

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Anxiety Symptoms - Physical and Mental

By Emily Lybe
Anxiety is very complicated for both the victim and even others around the victim. If you haven't felt the results of anxiety it's quite hard to understand. Even the victim may feel confused about what is going on or what may be causing their anxiety. Sometimes it's hard to realize you aren't just shy, sensitive, etc. but that you suffer from an anxiety disorder. A lot of people have anxiety. It's the most common disorder, but also the least understood.
Physical Symptoms
Have you ever looked at someone and kind of guessed that they suffered from some kind of anxiety disorder? Or, if you didn't know what anxiety was, have you ever guessed someone was depressed, unhappy, shy, or suffering from low self esteem? People with anxiety can look stressed, unhappy, or mentally exhausted. Anxiety can actually make you very ill physically. It can lower your immune system's ability to fight off infections, and sometimes it can even get to the point where the sufferer has a heart attack or stroke. This is because it causes irregular heartbeats. Anxiety can also make a person either binge eat for stress relief or cause them to a lock of appetite. This means that anxiety could make a person be over or under their normal weight. They may also develop obsessive behaviors, they may find it impossible to get up in the morning, etc. It call depends on which anxiety they suffer from.
Mental Symptoms
For people who suffer from anxiety, the mental symptoms are extremely stressful. They may find it impossible to think about anything except what they're anxious about. This can cause a person to become highly depressed or even have a mental breakdown and not be able to perform normal day-to-day tasks. Anxiety can cause a person to completely change mentally. A person who was once very social may become a homebody and may not even want much socialization with friends/family. The anxiety can be so overwhelming and confusing for the sufferer that they may not even want to explain it to others. It may even feel impossible to put how they feel into words. It can also cause mood-swings.

If you need help with your anxiety, check out my blog! It can show you how to cure your anxiety, help you sleep at night, and more! You won't regret it!
To visit my blog Click Here!
* Emily Lybe

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