Most people who experience panic and anxiety attacks regularly have forgotten how to breathe correctly. If you think about it, consider how you breathe when you’re tense or anxious about something. If you’re like most people, your breathing becomes really shallow and you may even “sink” into your body, rounding your shoulders and slouching slightly. This often sets you up for feelings of fatigue as you breathing is too shallow. Making sure fresh oxygen is circulating throughout your body helps to keep you alert and clear headed. When you are feeling anxious, you might slow down your breathing and thereby
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The sensations of a panic attack can appear at random times throughout the day, but in some people, the effects are more persistent over an entire day. It’s important to remember that the physical manifestations of a panic attack are linked to automatic nervous system functions. When either of these systems is activated, you will feel a number of different sensations throughout the body. Adrenaline is released and the body goes into the famous state of ‘flight or flight’ a term which coined by Dr. Walter Canon with his original formulation of human threat response. This cycle of sensations and
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects over 4 million adult Americans every year, and is a condition where the person feels extremely worried or anxious on a regular basis. Exaggerated feelings of worry or anxiety are normal in some situations, but for people who have generalized anxiety disorder or related conditions, the feelings are out of proportion with the situation at hand. People with generalized anxiety disorder are unable to stop worrying about everyday events and situations, and may become overly concerned with money, work, school, health or their families. They spend their days in constant worry or anxiety over certain
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The things that challenge us deeply, also offer us great opportunity. When it comes to anxiety, ask yourself what gift this experience brings to you. There is a hidden gift there and here is how you might discover it… Anxiety is a crash course in self development. You might not remember volunteering for it but nevertheless you are here. This is intense learning for the brave. You may not think of it as learning but you are already developing by the very fact that you are seeking answers. Everyday anxiety is teaching you how to be a bigger person. Anxiety
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Anxiety disorders affect millions of men and women every year, and most people experience a combination of emotional and physical symptoms depending on the severity of their condition. Anxiety disorders range from generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, phobias and social anxiety disorder, but almost all have the same spectrum of emotional symptoms that have significant effects on the person’s well-being and emotional health. The primary symptoms associated with all anxiety disorders is excessive, even irrational fear or worry about a particular situation, place or thing. However, the following emotional symptoms can also be present, and can occur frequently, or
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Seeing as it is Thanksgiving in the US, I think this post is appropriate: Gratitude Lifts The Weight of Anxiety Let me tell you why the art of gratitude is such a great tool for ending anxious thoughts. A lot of people write telling me how their anxiety makes them feel very cut off or removed from the world around them. This sensation can be distressing as people fear that they will never be able to feel normal again. This feeling is common and in my experience is mainly fueled by a cycle of anxious thinking. A person with a
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The holiday season can be one of the most stressful times of the year. Last minute shopping, in-laws, and everyone on their best behavior…or not. People with anxiety often count down the days to the merry season with mixed feelings. If you suffer from panic attacks regularly, you are probably well aware of the physical manifestations that you will probably experience as the holidays draw near. The body’s goal of the fight or flight response is to make you aware of danger, but if you’re having a panic attack, this response can be triggered by a variety of stimuli. Holiday
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Most people feel worried or scared when faced with a dangerous or stressful situation, but some people feel an excessive sense of worry or fear on a daily basis. People who suffer from anxiety disorders often feel fearful and anxious about the world around them, and may experience extreme effects of anxiety that turn into an anxiety attack of panic disorder from everyday situations. Understanding the root cause of an anxiety problem can take time, but there are several common characteristics and symptoms that indicate that an anxiety disorder is present, and may need to be addressed. Identifying anxiety disorder
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Panic disorder is one of several anxiety disorders that involve an intense, abrupt and oftentimes debilitating period of discomfort and fear. Panic disorders affect millions of men and women of all ages, and can be triggered by several situations or circumstances, real or imagined. Gerald Klerman of the World Psychiatric Association and author of the book, “Panic Anxiety and Its Treatments” points out that there are several DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria that must be fulfilled in order to classify someone as having panic disorder. First, one or more of the panic attacks must have occurred when the person was exposed to
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When your anxiety level is high any anxious thought you might have takes on a different intensity. For example a bizarre thought that would normally never cause you any concern starts to feel uncomfortable and leads to further anxious thoughts. The reason this happens is because your anxiety score is high and you are not feeling at ease with yourself. Compare that to when you are feeling relaxed and happy. In that situation anxious thoughts hardly make an impression and if they do, you have enough inner calm to dismiss them and move on without reacting in fear. Have you
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Recognizing anxiety disorder symptoms is just the first step towards overcoming the problem. The next step is to find a suitable anxiety treatment plan, and this may consist of medication, behavioral therapy, dietary changes, and nutritional supplementation. According to MedicineNet.com, “if no physical illness is found, [the sufferer] may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist who is specially trained to diagnose and treat mental illnesses. Treatments for generalized anxiety disorder most often include a combination of medication and cognitive-behavioral therapy.” Here are some of the most common anxiety treatment options available for people suffering from generalized anxiety disorder, social
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Anxiety and panic disorders affect over 4 million adult Americans each year, and most people experience a combination of physical and emotional symptoms. In some people, the physical symptoms can be so severe that they lead to constant panic attacks and other problems. Physical symptoms can occur suddenly, or be a part of the person’s lifestyle if the anxiety disorder has been prevalent for an extended period of time. Almost all anxiety disorders are associated with a specific set of physical symptoms, so identifying these symptoms and experiences is necessary when considering treatment. In many cases, the mental health professional
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