Many people who suffer from panic and anxiety attacks on a regular basis find that the simple act of getting up in the morning starts the cycle. The reason for this is because your body is coming out of sleep and any feelings of anxiety are exaggerated. Most of us are not ‘morning’ people, so when you add anxiety to the equation you can see why mornings are usually the most anxious time of the day for people with an anxiety disorder. Desensitizing your body from being in an anxious state takes a lot of time and patience, and there
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You already know the health mantra, “you are what you eat” but eating healthy isn’t just for people that want to lose weight or increase energy. Your diet has an effect on your central nervous system. Certain types of foods and beverages can increase your heart rate, make you sweat and even make you feel lethargic. If you’re not getting the right types of nutrients, your body may not be able to cope with stress and certain bodily functions can even break down. The result? An increased risk for anxiety and stress and even panic attacks. Most people eat a
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Panic and anxiety tends to immobilize people, so much so, that some people have a fear of even leaving their home. Agoraphobia is the technical term used to describe people who are afraid of open spaces or being in crowded places like malls, outdoor markets and theme parks. If you’ve ever felt anxious about leaving home, or your “safe zone”, you’re experiencing some of the effects of agoraphobia. The truth is, those feelings are really just feelings of vulnerability. People who suffer from panic attacks feel like they are more vulnerable in certain situations, and so they have difficulty feeling
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I think everyone that has experienced regular panic attacks has had this thought at one stage or another. It is directly connected to fear of losing control and freaking out. People’s imaginations run riot with ideas of losing mental control and doing something totally out of character and then as a result get locked up in a padded cell because of their strange behavior. When you experience high anxiety and panic your mind is not able to think rationally. The idea of being committed seems ridiculous to the non anxious mind but when your mind is operating from a high
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Just a quick note to wish you a very Happy New Year. As we think back on the last year we can often tend to focus on what went wrong rather than what went right. There are some of you who might feel it was not as anxiety free as you wished it could have been. If that is the case with you I want you to take solace in the fact that the road to recovery almost always has setbacks along the way. Recovering from panic attacks or GAD is never linear like getting over a cold. You take
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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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