ANXIETY AND STRESS MANAGEMENT

It’s normal to feel anxious when facing a challenging situation, such as a job interview, a tough exam, or a blind date. But if your worries and fears seem overwhelming and interfere with your daily life, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder. There are many different types of anxiety disorders—and many effective treatments and self-help strategies. Once you understand your anxiety disorder, there are steps you can take to reduce your symptoms and regain control of your life.

Understanding anxiety disorders:

Anxiety is the body’s natural response to danger, an automatic alarm that goes off when you feel threatened, under pressure, or are facing a stressful situation.  In moderation, anxiety isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, anxiety can help you stay alert and focused, spur you into action, and motivate you to solve problems. But when anxiety is constant or overwhelming, when it interferes with your relationships and activities, it stops being functional—that’s when you’ve crossed the line from normal, productive anxiety into the territory of anxiety disorders.

If you experience these symptoms your might have an anxiety disorder:

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• Are you constantly tense, worried, or on edge?

• Does your anxiety interfere with your work, school, or family responsibilities?

• Are you plagued by fears that you know are irrational, but you can’t stop thinking about?

• Do you believe that something bad will happen if certain things aren’t done a certain way?

• Do you avoid everyday situations or activities because they cause you anxiety?

• Do you experience sudden, unexpected attacks of heart-pounding panic?

• Do you feel like danger and catastrophe are around every corner?

Because anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions rather than a single disorder, they can look very different from person to person. One individual may suffer from intense anxiety attacks that strike without warning, while another gets panicky at the thought of mingling at a party. Someone else may struggle with a disabling fear of driving, or uncontrollable intrusive thoughts. Yet another may live in a constant state of tension, worrying about anything and everything.  Despite their different forms, all anxiety disorders share one major symptom: persistent or severe fear or worry in situations where most people wouldn’t feel threatened.  In addition to the primary symptoms of irrational and excessive fear and worry, there are also emotional symptoms.

Common emotional symptoms of anxiety include:

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• Feelings of apprehension or dread

• Trouble concentrating

• Feeling tense and jumpy

• Anticipating the worst

• Irritability

• Restlessness

• Watching for signs of danger

• Feeling like your mind’s gone blank

Physical symptoms of anxiety are a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response, and involve a wide range of symptoms. Because of the numerous physical symptoms, anxiety sufferers often mistake their disorder for a medical illness. They may visit many doctors and make numerous trips to the hospital before their anxiety disorder is discovered.

Common physical symptoms of anxiety include:

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• Pounding heart

• Sweating

• Stomach upset or dizziness

• Frequent urination or diarrhea

• Shortness of breath

• Tremors and twitches

• Muscle tension

• Headaches

• Fatigue

• Insomnia

Anxiety attacks, also known as panic attacks, are episodes of intense panic or fear. Anxiety attacks usually occur suddenly and without warning. Sometimes there’s an obvious trigger—getting stuck in an elevator, for example, or thinking about the big speech you have to give—but in other cases, the attacks come out of the blue.

Anxiety attacks usually peak within 10 minutes, and they rarely last more than 30 minutes. But during that short time, the terror can be so severe that you feel as if you’re about to die or totally lose control. The physical symptoms of anxiety attacks are themselves so frightening that many people believe they’re having a heart attack. After an anxiety attack is over, you may be worried about having another one, particularly in a public place where help isn’t available or you can’t easily escape. 

Symptoms of Panic Attacks include:

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• Surge of overwhelming panic

• Feeling of losing control or going crazy

• Heart palpitations or chest pain

• Feeling like you’re going to pass out

• Trouble breathing or choking sensation

• Hyperventilation

• Hot flashes or chills

• Trembling or shaking

• Nausea or stomach cramps

• Feeling detached or unreal

It’s important to seek help if you’re starting to avoid certain situations or places because you’re afraid of having a panic attack. The good news is that panic attacks are highly treatable.

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Types of anxiety disorders:

There are six different types of anxiety disorders, each with their own distinct symptom profile: generalized anxiety disorder, anxiety attacks (panic disorder), obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobia, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

If constant worries and fears distract you from your day-to-day activities, or you’re troubled by a persistent feeling that something bad is going to happen, you may be suffering from Generalized

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Anxiety Disorder (GAD). People with GAD are chronic worriers who feel anxious nearly all of the time, though they may not even know why. Anxiety related to GAD often shows up as physical symptoms like insomnia, stomach upset, restlessness, and fatigue.

A Panic Disorder is characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks, as well as fear of experiencing another episode. A panic disorder may also be accompanied by agoraphobia, which is the fear of being in places where escape or help would be difficult in the event of a panic attack. If you have agoraphobia, you are likely to avoid public places such as shopping malls, or confined spaces such as an airplane.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is characterized by unwanted thoughts or behaviors that seem impossible to stop or control. If you have OCD, you may be troubled by obsessions; such as a recurring worry that you forgot to turn off the oven or that you might hurt someone. You may also suffer from uncontrollable compulsions, such as washing your hands over and over.

A Phobia is an unrealistic or exaggerated fear of a specific object, activity, or situation that in reality presents little to no danger. Common phobias include fear of animals (such as snakes and spiders), fear of flying, and fear of heights. In the case of a severe phobia, you might go to extreme lengths to avoid the thing you fear. Unfortunately, avoidance only strengthens the phobia.

Social Anxiety Disorder is a fear of being seen in a negative light or humiliated in public.  It is also known as social phobia. Social anxiety can also be extreme shyness.  In severe forms, social situations are avoided.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a form of anxiety from the aftermath of a traumatic event.  Symptoms include avoidance, hyper vigilance, exaggerated startle response and withdrawal from situations that remind you of the traumatic event.

Self Help for Anxiety: 

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• Connect with others. Loneliness and isolation set the stage for anxiety. Decrease your vulnerability by reaching out to others. Make it a point to see friends, join a self-help or support group, or share your worries and concerns with a trusted loved one.

• Practice Relaxation Techniques. When practiced regularly, relaxation techniques such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing can reduce anxiety symptoms and increase feelings of relaxation and emotional well being.

• Exercise regularly. To achieve the maximum benefit, aim for at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise on most days.

• Get enough sleep. A lack of sleep can exacerbate anxious thoughts and feelings, so try to get seven to nine hours of quality sleep a night.

• Be smart about caffeine and alcohol. If you struggle with anxiety, you may want to consider reducing your caffeine intake or cutting it out completely.  The same is true with alcohol, which can make anxiety worse.

• Train your brain to stay calm. Worry is a mental habit that must be broken. Strategies such as creating a worry period, challenging anxious thoughts, and learning to accept uncertainty can significantly reduce anxiety and fear.

• If you would like to free yourself of anxiety or panic, please contact me at 805-390-8180 to discuss your options.  I have been effectively helping people release themselves from the negative impacts of anxiety since 2011, and would like to help you get relief from these debilitating emotions.