June 2, 2009
anxiety and panic attacks
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by Adrian Fletcher
You may remember times when you had to speak at some public function and the unpleasant feelings that preceded it. It may even dredge up unpleasant thoughts even now just thinking about it. Did you feel nauseous, weak-kneed, and shaky? These are noted common anxiety panic attack symptoms. Perhaps you began to perspire copiously or forgot your whole presentation and felt like you had to escape. What you experienced is an anxiety attack that some people have to deal with on a daily basis.
Anxiety attacks are something everyone has gone through to some extent. A person’s fear of speaking in public may expand to include fears of making phone calls, speaking at conferences and interacting with colleagues, as other manifestations of anxiety attack symptoms. The increase in number and intensity of anxiety attack symptoms can cause serious relationship issues that affect a persons interpersonal life and career.
If someone experiences anxiety problems related to their career, it’s possible that those will begin on the way to work. This may cause the person to try and avoid any driving, as well as experiencing anxiety attack symptoms in situations when they are asked casually about work, which could cause a withdrawal from any social interaction.
Anxiety attack symptoms can vary in both frequency and intensity from individual to individual. For instance, a person seeing a spider may start shaking or wailing or showing other symptoms rather than just having an internal feeling of panic. Anxiety attacks are experienced by nearly everyone under different circumstances.
Different people experience anxiety attack symptoms in different ways, some less intense, some very intense, and they happen at different frequencies too. Rather than just having the panicky feelings whenever they see a mouse, for example, they may start crying or shaking or showing other more noticeable symptoms. Anxiety attack symptoms can even be triggered in some people when they view a photograph of a spider, see an image of one on TV or in a film, or when they hear a person mention an experience with a spider.
The range of things that can spark anxiety attack symptoms for those who experience an increased anxiety level seems to be out of the person’s ability to control. One triggering event can create another triggering event.
One thing often leads to another, and as we all know, when it rains, it pours. Anxiety triggers can often cause a snowball effect, leading to more serious problems with anxiety. A doctor or a therapist can help you deal with your anxiety attack symptoms. Everyone experiences them to some extent but when they get out of control you shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed about seeking help. Help is available and effective.
June 1, 2009
anxiety and panic attacks
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by Rich Russell
Many people believe that there is no way to prevent panic attacks. They have suffered for years and believe they have tried everything. Psychiatric therapies and drugs have not worked for them. To prevent panic attacks, a new approach is required.
What causes panic attacks? There are different theories about this. Those who favor the medication option like to talk of a chemical imbalance in the brain. But since there is no test for this, it remains just a theory.
Other experts like to blame it on repressed emotions but we probably all have some of those. We don’t all suffer from debilitating panic attacks though.
Some blame exhaustion, mental, physical or emotional, that leads to a state of generalized anxiety. This leaves us more sensitive to potential triggers. A strange bodily sensation or a dark thought has us spiraling towards panic.
When it is labeled, ‘Anxiety Disorder’ by the medical profession, it just adds to the belief that there is something for you to worry about.
When you finally go into a full blown panic attack, your ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered. An automatic system kicks in, to prepare your body to defend itself or to run away. It gets the adrenaline pumping and produces many of the strange sensations associated with a panic attack. But this is perfectly natural and nothing to worry about.
It is just your body doing what it knows how to do. You may not be in conscious control but you don’t have to be. You usually breathe without having to think about it, don’t you. You are going through a normal response, but it doesn’t feel normal. In your sensitized state, you feel the need to try to fight the feeling, to battle against it. And by doing that, you are just adding to the sense of danger.
In trying to end your panic attacks by fighting them, you are trying to control what can’t be controlled and giving energy to it. But there is no need to control it. As terrible as it feels, it can’t hurt you, any more than your blood pumping in your veins can hurt you. In normal circumstances, once the perceived danger is past, a second automatic system kicks in to restore everything to normal. It is just a question of waiting for that to happen.
In order to prevent panic attacks, you have to have a different mental approach to them when they begin and start to build up. Then you need techniques to address the underlying anxiety. And finally, you need to make the recovery permanent. Be prepared for set backs and realize that it is just part of the healing process. It is possible for anyone to prevent their panic attacks from returning by following a few simple methods.
Part one of this plan is very surprising. It requires you to embrace your panic attacks and explore them with interest. It is surprising how quickly your fear of them drops away. There is work to do but it is not difficult. Anyone can end their panic attacks.
About the Author:
If you think there are no
panic attack solutions for you, think again. Read about the experience of a man who suffered for thirty years before he finally developed a simple, 3 step system. He thinks that it can work for anyone. I know it worked for my wife. You can learn
how to prevent panic attacks.
May 6, 2009
anxiety and panic attacks
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by Lance Foley
Let’s talk about some natural treatments for anxiety attacks. Anxiety attacks are unhealthy to the overall well-being of a person. It can change the way a person lives. If under an anxiety attack, someone will think, reacts, and behaves atypically.
Not only will his social life suffer, but also his relationship with his family, friends and possibly even him/herself. The person may think that his life is valueless if the condition isn’t addressed and properly treated. Suicide is a possibility, too, in extreme cases. Therefore, it is vital that treatment is sought at the onset of anxiety. These are a few of the alternative natural treatments for anxiety attacks:
Meditation and relaxation systems - These are proven effective strategies in working with stress attacks. Through meditation and relaxation systems like respiring methodologies, the mind will be in a position to manage the body. Meditation and relaxation secrets could be used during a stress attack to slow the heartbeat, control respiration, and divert the mind away from the reason for anxiety attack. Though these techniques need practice, after you learn the right methodologies, they are very effective.
Diet - The food we eat plays a very large role in our overall health, including our psychological health. A well-balanced diet and healthy eating promotes a healthful body. It is suggested to like natural or green foods instead of packaged foods or those containing a large percentage of chemicals and additives. If the cause of anxiety attack is weight problem, changing a diet that helps you reduce weight can solve the issue.
Exercise - except for diet, another crucial factor that helps promote a healthy contentment is exercise. Studies suggest that as little as half an hour of exercise, 3 to five times every week can have great effects to the body as well as the mind.
Pray - Many studies suggest that prayer is an effective way to alleviate stress and anxiety as prayers tend to calm the the body and the mind. So, if you have a belief in the power of prayer, pray!
Herbal treatments - Hyperforin, 5HTP ( 5-hydroxytryptophan ), passionflower, scullcap, St. John Wort, California poppy, Ginkgo Biloba, valerian, hops and lavender, and Melissa officinalis can be used as an alternative to prescription drugs to treat stress. Natural herbs can be made as tea, but a number of these are already available over-the-counter as tablets, powder, oil, liquid, tincture, or tea.
Laugh - You’ve heard the old saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” The reason for this is because because when you laugh, your body releases endorphins or “happy chemicals” that help you to feel better and happier.
Identify where stress is coming from - Anxiety attacks do not usually occur for no clear reason. But that doesn’t mean that there’s truly no reason. After all, something cannot happen out of nothing. Thus, there should be a trigger if you experience an anxiety attack episode. It would be at once linked to the attack or it might come from something else, totally apart from the event.
It is easy to deal with anxiety attacks once you have identified the cause of the attack. Recognizing the fact that you are experiencing an attack is just as important as identifying the cause. Once you have done so, you can get help using the natural treatments for anxiety attacks mentioned above or through therapy and traditional medications.
January 25, 2009
anxiety and panic attacks
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Most people who haven’t themselves been plagued with nightmares, or watched a loved one suffer with nightmares, are probably under the impression that a person having any form of a bad dream during the night is having a nightmare. This is not strictly true; there are in fact nightmares and night terrors which occur at different stages of sleep.
Nightmares
Nightmares are disturbing, visual dream sequences that occur in your mind and wake you up from your sleep, are very common and can begin at any age. Nightmares are an indication of a fear that needs to be acknowledged and confronted and are a normal response to unacceptable levels of fear and stress. They are emotionally disturbing dreams that occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and provoke feelings of fear, terror, distress or extreme anxiety.
Night Terrors
Night terrors are fearsome waking experiences that can terrify even the strongest person; the word “nightmare” is often inadequately used to describe the suffocating, paralyzed state of a night terror which may leave the unfortunate sufferer with a conviction of suffocation, choking or entrapment. Night terrors, or sleep terrors, occur during deep, non-REM sleep, where the brain’s waveforms are long and slow, and it is also when sleepwalking, sleep talking and sleep screaming can occur. Often the person doesn’t completely wake up during a night terror which happens during the first half of the night, often about 1 to 2 hours after the person goes to sleep; sometimes it can occur almost immediately after a person goes to sleep if they are particularly disturbed at the time.
Health
In general, trauma, stress, fears, health problems, insecurities, feelings of inadequacy, marital problems, grief etc may all be reasons for having nightmares. In persistent cases, patients may be referred to a physician or mental health professional for further evaluation. It generally helps to deal with these bad problems in a healthy way to try and find some form of closure within ourselves and a healthy lifestyle, particularly some form of exercise such as walking regularly for around 30 minutes every day, does seem to help. However, if parents have any concerns about their children’s nightmares, especially if children are having other problems, it is best to consult their children’s health care provider.
Disorder
Panic attacks may occur during sleep in patients with panic disorder, anxiety, or depression and are experienced as nightmares. Sleep disorders are common among children of all ages and are hard on the children and their parents. When nightmares occur in the context of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they tend to involve the original threatening or horrifying set of circumstances that was involved during the traumatic event. Nightmare disorder is characterized by repeated episodes of a frightening or unpleasant dream that disrupts the person’s sleep. Dream disorders may respond to medication, but behavioral treatment approaches have shown excellent results, particularly in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and recurrent nightmares.
January 20, 2009
anxiety and panic attacks
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Though anxiety panic attacks aren’t very serious medically speaking, they often appear out of nowhere, and you might think you are dying. They are a serious mental or emotion issues however, and these feelings you are having often come out in the form of the panic attack. I had a few of these when I was much younger, and I can tell you that they are very scary indeed. I could feel them coming, but I didn’t know what they were. It prompted me to see my doctor, and he explained what was going on.
The symptoms someone will experience when they have anxiety panic attacks will always be different. There are basic things that happen, but everyone will say something different has happened to them. I know that I felt like I couldn’t breath, and my heart was racing a mile a minute. I felt dizzy, and I had to sit down before I passed out. I only had these a few times, but they are something I could never forget. They can be terrifying because you feel like you are out of control of your body, and you don’t really know what is happening.
My husband told me that he had a few of these anxiety panic attacks when he was a teenager, and his came from family stress. His lasted about six months and then just went away without warning. He knew what I was going through, and that allowed him to help calm me down after my first one. He said he thought I should see a doctor to figure out what was triggering my anxiety panic attacks, but I think I already knew. I went anyway. Luckily, after talking to my doctor I had just one more before they disappeared.
Most people who have anxiety panic attacks have bigger issues than I did. They might need medication or therapy to get to the root of their problem and to help with the attacks. I do consider myself lucky, and even though I was overwhelmed with life when they were happening, I am grateful I could handle it on my own. Not many can, and that’s just the way it is. The body and the mind are mysterious sometimes, and sometimes when the mind is overwhelmed, the body finds ways to let you know. Consider anxiety panic attacks as a signal from your brain that you are stressed and overwrought, and that perhaps you need to make some changes to your life.
September 9, 2008
anxiety and panic attacks
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If you suffer from…
* Palpitations
* a pounding heart, or an accelerated heart rate
* Sweating
* Trembling or shaking
* Shortness of breath
* A choking sensation
* Chest pain or discomfort
* Nausea or stomach cramps
* Derealization (a feeling of unreality)
* Fear of losing control or going crazy
* Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation
* Chills or hot flashes
…then you’ve experienced firsthand some of the possible symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. If you are reading this page because a loved one suffers from these symptoms and you are trying to understand or help, it’s hard to appreciate what they go through.
Just try to imagine what it feels like to experience one, if you can.
Here is a typical example:
Standing in a supermarket queue, it’s been a long wait but only one customer to go before you make it to the cashier. Wait, what was that sensation? An unpleasant feeling forms in your throat, your chest feels tighter, now a sudden shortness of breath, and what do you know—your heart skips a beat. “Please, God, not here.”
A quick scan of the territory—is it threatening? Four unfriendly faces queue behind, one person in front. Pins and needles seem to prick you through your left arm, you feel slightly dizzy, and then the explosion of fear as you dread the worst. You are about to have a panic attack.
There is no doubt in your mind now that this is going to be a big one. Okay, focus: Remember what you have been taught, and it is time now to apply the coping techniques. Begin the deep breathing exercise your doctor recommended. In through the nose, out through the mouth.
Think relaxing thoughts, and again, while breathing in, think “Relax,” and then breathe out. But it doesn’t seem to be having any positive effect; in fact, just concentrating on breathing is making you feel self-conscious and more uptight.
Okay, coping technique 2:
Gradual muscle relaxation. Tense both shoulders, hold for 10 seconds, then release. Try it again. No; still no difference. The anxiety is getting worse and the very fact that you are out of coping techniques worsens your panic. If only you were surrounded by your family, or a close friend were beside you so you could feel more confident in dealing with this situation.
Now, the adrenaline is really pumping through your system, your body is tingling with uncomfortable sensations, and now the dreaded feeling of losing complete control engulfs your emotions. No one around you has any idea of the sheer terror you are experiencing. For them, it’s just a regular day and another frustratingly slow queue in the supermarket.
You are out of options. Time for Plan C.
The most basic coping skill of all is “fleeing.” Excuse yourself from the queue; you are slightly embarrassed as it is now that it is your turn to pay. The cashier is looking bewildered as you leave your shopping behind and stroll towards the door. There is no time for excuses—you need to be alone. You leave the supermarket and get into your car to ride it out alone. Could this be the big one? The one you fear will push you over the edge mentally and physically. Ten minutes later the panic subsides.
It’s 10:30 a.m. How are you going to make it through the rest of the day?
If you suffer from panic or anxiety attacks, the above scenerio probably sounds very familiar. It may have even induced feelings of anxiety and panic just reading it. The particular situations that trigger your panic and anxiety may differ; maybe the bodily sensations are a little different. Or maybe it happened to you for the first time on a plane, in the dentist chair, or even at home, while doing nothing in particular.
If you have ever had what has become known as a “panic attack,” take comfort in the fact that you are by no means alone.
A panic attack always comes with the acute sense of impending doom. You feel you are either about to lose your mind or one of your vital bodily functions is about to cease functioning and you will end your days right there among the canned goods and frozen food.
You are by no means alone; you’re not even one in a million. In America, it is estimated that almost 5% of the population suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. For some, it may be the infrequent panic attacks that only crop up in particular situations-like when having to speak in front of others, while, for other people, it can be so frequent and recurring that it inhibits them from leaving their home. Frequent panic attacks often develop into what medical physicians refer to as an “anxiety disorder.”
One of the first steps to regaining control of your life is getting helpful information. This site will give you that, and more.
The beginning of your recovery starts here. What you will learn is that there is a very good chance you are about to end the cycle of panic attacks in your life. You will learn not only to regain the carefree life you remember once having, but will also gain new confidence in living. Your answer to living free from “panic” or “anxiety attacks” is at hand.
This site demonstrates that the panic and anxiety that you have experienced will be the very key to your courage and success.
Begin the road to recovery by browsing through the site. While many of you may have read almost everything you can possibly read relating to panic and anxiety I assure you this site offers something very effective.
Did you know…?
The key difference between someone who is cured of panic attacks and those who are not is really very simple. The people who are cured no longer fear panic attacks. I’ll try to show you how to be one of these people as well.
What if I told you the trick to ending panic and anxiety attacks is to want to have one. That sounds strange, even contradictory, but let me explain.
The trick to panic attacks is wanting to have one-the wanting pushes it away. Can you have a panic attack in this very second? No!
You know the saying that “what you resist, persists.” Well that saying applies perfectly to fear. If you resist a situation out of fear, the fear around that issue will persist. How do you stop resisting–you move directly into it, into the path of the anxiety, and by doing so it cannot persist.
In essence what this means is that if you daily voluntarily seek to have a panic attack, you cannot have one. Try in this very moment to have a panic attack and I will guarantee you cannot. You may not realize it but you have always decided to panic. You make the choice by saying this is beyond my control.
Another way to appreciate this is to imagine having a panic attack as like standing on a cliff’s edge. The anxiety seemingly pushes you closer to falling over the edge.
To be rid of the fear you must metaphorically jump. You must jump off the cliff edge and into the anxiety and fear and all the things that you fear most.
How do you jump? You jump by wanting to have a panic attack. You go about your day asking for anxiety and panic attacks to appear.
Your real safety is the fact that a panic attack will never harm you. That is medical fact. You are safe, the sensations are wild but no harm will come to you. Your heart is racing but no harm will come to you. The jump becomes nothing more than a two foot drop! Perfectly safe.
More informations about Panic Away.
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