Anxiety Issues

What is anxiety?

Many people struggle to control their feelings of anxiety day to day, it can develop into a problem early on in life, or it can become an issue people start to experience in later life. It can grow over time, or develop almost instantly after an emotionally upsetting, or frightening experience, such as a physical attack or being deeply emotionally hurt. This fear-based issue has become a very common problem and it is seemingly on the increase, it has sometimes been cited as a modern-day mental health epidemic, in some cases it can severely impact a person’s life, and ruin not just their mental health but damage their physical health as well. Anxiety is feeling that is a core part of our survival skills, and it is usually very good at keeping us safe or preparing us for impending danger, when it is doing its job effectively, it helps us by moderating our level of exposure to unsafe actions or experiences, or it motivates us to prepare for future possible threats, such a installing a burglar alarm or buying house insurance. Fear is a reaction to a current, known threat that stimulates our fight or flight response this usually prepares us for imminent danger, but anxiety is only an emotional response, for a possible or future perceived danger, it’s a fictitious fear stemming from our imagination not any actual or immediate danger. An over active anxiety response is triggered by our imagination, and is turned into worrying and anxiety-based nervousness, this imagined threat response will exaggerate the possibility of danger, this disproportionate response when there is no imminent threat, can arouse endless distressing thoughts and stimulate even higher levels of anxiety leading to physical reactions like panic attacks. Our internal monitor or subconscious tends to remember our past fearful experiences, and saves it as a kind pattern, if we find ourselves facing a similar probable set of circumstances, it identifies a conceivable matching pattern , and our subconscious recognises a possibility of a threat and the anxiety it transmits warns us by making us feel anxious and alerts us to the possibility. So, when we feel anxious, the anxiety we feel is helping us understand the risks and in turn help us to make improved less risky choices, and keep us away from harmful situations. This fear response can also be activated in what we see as embarrassing social settings, or emotionally unpleasant experiences and situations, that could diminish your social or economic standing in society.

Physical conditions that can lead to elevated anxiety

Before seeking therapy for any anxiety disorder, it is always a good idea to see your Doctor to rule out any possible physical reasons for your anxiety, some medical conditions that can affect your emotional stability are such medical problems such as Endocrine disease hyperthyroidism some heart problems and also some side effects of medications can lead to psychological changes. If there is no known physical reason associated with your anxiety issues, then the next stage is a diagnosis and possible medical and psychological treatment options, or a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Physical problems that can be linked to anxiety may

include:

• Cardiovascular disease • Diabetes type 1 and type 2 • hyperthyroidism • Impacts respiratory illnesses like emphysema, asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease • Drug or alcohol addiction • Stomach problems • (IBS) irritable bowel syndrome • Physical aches and pains • Weakened immune system • Hyperthyroidism • Headaches and migraines

How do people develop problems with anxiety?

One thing to keep in mind is that people can be similar to each other in some ways, and yet very different in others, why is that important to remember? When life challenges us, different people will react, and be affected by life experiences in different ways. For instance, one person who experiences an upsetting traumatic event, may take a little bit of time to adjust emotionally and then get on with life with no obvious major detrimental after affects, and yet, someone else facing the same traumatic event could be left struggling to cope with everyday tasks for years, until they eventually recover, a different person may never fully recover, and be plagued by constant anxiety issues or other mental health problems like depression. People are not weaker minded or inferior beings, if they develop mental health problems after a traumatic event, or prolonged exposure to long periods of high stressed situations like bullying or working in a stressful environment, no one really knows how they would cope until they experience them themselves. Developing problems with anxiety disorders can happen in childhood or later on in life, for instance children’s anxiety responses can be partly learned from parents or other influential adults who also have difficulties dealing with their anxiety. When parents show symptoms of anxiety, like panic attacks or becoming tense or upset about normal everyday life events, the child recognises the distress and can themselves become distressed, they may not show it, but it is still being processed internally, in time the child can also learn to be anxious in similar situations or develop a heightened sensitivity to being anxious. Over protective parents can over exaggerate the dangers in the world and make the child nervous and insecure, this can in time can develop into higher levels of anxiety. At any age experiencing traumatic events such as being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, will often affect a person’s confidence, by lowering their self-esteem and ability to stand up for themselves, they can lose confidence in their abilities, and become very anxious and insecure in time, even to the point of become self-criticising and self-demeaning, in severe cases they can develop serious self-hate issues and feel suicidal. That’s just a few examples of how life can affect people in ways that damages them emotionally, as always, its complex.

Common Anxiety Symptoms

How people respond to feelings of anxiety can be complex and vary from person to person, and the symptoms that are displayed may be expressed differently, although they will generally have a common theme. Not only does Anxiety effect people psychologically, but it also triggers physical symptoms, in some cases felt as hot or cold sweats or tightness in the chest, a dry mouth and shaking, or as a combination of other types of physical reactions.

Symptoms expressed physically

• Excessive sweating • Elevated or racing heart rate • Tightness in the throat and dry mouth • Shaking of hands, arms, legs, whole body • Stomach pains and cramps • Fatigued and constantly tired • Headaches, dizziness and fainting • Nausea and sickness • Increased urination and loose stools • Symptoms expressed emotionally • Over thinking and constant worrying thoughts • Inability to focus or concentrate • Feelings of impending doom • Feeling irritable and panicky • Unable rest effectively or sleep • Loss of appetite • Unable to make choices • Feeling an urge to run away from normal situations

Trying to solve the anxiety puzzle?

Problems with Anxious feelings

One of the things that can work against you when trying to reduce your levels of anxiety is an unrealistic expectation; most people feel anxious in certain situations, so feeling anxious is normal, but if you think you should not be feeling hardly any anxiety, or think a normal amount of anxiety is actually an unrealistic level, then every time you do feel anxious you will think you are failing to make progress. people are often puzzled when trying to work out what is a normal level of anxiety to feel, the problem is trying to define normal is almost impossible, how do you calculate it, who or how many people do you use to measure from, and how do you quantify the results in a meaningful way. Having unrealistic expectations regarding your levels of anxiety, or what progress is expected over a certain time period can in some cases actually reduce the prospects of success, and even make matter worse. Often when the unrealistic improvement does not materialise, they can feel like failures or worthless and make progress even harder, in that scenario therapy can be very helpful by challenging their beliefs and expectations, allowing actual progress to be recognised, helping confidence to grow and personal development to be continued • How much anxiety should we be feeling at any given time? • What does a reasonable level of anxiety actually feel like? • What’s normal?

Reducing your Anxiety

Somewhere on this page it is possible to find a way of allowing you to feel calmer and for a short time you will find some relief from anxiety, by implementing these suggestions every week, you can reduce the long-term effects of stress and anxiety on your life. There are more in-depth explanations that will explain in more detail the psychological and physiological state and the Cognitive & Behavioural Elements of anxiety, but I hope this short and simple explanation has given you some idea about your anxiety. There are some ways below to help yourself control stress and anxiety, using the simple methods included here will usually help.

Meditation helps people treat anxiety

Meditation has been used for thousands of years, and it has been proved to work to lower anxiety and stress, it can also lead to more profound long- lasting internal changes that for many people over time provide them with new personal insights, it will also allow them to rest and heal physically. (YouTube is providing many quality meditation instructions for free) The good news is you do not have to sit cross-legged or chant and learn complex, in-depth techniques for it to be effective, almost anyone can do it, very often in a way that is right for them.

If relaxation is good for us why can it be so hard to relax?

Working as a therapist, I often encourage the use of meditation to clients so they can benefit from the reduced stress and anxiety that people often sense in their life, when people regularly use meditation there is usually more value to it other than just feeling a sense of relaxation. The use of meditation can affect many areas of our thinking mind and our physical self; it is an excellent way to help find relief from stress and anxiety. by allowing the mind and body to rest and recover with meditation, it can be very worthwhile to do but it takes practice and some commitment from to give it the time to be able to help you as well as it can. There are many ways to do meditation, and it can be as simple as sitting or lying down and just counting and breathing, it can be more complex and involve sitting with crossed legs and saying a mantra, I always think that whatever works will do, and everyone is different so the best method to use will be very different from person to person. There are many free examples of guided meditation on YouTube and free videos teaching methods of meditation, there is a very large repository of YouTube and there are many free examples worth trying out to see what works for you. Hypnotherapy is another excellent way to relax, and again there are hypnosis relaxation videos and mp3 files available to use online.

Meditation can be helpful for dealing with stress and anxiety

• Meditation reduces stress • It can help by reducing anxiety • Can help lessen digestive problems • Has been shown to reduce high blood pressure. • Increases self-awareness.

A cautionary note about meditation

With any deep relaxation, including hypnotherapy there is a possibility, that some people can have an adverse re-action, especially if you have PTSD, or have suppressed emotions, or repressed emotional experiences. The results can be diverse in its intensity, it may just feel slightly uncomfortable to the person, or they may be-come extremely upset seemingly for no apparent reason, or start experiencing overwhelming negative emotions, if your mood has changed after meditation for the worse, or you cannot face trying to meditate or relax again, it is best to seek some guidance or therapy to help uncover the reasons rather than just ignore it.

Breathing exercises for anxiety

Breathing is essential to us, and the way we breathe can have an effect on how we think and feel, if you sit down close your eyes and take four deep slow breaths you will feel more relaxed. You can also use ways of breathing to influence how you think and help calm you in situations that may trigger anxiety. How to breathe correctly is essential.

Exercise is good for anxious feelings

The good news is that there is no need to join a gym, and you can find many ways to find physical activities to help you exercise. Sometimes it’s just about being more active, so going dancing or walking, swimming and any sport will help you keep fit. Instructional DVD’S about how to exercise is also helpful. Exercise helps reduce stress by using up the body's natural chemicals to help you feel good naturally.

Reduce caffeine

Some people find that caffeine can make them feel restless or fidgety, if it affects you that way, you may want to reduce or stop drinking high caffeine drinks such as coffee or cola and even tea, and high energy drinks are also usually high in caffeine. Caffeine in some people reduces the ability to rest, hinders sleep and keeps the mind working, yes it can help you keep going, but at a cost, nothing wrong with having the odd drink but people who are suffering from anxiety or stress tend to overdo the amount they drink, try to count how many high caffeine drinks you have a day. High doses of caffeine can cause anxiety, dizziness, headaches, and anxiety, It is considered that taking 200-300 mg of caffeine a day to be a safe amount for adults. However, some people can become dependent on as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day. It could mean that it is possible to develop withdrawal symptoms and experience symp-toms like tiredness, irritability, and headaches if they stop all caffeine suddenly. You may think your caffeine intake is low but it can be added to medications and supplements, and some foods, so you may not be fully aware how much you really ingest in a day, try looking at the ingredients in over the counter pain medication and energy drinks and see the amounts included, you may be surprised. The old saying you are what you eat is true in many ways, by cutting out processed foods and eating your five a day fresh vegetables and fruit you will help your body find the energy and minerals it needs, by eating healthy food you are going to be healthier physically and mentally.

Anxiety Issues

What is anxiety?

Many people struggle to control their feelings of anxiety day to day, it can develop into a problem early on in life, or it can become an issue people start to experience in later life. It can grow over time, or develop almost instantly after an emotionally upsetting, or frightening experience, such as a physical attack or being deeply emotionally hurt. This fear-based issue has become a very common problem and it is seemingly on the increase, it has sometimes been cited as a modern-day mental health epidemic, in some cases it can severely impact a person’s life, and ruin not just their mental health but damage their physical health as well. Anxiety is feeling that is a core part of our survival skills, and it is usually very good at keeping us safe or preparing us for impending danger, when it is doing its job effectively, it helps us by moderating our level of exposure to unsafe actions or experiences, or it motivates us to prepare for future possible threats, such a installing a burglar alarm or buying house insurance. Fear is a reaction to a current, known threat that stimulates our fight or flight response this usually prepares us for imminent danger, but anxiety is only an emotional response, for a possible or future perceived danger, it’s a fictitious fear stemming from our imagination not any actual or immediate danger. An over active anxiety response is triggered by our imagination, and is turned into worrying and anxiety-based nervousness, this imagined threat response will exaggerate the possibility of danger, this disproportionate response when there is no imminent threat, can arouse endless distressing thoughts and stimulate even higher levels of anxiety leading to physical reactions like panic attacks. Our internal monitor or subconscious tends to remember our past fearful experiences, and saves it as a kind pattern, if we find ourselves facing a similar probable set of circumstances, it identifies a conceivable matching pattern , and our subconscious recognises a possibility of a threat and the anxiety it transmits warns us by making us feel anxious and alerts us to the possibility. So, when we feel anxious, the anxiety we feel is helping us understand the risks and in turn help us to make improved less risky choices, and keep us away from harmful situations. This fear response can also be activated in what we see as embarrassing social settings, or emotionally unpleasant experiences and situations, that could diminish your social or economic standing in society.

Physical conditions that can lead to

elevated anxiety

Before seeking therapy for any anxiety disorder, it is always a good idea to see your Doctor to rule out any possible physical reasons for your anxiety, some medical conditions that can affect your emotional stability are such medical problems such as Endocrine disease hyperthyroidism some heart problems and also some side effects of medications can lead to psychological changes. If there is no known physical reason associated with your anxiety issues, then the next stage is a diagnosis and possible medical and psychological treatment options, or a referral to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Physical problems that can be linked

to anxiety may include:

• Cardiovascular disease • Diabetes type 1 and type 2 • hyperthyroidism • Impacts respiratory illnesses like emphysema, asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease • Drug or alcohol addiction • Stomach problems • (IBS) irritable bowel syndrome • Physical aches and pains • Weakened immune system • Hyperthyroidism • Headaches and migraines

How do people develop problems with

anxiety?

One thing to keep in mind is that people can be similar to each other in some ways, and yet very different in others, why is that important to remember? When life challenges us, different people will react, and be affected by life experiences in different ways. For instance, one person who experiences an upsetting traumatic event, may take a little bit of time to adjust emotionally and then get on with life with no obvious major detrimental after affects, and yet, someone else facing the same traumatic event could be left struggling to cope with everyday tasks for years, until they eventually recover, a different person may never fully recover, and be plagued by constant anxiety issues or other mental health problems like depression. People are not weaker minded or inferior beings, if they develop mental health problems after a traumatic event, or prolonged exposure to long periods of high stressed situations like bullying or working in a stressful environment, no one really knows how they would cope until they experience them themselves. Developing problems with anxiety disorders can happen in childhood or later on in life, for instance children’s anxiety responses can be partly learned from parents or other influential adults who also have difficulties dealing with their anxiety. When parents show symptoms of anxiety, like panic attacks or becoming tense or upset about normal everyday life events, the child recognises the distress and can themselves become distressed, they may not show it, but it is still being processed internally, in time the child can also learn to be anxious in similar situations or develop a heightened sensitivity to being anxious. Over protective parents can over exaggerate the dangers in the world and make the child nervous and insecure, this can in time can develop into higher levels of anxiety. At any age experiencing traumatic events such as being physically, sexually, or emotionally abused, will often affect a person’s confidence, by lowering their self-esteem and ability to stand up for themselves, they can lose confidence in their abilities, and become very anxious and insecure in time, even to the point of become self-criticising and self-demeaning, in severe cases they can develop serious self-hate issues and feel suicidal. That’s just a few examples of how life can affect people in ways that damages them emotionally, as always, its complex.

Common Anxiety Symptoms

How people respond to feelings of anxiety can be complex and vary from person to person, and the symptoms that are displayed may be expressed differently, although they will generally have a common theme. Not only does Anxiety effect people psychologically, but it also triggers physical symptoms, in some cases felt as hot or cold sweats or tightness in the chest, a dry mouth and shaking, or as a combination of other types of physical reactions.

Symptoms expressed physically

• Excessive sweating • Elevated or racing heart rate • Tightness in the throat and dry mouth • Shaking of hands, arms, legs, whole body • Stomach pains and cramps • Fatigued and constantly tired • Headaches, dizziness and fainting • Nausea and sickness • Increased urination and loose stools • Symptoms expressed emotionally • Over thinking and constant worrying thoughts • Inability to focus or concentrate • Feelings of impending doom • Feeling irritable and panicky • Unable rest effectively or sleep • Loss of appetite • Unable to make choices • Feeling an urge to run away from normal situations

Trying to solve the anxiety puzzle?

Problems with Anxious feelings

One of the things that can work against you when trying to reduce your levels of anxiety is an unrealistic expectation; most people feel anxious in certain situations, so feeling anxious is normal, but if you think you should not be feeling hardly any anxiety, or think a normal amount of anxiety is actually an unrealistic level, then every time you do feel anxious you will think you are failing to make progress. people are often puzzled when trying to work out what is a normal level of anxiety to feel, the problem is trying to define normal is almost impossible, how do you calculate it, who or how many people do you use to measure from, and how do you quantify the results in a meaningful way. Having unrealistic expectations regarding your levels of anxiety, or what progress is expected over a certain time period can in some cases actually reduce the prospects of success, and even make matter worse. Often when the unrealistic improvement does not materialise, they can feel like failures or worthless and make progress even harder, in that scenario therapy can be very helpful by challenging their beliefs and expectations, allowing actual progress to be recognised, helping confidence to grow and personal development to be continued • How much anxiety should we be feeling at any given time? • What does a reasonable level of anxiety actually feel like? • What’s normal?

Reducing your Anxiety

Somewhere on this page it is possible to find a way of allowing you to feel calmer and for a short time you will find some relief from anxiety, by implementing these suggestions every week, you can reduce the long-term effects of stress and anxiety on your life. There are more in-depth explanations that will explain in more detail the psychological and physiological state and the Cognitive & Behavioural Elements of anxiety, but I hope this short and simple explanation has given you some idea about your anxiety. There are some ways below to help yourself control stress and anxiety, using the simple methods included here will usually help.

Meditation helps people treat anxiety

Meditation has been used for thousands of years, and it has been proved to work to lower anxiety and stress, it can also lead to more profound long-lasting internal changes that for many people over time provide them with new personal insights, it will also allow them to rest and heal physically. (YouTube is providing many quality meditation instructions for free) The good news is you do not have to sit cross- legged or chant and learn complex, in-depth techniques for it to be effective, almost anyone can do it, very often in a way that is right for them.

If relaxation is good for us why can it

be so hard to relax?

Working as a therapist, I often encourage the use of meditation to clients so they can benefit from the reduced stress and anxiety that people often sense in their life, when people regularly use meditation there is usually more value to it other than just feeling a sense of relaxation. The use of meditation can affect many areas of our thinking mind and our physical self; it is an excellent way to help find relief from stress and anxiety. by allowing the mind and body to rest and recover with meditation, it can be very worthwhile to do but it takes practice and some commitment from to give it the time to be able to help you as well as it can. There are many ways to do meditation, and it can be as simple as sitting or lying down and just counting and breathing, it can be more complex and involve sitting with crossed legs and saying a mantra, I always think that whatever works will do, and everyone is different so the best method to use will be very different from person to person. There are many free examples of guided meditation on YouTube and free videos teaching methods of meditation, there is a very large repository of YouTube and there are many free examples worth trying out to see what works for you. Hypnotherapy is another excellent way to relax, and again there are hypnosis relaxation videos and mp3 files available to use online.

Meditation can be helpful for dealing with

stress and anxiety

• Meditation reduces stress • It can help by reducing anxiety • Can help lessen digestive problems • Has been shown to reduce high blood pressure. • Increases self-awareness.

A cautionary note about meditation

With any deep relaxation, including hypnotherapy there is a possibility, that some people can have an adverse re-action, especially if you have PTSD, or have suppressed emotions, or repressed emotional experiences. The results can be diverse in its intensity, it may just feel slightly uncomfortable to the person, or they may be-come extremely upset seemingly for no apparent reason, or start experiencing overwhelming negative emotions, if your mood has changed after meditation for the worse, or you cannot face trying to meditate or relax again, it is best to seek some guidance or therapy to help uncover the reasons rather than just ignore it.

Breathing exercises for anxiety

Breathing is essential to us, and the way we breathe can have an effect on how we think and feel, if you sit down close your eyes and take four deep slow breaths you will feel more relaxed. You can also use ways of breathing to influence how you think and help calm you in situations that may trigger anxiety. How to breathe correctly is essential.

Exercise is good for anxious feelings

The good news is that there is no need to join a gym, and you can find many ways to find physical activities to help you exercise. Sometimes it’s just about being more active, so going dancing or walking, swimming and any sport will help you keep fit. Instructional DVD’S about how to exercise is also helpful. Exercise helps reduce stress by using up the body's natural chemicals to help you feel good naturally.

Reduce caffeine

Some people find that caffeine can make them feel restless or fidgety, if it affects you that way, you may want to reduce or stop drinking high caffeine drinks such as coffee or cola and even tea, and high energy drinks are also usually high in caffeine. Caffeine in some people reduces the ability to rest, hinders sleep and keeps the mind working, yes it can help you keep going, but at a cost, nothing wrong with having the odd drink but people who are suffering from anxiety or stress tend to overdo the amount they drink, try to count how many high caffeine drinks you have a day. High doses of caffeine can cause anxiety, dizziness, headaches, and anxiety, It is considered that taking 200-300 mg of caffeine a day to be a safe amount for adults. However, some people can become dependent on as little as 100 mg of caffeine a day. It could mean that it is possible to develop withdrawal symptoms and experience symp-toms like tiredness, irritability, and headaches if they stop all caffeine suddenly. You may think your caffeine intake is low but it can be added to medications and supplements, and some foods, so you may not be fully aware how much you really ingest in a day, try looking at the ingredients in over the counter pain medication and energy drinks and see the amounts included, you may be surprised. The old saying you are what you eat is true in many ways, by cutting out processed foods and eating your five a day fresh vegetables and fruit you will help your body find the energy and minerals it needs, by eating healthy food you are going to be healthier physically and mentally.