If you have experienced frequent and exaggerated fear, accompanied by feelings of impending doom, you may be experiencing anxiety. Anxiety typically affects a person’s life to the point that they are unable to function normally. Examples of anxiety disorders are general anxiety disorder, panic disorder (anxiety), specific phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorder (prevention). In some cases anxiety results from a physical condition which requires medical attention.
People with anxiety experience overwhelming feelings of dread, impending doom and panic when they are exposed to certain situations. The symptoms can be debilitating and severely limit a person’s ability to live a normal life. People who experience these feelings must learn to calm themselves before they are able to do anything. Learning to control these feelings and behaviors is extremely important to one’s ability to live a satisfying life.
Anxiety symptoms can appear at any time or in any place. The most common symptoms are sweaty palms, rapid heart rate, difficulty breathing, trembling and dizziness. Physical symptoms accompanying anxiety include muscle tension, a racing or pounding heart, shakiness, fatigue, upset stomach and excessive fear. Mental symptoms include negative thoughts, negative emotions, difficulty concentrating and fear of impending danger. The length of time that someone experiences these symptoms can vary.
There are many different factors that can increase a person’s risk factors for developing an anxiety disorder or a panic attack. These include heredity, early life experiences, life events, social support systems, psychological problems, genetics and heredity. It has been discovered that identical twins, that are born of the same parents, have a higher risk of having anxiety disorders or panic attacks than non-identical twins. Environmental factors are believed to play a role in the development of these conditions. Examples of environmental factors include chronic stress, high levels of anxiety during certain times of the day, post traumatic stress, changes in daily life style and changes in your diet.
Most people will experience some form of anxiety at one time or another. However, for those who do experience anxiety it can turn into an intense worry and fear, which may be manifested as a physical symptom. Some of the more common physical symptoms of anxiety are blushing, heart palpitations, chest pain, sweating and nausea.
When you start to worry about your anxiety, you are likely to experience some form of depression. If this depression goes untreated, it can lead to severe mental health problems like substance abuse and eating disorders. So it is important not to underestimate the power of your mind. Your body is your temple and when you become depressed it is very difficult for your body to heal itself. Therefore if you feel that something is not right then you need to seek help.
Anxiety disorders and panic attacks may have very common symptoms but there are other possible reasons that you could be suffering from anxiety. Your anxiety may be caused by post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If you are going through a traumatic event like the death of a loved one then you are likely to develop PTSD. The symptoms of PTSD include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety and physical health problems.
If you are experiencing any combination of these symptoms then you are probably suffering from general anxiety disorder or a panic attack. There are many anxiety treatments on the market. You can try the natural methods or you can get medication prescribed by your doctor. The most popular method is with prescription drugs. They have a very good success rate, but you also have to be very careful because there are certain medications that have been known to make the symptoms of both generalized anxiety and panic attacks worse.