Anxiety and What to Do About It

Anxiety and What to Do About It
By J Shipper

Anxiety Disorders Defined

There are several subgroups of Anxiety Disorders, with different causes and treatement. Anxiety disorders are a serious social and financial concern to American business, since they cost the country more than $42 billion a year in healthcare costs and lost productivity, according to The Economic Burden of Anxiety Disorders, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

More than $22.84 billion is spent on healthcare services, as those with anxiety disorders seek relief for emotional distress and physical symptoms. Sufferers are 300 to 500 percent more likely to go to the doctor and 600 percent more likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric disorders than non-sufferers.Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric illness and affect both children and adults. They develop from an interaction of numerous risk factors, including personality, genetics, brain chemistry, and life stress. Approximately 19 million adult Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are highly treatable, yet only about one-third of those suffering from them receive treatment.

The main feature of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is excessive, unrealistic and uncontrollable worry about everyday events. This constant worry affects daily functioning and brings physical symptoms. GAD can occur with other anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, or substance abuse. It can be misdiagnosed because it lacks some of the dramatic symptoms, such as unprovoked attacks of panic, that are seen with other anxiety disorders. For a diagnosis to be made, uncontrollable worrying occur more days than not for at least 6 months.

The focus of GAD is fluid, shifting unpredictably from job issues, finances, health of both self and family, and smaller issues such as chores, car repairs and being late for appointments. The intensity, duration and frequency of the worry are disproportionate to the issue and interferes with the sufferer's daily life. Physical symptoms can include muscle tension, sweating, gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and/or nausea, cold and clammy palms, the feeling of having a lump in the throat and difficulty swallowing.Sufferers are irritable and complain about feeling on edge, tire easily tired and have trouble sleeping.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is characterized by persistent, recurring thoughts (obsessions) that reflect exaggerated anxiety or fears; typical obsessions include worry about being contaminated or fears of behaving improperly or acting violently. The obsessions may cause the individual to perform a rituals or routines to relieve the anxiety, such as excessive handwashing, checking appliances, repeating phrases or hoarding.

People with Panic Disorder suffer severe acute attacks of panic for no apparant reason, which may mimic the symptoms of a heart attack or cause them to feel they are losing their minds. Symptoms include heart palpitations, chest pain or discomfort, sweating, trembling, tingling sensations, feeling of choking, fear of dying, fear of losing control, and feelings of unreality. Panic disorder is often accompanied by agoraphobia, in which people are afraid of having a panic attack in a public place, so they become afraid to leave the safety of their controlled home environment.Posttraumatic Stress Disorder can follow a traumatic event such as a sexual or physical assault, witnessing a death, the unexpected death of a loved one, or natural disaster. There are three main symptoms associated with PTSD: eliving of the traumatic event (such as flashbacks and nightmares); avoidance behaviors (such as avoiding places and other reminders related to the trauma) and emotional numbing (detachment from others); and physiological arousal such difficulty sleeping, irritability or poor concentration.

Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by severe anxiety about being judged by others or behaving in a way that might bring ridicule or embarrassment. This intense anxiety may lead to extreme shyness and avoidance of social situations. Physical symptoms associated with this disorder include faintness, heart palpitations, blushing and profuse sweating.

Anxiety disorders also include Specific Phobias, an intense and unreasonable fear of specific objects or situations, such as spiders, dogs, or heights. The disproportionate level of fear is recognized by the sufferer as being irrational. It can lead to the avoidance of common, everyday situations.Patients often have more than one anxiety disorder, and sometimes other illness as well such as depression or substance abuse.

Treatment of anxiety disorders includes support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy, anxiety management and relaxation techniques, and psychotherapy. Drugs therapy used to treat anxiety disorders includes benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and beta-blockers. Often a combination of the two therapies is more useful than one exclusively. Up to 90 percent of patients will show improvement of their symptom from medical treatment.For more information on anxiety and other health topics, visit our websites:

Author is J Shipper who is very interested in anxiety and how to treat it.Check out the website:http://www.anxiety-now.info

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Anxiety Reactions and Techniques to Stop Racing Thoughts

Anxiety Reactions and Techniques to Stop Racing Thoughts
By Jordana Mansbacher

What happens to you when you feel anxious? You may find that you are having heart palpitations, sweaty palms, feel flushed, or are suffering from racing thoughts. You may even think that you are having a heart attack if the anxiety is overwhelming. Many people in my practice ask me how to stop that seemingly un-ending road of fear and panic. It seems as though once you start on that road, it is difficult to pull off it.

This is quite understandable if you understand the biology of anxiety. Anxiety served as a protective purpose for us during the times of the saber-toothed tiger. These animals lived roughly about 33.7 million to 9,000 years ago and were quite deadly to humans. Humans developed an anxiety reaction to these animals to protect them from being eaten. This is known as the fight or flight syndrome and it is a primitive reaction that we have developed to protect us. However, we are no longer in danger of the saber-toothed tiger, but our well developed anxiety reactions are still present. They serve a useful purpose in times of real imminent danger. But many people find that they are suffering from anxiety that is not related to real imminent harm.

Now you ask, How do we stop those racing thoughts and adrenaline-like feelings so that we can stop worrying and be more productive? Well one of the tools you can use is called the thought-stopping technique. It is quite simple and many people laugh when they first hear it, but it really does work.

Imagine a stop sign. It is red and white and has eight sides. In the middle of that octagonal shaped sign is the word STOP. Now imagine that word STOP being said out loud to you by either you or someone else, or printed on a piece of paper right in front of you. Usually you will stop what you are doing or thinking even for a second and wonder, What do I have to stop for?, What is going on? Then you may go back to your racing thoughts or actions you were performing just before you heard or saw the word STOP.

The key here is that you just shut down that cyclical pattern of thoughts even for a second as you pondered the word STOP. As you go back to whatever you were doing just before imagining the word STOP, you are still training yourself to be more in control. What we know about anxiety is that the premise is one of fear. Fear is about feeling out of control of what will happen to us. However, once you employ the thought stopping technique, you were in control of stopping your racing thoughts, even for a second.

The thought stopping technique is as easy as what I described above. It is a way to interrupt your racing thought patterns. Now if you find yourself going back to your intruding thoughts, imagine the word STOP again. Imagine a stop sign or repeat the word out loud over and over. Again, you may find yourself going back to your racing thoughts, but this time you shut that process down for a few seconds. Every time you do this, you are re-training your brain to interrupt the seemingly un-ending cycle of racing thoughts that are creating a lot of your anxiety symptoms.

Thought stopping techniques are very useful tools to help you when you feel that your thoughts are out of control. If you are still struggling with anxiety to the point that you are not being productive in your life, you should have a full psychological and medical evaluation to see if there is another reason for your anxiety. Some people need medications and others need on-going psychotherapy or both.

What ever it is that you choose to do, you need to take back the control in your life and understand that there are some processes that you do have control over. Thought stopping techniques will help you begin to put yourself back on that road of control.

Jordana Mansbacher, LCSW, DCSW, MSW
Jordana Mansbacher is a private practice psychotherapist and life coach in Los Angeles, CA. Her specialties include treating anxiety, eating disorders, relationship issues, issues of aging and depression.

You can contact her through her website: http://www.JordanaCares.com

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Ways to Cope with severe Anxiety Disorder

Ways to Cope with severe Anxiety Disorder
By John Mancini

A severe Anxiety Disorder can lead to very deep depression that may lead to morbid thoughts and possible suicide attempts. These are not a cry for help they are genuine attempts at taking their own life and the patient should be treated carefully. A common mistake when people hear of an Anxiety Disorder is to push people into doing the things that make them the most anxious but this is a mistake. Until professional help can be sought the patient should be allowed to avoid circumstances that will place them under extra pressure. The more exposure to these circumstances the more likely they will develop a severe Anxiety Disorder.

Benzodiazepines are another regularly used medication that is proven to help some sufferers of severe Anxiety Disorder but again there isn't any single one that is proven to work while others don't.

Combing psychiatric assistance with prescribed medication is by far the best solution. Often the drugs only mask the symptoms and the patient can grow immune to their effects so by using a psychiatric program as well the patient will really benefit.

Medication can be prescribed that will help patients who suffer from severe Anxiety Disorder. Most trials have been conducted on monotherapy treatment, which means the use of one drug but often it is necessary to combine more than one drug to get the best effects. Antidepressants are administered although it is very much a case of trial and error as to exactly which one will prove the most effective.

Psychological treatment should be sought from a registered psychiatrist. Finding a professional who has a lot of experience with patients who suffer from severe Anxiety Disorder is the best option. A Psychiatrist will understand the problem perfectly and will help the patient work through their anxiety. Remember, a patient suffering from a severe Anxiety Disorder is unlikely to want to visit a doctor of any sort, but a Psychiatrist with the appropriate experience will know how to overcome this problem.

John Mancini has been writing about Anxiety Disorder online and offline for a long time. Visit http://stop-anxiety-disorders.net or http://anxiety-disorders-home.info to read more about matters like separation anxiety disorder and panic anxiety disorder.

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Has Your Anxiety Turned You Into A Sleepwalker?

Has Your Anxiety Turned You Into A Sleepwalker?
By Sylvia Dickens

Do you jolt awake in the middle of the night and wonder what just happened?

If youre like me, its probably an anxiety attack that rattles through your sleeping body every now and then. The sensation is not a pleasant one. It takes a few moments for you to collect your thoughts and evaluate the situation. During those seconds, your mind races, your heart pounds and you feel hot.

One of the first things you might think is that you are experiencing a true health issue, a heart attack perhaps.

When these events happened to me recently, I truly did think it was some sort of health breakdown. After a brief review, I realized that whatever was wrong didnt require an ambulance and I was able to go back to uneventful sleep.

The day I awoke to find myself talking and trying to climb up the wall, I realized that stress had taken over my life and my dreams. I knew it was directly associated with the serious issues I had to deal with at that time. Little did I know that it was just the beginning. It wasnt long before they became full-blown anxiety attacks that usually turned into panic. They controlled the way I lived my life for the next five years.

If you have recurring nightmares, it might be an indication that you are also experiencing anxiety. To understand the relationship between anxiety and sleep disruptions, we need to take a look at anxiety itself.

What is anxiety? What causes it?

Anxiety is a state of nervousness or agitation, especially prevalent when we are under extreme stress or are facing a difficult situation in our lives that must be resolved. The more severe or imperative the issue, the more likely it is that we will have some sort of anxiety. It can be mild and cause us to feel tense and edgy, or it can be more dominant and interfere significantly with our lives. When anxiety wakes us at night, its a clear indication that the issue is having a serious effect on us.

Nervousness might be more than just a response to an immediate stressful situation. Researchers have discovered that nervousness is part of the cause of anxiety disorders. They also suggest that these traits run in families, predisposing us to having anxiety as a regular part of our lives. Its the degree of anxiety that determines what steps you must take to minimize or eliminate the anxiety.

A certain degree of anxiety actually is a good thing. Without it, we might not recognize the true seriousness of a given situation, especially ones that could jeopardize our future. This type of anxiety is natural and expected. We wonder whether the new issue can be resolved, how badly it can harm us, and how we must proceed to prevent a disaster.

In many cases, we are able to quickly go beyond the initial anxiety trigger and immediately jump into preservation mode, rather than the fright/flight options that anxiety presents. When we calm down, we can work through the situation rationally, come up with a viable solution or two, and resolve the issue without further distress.

This is not always the case, however. For those of us who are naturally nervous and experience high levels of anxiety, breaking out of the fright/flight response can be more difficult. In such cases, its important to identify any early signs that our anxiety and nervousness are out of control.

If nightmares disturb your sleep, if you wake suddenly in the night, or if you tend to sleepwalk, these are important signs. Other symptoms can include restless legs, insomnia or sleep interference. Researchers have determined that people who experience an interruption in their sleep pattern are likely to see a dramatic increase in this disturbance later on. They also suggest that there is a high correlation between insomnia and anxiety.

Studies have been done that reveal a link between childhood sleep problems and adult anxiety. People who had sleep problems as children are more susceptible to anxiety disorders in early adulthood. I am evidence of that, for as a child I was often found walking around the house or talking in my sleep. I was surprised, however, when those experiences recurred well into my thirties.

This doesnt mean there is no hope for people experiencing sleep disturbances and anxiety. Since anxiety can be directly attributed to the loss of sleep and interruptions during the night, remedying the anxiety likely will kill two birds with one stone.

Finding the right sources that can bring permanent solutions to those anxiety and panic attacks can be a challenge. Fortunately, the internet harbors reams of information to help you. With perseverance and by asking the right people and studying the best information, you can soon see an end to your anxiety.

Youll see many offers of various medications guaranteed to cure you. Youll come across some convincing sales pitches that offer the solution. Theyll even suggest you can be cured overnight. Keep in mind that its taken awhile for your body to develop anxiety and make it a regular part of your life. Its not likely you can eliminate it that quickly.

In my case, I found the cure but it hasnt eliminated anxiety from my life entirely. It taught me how to control it and live through it. The techniques enable me to quickly intercept the anxiety, thereby preventing a cycle of anxiety and panic from setting in. I have anxiety today. I had anxiety a week ago. The important thing is, each attack disappeared within less than a minute because I know what to do and am confident in my ability to overcome them quickly and effectively.

The right program will do the same for you. It might make your anxiety disappear completely, for we are all different, but you can be sure of one thing. It will enable you to live a much more comfortable and confident life, knowing you are in control.

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Sylvia Dickens is an award-winning journalist who has struggled and overcome panic and anxiety. Formerly with the Canadian Mental Health Association, she's written, A Guide to Teenage Depression & Suicide and offers a book to cure panic quickly and without medication. You can learn more at http://www.book-titles.ca/anxiety.htm.

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Get Immediate Relief From Anxiety Disorder And Panic Attacks Using Breathing Techniques

Get Immediate Relief From Anxiety Disorder And Panic Attacks Using Breathing Techniques
By Mike Carlson

Many of the symptoms we feel during an anxiety or panic attack are very real physical reactions by our body, even though the threat may be more a product of our mind than it is a reality.

Throughout my years of learning do conquer my anxiety disorder, I learned that a) there is no instant cure or quick fix and b) no single avenue of treatment alone, such as medications, will be an effective, long term solution.

One of the single most effective ways of reducing the debilitating physical reactions your body has to a perceived threat (which is partly what an anxiety attack is) is to learn deep breathing techniques.

Once you learn to control your breathing, when you feel anxiety attack coming on youll be able to quickly relax and reduce those feelings. Youll quickly feel much better, and what a huge step that will be!

Part of what happens when your mind perceives danger is it shortens up your breathing, producing a lot of the choking, panicking, fast heart beats that you feel.

Its important for you to use these breathing techniques before or right when you feel anxiety coming on. However, start practicing any time you get a chance, at least once a day.

Youll want to practice slow, steady breathing through your nose. To be sure youre doing this technique well; slowly inhale through your nose, while counting to 6. Hold your breath for a second or two, then slowly exhale also while counting to 6, hold for a second or two, and repeat.

Also try and breathe using your stomach and not your chest. To test this, place your hand on your stomach as you breathe, and you should feel it moving slowly up and down with your inhales and exhales.

Now practice this each day, when youre driving to work, or relaxing after work would be great. Allow yourself to relax while doing this. Start using this technique when you start to feel anxiety coming on, or when you know youll be heading into a situation that usually causes a problem with your anxiety disorder, even before you start to feel the symptoms come on!

This is just one of the techniques, when combined with a holistic life approach to anxiety disorders and panic attacks that can allow you to live anxiety free!

It is possible, it can be done, but you have to do it! Start today!

Mike has lived with Anxiety all of his life. He has spent many of those years trying many traditional treatments and searching for new solutions to living anxiety free. By taking some traditional treatments and also Going outside the Box Mike is now living free of fear and living a full life he never thought possible!

Please visit http://www.liveanxietyfree.com

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A Jungian Psychology Approach To Anxiety

A Jungian Psychology Approach To Anxiety
By John Betts

Anxiety is a very common disorder in todays world, largely due to the fact that we feel hurried, pressured and pushed to perform, pay the mortgage, deal with kids, and on top of all that, live a full life. No wonder we have anxiety. But what is anxiety trying to tell us? From a Jungian Psychology perspective, anxiety is the psyches way of telling us that the way we are living is out of balance. Rather than view anxiety as something to be eliminated, with medication, we need to see that the psyche is giving us a clear message about our one-sided life and is gently asking us to change this. Viewed in this light, anxiety symptoms are there to guide us out of a lifestyle that is no longer working.

Carl Jung argued that anxiety symptoms are purposive, functional and have a goal the alteration of our lifestyle. When we eliminate the symptoms through medication, we deny the wisdom of the psyche in making normal, natural change. Anxiety often appears in mid-life, when many of us experience a mid-life crisis. The first half of life is aimed at establishing our identity, our relationships, our occupation, and building up the necessary resources to accomplish all of these tasks. But, there comes a time when we need to turn inwards, to encounter the contents of the unconscious (often provided to us in the form of dreams) and search out the essential meaning of life. What is my purpose in life? Why am I here? How could I be living a more balanced, natural life? It is anxiety that often propels us towards answering these questions. When next you feel intense anxiety, ask yourself what the psyche is trying to tell you? What is it that I am doing that creates the anxiety, then begin to address the causes of the symptoms, rather than the cure.

If we answer the question what is the anxiety trying to tell me we begin to address the cause. This may mean some change in the way you life your life, but this change does not necessarily mean that you become less competent, or less valued, rather, it means that you begin to value the wisdom of your psyche more than before. By addressing the causes of the anxiety and making lifestyle changes, the anxiety should diminish, having achieved its goal leading you towards a more full, balanced lifestyle.

John Betts is a Diploma Candidate at the International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich Switzerland. He has a Jungian Analysis practice in Victoria, B.C., Canada.

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Stress Anxiety and Substance Abuse as a Cause of Impairment in Lawyers

Stress, Anxiety, and Substance Abuse as a Cause of Impairment in Lawyers
By L. John Mason

One of every four lawyers suffers from stress, and out of 105 occupations, lawyers rank first in depression. In addition, a disproportionate number of lawyers commit suicide. These are some of the troubling conclusions that can be found in various studies of addiction and depression. Reports Robert Stein, ABA Executive Director, in the June 2005 issue of the ABA Journal.

The costs of stress, alcoholism, and drug abuse is very high for the legal profession. The American Bar Association and all state bar associations have provided lawyer assistance programs that can help to treat impaired lawyers. Most of these programs also address the issues of clinical depression and disorders related to gambling, sex, and eating.

If you do not realize the significance of this troubling situation, consider being represented in your important legal matters by an impaired attorney. It could cost you thousands of dollars or even your freedom if you or your interests are not protected by competent legal professionals. In the state of California, there is a requirement for Continuing Legal Education (CLEs) which includes a minimum of 1 hour every 3 years on stress management or substance abuse for all licensed, practicing lawyers to maintain their license to practice law.

The practice of law is inherently stressful. Much of the time lawyers find themselves battling with other legal professionals for their clients best interests. Trail lawyers must think quickly and communicate with precision and skill in the courtroom. Corporate lawyers must be concerned with legal details that require focused attention and great care. The competition to be successful as an attorney can lead to stress, anxiety, depression, and substance abuse.

People preparing to become attorneys often struggle with stress in law school and in the multi-day testing that is required to pass the bar. The stressful issues that can begin in law school can set up future practicing attorneys for bad habits in coping with the stress and anxiety of the profession. Some law schools offer coursework for life skill management to better prepare their students to be able to perform at the highest level for their clients and for their quality of life.

Because lawyers are trained to be precise and use their cerebral abilities for day to day work, they are often in denial regarding the needs for stress and anxiety management until bad habits are established or symptoms cause significant challenges. Even managing general partners in major law firms have great professional and personal concerns regarding impairment within their organizations. An accidental mistake or oversight can open a law firm to their own costly law suits for malpractice. Many concerned managing partners are requiring that their attorneys practice preventive measures to control stress, anxiety, and depression. This can be found in group trainings, EAPs or individual coaching. Coaching can also offer enhancements to time management, improved communication skills, and long term career planning. An interesting and unexpected benefit to this training and coaching is that this preventive work can actually save lawyers time and energy by helping to minimize the impact of distractions due to stress. This improves performance and can help to increase profitability. Key personnel are important assests and professional coaching or mentoring programs have huge cost benefits.

Everyone, even lawyers, require professional assistance to get through the difficult periods. Lawyers just seem to require more attention as they work to survive, at the highest functioning levels, in the meat grinder of their professional life. Most people who know practicing attorneys know that their attorney family members or friends can benefit from a sense of humor and better stress management. In increasing frequency, law firms are using retreats to help de-compress and then get down to business planning.

More information can be found in the article by Robert Stein at http://www.abanet.org/legalservices/colap/ABAJournal200506Help.html

L. John Mason, Ph.D. is the author of the best selling Guide to Stress Reduction. Since 1977, he has offered Executive Coaching and Training.

Please visit the Stress Education Center's website at Stress, Stress Management, Coaching, and Training for articles, free ezine signup, and learn about the new telecourses that are available. If you would like information or a targeted proposal for training or coaching, please contact us at (360) 593-3833.

If you are looking for training or coaching in stress, anxiety or to improve performance, please investigate the Executive Lawyer Coaching Program. And, please take good care of yourself.

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