Ever wondered why you trembled before an exam or sweated palms before a job interview? It’s normal to feel apprehensive before a big occasion. You may have also observed that as the event began, you began to relax, breathe easier, and your heart slowed. Anxiety improves performance by making us more aware.
Others suffer from anxiety or panic episodes for no obvious cause. An anxiety disorder may occur if you cannot manage your thoughts and these persistent emotions of anxiety interfere with your everyday activities.

What causes anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are caused by:

1. Anxiety is common in those with a family history of mental illness. For example, OCD runs in families.
2. Worry at work, loss of a loved one or problematic relationships can all cause anxiety symptoms.
3. Health concerns: Thyroid disorders, asthma, diabetes, and heart disease all induce anxiety. Anxiety problems can manifest in people with depression. For example, someone who has been depressed for a long time may start underperforming at work. This can cause work-related stress, which can cause anxiety.
4. Substance abuse: Heavy drug, alcohol, and other substance users feel anxiety as the effects of the substance wear off (in withdrawal).
5. Personality characteristics: Some persons with personality traits like perfectionists or control freaks have anxiety difficulties.

Anxiety disorder types

Anxiety causes a range of problems in humans. Anxiety disorders include:
1. GAD (GAD) GAD causes excessive anxiety and concern about numerous events and circumstances. They struggle to regulate their anxiety, concern, restlessness, and constant ‘tenseness’. They are unconcerned about anything in particular and have no trigger.
2. OCD Anxious thoughts and concerns are continuous in OCD sufferers. They ease their anxiousness by repeating actions. For example, someone afraid of germs may repeatedly wash their hands and household items.
3. Social phobia/anxiety People with SAD fear social and performance settings where they may be judged by others. They are terrified of being humiliated or embarrassed by whatever they do or say. They can’t manage ordinary circumstances like small chats or even dine in public.
4. Phobias People with phobias go to considerable measures to avoid the thing or circumstance that causes them discomfort. Their concerns may include traveling in aircraft, crowded areas, spiders, and high-rise structures.
5. PTSD Being involved in or witnessing a stressful incident such as an accident or an assault might cause PTSD. The person will have trouble sleeping or relaxing owing to flashbacks.
6. Anxiety Uncontrollable panic episodes cause dizziness, shortness of breath, and profuse sweating in those with panic disorder. “I’m going to die” or “I’ll go insane” are reported as psychological symptoms (thoughts) during these episodes. These assaults occur for no apparent cause, and the victim fears reoccurrence.

Treatment of anxiety

Anxiety education

Learning all about anxiety is crucial to healing. As an example, education examines the physiology of the body’s response to approaching danger, the flight-or-fight response. Anxiety disorders cause this reaction in settings that are typically innocuous. Controlling symptoms requires education.

Mindfulness

Anxious people can spend a lot of time thinking about anxiety-provoking things.

Mindfulness helps us focus on the present moment and let go of harmful ideas.
Mindfulness is gaining popularity as people realize its many benefits. Many resources exist to help you develop a mindfulness practice.

Relaxation methods

Anxious people have problems relaxing, but learning how to relax muscles might help.
1. gradual muscular relaxation
2. abdominal-
3. isometric relaxation

Proper inhalation

Anxiety’s physical symptoms can be induced by hyperventilation, which increases oxygen and decreases carbon dioxide in the blood. Carbon dioxide helps regulate the body’s response to anxiety and panic.
Anxious people should learn to breathe from their diaphragm rather than their chest to avoid hyperventilation. The trick is to let your tummy expand when you inhale.
Place one hand on your lower belly and the other on your chest to check your breathing. Correct breathing moves your belly, not your chest. It also helps calm anxious breathing.
Abdominal breathing might be difficult for some. You can also try various breathing techniques. Try holding your breath for a few seconds. This raises blood carbon dioxide levels.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy aims to alter thought and belief processes that cause anxiety. A social phobic may worsen their anxiety by thinking, ‘Everyone thinks I’m dull.’
Cognitive therapy assumes that ideas cause thoughts, which cause feelings and behaviors. For example, suppose you mistakenly believe you must be loved by everyone to be worthwhile. If someone turns away from you in the middle of a discussion, you may feel nervous.
Mindfulness, attention training, cognitive restructuring, and logical self-talk are examples of cognitive therapy techniques. Then challenge harmful fears and ideas, and evaluate the veracity of negative thoughts.

Psychotherapy

Exposure is a big part of behavioral treatment. In exposure therapy, you face your anxieties to desensitize yourself. Exposure helps you to train yourself to reinterpret the situation’s danger or dread.

Exposure treatment steps include:
1. Rank your concerns from most to least dangerous.
2. Start with one of your less serious phobias.
3. Imagine the scary scenario. Assume you are in the position. Analyze your fears: what do you fear?
4. Create a strategy with modest stages, such as progressively decreasing the distance between you and the scary scenario or object, or gradually increasing your time in it.
5. Refuse to go. Help yourself relax by using breathing exercises and coping strategies.
6. Afterwards, be grateful for no harm done.
7. Repeat the exposure as many times as you can to gain confidence.
8. When you’re ready, take on another frightening scenario step by step.

Dietary changes

A magnesium shortage can lead to anxiety, sadness, and sleeplessness. Vitamin B and calcium deficiency can aggravate anxiety symptoms. Include wholegrain cereals, leafy green veggies, and low-fat dairy items in your regular diet.
Nicotine, caffeine, and stimulants (like caffeine) cause your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline, a major stress hormone. Avoid them. Salt and other additions like preservatives should also be avoided. Whenever possible, eat unprocessed meals.

Exercise

The ‘fight-or-flight reaction fills the body with adrenaline and other stress hormones, causing anxiety symptoms. Exercise relieves tension and promotes relaxation. Physical activity can also help reduce anxiety. Aim for three to four times a week of physical exercise, and vary your activities to avoid monotony.

Being assertive

Being assertive involves expressing your needs, wants, feelings, ideas, and opinions directly and honestly without offending anyone. Anxiety sufferers may struggle to be assertive because they fear disagreement or think they have no right to speak up. But passively relating to people reduces confidence and increases fear. Assertiveness training is essential to building self-esteem.

Positivity growth

Anxiety sufferers typically have low self-esteem. A sense of worthlessness can exacerbate anxiety. It might cause a passive social style and a dread of being evaluated negatively. Low self-esteem may be linked to the anxiety disorder’s influence on your life. Among these issues are:
1. isolation
2. shame and guilt
3. depression
4. problems in school, job, or social settings
The good news is that you can work on improving your self-esteem. Support groups and counseling might help you deal with these issues.

Problem-solving structure

Some persons with anxiety disorders ‘worry’ rather than actively address problems. Learning to deconstruct an issue and then decide on a solution is a vital skill that may help manage generalized anxiety and sadness. Structured problem solving

Medication

Medication should be viewed as a temporary treatment for anxiety problems, not a long-term fix.
Long-term, psychological treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy outperform medicines in treating anxiety disorders. Your doctor may prescribe tranquilizers or antidepressants to help you manage your symptoms while other treatments take effect.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

Anxiety sufferers can gather in comfort and safety to give and receive assistance. They also allow us to understand more about anxiety and build social networks.
It’s critical to detect anxiety’s bodily manifestations. Anxiety can cause physical problems. These physical symptoms may appear during an anxiety episode or situational anxiety. Anxiety can manifest in bodily symptoms even when there is no reason to be concerned. Anxiety can also have long-term physical repercussions on your health.
Anxiety disorders cause physical symptoms. Seeking therapy is critical to preventing future health issues. This knowledge can help you make decisions about your treatment and prospective medical issues.

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