“To change the printout of the body, you must learn to rewrite the software of the mind.”
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Deepak Chopra, ‘Perfect Health’
Remember the time you went for a job interview and your heart was thumping so hard -
you thought the interviewer might hear it? Or the time you woke up as a child in the dark and believed the fear of being eaten alive by some ghastly presence might kill you? You may have felt anxious about the state of your finances, to the point that your hands began to sweat and you even felt breathless sometimes. These are the everyday signs of anxiety.
Is fear and worry ruling your life?
If you are having trouble living the kind of life you want, then you may be suffering from anxiety or possibly even an anxiety disorder.
What causes anxiety?
There are many reasons for developing an anxiety disorder. The key to your anxiety may be due to almost anything i.e. a controlling spouse, lost job, failed relationship or perhaps a rare phobia.
On the other hand your anxiety may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. It could be due to some past trauma during childhood Any or all of these can leave you spinning out of control and very anxious.
Is anxiety making Americans ill?
Anxiety disorders make you 3-5 times more likely to fall ill according to ‘The Anxiety Disorders Association of America’. This is why you need to be aware of the different kinds of triggers to anxiety like-
Social stress
A negative personality
Lack of mental balance
Genes & hereditary factors
Crisis situations that cause trauma
Social Stress # If you have been brought up in a dysfunctional family or neighborhood or if you are in a situation of familial conflict and lack a support system, chances are you will be more prone to anxiety.
A Negative Personality # Negative thinking like-‘I can never be loved’ or if you are
constantly threatened by a ‘dangerous world out there’ and feel powerless all the time.
These self-effacing thoughts result in poor self-esteem & coping strategies that in turn will lead to anxiety.
Genes & hereditary factors # Your anxiety could be rooted in your genes if anxiety disorders run in your family. It may be in your blood to be more prone to get the jitters.
Lack of mental balance # (or faulty brain chemistry) - can also trigger anxiety due to an inequality of neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin or epinephrine. Or your
stress hormone ‘cortisol’ may be at abnormal levels. (Medications try to readjust this faulty chemical balance but they can also get you hooked.)
Trauma # You may get anxious after surviving an earthquake or a war or due to some
other horrifying experience in your childhood. Anxiety disorders can leave you feeling helpless as a child even when you are an adult.
Common Anxiety Disorders
There are so many different kinds of anxiety disorders and no hard and fast rules on
everyday anxiety. This is why it is difficult sometimes to pin down. Here are some of the Worst and most common kinds of anxiety disorders…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) # is the worst kind of anxiety disorder. It is
marked by obsessions-like cleanliness-that can make you repeatedly clean the apartment or change the sheets even when you don’t need to. These compulsive behaviors are due to uncontrollable and uninvited thoughts.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder # (PTSD) usually affects people who have been
through natural disasters or traumatic situations including war or other violence. PTSD is another severe anxiety disorder.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common kind of anxiety disorder.
Every year around 4 million adult Americans suffer from ‘Generalized Anxiety
Disorder’. This very common form of anxiety may have its roots in childhood but
continues into adulthood.
Panic Attacks are unanticipated moments of intense fear. An anxiety attack usually
comes without forewarning and is accompanied with irrational fear of a supposed danger. It can last for up to 10 minutes during which time you may even feel as if you are having a heart attack!
You know you are having an anxiety attack if you feel four of the following
symptoms:
Short of breath
Chest pain
Pounding heart and palpitations
Pain in chest area
Dizziness
Cold/Hot flushes
Trembling
Stomach problems or nausea
Irrational Fear
Separation Anxiety is a part and parcel of a child’s development. A child usually cries and is distressed when separated from a parent. Persistence of separation anxiety beyond a certain age is a sign of separation anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety is the fear of public humiliation. It can also take the form of severe
shyness and an avoidance of social situations. Stage fright is the most common type of social phobia.
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Deepak Chopra, ‘Perfect Health’
Remember the time you went for a job interview and your heart was thumping so hard -
you thought the interviewer might hear it? Or the time you woke up as a child in the dark and believed the fear of being eaten alive by some ghastly presence might kill you? You may have felt anxious about the state of your finances, to the point that your hands began to sweat and you even felt breathless sometimes. These are the everyday signs of anxiety.
Is fear and worry ruling your life?
If you are having trouble living the kind of life you want, then you may be suffering from anxiety or possibly even an anxiety disorder.
What causes anxiety?
There are many reasons for developing an anxiety disorder. The key to your anxiety may be due to almost anything i.e. a controlling spouse, lost job, failed relationship or perhaps a rare phobia.
On the other hand your anxiety may be due to a chemical imbalance in the brain. It could be due to some past trauma during childhood Any or all of these can leave you spinning out of control and very anxious.
Is anxiety making Americans ill?
Anxiety disorders make you 3-5 times more likely to fall ill according to ‘The Anxiety Disorders Association of America’. This is why you need to be aware of the different kinds of triggers to anxiety like-
Social stress
A negative personality
Lack of mental balance
Genes & hereditary factors
Crisis situations that cause trauma
Social Stress # If you have been brought up in a dysfunctional family or neighborhood or if you are in a situation of familial conflict and lack a support system, chances are you will be more prone to anxiety.
A Negative Personality # Negative thinking like-‘I can never be loved’ or if you are
constantly threatened by a ‘dangerous world out there’ and feel powerless all the time.
These self-effacing thoughts result in poor self-esteem & coping strategies that in turn will lead to anxiety.
Genes & hereditary factors # Your anxiety could be rooted in your genes if anxiety disorders run in your family. It may be in your blood to be more prone to get the jitters.
Lack of mental balance # (or faulty brain chemistry) - can also trigger anxiety due to an inequality of neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin or epinephrine. Or your
stress hormone ‘cortisol’ may be at abnormal levels. (Medications try to readjust this faulty chemical balance but they can also get you hooked.)
Trauma # You may get anxious after surviving an earthquake or a war or due to some
other horrifying experience in your childhood. Anxiety disorders can leave you feeling helpless as a child even when you are an adult.
Common Anxiety Disorders
There are so many different kinds of anxiety disorders and no hard and fast rules on
everyday anxiety. This is why it is difficult sometimes to pin down. Here are some of the Worst and most common kinds of anxiety disorders…
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) # is the worst kind of anxiety disorder. It is
marked by obsessions-like cleanliness-that can make you repeatedly clean the apartment or change the sheets even when you don’t need to. These compulsive behaviors are due to uncontrollable and uninvited thoughts.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder # (PTSD) usually affects people who have been
through natural disasters or traumatic situations including war or other violence. PTSD is another severe anxiety disorder.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common kind of anxiety disorder.
Every year around 4 million adult Americans suffer from ‘Generalized Anxiety
Disorder’. This very common form of anxiety may have its roots in childhood but
continues into adulthood.
Panic Attacks are unanticipated moments of intense fear. An anxiety attack usually
comes without forewarning and is accompanied with irrational fear of a supposed danger. It can last for up to 10 minutes during which time you may even feel as if you are having a heart attack!
You know you are having an anxiety attack if you feel four of the following
symptoms:
Short of breath
Chest pain
Pounding heart and palpitations
Pain in chest area
Dizziness
Cold/Hot flushes
Trembling
Stomach problems or nausea
Irrational Fear
Separation Anxiety is a part and parcel of a child’s development. A child usually cries and is distressed when separated from a parent. Persistence of separation anxiety beyond a certain age is a sign of separation anxiety disorder.
Social anxiety is the fear of public humiliation. It can also take the form of severe
shyness and an avoidance of social situations. Stage fright is the most common type of social phobia.