How to Check your Anxiety/Panic Attacks.

Everyone feels anxious but not everyone has an anxiety disorder such as Generalized
Anxiety Disorder. This depends on the force and extent of symptoms and how far they
act as an obstacle to your proper functioning. If fear and worry are present for at least six months and they interfere with your efficiency levels at work, then you definitely have an anxiety disorder.

GAD starts by affecting your thinking, which in turn leads to physical symptoms like
→ Intense worry and tension→ unrealistic perception of problems→ binging→
feeling edgy →restlessness →feeling irritable→ tension→ headaches→ sweating→
lack of focus→ queasiness→ frequent urination→ fatigue →lack of proper sleep →
feeling shaky→ high blood pressure →strokes →heart disease

GAD can trigger phobias, panic disorders, or obsessive-compulsive disorder including
alcoholism or drug addiction.
Here are some common physical symptoms of anxiety or an anxiety disorder

Chest Pain


Racing Heartbeat


Hot or Cold Flushes


Sweating Palms


Cold Hands


Nausea


Short of Breath


Dizziness


Fatigue


Muscle Pain


Headaches


Insomnia




Insecurity


Nervousness


Need to Escape


Fear of Death or Insanity

Here are some common medical conditions that may cause anxiety or an anxiety
disorder

Heart problems


Thyroid Disease


Diabetes


Hypoglycemia


Asthma


Sleep & Adrenal Disorders


Epilepsy & Migraines


Before seeing a psychiatrist, counselor or therapist, please make sure to have your
physician rule out the above medical conditions as the cause of your anxiety.

But still, how can I tell if I really have an anxiety disorder?

There is a thin dividing line between day-to-day anxieties and an anxiety disorder. Here’s
how you can draw a line between the two. If you have been continuously anxious or
worried for months and this is making it difficult for you to function in the real
world, then you are most likely suffering from an anxiety disorder.

What should you avoid if you suffer with anxiety or an anxiety disorder?

If you are anxiety prone, avoid over use of stimulants like caffeine. Don’t go near drugs
like heroin or cocaine as well as decongestants, weight-loss products, or steroids like
cortisone and prednisone. Other culprits of anxiety include:

Birth control pills


High blood pressure & thyroid medication


Inhalers


Herbs like ephedra plus Ma huang


Alcohol withdrawal


Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine or ADHD medication


Xanax or Valium withdrawal



What if you are showing the signs and symptoms of anxiety or an anxiety disorder?

First, you need to seek some professional help. You should see a medical doctor who can
properly diagnose you and make sure your anxiety does not stem from a serious medical
problem. Once you have done this, it is healthy to take the next step of therapy or mental
health counseling.

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What really causes anxiety and what are some common anxiety disorders?

“To change the printout of the body, you must learn to rewrite the software of the mind.”










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.