Anxiety is a condition of very uncomfortable symptoms to the point that people often do not know what is happening to them. In anxiety disorders, there is a lot of fear and excessive worry. Anxiety symptoms are generally accompanied by tension and other physical and cognitive symptoms. Many people who experience a panic attack for the first time are treated in emergency services. These people come to the hospital because they believe that their physical symptoms are indicating a serious medical condition.
Anxiety symptoms can occur in childhood, adolescence or begin to manifest in adulthood.
Symptoms:
In addition to excessive worry and fear, the following are common symptoms in anxiety disorders:
Problems concentrating and making decisions
Feeling irritable, tense or restless
Experiencing nausea or abdominal discomfort
Have irregular heart palpitations or feel pressure in your chest
Sweating, shaking, or shaking
Sleeping problems
Headaches
Desire to cry
Want to run away
Dizziness
Tingling in the hands, arms or legs
Feeling of unreality, like feeling out of body.
Having a feeling of imminent danger, panic or doom.
There are various types of anxiety disorders in which the following are found;
Generalized anxiety disorder (persistent and excessive worry about daily activities or events);
Panic disorder (panic attacks and fear of continued panic attacks);
Social anxiety disorder (high levels of fear and worry about social situations that could make the person feel humiliated, embarrassed, or rejected);
Agoraphobia (excessive fear, worry, and avoidance of situations that could cause a person to panic or feel trapped, helpless, or ashamed);
Separation anxiety disorder (excessive fear or worry about being separated from people with whom the person has a deep emotional bond);
Specific phobias (intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations that lead to avoidance behaviors and significant distress); and
Selective mutism (consistent inability to speak in certain social situations, despite the ability to speak comfortably in other settings, primarily affecting children).
The fight or flight response
Human beings have an automatic reaction to prepare ourselves in case of real danger. It is like an alarm system that activates the nervous system to prepare our body in case it is necessary to flee or fight. In anxiety attacks this is what happens; For internal, psychological or emotional reasons, this response is activated without there being any real danger. The body then prepares itself by making the heart beat faster, the lungs become more oxygenated and we enter a hyperalert state.
Treatment and Some Techniques.
Remembering that an anxiety attack will not last forever helps you calm down. It is good to keep in mind that an anxiety attack will dissipate in about 10 to 45 minutes maximum.
The basic technique recommended for anxiety is deep breathing. Inhaling deeply through the nose and releasing the air slowly through the mouth. It can be repeated about 5-10 times.
Hold a piece of ice in your hand for a certain time. This will make your brain focus on the pain that the ice produces in your hand, diverting the attention that was focused on the fear or unreal danger.
Focus the mind on some object. You can focus on a picture and identify how many colors there are, or on a tree and focus on the details.
Listen to relaxing instrumental music
Practice meditation. You can use guided meditation audio videos. Start with 10 or 15 minutes of guided meditation or relaxation that you can find free on YouTube.
Avoid caffeinated drinks, alcohol and other drugs that can cause greater activation of the “fight or flight” zone of the brain.
Have a good sleeping routine. Not sleeping the necessary hours can cause a greater tendency toward anxiety.
Practice some physical exercise. Physical exercise helps release tension accumulated in the body.
Go to a professional in psychology, psychotherapy or counseling to help you identify causes and triggers of anxiety.