Anxiety Disorders

Reflexes go awry, bodily reactions prove to be dysfunctional, and behavior patterns seems meandering – a blend of these unusual occurrences and, by no doubt, you’re having anxiety attacks. Anxiety is characterized to be continuous – and often times poignant – fears and worries that tends to interfere with normal human behavior or activities. Anxiety, as proven medically, though may seem to be inconsequential, may cause severe problems like alcoholism and low self-esteem. These complications, as studies prove, may lead to lethal consequences.

Though anxiety, or its possible repercussions, may pose to be lethal, studies show it’s curable in nature and responds to treatment well. Medical breakthroughs and scientific researches offers a wide array of answers that ranges from anxiety treatment to coping with anxiety.

Anxiety treatments can be done through medications such as anti-anxiety drug, anti-depressants, and beta-blockers. Anti-anxiety drugs are prescribed for brief relief against anxiety attacks and it is also used to hamper anxiety’s severe effects. Anti-depressants give the brain a boost to let it combat mind-paralyzing effect of anxiety. Beta-blockers, which are fondly used by performers to deal with stage fright and “weak” knees, are good combatants against physical symptoms of anxiety.

These may seem to be the positive contribution of anxiety treatments through medications but medical people wary in too much dependence on it. Anxiety medications can promote drug dependence and, with this, incalculable possible adverse effects are not had to imagine. They also advise people to take precaution by consulting their regular physician or family doctor.

What’s the real story?

Herbal medication alternatives and other natural forms of anxiety-curing regimen are also encouraged as forms of anxiety treatment. CBT or Cognitive Brain Therapy is one of the leading anxiety treatments. If a person is suffering from anxiety problems, CBT will help that individual to identify and overcome the traumatic experiences and notions that inhibits the individual from working through his fears. Constant exposure with this therapy would help you acquire certain skills that will strengthen your sense of emotional equilibrium and thus, you gain control over of your anxiety dilemma.

Coping with anxiety, however, is not that easy as it sounds. The tricky part here is that you must allow yourself to get ahead of the dilemma when in fact you did not manage to circumvent it. With this, medical professionals enjoin individuals to earnestly seek and religiously abide by a doctor’s advice. The practical and medical based pieces of advice will help an individual navigate properly the in’s and out’s of anxiety dilemma.

They also encourage those relatives of those who are coping with anxiety to offer relentless support and multitudinous amount of patience understanding that this state of recovery is vital for them. Extending extra care and effort just to let them know that they are not alone in this battle. This is very important to know because one major manifestation of anxiety is seclusion.

Coping with anxiety, also, as said by doctors, has no “sure fire” formula. It takes careful planning and constant follow-up to be able to really give the best support and care for people coping with anxiety.

With this, let us put in our minds that, anxiety can be treated and it does respond accordingly to treatments. No matter how critical problem may be, just say, “Anxiety? no need to worry.”

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Women and babies have been interrelated since the very beginning. It is a natural phenomenon and there is nothing unusual about it. All young women want to bear a child or in other words become a mother. These days even for a career woman the desire to give birth to a child and become a mother is bound to catch up and no other joy can ever replace the joy of becoming a mother in the hustle bustle of everyday life. There are several expectant mothers who suffer from severe stress and emotional turmoil and now the question arises that can pregnancy and the anxiety related to becoming a mother can bring her joy and contentment, equally?

The answer to this question varies from woman to woman. A part of the past life of the expecting mother is always to be brought to light especially when she is going to give birth to a new life.

What things might make it more stressful?

During pregnancy, a woman spends most of her time thinking and being drowned in her thoughts most of the times. The common thoughts during this time are will her new born be normal? will she fail as a mother? Will her baby have to go through the same problems as she had to go in her adolescence? etc etc.This is quite expected as this is a preparatory stage for the mother to love the baby who is growing inside her womb and also her body is preparing to adapt to the changes to meet the demand of the new life which is growing inside of her.

It is seen in most cases that the anxiety during pregnancy triggers stress in the woman. The other factors that might lead to rigorous stress during pregnancy are:

  • ·A current miscarriage: This shakes the woman’s confidence and the woman tends to wonder whether she will ever experience the joy of becoming a mother and see her baby cry for the first time.
  • ·A uncertain income during the pregnancy
  • ·An inconsistent relationship with the baby’s father
  • ·No emotional and moral support
  • ·Unexpected and unwanted pregnancy that might mess up other plans of life.

It is very essential to be mentally stable during pregnancy and settle all the worries and doubts with her close friends, family members and doctors. It is not impossible to deal with anxiety and pregnancy. Like other crisis of life, pregnancy and anxiety can be very easily dealt with. The pregnant woman is the right person to determine what is best for her baby. No matter what all expecting mothers want to emerge as the best mother and would always want to do the best for the welfare of her child.

However, note that anxiety and pregnancy do not bear good results for the child. Several studies reveal the fact that if the mother is stressful and over anxious during her pregnancy then her baby is bound to develop stressful behavior later in life. Between the 12th and 23rd weeks the baby in the mother’s womb is mostly likely to be affected by its mother’s stress and anxiety.

What good can come out of it?

Other than harboring some negative thoughts the expecting mother makes preparations to deal with anxiety and pregnancy. Several bodily changes take place during pregnancy.

One of the major concerns during this time is that whether their anxiety disorders will affect the unborn and worsen the pregnancy conditions and also after the baby is born whether they will be able to take care of the baby properly or not. Obviously, a great concern is whether or not the symptoms of their anxiety disorder will worsen during the pregnancy, and if they will be able to care for the baby after it is born. Whether intake of different medicines will affect the baby or not is also a cause of concern. All these thoughts however can elevate the levels of stress in the expecting mother.

The following facts can offer some hope for anxiety and pregnancy:

  • ·During the pregnancy period and breast feeding period the medicines for anxiety disorders are quite safe for the baby.
  • · About 40% of women experience a precise decrease of the anxiety pattern during pregnancy. However during postpartum the set of anxiety symptoms may return.
  • ·The intake of medicines for anxiety disorders by the expecting mother can actually help in preventing the development of anxiety disorders in the baby later in life. If the mother’s symptoms are not treated properly then however it may result in lower birth weight of the baby.

What can be done during pregnancy to deal with anxiety?

About 10% of women develop anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. Following the steps below will definitely help them to deal with the situation in a better way.

  • ·Seek advice from your doctor about your plans to either become pregnant, or that you already are. The doctor’s instructions and medications will help you to deal with your anxiety and pregnancy strategically.
  • ·Bond with your partner in a more strong and intimate way. This would ensure support and love which would help in dealing with the situations in a better way.
  • ·Relax. Pursue hobbies according to your liking. Talk to your friends, go for walks, practice gardening. All these activities will divert you mind and keep your stress under control.
  • ·Open up to your husband or partner and close friends and discuss your causes of stress. This will definitely help.

Get more information on anxiety and pregnancy here

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The mid-life phenomenon known as menopause and the stresses of anxiety go hand in hand. Panic attacks, rushes of energy, burning in the chest, unusual vibrations throughout the body, and warm sensations are some of the physical effects you may feel under this condition.

When menopause hits, there is a greater chance women will go through anxiety and depression. Christian Northrop talks about this phenomenon in her book, Wisdom of Menopause, where if a woman has repressed something in her life, she won’t be able to get past menopause employing the same tactics. For example, unexpressed anger will find its way out and sometimes in unusual or uncomfortable ways.

In what is often referred to as a ¨midlife crisis,¨ this time of life forces women to re-evaluate themselves and the role(s) they play as they are getting older. And, often times we are not comfortable with what we find. A little voice in the back of our head is saying, “If you don’t make changes now … you never will!” Our hormonal imbalances (due to decreased estrogen levels) can contribute to feelings of depression or make us feel plain ‘indifference.’ Even if menopause isn’t actually causing these conditions, it can heighten underlying anxiety and bring it to the surface.

Anxiety is an individual’s prolonged feeling of dread and worry with no particular reason behind it. It’s uncomfortable and causes stress particularly on the body. It can be triggered by problems in everyday life like paying the bills and work. Although worrying about these things for a normal person has its ceiling of severity, menopausal women suffering from anxiety tend to think about their problems excessively.

When anxiety finally hits its highest peak, it is often called a panic attack. Panic attacks are debilitating episodes of fright and fear that include chest pains, fear of death, and shaking. In what is called being ¨psychosocially¨ depressed, women have negative beliefs and attitudes in regards to getting older, assuming unwanted roles such as caretaker, and responding negatively to impatient husbands who might demand sex.

Being depressed during the duration of this condition has a lot to do with their overall psychological well-being prior to menopause. Women who have continuous anxiety and depression beforehand are more likely to suffer worse cases of anxiety during this latter phase of life. If life-long imbalances have not been healed, menopause may exacerbate the situation. We might feel unable to perform ¨female duties¨, contributing to feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness. Research has found that consistent regular physical activity (i.e. exercise) before menopause has been scientifically proven to lessen the possibility of anxiety symptoms during this transition. It’s also helpful to avoid drinking caffeine-loaded liquids, sleep deprivation, and stimulant use. Also, numerous women report that black cohosh has helped them lessen or eliminate their anxiety.

Psychiatric consultations are highly recommended for anxiety sufferers under menopause. An experienced counselor and/or therapist can help us recover and evaluate our lives including healing emotional imbalances. It is a great time to refocus our attention toward new activities and roles. As is common with anxiety, feelings of worthlessness, fright, and even suicidal tendencies can occur. In this case, antidepressants may be prescribed. Coping with all of the physical changes, assuming new roles, possibly facing many of our fears for the first time, and generally waking up to the fact that ¨life just isn’t what it used to be¨ are all realizations that contribute to anxiety in older women. In these times, it is important to maintain focus and concentrate on the positive things in life. Although it can be hard, it can be done.

Having a plethora of life responsibilities and obligations during menopause can create stress, and having an ´excess´ of this stress can cause adrenal fatigue. Anxiety in menopause sufferers results from hormonal imbalances. In the menstrual cycle, ovulation causes progesterone (which has soothing effects on the mind and body) to be released. Irregular cycles are grounds for anxiety build-up, as a result of the lack of this ¨happy hormone.¨ All of these conditions can be treated with alternative therapies such as natural progesterone cream.

But why do some women go through menopause and barely notice a difference? One consensus among medical doctors theorizes that it has a lot to do with women’s self-esteem and self-confidence. One thing is for sure, if you are having trouble with either of these, you’ll get a chance to deal with them now. One thing menopause is great at, and that is bringing out our unresolved issues. And we all know how anxious that can make us.

The information in this article is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice.

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Anxiety attacks are normal body reactions – coping mechanisms – against different stressors and distressing predicaments. In other words, these are chemical, physical and emotional reactions that are elicit by fear, apprehension, or shock. These reactions also cause a “fight or flight” response. Based on scientific studies, people automatically react to stress or stress-inducing activities by either making a confrontational stance or making a decision to avoid the stress.

Pressure can come from an emotional problem in a relationship at home, demanding tasks and deadlines at the office, the dread of a forthcoming test, or the clamor for a game-winning performance in a championship game. All these can product constant anguish and even anxiety attacks if a person is not able to cope effectively with the stress. A person that is undergoing an anxiety attack often experiences a feeling of numbness or tingling, shortness of breath, dizziness, heightened palpitations, chronic sweating, chills, hot flushes, and nausea.

Extreme levels of anxiety can produce serious ill effects on one’s physical and mental health. Anxieties can actually a hinder or adversely affect a person’s the day-to-day activities. Aside from the possibility of leaving a person emotionally depressed and physically weak, anxiety can also cause a person lose the ability to make a rational decision. It is not uncommon to hear of cases of people with severe anxiety who have lost their jobs and failed in their relationships. For these people who have become victims of anxiety attacks, life has become a mere matter of survival — bereft of happiness, fulfillment, and health.

Some people can cope with depression and anxiety. But for a significant number of people who do not have the ability to cope with stress and anxiety, the only means to regain their life is to undergo therapy and, if necessary, take anxiety medications. These anxiety medications, if accompanied by therapy conducted by professionals, offer relief and possibly permanent protection from the debilitating effects of stress and severe emotional distress. Anxiety medications often vary in the dosage and desired effects. However, what is common among these anti-anxiety medications is the ability of these drugs to suppress unnecessary chemical and emotional surges. Controlling these chemical and emotional surges allow a person with anxiety to regain a sense of peace and tranquility.

Anxiety medications, also known as anxiolytics, are prescribed to treat the different symptoms of anxiety. For example, Bensodiazepines are prescribed to treat the short-term and disabling effects of anxiety. These drugs are take effect in a person’s central nervous system, which is the reason why a certain degree of sedation occurs in a patient using the medication.
Non-bensodiazepines, however, are used to control the serotonin level in the body. Serotonin is essential to the body for regulating anger, temperature, mood, sleep, vomiting, sexuality, and appetite. Though they are proven to be less effective than bensodiazepines, the serotonin-regulating effect of this type of anti-anxiety drug also helps a person to achieve a relaxed state.

While these medications offer relief, people must still practice a little caution before taking these anti-anxiety drugs. These drugs cannot totally remove all symptoms of anxiety. Of course, these medications cannot resolve an emotional or psychological problem that is actually the origin or source of a person’s anxiety attacks.

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Rachel looks in the mirror and notices a mark on her cheek. Immediately her breath becomes shallow, her heart races, her chest tightens, and she feels nauseated. She checks the spot more closely, and sees that it’s just a speck of dirt. She washes it off and tells herself firmly that she is fine – it wasn’t the beginning of skin cancer, it was nothing. It’s gone. She is okay.

Although she keeps telling herself she is okay, hours later, Rachel still doesn’t feel okay. What if seeing that spot was a “sign”? What is she is about to develop skin cancer? What if she already has skin cancer and she just hasn’t seen it yet? Should she go see her doctor? Recurring thoughts of cancer hover in the back of her mind for the rest of the day. Weeks later she notices she is still spending an increased amount of time inspecting her skin for unusual marks or blemishes.

Like an estimated 13-16.5% of adults, Rachel has an anxiety disorder. Types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post traumatic stress disorder.

At times the symptoms of anxiety can become so debilitating that those affected will not leave their home or attend social functions – and their lives may become consumed by the effort to avoid people, places or situations which are likely to trigger feelings of anxiety.

Traditional treatment for anxiety disorder has involved medication to help to lessen the symptoms of anxiety, and behavioral therapy to assist with coping and challenging irrational thoughts. Treatment is generally expected to be long term.

Zensight Process offers new hope to those with anxiety. In many cases, a practitioner who is very skilled with both Zensight and in working with those with anxiety, can help someone to experience dramatic improvement – and in some cases a complete elimination of symptoms – in just a few sessions.

In most situations, many individuals will be able to use Zensight on their own – without ever consulting a practitioner at all – to considerably improve and sometimes even eliminate their symptoms altogether. Those who do choose to work with a therapist or practitioner to help support and accelerate their healing will also benefit from doing Zensight self-healing in between sessions, in order to obtain the best results.

How to Use Zensight Process

Zensight Process involves working with the subconscious mind in a way that is similar to hypnosis – and yet no hypnosis is actually used. Instead, we begin by creating a “healing symbol”. This symbol can be a word, picture, or colour. Some people choose to use a symbol such as “ocean”. They then can focus on the word “ocean” when that feels right, and at other times may actually visualize the ocean.

When this healing symbol is used or focused upon with intent, it allows the fears, concerns, and “blocks” that someone is experiencing to gently heal and transform.

The healing symbol is then used together with healing statements and visualization, to soften, dissolve and release the concerns that are being experienced.

In a situation of anxiety, the individual is instructed to stop and notice any visual image that comes to mind when she or he thinks about one of their specific concerns – and then focus upon this image while connecting with the healing symbol that was chosen.

This use of visualization helps to greatly accelerate healing because it does not rely upon the limits of our conscious mind and awareness. The visual image that comes up may be an actual representation of a specific fear or issue that is being experienced, or it may be something that is metaphorical in nature. I have had people tell me that they suddenly see a picture of themselves with their leg caught in a trap, or that they see a large grey object that they can’t identify or make sense of. The different images that come up are highly variable and are not always understood by the person. The beauty of it is that they don’t need to be understood. The image is simply focused upon while connecting with the healing symbol, and is allowed to transform.

What generally happens is that the image spontaneously transforms in a way that feels healing. The individual watches as the trap that was holding the leg simply dissolves and disappears. They see themselves then being able to move about freely and with a sense of contentment and peace. The big unexplained grey object morphs into a big egg which opens up and releases light and a feeling of peace that the person senses themselves absorbing as she or he watches.

If the picture doesn’t change, if no picture is seen, or in order to resolve any remaining upset, the individual uses healing statements. After each statement, the person takes a deep breath and lets it go, and focuses upon the healing symbol. Upsets are then healed and transformed, as positive feelings grow and strengthen.

Examples of healing statements are:

  • I heal all of the fears that any parts of me have, that I can’t get free of this problem
  • I heal any and all feelings that any parts of me have, that I am trapped.
  • I let all of the parts of me know, deeply and completely, that I am safe.
  • All of the different parts of me now experience a growing sense of peace and comfort.
  • My entire body is relaxing now.

Sound simple? It is – extremely simple, and yet powerfully and deeply effective. Best of all, the effects are lasting – providing that energetic imbalances are addressed and healed, results will in most cases be permanent.

Energy Balancing

Zensight can be used for much more than simply targeting specific symptoms. In the case of anxiety – especially experiences of pervasive fear and anxiety – it is best to begin by targeting energetic imbalances that are most likely being experienced.

Someone who experiences frequent and/or pervasive feelings of fear has an imbalance in his or her triple warmer meridian. The energy meridians have been widely recognized in Eastern medicine as impacting upon our emotional, physical, and mental concerns. Acupuncture is only one of many modalities which focus upon bringing healing to the energy meridians.

The triple warmer meridian is the meridian in the body which governs the fight/flight/freeze response. Sometimes – often in response to an original event or series of events in which the individual felt intense fear or terror – the triple warmer meridian becomes overenergized. In the case of anxiety, the emphasis will be upon the “flight/freeze” response, and the individual will quickly respond with fear to many situations which may to others appear innocuous.

Trying to talk someone out of their fear often has little effect. Rachel rationally knows that the mark on her face was simply dirt and was no more an indicator of cancer than is a stain on her jeans. However, in spite of this awareness, and in spite of her logical mind which tells her she is safe and is overreacting, Rachel can not let the fear go.

The problem that Rachel is experiencing is not in her mind so much as in her body and in her energy system. Often patterns of triple warmer overenergization begin in childhood, in response to repeated experiences of terror. Sometimes this may be due to experiences of abuse that were either experienced or witnessed, and sometimes it may be connected with less obviously traumatic experiences that were nevertheless fear-producing for the particular child involved.

Rachel knows that she is safe – but her body and energy system need to know it too. In a sense, they need to be reprogrammed. With Zensight, this “reprogramming” can occur gently and easily during a rapid yet extremely relaxing process.

Other energetic imbalances may also be involved. Homolateral energy (where the energy runs straight up and down the body rather than crossing over it) may also be involved. Once any energetic imbalances that are involved are addressed, many symptoms of anxiety will lessen immediately. The work then becomes focused on targeting the concerns more directly.

Bringing Healing to the “Whole” Person

The emphasis which Zensight Process places upon using both visualization and verbal “healing statements” ensures that both hemispheres of the brain are involved during the healing process. This assists people in linking logic with emotion. After using Zensight, not only does Rachel logically understand that the spot on her face was not a sign of impending doom – she emotionally “gets it” as well.

Zensight also addresses the experience of parts of self. All of us have parts of self. In many situations where healing is not experienced even when highly effective modalities are being used, the issue is that the person on some level – in some small part of them – may believe that it’s not safe to heal the concerns. Rachel may be afraid to completely heal her anxiety because some small part of her may fear that if she stops worrying about and expecting to develop cancer, that she will pay less attention and will miss warning signs and thus be unsafe. Zensight allows the individual to access and bring healing to – through the use of visualization and targeted healing statements – to even those parts of us that are afraid to heal, or believe it is not in our best interests to do so.

By ensuring that the individual is treated at as a whole – physically, emotionally, mentally, and energetically – Zensight enables even concerns that are usually considered to be difficult to impossible to resolve, to be as gently and quickly healed as possible.

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Anxiety is a common occurrence when a person faces potentially problematic or dangerous situations. It is also felt when a person perceives an external threat. However, chronic and irrational anxiety can lead to a form of anxiety disorder. There are different types of anxiety disorder depending on their causes or triggers.

Common forms of anxiety disorders

Generalized anxiety disorder

A person who has this type of anxiety disorder usually experience prolonged anxiety that is often without basis. More accurately, people with generalized anxiety disorders cannot articulate the reason behind their anxiety. This type of anxiety usually last for six months and often affect women. Due to the persistence of the anxiety, people affected with generalized anxiety disorder constantly fret and worry. This results to heart palpitations, insomnia, headaches, and dizzy spells.

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Specific phobia

Unlike someone with generalized anxiety disorder, a person who has a specific phobia experiences extreme and often irrational fear of a certain situation or object. When exposed to the object or situation they fear, people with specific phobias exhibit signs of intense fear like shaking, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and nausea. Common specific phobias include fear of heights, enclosed spaces, blood, and animals. The fear a person with phobia feels can be so extreme that he or she may disregard safety just to escape the situation.

Panic disorder

Also known as Agoraphobia, panic disorders are characterized by recurring panic attacks which are often unexpected. Symptoms are usually shaking, chest pains, dizziness, fear of losing control, and reluctance of being alone. People with panic disorder are aware that their panic is usually unfounded and illogical. This is why they avoid public situations and being alone. A panic attack can be so severe that people may lose control and hurt themselves.

Social phobia

Alternatively called social anxiety, a person with social phobia may exhibit similar symptoms like those of panic disorder especially in social situations. Shaking, dizziness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations may ensue when a person with social phobia finds his or herself at the center of attention or in the company of many people, regardless whether they are strangers or not.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

People with obsessive-compulsive disorder experience anxiety caused by a persistent obsession or idea. They tend to avoid experiencing anxiety by resorting to repetitive actions or behaviors that prevent anxiety. For example, a person who is obsessed about cleanliness may experience anxiety at the mere sight of a vase placed slightly off-center. To prevent anxiety, he or she will clean and organize everything compulsively or without reason.

PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder may occur after a person experienced a severely traumatic event. He or she may relive the experience in his or her mind which causes stress and anxiety. If a person with PTSD comes into contact with stimuli (any object, person, or situation) that he or she associates with the traumatic event, he or she may literally re-experience the event by crying uncontrollably, panicking, or losing control. Subtler symptoms include insomnia and avoidant behavior. PTSD may manifest itself immediately after the traumatic event or even years after.

Determining the type of anxiety disorder a person has is crucial to seeking treatment and recovery. Techniques and methods that are used to help a person cope with a certain anxiety usually target not only the management of symptoms but coping mechanisms when exposed to triggers. Only after thorough diagnosis can treatment and recovery for anxiety disorders really commence.

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