anxiety

Anxiety

Reducing Your

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

ANXIETY


ANXIETYWhat is it?


To Some It Can Be


The feeling you get when you have to give a speech


The Feeling You Get When You are in a Crowded Place

or when you’re stuck in a crowded space


It may be every morning when you get up


For some, the thing that gets in the

way of their

daily life


For some, the thing that gets in the

way of their

daily lifeAnx

iety


According to experts, anxiety is described as


Distress or uneasiness caused by fear of danger or

misfortune as well as excessive worry.


People can develop anxiety as a result of genetics or the way that

they were raised.


Anxiety may have developed as a result of traumatic

situations that haven’t been dealt with.


You might feel anxiety when facing a new or

stressful situation.


In addition, when you are experiencing anxiety you probably notice some of the following things

happening in your body:

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Palpitations


Palpitations

Dizziness


SweatingPalpitations

Dizziness


TremblingSweating

Palpitations

Dizziness


TremblingSweating

Palpitations

Difficulty breathing

Dizziness


TremblingSweating

Palpitations


Hot or cold flashes

Dizziness


TremblingSweating

Palpitations


Hot or cold flashes

Dizziness

Chest Pains


TremblingSweating

Palpitations


Fuzziness

Hot or cold flashes

Dizziness

Chest Pains


This seems like a pretty irritating and pointless

thing to happen, but


a little bit of anxiety is

normal and can actually be helpful by signaling danger.


For example if you see a charging bear the feelings that your body would

have actually signal danger and get you moving.


However, anxiety sufferers experience symptoms even in

situations that aren’t really dangerous.


When anxiety takes place, your body is getting ready to fight against a

perceived threat.


If this happens often


it can make even daily activities difficult


But the good news is if you struggle with anxiety,


there are things that you can do to decrease it.


Like a toolbar on a computer screen, you have several

options to help you in this process.


Your first piece focuses on changing your brain

chemistry.


The goal here is to change your brain from a

negative one


To a positive one


Because


Negative Thoughts Are Like Dumping Toxins Into Your Bodynegative thoughts release toxins into your body.


Positive thoughts release positive chemicals through the body.


Also, negative thoughts produce more anxiety which starts the cycle all

over again.


So start changing your thinking from negative to

positive by controlling your ruminating thoughts.


Ruminating is thinking the same thing over and over again and ending up

getting nowhere.


This can quickly lead to your thoughts becoming


Out ofProportion

and getting you stuck and fearful, producing more anxiety


Start replacing those ruminating thoughts

with positive ones and begin to break the cycle.


Another positive step is changing your self-talk.


This is trying to look for the positive things in your life.

Like this:


This is horrible. I can’t speak in front of all

these people


This is horrible. I can’t speak in front of all

these people

try changing this to:


This is is going to be a good experience. I can

do this.


This actually starts to change the way your brain and body react to situations by seeing them as non-

threatening.


The next pieces require you to be a little more in-depth. They have to do with talking things out

and writing them down.


Develop a clear story of your past experiences with anxiety as well as

things that currently make you feel anxious.


This helps your brain’s experience side connect with

its descriptive side.


You can develop your story by talking to a trusted friend or

professional.


The second piece to this section is changing your

emotions about events. Try this exercise.


1.Write down activating event

Sue ignored me


2. Write your belief about activating event

Sue hates me. There

is something wrong

with me


3. Write down the emotion

I feel sad about this


4. Dispute this belief

This thought is not

helping me and this

event does not mean

there is something

wrong with me


This process helps you change your belief about

what is threatening and helps to limit your anxiety in the

future.


Another piece deals with targeting your body’s responses to anxiety


This can start with relaxation exercises.


Relaxation exercises such as breathing slowly and relaxing your muscles can help calm your body’s

anxiety symptoms.


Training your body to relax is like developing a muscle. It takes some time.


The more practice you get relaxing, the better. It is also important to

take care of yourself.


Make sure you get regular exercise and enough sleep


This can help get your body to a relaxed state as well as

lower symptoms in the future.


Also make sure to eat healthy because


eating a well balanced diet and avoiding sugar and

caffeine can also help control your anxiety.


Tip

Try not to avoid the things that make you anxious, but

take baby steps to face them. You will discover they are not as scary as they once seemed.


So what can I do now if I need immediate relief?


Start by slowing down your breathing.


Try breathing in to the count of five and then exhaling to the count of five. This should start to give you some relief

1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5


Another idea is to try to


Focus on:


Something else


Try focusing on a simple object like your car keys . Describe

them in detail to yourself. This can disrupt your panic cycle since your brain can only focus on one

thing at a time.


You might also want to talk to your doctor or see a therapist or

get some medication.


Enjoy your life


But keep a little anxious energy around,


In case you really do encounter a bear!


Special Thanks to CAFA for help with the content:

www.cafaweb.com/

and to Sandy Silverthorne for illustrationswww.sandysilverthorne.com

For More Resources on Anxiety:http://www.amenclinics.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Mastery-Your-Anxiety-Panic-Treatments/dp/0195311353


http://www.cafaweb.com

http://www.cafaweb.com

http://www.sandysilverthorne.com

http://www.sandysilverthorne.com

http://www.amenclinics.com

http://www.amenclinics.com





bear background: BEAR IN LAKERon Davey | Dreamstime.comhttp://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos-bear-in-lake-rimagefree1210520-resi2610401

two chairs background: LAZY AT THE BEACHGina Smith | Dreamstime.com http://www.dreamstime.com/stock-images-lazy-at-the-beach-rimagefree814013-resi2610401

beach:SEA BEACH BACKGROUNDBanol2007 | Dreamstime.comhttp://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photography-sea-beach-background-rimagefree5487078-resi2610401

track: RUNNING GIRLSerghei Starus | Dreamstime.com http://www.dreamstime.com/free-stock-image-running-girl-rimagefree2231711-resi2610401

doctor: MALE DOCTOR OR NURSE 5Ken Hurst | Dreamstime.comhttp://www.dreamstime.com/free-stock-photo-male-doctor-or-nurse-5-rimagefree983365-resi2610401

Photo Credits

Content Credits

Negative thoughts release toxins into your body: Dr. Amen

Writing down activating event and beliefs: Albert Ellis and RET Therapy


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