ANXIETY

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. In most cases it causes people to feel fearful and nervous. Anxiety is a normal and often healthy emotion. However, when a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety, it might become a medical disorder.

Anxiety is a key part of several different disorders :

• Panic Disorder: Experiencing recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder lives in constant fear .
• Agoraphobia: Excessive fear of a specific object, situation, or activity.
• Social Anxiety disorder: Extreme fear of being judged by others in social situations.
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Recurring irrational thoughts that lead you to perform specific, repeated behaviors.
• Separation Anxiety Disorder: Fear of being away from home or loved ones.
• Illness Anxiety Disorder: Anxiety about your health (formerly called hypochondria).
• Post Traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Anxiety following a traumatic event.
• Selective Mutism: A somewhat rare disorder associated with anxiety. Selective mutism occurs when people fail to speak in specific social situations despite having normal language skills.

Symptoms of Anxiety :

• Panic, fear, and uneasiness
• Sleep problems
• Not being able to stay calm and still
• Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet
• Shortness of breath
• Heart palpitations
• Dry mouth
• Nausea
• Tense muscles
• Dizziness.

Self-treatment (natural remedies are used for anxiety) :

• Getting enough sleep
• Meditating
• Staying active and exercising
• Eating a healthy diet
• Quit smoking cigarettes
• Avoiding alcohol and caffeine

Other Treatments for Anxiety :

• Counselling: A standard way of treating anxiety is psychological counseling.
• CBT ( Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) :This type of psychotherapy aims to recognize and change harmful thought patterns that form the foundation of anxious and troublesome feelings.
• Combination of counselling and therapy.

Prevention of Anxiety :

• Cut down on intake of caffeine, tea, cola, and chocolate.
• Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using over-the-counter (OTC) or herbal remedies, for any chemicals that may make anxiety symptoms worse.
• Eat right and maintain a healthy diet.
• Keep a regular sleep pattern.
• Avoid alcohol, cannabis, and other recreational drugs.
• Get help early. Anxiety, like many other mental health conditions, can be harder to treat if you wait.

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