What is anxiety?

Anxiety is something we all feel on an every day basis in life, this may be because of finances, work, relationships; it may be just be thinking about arriving on time for an event or social outing.

Most people can easily manage the anxiety they feel in one way or another but not every one finds it easy, there is a small percentage of the population that suffer with anxiety on a higher level, this group suffer with a larger amount of anxiety and find it difficult to manage the anxiety they feel.

For those who suffer with a larger amount of anxiety they normally feel a mix of both mental and physical affects, these affects manifest themselves in emotions such as fear, apprehension, worry and in some cases embarrassment, and physical effects such as chest pain, loss of breath, heart palpitations, trembling and in some cases nausea.

Anxiety can be categorized by the symptoms a person feels, there is three categories in total, which are

• Generalized anxiety disorder – the most common of the three categories and is caused by over anxious about feelings from daily life.

• Phobia disorder – the feeling of anxiety due to social interaction, this normally comes in the form of an overwhelming feeling that people are watching your every move and judging you as a person.

• Panic disorder – short bursts of heightened anxiety make up a panic disorder, the amount of anxiety is so high that it causes the sufferer to feel like they may die.

In a lot of cases the sufferer will not actually know what is causing the anxiety to take over, this is because the initial reason why anxiety started is not the reason why it is still apparent later on. The reason why the anxiety changes is because anxiety breeds more anxiety, this means that if you take away the anxiety a person feels there may not actually be a reason behind it.

To combat anxiety a person who has been to see a medical professional may see himself or herself prescribed the same medication that a person suffering with depression would have. If the medication does not manage to control the anxiety then alternative treatments like meditation or breathing exercises can help to relax the body.

In extreme cases counseling can help to reduce the feelings of anxiety although this can actually increase a persons feelings of anxiety initially.

One method of self-treatment that a number of anxiety sufferer’s use is alcohol. While alcohol is good at alleviating the anxiety a person it feels, its affects are only short lived and alcohol is also a natural depressant.

Anxiety is something we all have to deal with on a daily basis, the only issue is some people have to deal with anxiety more than others due to the life they lead. To make sure you do not end up having anxiety rule your life then it can help to start a hobby that can take your mind off the stresses of everyday life and give you time to relax.

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