Anxiety Treatment - A Natural Approach to Curing Worry & Uneasiness

Anxiety Introduction

Anxiety is a natural human feature of behavior and is an inherent part of our species. The word "anxiety" is derived from the word "anxious", which came from a meaning of being tormented. Anxiety in itself is then known to be a type of self-torment which is brought up as a defensive response to a given situation.

Anxiety is so common that almost everyone experiences it in some form every single day. This anxiety is not a problem, it is only when anxiety begins to creep into places where it actually has no real justification that it becomes a problem and is termed to be a 'disorder'.

Anxiety Disorders

There are a range of different types of anxiety disorders which may be treated differently. The most common anxiety disorders include:

• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)


• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)


• Social Phobia


• Panic Attacks


• Agoraphobia


• Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)


• Specific Phobias

Common Anxiety Causes

Causes of anxiety disorders are rarely ever set in stone and can be due to a range of different things such as:

• Genetic Predisposition - Some types of anxiety disorders such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) have been found to run in families and are thought to perhaps be inherited through a gene which makes people more prone to become anxious.


• Stress - High levels of stress or seemingly endless stressful situations have been proven as a cause of anxiety disorders. Disorders such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are specifically found to have been caused by stressful and traumatizing events.


• Sudden life changes - Death of loved ones and other sudden, shocking changes in everyday life can play a large role in the development of an anxiety disorder.

There may also be a range of internal and external factors which are involved in the development of each specific case of anxiety disorders. It is important to talk about the things you think might be causing your anxiety problems with someone who will listen and understand where you are coming from. This can help you to resolve your own feelings and to better understand why you are going through a tough time.

Common Symptoms of Anxiety

Symptoms of anxiety disorders may range vastly depending on the type of anxiety. Some very common anxiety symptoms include:

• Restlessness


• Worry & fear


• Anxiety feelings when riding or driving in a car


• Pain or tightness in the chest


• Sweating


• Difficulty sleeping


• Strange muscle aches and pains


• Difficulty breathing


• Frequent yawning


• Irritability


• Difficulty concentrating or mind going blank


• Being easily fatigued


• Feeling on edge

Natural Anxiety Treatments

Relaxation techniques

Learning how to relax your body and release pent up tension which contributes to anxiety can be incredibly helpful in treating the root cause of anxiety disorders. Some good relaxation techniques for anxiety include:

* Progressive muscle relaxation

* Meditation

* Relaxing music

* Abdominal breathing

* Relaxation exercises

Cognitive therapy

The use of cognitive therapy is primarily focused on changing patterns of thinking and subconscious beliefs which are triggering or may be associated with the experienced anxiety. For example, a person suffering from social phobia anxiety may benefit from changing beliefs about the way people see him/her. If the person says to themselves, "I am boring" it is dis-empowering and may worsen the condition. If the person can begin to change their beliefs and surrounding thought patterns, it becomes much easier to change for the good.

Cognitive therapy includes rational 'self-talk', reality testing, cognitive challenging, attention training and cognitive restructuring. This includes monitoring your self-talk, challenging unhelpful fears and beliefs, and testing out the reality of negative thoughts.

Correct breathing techniques

Something as simple as learning how to change your patterns of breathing can be of great benefit to reducing the effects of your anxiety. Hyperventilation is a key physiological problem which results in the body becoming over-saturated with oxygen and thus panic-stricken. Learning to breathe through the diaphragm instead of the chest is greatly helpful here, simply allowing the stomach to expand with each breath.

You can make sure you are breathing correctly by placing one hand on your lower abdomen and the other on your chest. Correct breathing means your abdomen moves, rather than your chest. It also helps to slow your breathing while feeling anxious. You can also try to hold your breath for a few seconds. This helps to boost carbon dioxide levels in the blood and counteracts the effects of hyperventilation.

Behavior therapy

A major component of behavior therapy is exposure. Exposure here simply means, removing all obstacles which are standing between you and your fear and confronting it at its most basic level. This may help to re-assess and redefine fears which might then cause a breakthrough.

The steps of exposure therapy may include:

* Rank your fears in order, from most to least threatening.

* Decide to start on one of your least threatening fears.

* Perform an imaginary role-play of confronting the fears and analyze what it is exactly that is causing fear.

* Slowly increase your tolerance to confronting your fear by taking small steps towards being more and more afraid or uncomfortable.

* Resist the urge to leave. Use relaxation, breathing techniques and coping statements to manage your anxiety.

* Reflect on your result from the situation and realize that nothing bad happened.

* Repeat the exposure as often as you can to build confidence that you can cope.

* Perform the same cycle of exposure with other fears when you are ready.

Dietary adjustments

Changes made to regular dietary consumption can also make a big difference to the severity of your anxiety problems. Reducing the intake of caffeine is one of the most basic starting points, remembering that caffeine can be found in moderate to high doses in coffee, tea, chocolate, green tea and energy drinks. Taking more health-promoting, calming substitutes for these foods can make a huge difference in itself. Other things you can do are simple things such as eating more fruits and vegetables and eating foods which have not been highly processed. Try to avoid white breads, margarine, deep fried foods and chocolate bars.

Exercise

Exercise helps to promote the production of happy-hormone endorphins which make you feel good. On top of this, exercise will help to destroy stress hormones which are responsible for the "fight-or-flight" reactions our bodies have to stressful situations (also a key cause of anxiety). Aim to do a varied exercise program each week at least 3 days per week and keep it up!

Learn to be more assertive

Letting people know how you feel about certain things may help to avoid loads of unnecessary stress which would otherwise be placed on you! You need to become more assertive in your communication with other people which means communicating your opinions, needs and wants more directly. This will help to build your own self esteem and also just avoids lowering your self esteem by not speaking up!

Building self-esteem

Creating an environment of people and things that make you feel good about yourself will help to build your self-worth and feelings of confidence will arise as a result. With anxiety, many people typically find that low self esteem is inherent. This low self esteem can then create a compounding effect which can enhance feelings such as:

* Isolation

* Shame

* Guilt

* Depressed mood

* Difficulties in functioning at school, work or in social situations.

Structured problem solving

Learning how to actively seek out solutions to your problems really can be half the battle in dealing with your anxiety. Many people who suffer from anxiety remain so passive and un-motivated to solve their problems that they become drowned in worry and do nothing about their problems.

Medication

Drugs have been shown to be effective in treating anxiety while they are being taken. It is vitally important, however, to view medications as a short-term solution to the problem only. It has been clearly proven in medical publications that behavior therapies and regular counseling sessions when coupled with natural anxiety treatments are far more effective in defeating anxiety in a long-term way.

Where to get help

* Your GP

* A psychologist

* Counselors

* Local community centers and telephone lines will almost always have free services available to you should you seek them out.

Stress and Anxiety Disorders in Children - Part 2

Let's do a quick recap of Part 1 of this series that is near and dear to my heart - most importantly because children are our future. We must be careful about what messages we expose our children to in a language that they can comprehend.

We will pass away one day and leave the world behind for our children to live in. Let's make a concentrated effort to leave a world that our children will love to live in and cherish every moment of their lives and remember us with fond memories when we become just a photograph on the wall or a digital image on a computer. We owe it to our children to provide them with the fun-filled childhood that they have a rightful claim to. In this article, let's consider another common cause of anxiety disorder in children.

Who's Life Is It Anyway?

It is human nature to see our own reflection in our children. This is almost a reflex action that we adults feel when we have a growing child in our lives. We want the best in our children and want them to be the shining star wherever we live. This is a healthy outlook towards our children, but what's unfortunate is that often times, we try to impose our own ideals and aspirations in our children. We adults forget that our children have the right to their own identity and must be given the freedom and maturity to choose what they want to do in life.

Instead of counseling them or asking for their opinion, we often try to force them into habits and activities. I have come across many adults who want to see their children achieve what they themselves had always dreamed about but never fulfilled them in their own lives. This may cause severe stress to the child's psyche when he or she is forced into doing something that they don't have an ability to do.

We need to understand that not all children have the same abilities that we adults would like them to have. Can abilities be developed? Most certainly you can groom children up to acquire certain abilities, but as adults we need to understand that training is not everything. The DNA and the chemical structure is unique for every person and variations to this chemistry in our body are key factors to what our abilities will ultimately turn out to be. So through training, it is definitely possible to impart the skills, but that does not necessarily mean that the individual will enjoy applying the skills in his or her own life. The point I am trying to make is we adults often forget to recognize the unique qualities of our children and imagine a day when our children will become what we had tried to be and failed. This is inappropriate handling of our responsibilities as parents and child caregivers.

Little do we pause to think that our actions might be creating stress on the child's mind. If he or she is unable to cope up with what we want and what our expectations are, we often vent our frustration on our children. Even mature adults drop like stones under the influence of depression and anxiety - imagine what happens to the immature mind when she finds a frustrated parent trying to enforce something that is not within her realm of abilities. This sense of failure might not be expressed overtly, but it creates more than a black hole in the child's psyche - depression sets in. The same depression could lead to anxiety and potential panic attacks in the future. With every future moment of parental frustration due to a non-performing or under-performing child, the black hole continues to widen.

Where do you think the child will be when he or she reaches adulthood? In the dungeons of depression with no self-confidence, with no self-respect and with not firm ground to stand upon to face the challenges of this world.

Parents and child caregivers - pause to think about this for a moment. You've had your chances and probably fell short - that is perfectly ok. If everybody became an Einstein or a Michelangelo this world would not have seen most of the brilliant minds that we cherish today. There would have been no Pele, no Mozart, no Mother Teresa and the list goes on.

How do you know that the child that you want to become the engineer that grows up to develop the spaceship that will carry man to Saturn and back over a weekend, is actually a budding Beethoven or a Pele or a Nadia Comaneci even a Florence Nightingale?

A Child's Right To the Freedom of Choice

So what is the anxiety therapy for children in this situation? It is OK to expose them to what you want them to be and as a parent or a caregiver, that is the right you acquire when you become responsible to bring the child up in this world. But remain sensitive and watch out for signs that indicate rejection. You will know in your heart if your child has the abilities to follow what you want him or her to do or not, so remain in that monitoring mode all the time and pull out if you sense that things are not going to turn out to be what you expected.

Expose the child to everything else that life has to offer in small but generous samples and help the child develop that maturity to choose their path in life. A pros and cons discussion after every sampling goes a million miles to ease the stress in your child's mind. You are essentially providing practical and rational answers to their favorite "Why?" Be that lifelong educator that holds the child by the hand from the time he or she is born to the time when they have their own children and beyond. Give your child the gift of a childhood that is free from adult-enforced stress - you will be appreciated one day.

A child's brain is like a sponge and I'm guilty of indulging in this repetition. Be careful about what you expose it to - the future of your child depends on it.

Social Anxiety Disorder: The Major Cause of Being Anti-Social

If you have an overwhelming feeling or self-consciousness and anxiety in social settings that most people are fine in then you might have social phobia, otherwise known as social anxiety disorder. People suffering from this disorder feel like they are being judged and watched intensely by others and think that they think horrible thoughts about them.

They are afraid that they will embarrass or humiliate themselves in front of people when they meet them. This can seriously interfere with daily life such as school, work, relationships, and activities of daily living. Even though most people with social anxiety disorder know they're feeling are not valid and excessive they cannot seem to manage or control them. When they a function they have to attend they can worry for months or weeks waiting for the dreadful day.

Social anxiety disorder can range in its behavior. Some individuals may only suffer from a specific fear such as eating or drinking, speaking, or writing if others are around or watching. Some people have a fear or going to the bathroom in a public restroom. This can be as serious as causing physical sickness or weakness to the bladder because of the anxiety involved, while some people are fearful in all social situations and is never comfortable.

The normal daily activities that most people take for granted are so horrifying and worrisome of social phobias it can be physically debilitating. This illness can cause people to miss work or school if they fear they will have to get up and be seen or noticed. Many persons with social phobia may have problems with relationships and can find it very hard to meet and keep friends. Even when the person has friends they may not be able to enjoy going out with then or being with them in large crowds of other people who might be less known. Some of the common symptoms include:

#1. blushes often in social situations

#2. profuse sweating when anxious

#3. trembling when approached or spoke to

#4. nausea as anxiety increases and possibly vomiting

#5. extreme difficulty talking

You may be extremely embarrassed by all of these symptoms if you have social phobia. It can feel like there are million people watching you all the time and you can't get away. You might even be able to stand being around your own family for fear of ridicule and rejection.

This is a common irrational fear that with out medication cannot be controlled. Even if you tried to face what fears you have the anxiety level before can be almost debilitating and can linger through out the whole experience. The anxiety can also linger after wards and keep you feeling scared and anxious for weeks or months. Affecting approximately 5.3 million American adults with men and women being affected equally, social phobia usually starts to develop in childhood or the early teens.

There is belief that social anxiety disorder can also be hereditary so if a family member has it you are at a higher risk of developing it as well. Because of the nature of the severe anxiety people with this disorder have a higher risk of self-medicating with drugs and alcohol to try to relax and calm down. This only leads to worse problems and possibly addiction. To treat this disease one need to see a doctor and seek psychotherapy and/or medications.

There is hope and treatment for those persons who suffer with social anxiety disorder. There have been more and more drugs capable of helping control the feelings one may suffer with. The antidepressants Paxil and Effexor are excellent and wide used to help suffers of social phobia. It can take two to four weeks for the medications to start to take effect and it can also take some time to find the right dosage that works the best with the least side effects.

The user needs to always follow the instructions on the prescription and take the medication every day. If the side effects are too bad or there is no improvement in four weeks call your doctor. Many patients will have to continue medications for months, years, or even a lifetime. Another important aspect is therapy. Most doctors use cognitive-behavioral therapy that changes the individual's cognitive thinking patterns to help them eventually face fear in all social situations without debilitating anxiety.

Different Herbs for Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety disorders are a common problem, affecting approximately 20 million adults and children in America. Anxiety is a common emotion consisting of uncertainty and worry faced by many, whilst anxiety disorders are when such fears are experienced irrationally. There are many treatments available, ranging from medication to therapy and alternative treatments. One treatment is through using natural herbal supplements.

Natural herbs are less costly than medication, and consist of herbs, vitamins and botanicals. They can be taken individually, or with other supplements, but it is best to first consult your doctor before deciding on natural herbs as a treatment for anxiety disorders. They also have the advantage of having no side effects, as compared to medications which can result in side effects such as nausea. Below are some common herbs used in anxiety disorders treatment.

1. Passion Flower

This is a natural plant that is used to treat anxiety, amongst other ailments. Its has unique calming properties, and can also reduce body tremors from fear. It promotes better sleep, and can act as a painkiller. It also contains anti depressants, and is used for high blood pressure and epilepsy.

2. Lavender

This is a more popular alternative than the passion flower, and is also known for its calming properties. It is also one of the more effective treatments for panic attacks, and is a tonic for the nervous system.

3. Lemon Balm

This is used to calm the digestive and nervous system, and also reduces blood pressure. It is uncertain if used alone, lemon balm is effective for treating anxiety attacks. It is usually taken with Valerian, Chamomile or Passion flower.

4. Kava

It is an effective tranquilizer, and whilst it is not an addictive substance, research suggests that it may be linked to liver problems.

5. Valerian

This is another natural plant used for treating anxiety. It also promotes better sleep, allowing for the body to rest and recuperate.

6. Chamomile

Chamomile flower leaves are used to make tea, and is a natural alternative for treating anxiety. It also reduces fever, encourages sleep and enhances the body's metabolism.

7. Dandelion

The roots and leaves are used to treat the body's internal systems, and through it, provide relief for some of the symptoms of anxiety. It is commonly used in salads and tea, and can also be used as a substitute for coffee.

There are many natural treatments available, and herbs have been used for treating illnesses for centuries. However, do keep in mind that it is not a quick fix, and can only alleviate the symptoms of anxiety attacks. It is advisable to seek out behavioral or cognitive therapy so as to eliminate the root of the problem causing anxiety attacks.

Common Types of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders manifesting in various forms lead to sorts of further complications if not taken care of early. The symptoms are pretty much the same. A person suffering from an such a disorder often displays symptoms off nervousness, excessive sweating and similar traits. During these bouts a person may also be unable to breathe and may experience tightness as well. You may even come across people who constantly repeat the same actions over and over again in order to combat feelings of restlessness or fear. In the natural, anxiety is known to be a normal reaction to stress; it helps one cope with different situations. However, when anxiety rises and handling day-to-day situations becomes a dread it leads to anxiety disorders.

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by exaggerated worry and tension coupled with chronic anxiety, many times there is no such a valid reason to provoke it. People who suffer with this kind of disorder often display symptoms off trembling, occasional headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, hot flushes and difficulty in swallowing. It is sad indeed but the good news is that it can be treated; there are many effective treatments to overcome anxiety in order for people to lead more normal lives. It is not a major issue in reality; people tend to worry excessively and unnecessarily and are not able to shrug it off.

Another type of is called the social anxiety disorder. A person who is excessively self-conscious and overly anxious in everyday social situations falls into this anxiety category. It is confined to the fear of others and there is an extreme awkwardness to speak, eat or mix freely with others. They are often nervous and often lose control of themselves; they are just uncomfortable in the presence of others. People in this situation are most often carry a fear of being scrutinized and judged, they fear being embarrassed or insulted by their own actions. These people often suffer symptoms such as nausea, blushing, trembling and profuse sweating. Researches have been looking into revised therapies in order to help people overcome social anxiety disorders and enjoy life to the maximum.

Even though each of these anxiety disorders is diagnosed differently, the root cause is inevitably anxiety and stress. These needs to be tackled early on for the best results as if left unattended it would lead to something not called for.

Negative Thinking Disorders

It's Not Beware, It's Be Aware

Negative thinking disorders are disorders that branch from extreme anxiety and are most commonly termed as anxiety disorders. Under this particular kind of disorder are disorders like obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress, panic disorder and social phobia. It's the negative thinking in these negative thinking disorders or anxiety disorders that feeds the anxiety causing it to grow. This disorder is rooted in our thoughts. To cure it, we must change our negative thoughts into positive ones with ways like cognitive therapy.

It's All the Same and Holding On

People who suffer from such negative thinking disorders believe that everything will stay the same and it would always be bad - nothing changes. By taking such a belief into their system of thinking, they're closing doors or ways to get help. Treatment for such disorders is a slow process and by holding onto their disorder.

Speaking of holding on, with these types of disorders, people suffering from it hold on to traumatizing or horrible experiences. By doing so, they make it harder for themselves to escape the vicious cycle of negativity and anxiety. These negative thoughts are the main power source of these disorders as they are perpetually being thought of. It's one thing to hold onto a memory but another situation completely when you obsess over it and fall trapped to a destructive thought cycle. Not only does it interrupt your daily life, it also tampers with your logic and may cause you to steer clear of certain situations and in effect limit you.

Absolutes

Those suffering from negative thinking disorders think in absolutes or extremes. They see that there can only be a completely bad or a completely good situation. This can be particularly difficult to deal with as they usually see the negative part of things more and magnify them, overshadowing whatever positive there is. To adjust to average thought, they must understand that worrying is completely normal to an extent and that there would always be pros and cons or good and bad in situations. They must know that whatever con or bad there is should not control or limit them. They must find what it is that's causing them the panic attacks and obsessive thinking and avoid feeling helpless or powerless. We should all know that we are in control.

Negative thinking disorders may take different forms and magnitudes but one element stays the same - the negative thinking. Medication may help but at the end of the day, whatever happens, it's something we have to sort out in our minds. Early intervention is best and being open to treatment would certainly make sure that progress would move along as it should. Life is good, it may not be easy but it is good. Discover it.

Social Anxiety Disorder: Symptoms and Solution

I believe that we all have had the fear at some point in our life that others are viewing and judging you when you are in public.

Many times people have fear when they are unable to speak or say the right thing at the right place to the right person.

It is little things like this that are often over-thought and can easily build into nervousness and fear of this happening again.

For many people this can get to a point where they are thinking about all the negative things that could happen when they are in a public setting even before they get in that situation.

Instead of just living our life and being comfortable in our own skin, we will often second guess everything that we do and have constant fear that we made a mistake or could have done better.

It is easy to say that we should all just get over it, accept the fact that we are human and will make mistakes and live our life to the fullest.

However, coming from someone who has dealt with the symptoms of social phobia all of my life, I can understand that this is beyond our control and we must seek the source of our fear and take the necessary steps to overcome social anxiety.

Having nervousness and anxiousness when in social settings is completely normal and for many people is something that is always there but quickly fades as the they get to the event and get comfortable in their setting.

You should consider taking steps in-order to overcome your social phobia symptoms when they become disabling or cause health concerns.

Most of these symptoms include increased heart rate, shortness of breath, sweating, shaking, lack of appetite, and in some cases minor delusions.

Social anxiety symptoms can quickly develop into more severe health concerns including depression and alcohol drug dependence if not treated.

These are very scary and sometimes these type disorders can lead to serious health concerns, in some cases may be fatal.

Fatal, life threatening, now is the time to stop living with social fear disorder and start taking steps to living your life without social anxiety.

How To Overcome Social Anxiety

There are several methods that you could use to overcome your social phobia, the main methods include cognitive behavior therapy, medication and neurolinquistic programming.

Medications are exactly what you would expect them to be, they reduce the symptoms of social fear while you take them, there are some potential scary side effects, and as soon as you stop taking the drugs, the symptoms return.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Neurolinquistic Programming both deal with getting to the root-cause of your social anxiety and reprogramming the way that your mind thinks about social situations.

You can find a lot of help available around and the social anxiety disorder can surely be treated permanently.