Anxiety Disorder - The True Causes

For a very long time, I believed that anxiety and depression are illnesses that "just happen", something that we do not have any control over. I am thankful now for the increased awareness that there is not an external reason for what happens to us physically, rather we are the creators of our life. This knowledge gives us greater control over our lives and allows us to challenge limiting beliefs that we hold.

Increased adrenalin prepares our body for the "flight or fight" response. This causes us to experience physical symptoms. When the perceived danger disappears, the physical symptoms also disappear. Think about when you are watching a scary film, your fear (flight or fight response) returns to normal once the film has ended. If however stress continues over a long period of time, the increased adrenalin can cause complications. For some people this results in anxiety, depression, insomnia and various other conditions.

When I suffered from post natal anxiety I experienced a few panic attacks but mostly it was generalised anxiety. The physical and mental symptoms were quite extreme, including breathlessness, shaking, tingling sensations, constipation, extreme insomnia to name but a few. These symptoms were all a result of the increased adrenalin in my system.

The biggest problem with prolonged anxiety is that your body starts to believe that this increased level of adrenalin is the norm and the body resets itself to produce this amount of adrenalin. As we go about our daily lives we have the fight or flight response when doing completely "normal" activities i.e. shopping, going out, in the house. What is our response to this? We start to adapt our lives in many ways to avoid the "perceived" danger. But it is danger that does not exist, well only in our mind. We can see why many people attempt to use behavioural approaches successfully to re-train the mind.

The irrational thinking can quickly escalate out of control. The thoughts can continue to a level that is disturbing to anyone. This can very easily lead to feeling depressed, depressed at the inability to control the anxiety. With very few options available it is no surprise that many people take anti-depressant medication.

The adrenal glands also produce steroids including corticosterone. People who are depressed tend to have high levels of these steroids. Basically as was described with the adrenalin, the feedback loop is out of control and the body continues to produce these excess levels. People can get stuck because the feelings get retained in the memory. To break the feedback loop you have to stop sending the message to produce more steroids and reduce the chemical levels in the body.

It is also understood that serotonin levels (neurochemical) are low within people who are feeling depressed. Anti-depressant drugs can be used to block the re-uptake mechanism, allowing excess serotonin to flood receptors, aiming to correct the imbalance.

My own experience is that antidepressants are a short-term fix when there does not appear to be an alternative option. They do not cure, they are like a plaster and the wound still needs to be healed when you remove the plaster.

Top tips

Look to eliminate or reduce all stress in your life.
Avoid sugar in your diet, try to keep your blood sugar levels steady.
Take control of your mind rather than letting it control you!
The Law of Attraction teaches us the importance of what we think and speak about. We will attract more of this in to our lives. It is therefore very important to become aware of the way you think and speak so that you don't attract more of this in to your life. Start writing affirmations etc that will help to challenge the irrational thoughts. The quicker you can reduce your adrenalin levels you will start to feel better.
Make a list of all the things that you have adapted, avoided because of your irrational fears. The sooner that you return to everyday activities without adapting because of irrational fears the quicker life will return to normal for you.
Find activities that will help you to relax and divert your mind, watching TV does not work! Something that will help you to focus your mind will help.
Think carefully about taking antidepressants whilst they can be useful for a short-term fix, it is worth noting that no studies have been carried out as to the effect that these medications can have on other areas of our body.
Be aware that our body has a natural way of producing all the hormones that we need, we just need to know how!
Serotonin can be increased naturally through a healthy lifestyle including diet, exercise, laughter, sex and reducing stress levels.
Most of all never believe that there is an external factor causing your illness or believe that you need medication to manage your life longer-term. This will mean you live your life in fear, fear of it returning! Fear of not being able to control it again.

Kelly Menzies, Change and Personal Development Leader has been working in HR, Change Leadership and Learning and Development for ten years. She is currently working with fitness and nutrition professionals, using personal development techniques to help them attract and retain more clients and build their business. Get started today with her FREE 7 Day Training Series, "Build Your Client Base and Make More Money" http://www.life-is-now.co.uk/

Original article

Anxiety Disorder - The True Causes of Anxiety

The exact cause of anxiety disorder is unknown. Some people think anxiety is a result of weakness or some kind of character flaw. This is not the case. Research shows that these disorders can be caused by changes in the brain or environmental stress. People who are in situations such as unemployment can get anxiety disorder because of the stress connect to it.

Anxiety disorders may also be caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Long-lasting stress can change the balance of the chemicals in the brain and cause anxiety disorder. People with certain types of anxiety have changes in the brain that control memory or mood. Anxiety disorders can be inherited. Sometimes several members of a family may have tendencies toward these disorders.

Millions of Americans have anxiety disorders. Many of these disorders begin in childhood, teenage years, or early adulthood. Women have them more than men. They occur with the same frequency in whites, African-Americans, and Hispanics.

These disorders are diagnosed by an evaluation by a doctor. He will ask questions about medical history and may perform a physical exam. The doctor may do tests to find out if there is a physical cause for the symptoms.

If no cause is found, you may be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist. These are mental health professionals that are trained to treat mental illness. They will use an interview and other assessment tools to evaluate people for anxiety disorder.

Diagnosis will be based on a patient's report of how intense the symptoms are. They will also look at the duration of the symptoms. This will include daily functioning with the symptoms and observation of the patient by the doctor. They will look for the behavior and determine if the symptoms and degree indicate a specific disorder.

Progress had been made in this area in the last few years in mental illness including anxiety disorders. The exact treatment approach will depend on the type of disorder, one or a combination of several therapies may be used. These include:

Medication: medicines used include anti-depressants and anxiety-reducing drugs.

Psychotherapy: This is a type of counseling which addresses the emotional response to mental illness. A trained mental health professional will help the patient by talking through strategies for understanding and dealing with their disorder.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy--People can participate in the type of therapy in which the person learns to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to troublesome feelings.

Anxiety disorders cannot be prevented, however, there are things that can be done to control or lessen the symptoms. These include stopping or reducing the consumption of caffeine in coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate.

Ask the doctor before buying over the counter medicines or herbal remedies. Some of these may contain ingredients that can increase anxiety symptoms.

Seek counseling.

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What Causes Anxiety Attacks

Anxiety can range from extremely mild, to severe cases that can affect your daily life. To understand what causes the anxiety that you feel, you will need to learn more about the way your body reacts to different situations.

Anxiety is a mental and psychological feeling which is caused by a certain situation within your life. There are no rules when it comes to anxiety, and what causes one person to feel anxious, may be entirely different to another person. Each case of anxiety is different; therefore, you need to understand your symptoms to be able to cope on a daily basis.

How your body reacts to different situations can affect how your anxiety levels are controlled within your body. Some people deal with their nerves far better than others; however, for some people it can be extremely worrying as they feel out of control. As you begin to look at what causes anxiety attacks, you will realize that there is often a trigger. Once you find out what is causing you to feel the panic that you do, you can learn how to deal with your anxiety.

There are vast arrays of different situations, which can cause you to feel anxious; therefore, you will need to analysis each panic attack. If there is a cause behind the panic that you feel, you will be able to work through this and get help. However, for many people there is no trigger, and you may not know why you feel as anxious as you do when placed in a certain situation. Therefore, learning to relax and breathe correctly is essential, and will help you to cope with your anxiety.

The attacks that you are suffering from are believed to be caused by an imbalance in your body, which is producing your adrenaline in greater quantities. Your body will not know how to cope with this increased level of adrenaline, therefore, causing the fight or flight response. You have to be strong and ensure that you stand your ground and fight the way that your body feels. Once you have overcome the nervous feelings that you are experiencing, you will feel a sense of achievement.

You need to remember that you are not the only person who is searching for the answers for what causes anxiety attacks. There are plenty of people who feel exactly the same way as you, therefore, providing you with a massive amount of support and research material. Learning to cope with your anxiety may seem a challenge; however, it is possible to overcome your fears.

If you want to know can anxiety be cured, you can visit the website.

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Hypoglycemia Causes and Adapting to Stress

One of the Hypoglycemia causes that has shown up in numerous research studies is definitely stress, so it is imperative that you learn to adapt to the stress in your life.

Many people aren't aware that exposure to short periods of stress is necessary for one's personal growth and development. Being in a stressful situation forces us to get out of our comfort zones and exercises our creativity in finding solutions to the problems we find ourselves involved in. A person who has not experienced stress is a person who is not equipped to deal with normal, everyday life.

Stressful situations in life are indeed inevitable. While they cannot be completely avoided, we can mitigate their effects by adapting and adjusting to them. Here are some tips to help you do just that.

Be positive

There are two sides to every stressful situation--- a positive and a negative side. When one dwells on the negative side of a situation that he or she cannot change, he or she ends up a frazzled pile of nerves and irritability. When one chooses to look on the positive side, he or she will be more open to the opportunities the situation presents to improve oneself, helping to take on board the lessons learnt by the situation. Feeling bad about the stressful situation will not make things any better. Looking at the brighter side of things may not help change the situation either but at least you will learn and feel better about it.

Take a step back

If we take a step back and look at the bigger picture, we will find that more often than not, we stress about small things, which will not really matter in the big scheme of things. The energy and effort you put in worrying over these small things will be better put to use on things that really matter. Learn to discern between the big and small things and don't sweat the small stuff. This way you put your energies to something more constructive and get rid of a source of useless stress.

No-one's perfect

One last point, perfection is an impossible goal to achieve. No one is, after all, perfect. We can get rid of a lot of useless stress by not expecting perfection in everything we do and with the people we deal with. This is not to say that we should be satisfied with mediocrity. The point here is to know and to set reasonable standards for oneself and other people. When we keep trying for perfection and expecting it from others, we set ourselves up for a lifetime of frustration. Learn to be satisfied with "good."

Find out more

If you would like to find out more then make sure you visit our site and download our FREE Report 'Six Things You Won't Know About Hypoglycemia'.

Noel Glass has been helping people with hypoglycemia and low blood sugar and having suffered with hypoglycemia himself, he understands what you are going through and how difficult it is to get on top of it.

Original article

Decoding Anxiety - Causes, Facts, And Useful Information

We have all had our encounters with the nervous tension commonly referred to as anxiety but while we may be aware of what triggered our anxious behavior rarely do we think about what might be the core cause. The truth is research has yet to deliver a clear and concise explanation and seems to be leaving dredging up more questions than answers. Hopefully, with the help of advanced brain scan technology this will change in the near future.

It probably comes as no surprise that the number of cases of severe anxiety steadily increases each year despite the best efforts of medical professional around the world.

Biological happenings in the brain are a factor

The brain is complex and depends on biological balance to communicate and function. The pharmaceutical industry has recognized this in their efforts to decode anxiety leading to drugs such as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) being prescribed in record numbers to manage problem anxiety and depression. For the most part SSRIs work to improve serotonin levels which in turn reduces anxious feelings and help with depression. SSRIs come with a long list of side effect risks especially when taken over an extended period of time.

Brain chemicals such as serotonin are what are known as neurotransmitters. The two primary neurotransmitters linked to anxiety and depression are serotonin and dopamine. Most believe it is an imbalance of these two important brain chemicals that causes us to feel depressed or anxious.

But not only do biological imbalances impact how happy, nervous, or sad we feel they also impact how well the left and right hemispheres of our brains are able to work in balance and harmony with one another. As we speak research is being conducted to ascertain more information about left and right side balance as it relates to stress, panic, and exaggerated fears.

It's a family affair

As is the case with so many mental health concerns, anxiety is a family affair. If a first or second degree relative has an anxiety disorder, children are at higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder down the road.

Statistical studies tell us that being brought up where fear and anxiety are part of everyday life can negatively impact a person for years to come. Psychologist and well as other mental health experts believe that this type of hereditary anxiety can be overcome in many cases with the help of behavioral therapy such as CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy).

What one experiences throughout life can impact anxiety

The saying that if it doesn't kill me it will only make me stronger does not apply when it comes to anxiety, according to most experts. Researchers believe that the correlation between anxiety disorders and a life of abuse, violence, or poverty often perpetuates anxiety disorders and anxious behaviors going forward. Even events experienced in childhood have been shown to lead to certain fears that, over time, develop into an anxiety disorder.

Do any of you have parents or grandparents who went through the great depression? If you do there is good chance the anxiety they experienced long ago is still with them today.

In some cases anxiety can be driven by caffeine, cocaine, and amphetamines. Cocaine use can have a lasting impact one's ability to cope with anxiety leading to feeling of panic long after the drug is stopped. All types of medications including those sold over the counter can cause symptoms of anxiety and lead to irritability and anger.

And finally, anxiety could be triggered by things that are happening in a person's life currently. Examples would be financial challenges, job loss, work pressure, study pressures, a myriad of illnesses, illness of a close relative, or the death of a close friend or family member.

In conclusion, decoding anxiety is easier said than actually done due to the many variables and the complexities of the condition itself. But one thing is for sure if you have a problem with chronic anxiety, or an anxiety disorder, finding help will be important for you to be able to live your life to the fullest.

Robert D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic consumer advocate for natural health and natural living with over 10 years experience in the field.
To discover more about anxiety along with information about safe and effective herbal and homeopathic anxiety remedies Click Here.

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