Copyright (c) 2008 Hailey Harris

Anxiety home remedies have become a popular area of interest these days. Now-a-days, almost everyone is troubled with anxiety disorders. Besides medication an individual can also go for the numerous home remedies. These remedies are quite beneficial from the health point of view and they does not entail any side-effects. There is a sequence of home remedies that one can follow as long as it is not the extreme stage of the anxiety disorder. If an anxiety disorder does not affect the normal routine of a person, then he can surely go for anxiety home remedies to overcome the problem.

Different Anxiety Home Remedies

The foremost remedy that a person can follow is to try out certain exercises. Regular exercising not only provides physical relaxation to your body and soul but it also helps to overcome the mental strain. It also enhances the secretion of serotonin chemical secreted by the brain. The release of serotonin in the brain activates the nice and generous senses. So, whenever you are suffering from anxiety disorder, just go outside and take a long walk. Playing your favorite sport will also help in reducing the anxiety disorder. Besides this, if you think about other interesting things, it will definitely give you a feeling of mental and physical relaxation. An alternative home remedy for anxiety disorder is the intake of rich and nutritious diet. There are certain herbs which on included in the food supplements will definitely prove helpful in reducing the level of anxiousness and fear. These include chamomile, skullcap, orange blossom, cloves, balm, thyme, lavender, hops, wood betony and much more.

Another crucial remedy to overcome the anxiety disorder is interaction with the family and friends. Adopting a social attitude will definitely calm the feelings of anxiety. If a person remains in the company of optimistic and fun loving people, his mind remains distracted from all the mental worries and illnesses. Prefer to move in the social gatherings along with your friends or planning a movie outing is also a nice way to overcome the anxiety. Even expressing your viewpoint and sharing your ideas with others can also prove to be helpful.

A final remedial measure to overcome distress or anxiety is to take a hot shower bath. This will definitely revolutionize your thoughts regarding life. Take a time from your busy schedule and plan a weekend or a short holiday trip. This will not provide relaxation to your body but also improves the mental state. You can also spend some time in playing extra co-circular activities.

Ashwagandha- An Anxiety Herbal Remedy

Ashwagandha is a well-known herbal remedy that helps to cure the anxiety disorder. In the Ayurvedic science, it is popular by the name of Indian Ginseng or Winter Cherry.

Ashwagandha is basically a little evergreen shrub found not only in India but also in the major parts of Mediterranean as well as African countries. It contains anti-depressant & anti-anxiety properties. This shrub basically belongs to the pepper family and is used for various medicinal purposes. This shrub is highly used in Ayurvedic medicine. The roots of Ashwagandha contain iron and steroidal lactones, which is termed as withanolides. Besides curing anxiety, it is also good from the health point of view. It also helps to overcome stress, low immunity and osteoarthritis.

A lot of people suffering from panic and anxiety disorders tend to “self-medicate”. That is, they tend to use alcohol or drugs, both over the counter and illegal, to dull the symptoms of their anxiety. According to the ScienceDirect web site, a study found that as many as 10-40 percent of alcoholics have panic attacks and/or anxiety, and 10-20 percent of people with panic and anxiety abuse drugs or alcohol. The majority of people asked believed that that their self medication worked, even though the researchers found that these people often had more serious situations, including depression.

The study also found that a majority of people reported having anxiety before alcohol or substance abuse.

The relationship between panic and anxiety disorders and alcohol and drugs seems to be a vicious one; people with anxiety and panic use alcohol to self medicate sometimes leading to alcohol and substance abuse, while on the other hand, alcohol and drug use can lead to panic and anxiety disorders.

For years it marijuana was commonly considered not to have any negative long term effects on users, but this has changed. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, not only can you experience anxiety and panic attacks immediately after using cannabis; one of the most common long term side effects of smoking marijuana is panic and anxiety.

Other drugs that can cause anxiety are stimulants such as amphetamines, cocaine or crack. Hallucinogens such as LSD, PCP and ecstasy

In addition to these illegal substances, as previously mentioned, legal substances such as nicotine, alcohol and caffeine can cause panic and anxiety reactions, especially in high doses.

Even prescription and over the counter medication can cause both immediate anxiety reactions and long term anxiety disorders.

Most diet pills contains some sort of stimulant, ranging from caffeine and guarana to ephedrine ( also sometimes called ephedra) and other stimulants closely related to amphetamine. Some of these stimulants are considered harmless in small doses, but are usually found in relatively high doses in diet pills. According to The National Institutes of Health, studies in animals show that the use of diet pills containing fenfluramine, can cause not only panic and anxiety, but also long term brain damage.

If you experience panic and anxiety, it is important to be very aware of what you put in your body. It may be easy to think that a little caffeine or alcohol is normal and maybe even good for you, but if you have anxiety problems, you should probably cut down on the use of these substances or cut them out all together. If you experience negative feeling or anxiety thinking about giving up on these substances, it is quite possible that you are addicted to them, something that makes it even more important for you to give it up.

It might be difficult for you to change some of the habits that are causing your anxiety, and in some cases it may temporarily cause more anxiety to give something up, but if you are suffering from panic and anxiety, you can greatly improve the quality of your life if you limit the amounts of anxiety causing substances you have in your system.

For many people, alternative anxiety treatments can bring relief from their symptoms when medical approaches (like using anti-anxiety medications) have failed. Not everyone responds to well to prescription drug treatment for anxiety. The side effects and potential withdrawal symptoms can sometimes outweigh any perceived benefit from the drug, especially over the long-term.

Alternative anxiety treatments have the benefit of not relying on habit-forming medications, and many have been thoroughly researched in universities around the world to determine both effectiveness and safety. Although the medical community in the United States continues to focus on medication as a cure for anxiety, there is a growing movement among doctors and researchers toward a more natural or holistic approach to this common emotional problem.

Contrary to popular misconception, anxiety is not a disease or “medical disorder.” Anxiety is in fact an emotional state, most commonly associated with an impending feeling of doom, apprehension, insecurity and worry. These feelings can produce very real physical anxiety symptoms. The most common of these are dizziness, breathing difficulties (hyperventilation), rapid heart beat, chest pains, and upset stomach or nausea.

To calm the physical and mental symptoms of anxiety, and its more acute cousin: the panic attack, there is growing evidence that alternative treatments are often as effective as pharmaceuticals, without the potential for harmful side effects. We’ll briefly review five well-documented alternative treatments for anxiety.

1. Diet Changes to Reduce Anxiety. It is well known that caffeine can contribute to anxiety; as can excessive amounts of sugar or alcohol. Many anxiety sufferers find relief from their symptoms by simply modifying their diet. Eliminating stimulants such as caffeine and replacing them with herbal teas (for example) can make a great difference over the course of a few weeks. Chamomile Tea and Skullcap tea are two herbal blends that have long been reported to have soothing affects.

2. Natural Herbs and Supplements. St. John’s Wort has received a great deal of attention in the media for its calming effects, and has been researched extensively to ensure that it is safe to use. This natural herb has also been shown to be an effective treatment for moderate depression. Melatonin is another supplement that has long been used to combat sleep disorders and insomnia. There are now several studies that suggest melatonin may also be an effective anti-anxiety treatment.

3. Guided Visualization Techniques. Evidence suggests that using visualization techniques to change the emotional state can be as effective as many prescription drugs for anxiety. These techniques can be used independently, or while listening to a guided visualization CD or tape, to assist the user in “visualizing” more peaceful harmonious feelings throughout the body. The combination of soft relaxing music and gentle guidance can be quite relaxing, and when used consistently, can help to reduce both physical and emotional anxiety symptoms.

4. Breathing Exercises. Proper breathing techniques can contribute to a more peaceful, relaxed state of well-being. As hyperventilation is a common problem among anxiety sufferers, practicing controlled breathing exercises can help reduce anxiety symptoms, and reduce the chances of hyperventilating in a high anxiety situation.

5. Relaxation Techniques and Exercises. Research suggests that practicing relaxation techniques such as yoga or tai chi can help reduce anxiety. Practicing meditation has also been shown to calm the mind, promoting feelings of well-being. Tai chi in particular can be beneficial, as it encourages mindfulness and controlled breathing.

Each of these alternative anxiety treatments can be beneficial in its own right, and many natural health practitioners suggest using one or more of these treatments simultaneously, in order to affect the greatest change in the user’s emotional state and eliminate the “mental environment” that allows anxiety to flourish. Remember, it is important to talk to your doctor before using natural anxiety treatments, taking herbs or supplements, or beginning an exercise program.

Psychological therapies are a much more effective anxiety cure than medications. It is perfectly normal for people to experience anxiety occasionally. It makes us cope with very stressful situations. However when anxiety becomes too much and develops into irrational fear of everyday circumstances, it becomes a debilitating anxiety disorder. Unlike mild anxiety caused by a stressful event, anxiety disorder lasts at least 6 months and may worsen if not properly and immediately treated.

The best way to an anxiety cure is to completely understand the anxiety condition. Anxiety is a troubled state of mind. Anxiety results from fearful thinking of future events situations or conditions. It is a condition that is not accidental, unknown, or uncontrollable, and it occurs for specific reason and has an underlying reason why it persists. An important method to attain a cure from anxiety is education. Following are some helpful tips towards anxiety cures which can hopefully aid in taking control over your own emotions again.

Relaxation techniques – a person feeling anxious most of the time has trouble relaxing, however learning how to release muscle tension is an important anxiety cure. Relaxation techniques include: abdominal breathing exercises, regular muscle relaxation, and meditation.

Proper breathing techniques – the symptoms of anxiety may be triggered in reaction to hyperventilation or rapid breathing, which raises oxygen levels and lowers the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. A person with anxiety condition should know how to breathe from their diaphragm, and not to breathe from their chest, as this helps to prevent against hyperventilation. Learning this technique can help you calm down while feeling anxious.

Cognitive therapy is a technique which focuses on altering patterns of thinking and beliefs which can be associated with triggering anxiety. The idea behind cognitive therapy is that ideas can trigger thoughts, this can then trigger feelings, and finally manifest the feelings of anxiety. Cognitive therapy strategies can include rational self-talk, training on attention, reality testing cognitive challenging, and cognitive restructuring. This method involves carefully monitoring your thoughts, challenging fears and beliefs, and comparing your nagative thoughts against reality.

Behaviour therapy can also be useful, and the major component of behavior therapy is exposure. The theory behind Exposure therapy is one of deliberately confronting your fears in order to become desensitized. This Exposure lets you to redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or trigger.

Medication – is important to see medication as a short-term measure, and not a complete cure for anxiety disorder. Many studies have shown that psychological therapies are much more likely to be effective than drugs in managing anxiety disorder in the long run. Brief course of tranquilizers or antidepressants may be prescribed by your doctor to help you deal with the symptoms.

Dietary adjustments – inadequate intake of vitamin B and calcium can worsen anxiety symptoms. In addition nicotine, caffeine, and stimulant drugs should be avoided as they can create activity in the adrenaline glands and release adrenaline, one of the main stress chemicals.

Exercise is important as it burns up stress chemicals and promotes relaxation. You should attempt to plan some physical activities at least 3 to 4 times a week and vary your activities to avoid boredom.

Although some methods can be effective in curing anxiety, but the level of recovery depends on the participation and willingness of the person with the anxiety condition. The sooner you can get treatment, the better are the chances that you will overcome your anxiety and feel healthy again.

Anxiety disorder is capable of destroying your life if not treated immediately.

Have you ever felt anxious about something for any reason? Or, feeling anxious or worried in the times of stressful situations? It is ok to feel what you feel as long as you have rational reasons to validate your feelings. Anxiety is a normal response to any stressful event and it helps you deal with that situation. But, when anxiety becomes too much that it can affect your day to day activities and peace of mind, it becomes an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorder is excessive anxiety and worry about events or activities, which occurs most often than not in most days for at least six months. A person who has anxiety disorder finds it difficult to control the feelings of worry and fear. The anxiety, worry, or the physical symptoms of anxiety disorder can cause considerable suffering or harm on the important areas of daily life activities. Some of the common types of anxiety disorders include separation anxiety, social anxiety or phobia, selective mutism, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. Each of these anxiety disorders has different symptoms, but the entire symptoms revolve around excessive, unreasonable fear and dread.

Separation anxiety is defined as developmentally improper and excessive anxiety relating to separation from home or to someone you are so attached with. Social anxiety or phobia is generally understood as extreme fear in the face of social interaction. Selective mutism is the consistent failure to speak in specific social situations where you are expected to render speech. OCD is an illness wherein you have recurrent and unwanted urge to do something to relieve your discomfort. PST is an incapacitating condition that follows a terrifying event (persistent terrifying thoughts). Panic disorder is categorized as recurrent brief episodes of intense fear that are accompanied by many physical symptoms, like heart palpitations and dizziness, even without external threat. Agoraphobia is defined as an incapacitating fear of open spaces, resulting to avoidance of crowds, and open public places. General anxiety disorder is described by diffuse feelings of apprehensions with physiological symptoms. Specific phobia is a feeling of intense, irrational fears towards certain things, like closed-in places, heights, water, etc.

If you think you have an anxiety disorder, the first person you should see is your family doctor. A physician can determine whether the symptoms that bother you are due either to anxiety disorder or other medical condition, or both. If indeed you are diagnosed to have anxiety disorder, the next step you should do is definitely see a mental health professional whom you are comfortable talking with. Clearly, in order for you to be treated from this condition, you and your doctor should work together as a team and make a plan to cure you from anxiety disorder. Don’t let this condition ruin your mood, activities, or your life in general. Get immediate treatment the soonest possible time once you think that you might have an anxiety disorder. The sooner you get the treatment, the sooner you feel better.

People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) go through the day filled with exaggerated worry and tension, even though there is little or nothing to provoke it. They anticipate disaster and are overly concerned about health issues, money, family problems, or difficulties at work.

People with GAD cannot get rid of their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation warrants. They are unable relax, startle easily and have difficulty concentrating.

Physical symptoms that often accompany the anxiety include, but are not limited to, fatigue, headaches, muscle tension, muscle aches, difficulty swallowing, trembling, twitching, irritability, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, having to go to the bathroom frequently, feeling out of breath and hot flashes.

GAD affects about 6.8 million Americans and about twice as many women as men. It comes on gradually and can begin across the life cycle, though the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.

It is diagnosed when someone spends at least 6 months worrying excessively about a number of everyday problems. There is evidence that genes play a modest role in GAD.

Other anxiety disorders, depression, or substance abuse often accompany GAD, which rarely occurs alone. It is commonly treated with medication an/or cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Treatment of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are typically treated with medication, specific types of psychotherapy, or both. Treatment choices depend on the problem and the persons preference.

Before treatment, a doctor must conduct a careful diagnostic evaluation to determine whether the symptoms are caused by an anxiety disorder or a physical problem. If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the type of disorder must be identified, as well as any coexisting conditions, such as depression or substance abuse.

Sometimes alcoholism, depression or other coexisting conditions have such a strong effect on the individual that treating the anxiety disorder must wait until the coexisting conditions are brought under control.

People with anxiety disorders who have already received treatment should tell their current doctor about that treatment.

If they received medication, they should tell their doctor what medication was used, what the dosage was at the beginning of treatment, whether it was ever increased or decreased, what side effects occurred and whether the treatment helped them significantly. If they received psychotherapy, they should describe the type of therapy, how often they attended sessions and how much the therapy helped.

Often people believe that they have failed at treatment or that the treatment did not work for them when, in fact, it was not given for an adequate length of time or was administered incorrectly. Sometimes people must try several different treatments or combinations before they find the one that works for them.

Medications

Medication will not cure anxiety disorders, but it can keep them under control while the person receives psychotherapy, often from a psychologist. The principal medications used to treat anxiety disorders are antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and beta-blockers which control some of the physical symptoms.

With proper treatment, many people with anxiety disorders can lead normal, fulfilling lives.

Antidepressants

Antidepressants were developed to treat depression but are also effective for anxiety disorders. Although these medications begin to alter brain chemistry after the very first dose, their full effect requires about 4 to 6 weeks before symptoms start to fade. It is important to continue taking these medications long enough to let them work.

SSRIs

Some of the newest antidepressants are called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. SSRIs alter the levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, which, like other neurotransmitters, helps brain cells communicate with one another.

Fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), escitalopram (Lexapro), paroxetine (Paxil) and citalopram (Celexa) are some of the SSRIs commonly prescribed for panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, and social phobia. These drugs are also used to treat panic disorder when it occurs in combination with OCD, social phobia or depression.

Venlafaxine (Effexor), a drug closely related to the SSRIs, is also used to treat GAD. These medications are started at low doses and gradually increased until they cause side effects or produce a beneficial effect.

SSRIs have fewer side effects than older antidepressants, but they sometimes produce slight nausea or jitters when people first start to take them. These symptoms fade with time, however.

Some people also experience sexual dysfunction with SSRIs, which may be helped by adjusting the dosage or switching to another medication.

Tricyclics

Tricyclics are older than SSRIs and work as well as SSRIs for anxiety disorders other than OCD. They are also started at low doses that are gradually increased.

They sometimes cause dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth and weight gain, which can usually be corrected by changing the dosage or switching to another medication.

Tricyclics include imipramine (Tofranil), which is prescribed for panic disorder and GAD and clomipramine (Anafranil), which is the only tricyclic antidepressant useful for treating OCD.

MAOIs

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are the oldest class of antidepressant medications and the ones most commonly prescribed for anxiety are phenelzine (Nardil), followed by tranylcypromine (Parnate) and isocarboxazid (Marplan), which are useful in treating panic disorder and social phobia.

People who take MAOIs cannot eat a variety of foods and beverages (including cheese and red wine) that contain tyramine or take certain medications, including some types of birth control pills, pain relievers (such as Advil, Motrin and Tylenol, cold and allergy medications and herbal supplements; these substances can interact with MAOIs to cause dangerous increases in blood pressure.

MAOIs can also react with SSRIs to produce a serious condition called serotonin syndrome, which can cause confusion, hallucinations, increased sweating, muscle stiffness, seizures, changes in blood pressure or heart rhythm and other potentially life-threatening conditions.

Anti-Anxiety Drugs

High-potency benzodiazepines combat anxiety and have few side effects other than drowsiness. Because people can develop a tolerance to them and may need higher and higher doses to get the same effect, benzodiazepines are generally prescribed for short periods of time, especially for people who have abused drugs or alcohol or who become dependent on medication easily.

One exception to this rule, however, is people with panic disorder, who can take benzodiazepines for up to a year without harm. Clonazepam (Klonopin) is used for social phobia and GAD, lorazepam (Ativan) is helpful for panic disorder and alprazolam (Xanax) is useful for both panic disorder and GAD.

Some people experience withdrawal symptoms if they stop taking benzodiazepines abruptly instead of tapering off, and anxiety can return once the medication is stopped. These potential problems have led some physicians to shy away from using these drugs or to use them in inadequate doses.

Buspirone (Buspar), an azapirone, is a newer anti-anxiety medication used to treat GAD. Possible side effects include dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Unlike benzodiazepines, buspirone must be taken consistently for at least 2 weeks to achieve an anti-anxiety effect.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy involves talking with a trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist, social worker, or counselor, to discover what caused an anxiety disorder and how to deal with its symptoms.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is very useful in treating anxiety disorders. The cognitive part helps people change the thinking patterns that support their fears and the behavioral part helps people change the way they react to anxiety-provoking situations.

For example, CBT can help people with panic disorder learn that their panic attacks are not really heart attacks and help people with social phobia learn how to overcome the belief that others are always watching and judging them. When people are ready to confront their fears, they are shown how to use exposure techniques to desensitize themselves to situations that trigger their anxieties.

People with OCD who fear dirt and germs are encouraged to get their hands dirty and wait increasing amounts of time before washing them. The therapist helps the person cope with the anxiety that waiting produces; after the exercise has been repeated a number of times, the anxiety diminishes.

People with social phobia may be encouraged to spend time in feared social situations without giving in to the temptation to flee and to make small social blunders and observe how people respond to them. Since the response is usually far less harsh than the person fears, these anxieties are lessened.

People with PTSD may be supported through recalling their traumatic event in a safe situation, which helps reduce the fear it produces. CBT therapists also teach deep breathing and other types of exercises to relieve anxiety and encourage relaxation.

Exposure-based behavioral therapy has been used for many years to treat specific phobias. The person gradually encounters the object or situation that is feared, perhaps at first only through pictures or tapes, then later face-to-face.

Group therapy is particularly effective for social phobia. Often homework is assigned for participants to complete between sessions.

There is some evidence that the benefits of CBT last longer than those of medication for people with panic disorder, and the same may be true for OCD, PTSD, and social phobia. If a disorder recurs at a later date, the same therapy can be used to treat it successfully a second time.

Medication can be combined with psychotherapy for specific anxiety disorders, and this is the best treatment approach for many people.

Taking Medications

Before taking medication for an anxiety disorder:

1. Ask your doctor to tell you about the effects and side effects of the drug.

2. Tell your doctor about any alternative therapies or over-the-counter medications you are using.

3. Ask your doctor when and how the medication should be stopped. Some drugs cannot be stopped abruptly but must be tapered off slowly under a doctors supervision.

4. Work with your doctor to determine which medication is right for you and what dosage is best.

5. Be aware that some medications are effective only if they are taken regularly and that symptoms may recur if the medication is stopped.

How to Get Help for Anxiety Disorders

If you think you have an anxiety disorder, the first person you should see is a psychologist, psychiatrist or your family doctor. It must be determined whether the symptoms that alarm you are due to an anxiety disorder, another medical condition or both.

If an anxiety disorder is diagnosed, the next step is usually contracting with a mental health professional to provide treatment. The practitioners who are most helpful with anxiety disorders are psychologists and therapists who have training in cognitive-behavioral therapy and/or behavioral therapy and who are open to using medication if it is needed.

You should feel comfortable talking with the mental health professional you choose. If you do not, you should seek help elsewhere.

Once you find a mental health professional with whom you are comfortable, the two of you should work as a team and make a plan to treat your anxiety disorder.

Remember that once you start on medication, it is important not to stop taking it abruptly.

Certain drugs must be tapered off under the supervision of a doctor or bad reactions can occur. Make sure you talk to the doctor who prescribed your medication before you stop taking it.

If you are having trouble with side effects, it is possible that they can be eliminated by adjusting how much medication you take and when you take it.

Most insurance plans, including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), will cover treatment for anxiety disorders. Check with your insurance company and find out.

If you do not have insurance, the Health and Human Services division of your county government may offer mental health care at a public mental health center that charges people according to how much they are able to pay. If you are on public assistance, you may be able to get care through your state Medicaid plan.

Ways to Make Treatment More Effective

Many people with anxiety disorders benefit from joining a self-help or support group and sharing their problems and achievements with others. Internet chat rooms can also be useful in this regard, but any advice received over the Internet should be used with caution, as Internet acquaintances have usually never seen each other and false identities are common.

Talking with a trusted friend or member of the clergy can also provide support, but it is not a substitute for care from a psychologist or other mental health professional. Stress management techniques and meditation can help people with anxiety disorders calm themselves and may enhance the effects of their therapy.

There is preliminary evidence that aerobic exercise may have a calming effect. Since caffeine, certain illicit drugs and even some over-the-counter cold medications can aggravate anxiety disorders, they should be avoided.

Check with your physician or pharmacist before taking any additional medications. Also, the family is very important in ones recovery. Ideally, the family should be supportive and should not trivialize the disorder or demand improvement without treatment.

With the way of the world – overworked citizens attempting to make money, advance careers, and still juggle family and personal relationships – stress is unavoidable. And for some, feelings of anxiety become part of their everyday existence. Anxiety – often referred to as fear or panic – happens to all of us at one time or another. It is the body’s way of identifying danger and protecting us in its wake.

We are programmed in these situations to have what is known as a fight or flight response during which the body releases adrenalin to help us do whatever it is we need to do to protect ourselves. But sufferers of anxiety experience this heightened sensitivity severely and often. It is when anxiety becomes persistent and interferes with daily activities that most people turn to treatment. But in order to identify overall anxiety – rather than just an isolated reaction to an isolated incident – it is necessary to understand anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety can crop up in several ways. While some people report experiencing anxiety in response to particular situations, others report an overall sense of anxiety throughout the day in response to nothing in particular. In either case, however, anxiety symptoms are the same.

The flow of adrenalin experienced in the body’s fight or flight response, manifests itself in a number of physical ways. Heart rate accelerates resulting in palpitations, sweating, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. In fact, many people feel as if they are suffocating and can not catch their breath. This can be enormously frightening and can only serve to exacerbate symptoms.

Other physical symptoms may include diarrhea, vomiting, dry mouth, inability to swallow, headache, shaking, trembling, and frequent urination.

But there are psychological anxiety symptoms that sufferers experience as well. Anxiety sufferers may feel ongoing heightened sensitivity or feelings of worry and unease, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and insomnia. Many people feel as if they are “going crazy” and have difficulty separating reality from the imaginary.

Once a pattern of anxiety symptoms is identified it is best to meet with doctors who can also help you determine what specific situations may provoke your anxiety. At this time, a treatment plan may be implemented to help the patient manage the feelings of anxiety and lesson anxiety symptoms. Such treatments may include cognitive-behavioral therapy, holistic remedies, lifestyle modifications, and even medication.

The type of treatment that may be used to combat anxiety symptoms will largely depend on the type of anxiety being experienced. General anxiety disorder refers to an overall feeling of heightened anxiety and can often not be traced to any specific provocation. Panic disorder refers to sudden and often severe anxiety attacks that take place in response to a particular situation or stressor.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder – or OCD – is anxiety that manifests itself in compulsive behaviors; sufferers often have to complete certain rituals in order to maintain internal order. Phobias also fall under the umbrella of anxiety disorders and refer to severe and irrational fear associated with particular places, situations, or objects; often the fear is so great that sufferers will avoid the source of anxiety altogether. Anxiety symptoms vary greatly according to the type of anxiety being experienced.

Am I having a heart attack? Am I dying? Or is it anxiety attack symptom? Many symptoms of anxiety mirror symptoms of other illnesses. This is because the ?fight or flight? response is triggered in anxiety attacks and the body will respond as if it is threatened. The heart will race; the breathing will become shallow, sweats will breakout over the body to keep it cool in preparation for flight, these are all signs of anxiety, or an anxiety attack. Attacking anxiety back and regaining control over your reflex responses will help reduce the number, frequency and severity of your anxiety symptoms.

An Anxiety Attack Symptom May Linger Past the Actual Event

There are therapies available that help to control anxiety attack symptoms because a lot people suffer from stress as well as anxiety to some extent or the other and these are only natural defense mechanisms though sometimes get out of control. The anxiety attack symptoms can be more than one can tolerate and sometimes this is known as Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD is chronic by nature and the whole day the patient has exaggerated worry as well as tension in spite of the fact there is little stimulus to provoke anxiety attack symptoms.

The anxiety attack symptoms are nothing new and have affected as many as 20 million people in the US, which works out to be one in every 14 people! Such anxiety attack symptoms might include phobias, post-traumatic stress syndrome, hypertension as well as obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Medication for Anxiety

One sure-fire way of stopping the anxiety attack symptoms is to take medication and this may help to break the cycle. A number of different and effective medications are available. An alternative to medication is therapy which is relatively inexpensive and even some employers may provide reimbursement for professional consultations. Some people may prefer breathing exercises, which may help alleviate the feelings of dread as well as work to prevent anxiety attacks. For places to find more information regarding anxiety attack symptoms one can consult books, videos as well as go online.

When a person feels extremes of fear one can safely assume that he or she is suffering from anxiety attack symptoms. However, the same person can have different signs as well as symptoms during an anxiety attack and most of the symptoms do not last more than half an hour. Apart from fear, there are other anxiety attack symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness or feeling light headed, afraid of losing control or doing an embarrassing thing. Sufferers fear feeling out of touch with reality and people and things surrounding that person, forebodings of doom, palpitations of the heart, sweating and trembling, stomach disorders, numbness in the hands or feet, and also, loss of breath.

In the case of panic or anxiety disorders the patient may have anxiety attacks that occur frequently and there may not be any reason or warning about these attacks. Also, the patient may fear having another anxiety attack. And, there may also be periods without any anxiety attack symptoms.

Generalized anxiety disorder is diagnosed if symptoms are present in most days than not for more than six moths.

Generalized anxiety disorder is one of the common anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are the term covering several different forms of abnormal, pathological anxiety, fear, phobia and nervous condition, which may come on all of a sudden or gradually, over a period of several years and may impair or prevent the pursuing of normal daily routines.

The essential characteristic of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is excessive uncontrollable worry about everyday things. This constant worry affects daily functioning and can cause physical symptoms. GAD is usually difficult to diagnose for it lacks some of the dramatic symptoms, like unprovoked panic attacks, that are seen with other anxiety disorders. To be able to diagnose Generalized Anxiety Disorder, the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms must be present more days than not for at least 6 months.

The diagnostic criteria for Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms are:

- Excessive anxiety and worry (apprehension), occurring more days than not for a period of at least 6 months, about numerous events or activities.

-The person with GAD finds it hard to control the worry.

-The anxiety and worry are associated with three or more of the following six symptoms, with at least some symptoms are present for more than 6 months in most days than not (at least one is required for children):

-restlessness or feeling tense or on the edge

-easily fatigued

-difficulty concentrating or mind going blank

-irritability

-muscle tension and muscle aches

-difficulty falling or staying asleep, or restless unsatisfying sleep

-difficulty swallowing -trembling, sweating

-nausea, light-headedness

-feeling out of breath

The focus of anxiety and worry is not limited to, or the anxiety or worry is not about having a panic attack, being embarrassed in the public, being contaminated, gaining weight, having multiple physical complaints, or having a serious illness, and the anxiety, and worry do not occur exclusively during post traumatic disorder.

The anxiety, worry, or physical symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of everyday activities.

The disturbance is not due to the direct physiological effect of substance, such as alcohol and drug abuse, or medical condition, and does not occur exclusively during a mood disorder, a psychotic disorder, or a pervasive developmental disorder.

When the anxiety level of people with GAD is mild, they can still function socially and keep a job. Even if they don’t avoid certain situations as a result of their disorder, they may have difficulty doing the simplest daily activities if there anxiety is severe. The disorder comes on gradually and can begin at any age, but the risk is highest between childhood and middle age.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is commonly treated with medication or cognitive-behavioral therapy. Several drugs are used to treat anxiety disorders and these include: benzodiazepines and antidepressants, and Quetiapine.

Anxiety attack may affect your quality of life if not given treatment immediately.

As a human being, it is normal that we feel anxious, worried, and fears from time to time due to the things that our complicated lives bring. Anxiety is just a part of life. It helps us cope with the stresses we may encounter. If you are in a state of anxiety, it is likely that you experience anxiety attack.

Anxiety attack is a sudden surge of overwhelming fear that comes without warning and without any apparent reason and this would usually last for no more than 10 minutes. It is far more intense than having anxiety or the feeling of being stressed out. One in every 75 people worldwide will experience an anxiety attack at one point in his/her life.

Most anxiety sufferers report fear of dying, going crazy or losing control of emotions as well as behavior. The incidents generally provoke a strong urge to escape or run away from the place where the attack begins, and they are associated with chest pain or shortness of breath, and feeling of impending doom

A person with a phobia will often experience an anxiety attack as a direct result to the hung-up trigger. These anxiety attacks are brief and quickly relieved once the trigger is escaped. In the conditions of chronic anxiety, one anxiety attack can usually turn into another one, leading to a nervous fatigue over a period of days.

An anxiety attack has symptoms that often occur suddenly without any apparent cause. The symptoms can be as follows”

-Pounding heartbeat, generally faster in nature

-Increased sweating

-Dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea

-Difficulty breathing

-Tingling and/or numbness in the face

-Dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions (de-realization)

-Disassociation, the perception that one is not connected to the body and time.

-Fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing

-Fear of dying

-Feeling of impending doom

-Crying, associated to the above symptoms

Anxiety attack usually last for several minutes and is considered one of the most disturbing condition that anyone can live through in everyday life. The way to understand the different symptoms of anxiety attack is: first, comes the sudden jolt of fear with less or no triggering motivation, and then this will lead to a release of adrenaline (epinephrine), which causes the supposed fight-or-flight response, where the person’s body prepares for major physical activity. This results to an increased heart rate, labored breathing or hyperventilation, and sweating. The diaphragm, involved in the action of the lungs, is also a muscle and it can become overly tight. When there is continuous, inferior anxiety, a person frequently works too hard when breathing. However, if there is hyperanxiety or an anxiety attack, there is overwhelming excitement, and a person may hyperventilate.

Because strenuous activity hardly ever arises, the hyperventilation leads to carbon dioxide levels lowering in the lungs and then the blood, resulting to the shift in the pH of the blood, which will then lead to many of the other symptoms, such as tingling or numbness, dizziness, and lightheadedness.

Anxiety attack is a serious condition, but before you start thinking if you have this condition and go running to see a doctor, stop and take a deep breath! Relax before you start having an anxiety attack, even if you actually don’t have it. Don’t take things too hard for it may lead to something serious and may affect your daily routine. Take things lightly. In any case, if you think you have this condition, the first thing you should do is see a doctor. If you are diagnosed with anxiety attack condition, appropriate medication and good counseling can bring your life to normal again. Otherwise, tell yourself to relax and continue to live your life to the fullest.