Before I start, I just want to say that none of the information that I'm going to give is something I came up with. All my information comes from medically accredited websites (like WebMD) or my own personal collection of medical encyclopedias, and I'm not advising you in any way, I'm just showing what I found when researching for myself (i.e. please don't sue me).
So! As someone who deals with anxiety and knows many other people who do as well, I thought I'd take a look at it today. I always just took anxiety for granted. So I say to myself, "It'll be there no matter what, so I just need to figure out how to hide it." Not treat it.
Hiding your anxiety doesn't solve the problem, in fact, it makes it worse. So, I decided today that I would do some research on different ways to help diminish anxiety. Here's what I found...
Before you can treat anxiety, you need to know what it is. For those of you who do not have anxiety (God bless you), this is very good information to know especially if you know someone who does have anxiety, as it will give you a better understanding of what they are going through.
Part of the fear that comes with anxiety is the idea that being anxious is this "uncontrollable force". This is not the case. Part of the way to help is to clear up the mystery about anxiety. And that's what I'm here to do.
Different Types:
There are four main types of anxiety "disorders": generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobia disorder, and social anxiety disorder. As humans, we often have fears of the unknown and irrational fears. So for starters, let's make the unknown about anxiety known:
-Generalized Anxiety Disorder is described as "excessive, unrealistic worry and tension, even if there's little or nothing to provoke the anxiety".
-Panic Disorder: "People with this condition have feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning".
-Phobia Disorder: "These are intense fears of a specific object or situation, such as heights or flying".
-Social Anxiety Disorder: "Also called social phobia, this involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule".
Symptoms:
Okay good. So now we have some basic ideas of what anxiety is, and if you have anxiety you might have picked out which one best describes you. Now we can move on to what the symptoms of anxiety, in general, are just so those who don't have it can get an understanding of what it feels like:
Causes:
Alright, so what are the actual causes of anxiety? Well, scientists aren't actually 100% sure. However, they do know it is, "not the result of personal weaknesses, a character flaw, or poor upbringing... [but is instead caused by a] combination of factors, including changes in the brain and environmental stress."
Others say that "Life experiences such as traumatic events appear to trigger anxiety disorders in people who are already prone to anxiety. Inherited traits also can be a factor". Or it could also be an underlying factor for other medical conditions.
Some specific causes can be a heart condition, alcohol and drugs, caffeine, certain medications, thyroid gland, and stress.
Treatments:
I think we've talked enough about what anxiety is and what it does, but how do you treat it? That's the real question.
The most efficient and commonly used methods of treatment are prescribed medications and therapy. You can ask your local doctor about what he thinks is best for you personally as there are a wide array of useful medications.
But not all of us have the time or money to invest in that option. So what else can we do? There are herbal remedies that you can buy; however, these are not recommended by professionals since these medications are not monitored by the FDA and can be unsafe. So what are some helpful treatments?
-For some people, exercising is very helpful in managing their anxiety. It is recommended that you exercise for at least 30 minutes with your heart rate up.
-For others, it is better to practice breathing exercises, "Since anxiety is often accompanied by shallow breathing, deep breathing exercises can also be helpful. Try the following form of yoga breathing:
- Lie on your back in a comfortable place.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose, using your diaphragm to suck air into your lungs while allowing your abdomen to expand. (Put your hand on your abdomen just below the navel to make sure the abdomen is being pushed up and out by the diaphragm.) After the abdomen is expanded, continue to inhale as deeply as possible.
- When you breathe out, reverse the process: Contract the abdomen while exhaling slowly and completely.
- Repeat several times.
-Keep an eye on pressures and deadlines, and commit to taking time away from study or work.
-Drink Chamomile tea. "In one study at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, in Philadelphia, patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) who took chamomile supplements for eight weeks had a significant decrease in anxiety symptoms compared to patients taking a placebo."
-"Learning to understand the irrational basis for their fears (cognitive restructuring), teaching simple relaxation skills to practice while in the moment, and gradually being “exposed” to the situation which causes the anxiety".
These treatments are often successful in reducing stress and anxiety; however, nothing's perfect. For myself, I found that the best cure for anxiety is to pray. The exuberant amount of peace that comes from prayer can only be from God Himself. So next time you start having a panic attack, start praying and ask God for peace. That really is the best medicine.
Also, if you do not have anxiety problems I hope that you have learned a bit about what it's like to live with it. People need to have more compassion for those who have anxiety because it really is a struggle to live with every day.
