Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States. One out of every five Americans will struggle with an anxiety disorder at some point in their life, and one out of every four women will face a panic attack sometime during her lifetime. Anxiety disorders stress management is important to overall health.
This blog post aims to help people better understand what it feels like to suffer from an anxiety disorder and provide them with resources for managing their anxiety. Whether you’re reading this article because you’ve been diagnosed or your symptoms seem similar, we hope that our guide can help reduce your stress level and stop the negative thoughts running through your head!
Anxiety disorders are a common condition that affects millions of people in the United States. The good news is that there are many ways to manage these conditions, and stop them from getting worse. This blog post will outline some strategies for managing anxiety disorders so you can live your life without it overwhelming you!
Causes of Anxiety and Stress
Stress is a part of life for everyone. We all have things that make us anxious, which can lead to stress. The good news is that there are ways to combat this! In this blog post, we will talk about what causes anxiety and stress, how these feelings manifest themselves in our bodies, and the best ways to manage them so they don’t affect your quality of life.
There are many causes of anxiety and stress. Some common ones include work-related pressure, money problems, relationship issues, and health concerns. For some people, any kind of change can cause feelings of anxiety or stress.
Anxiety and stress can manifest themselves in different ways depending on the person. Some people experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomachaches, or tense muscles. Others may feel overwhelmed or have trouble concentrating. It is important to pay attention to how these feelings affect your daily life so you can find the best way to manage them.
There are many strategies that can help reduce anxiety and stress levels. Some people find it helpful to exercise regularly or practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation. others find that talking to friends or family about their problems helps them feel less alone. It is important to find the strategies that work for you so anxiety and stress do not control your life!
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is a type of anxiety disorder and is defined as having recurring panic attacks. The first time someone experiences a panic attack, they may be frightened for life. During the experience of a panic attack, people commonly feel like they are dying or going crazy; some even fear leaving their house out of embarrassment.
Panic attacks usually come on suddenly and may cause the person to feel like they are having a heart attack. Panic attacks can occur at any time and last anywhere from 5-20 minutes (Kessler, et al., 2005). Panic disorder is often accompanied by agoraphobia, which is an intense fear of being outside of one’s comfort zone. Not only do people with panic disorder fear experiencing another panic attack, they also worry and feel nervous about the dreaded attention and embarrassment that may be associated with having one.
Social Anxiety Disorder
Social anxiety disorder is a common mental illness that can be effectively treated with psychotherapy or certain medications. Social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia, is characterized by excessive anxiety and unrealistic fear of ridicule in social situations. People with this condition experience profound feelings of discomfort during everyday interactions and often avoid public places such as school, work, or parties. Generally, social anxiety disorder occurs during adolescence or early adulthood and is twice as common in women as it is in men. While the condition can be debilitating, it is very treatable: upwards of 80 percent of individuals with social anxiety experience significant relief from their symptoms within a few months after starting therapy.
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) has been recognized as a mental disorder since 1980. SAD is characterized by overwhelming anxiety and unrealistic fear of being scrutinized or negatively judged in social situations. These are common experiences that most people have at one time or another, but for someone with SAD, these feelings are so intense that they interfere significantly with daily life.
SAD can be especially debilitating because it makes it hard for people to do everyday things like work, go out with friends or attend school.
Separation Anxiety
Humans experience separation anxiety when they are separated from an attachment figure for a longer period of time or in unfamiliar circumstances. Separation anxiety is one of the most common phobias in young children and typically decreases over time, with some adults never completely overcoming it.
Separation Anxiety Disorder: Separation anxiety disorder is estimated to affect 0.5-1.9% of all school-aged children, 5-13 years old (4). The disorder is diagnosed when the child experiences excessive distress when separated from an attachment figure or in unfamiliar circumstances that exceed what is considered developmentally appropriate. The symptoms must cause clinically significant impairment and last for at least 4 weeks (4).
Symptoms associated with separation anxiety disorder in young children include:
· – Fear of being alone or without the attachment figure
· – Refusal to go to school or activities without the attachment figure
· – Repeated nightmares about separation from parents/caregivers
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder where a person fears open spaces. The fear can be triggered by many things, but the central theme is that it creates severe anxiety in the sufferer.
This fear of wide-open spaces can lead to another set of problems that are just as bad as or worse than the initial distress created by the phobia.
Agoraphobia can become so debilitating that it begins to limit the normal activities in life, like going out in public or even visiting friends and family. There are many people who suffer from this disorder around the world, mostly women in their mid-thirties.
Agoraphobia has many symptoms that include, but are not limited to: fear of crowds, open spaces, bridges or tunnels, driving over bridges or through tunnels and using public transportation; difficulty in performing daily activities; feelings of helplessness and immobility; and overwhelming anxiety. These symptoms create a cycle where the sufferer is afraid of the symptoms themselves.
Agoraphobia can become so severe that it limits a person’s life severely, even to the point of becoming housebound. This disorder has no formal treatment, but there are options for sufferers who can’t function in society or have anxiety attacks every time they are confronted with an open space.
Anxiety Management
For many of us, the idea of facing our fears can be both overwhelming and frightening. Living with anxiety on a daily basis is exhausting, tearful, and stressful not only for you but also for your family. So how do you even begin to start this process?
You might feel that way because for so long you have tried to live with this disorder and you may have thought it would never go away. Now that you are thinking about treating your anxiety, how do you even begin?
We understand the feeling of not wanting to face our fears. We also understand that we cannot stay in this state forever; life is meant to be experienced and enjoyed. Our lives were not meant to be a struggle. The good news is that there are many tools and techniques to use in order for you to start on your road to recovery from anxiety.
The first step is wanting it; you need to be willing to make the necessary changes in your life to feel better. This means making time for yourself and completing any self-help workbooks you can find, including this one.
These books could even be found at the local library or bookstore. They provide a good foundation for you to begin your recovery journey. It is important that you have a positive attitude and surround yourself with supportive people who will encourage you through this process. Anxiety disorders stress management requires help from family and friends.
Understanding Anxiety Disorders
You also need to understand what anxiety is. Anxiety isn’t just being nervous about something; it’s not being able to stop negative thoughts and fears that are overwhelming.
Anxiety is persistent and will try to convince you that these feelings are real even though they might not be logical. You also need to understand what your triggers are for anxiety episodes, such as certain social situations or experiences you may have had in the past.
The next step is to set realistic goals for yourself, such as not allowing yourself to be overwhelmed by your fears. For example, you may go out one day but stay close to home so that you can feel comfortable while doing so.
Be sure to reward yourself for any accomplishments that you make during the recovery process! Gradually work toward having no anxiety. This could even mean having one day where you don’t feel anxious at all, which would be an amazing accomplishment for you!
These are only a few steps that can help guide you onto your road to recovery. You must understand that everyone’s journey is different; no two people will have the same path. This might take some time, but if you are committed to recovery, it will happen!
It is important to remember that when you are in the midst of an anxiety disorder, it is hard for you to see what you need to do in order to get better. Like we said before, people with anxiety disorders suffer greatly not only emotionally but also physically.
Anxiety disorders stress management is about seeking treatment from a mental health professional that can help you take the steps to recovery.
Therapy may include exposure therapy, where you gradually expose yourself to the situations that cause anxiety for you, and response prevention, which can help prevent rituals (such as excessive hand washing) that provide short-term relief but not long-lasting results.
If your anxiety is quite severe or you have had it for a very long time, medication may be necessary to help you get to the point where you are ready to begin exposure therapy. Medication alone will not provide the same results as using a combination of both medication and exposure therapy. The results can be life-changing!
Meditation to Mangage Anxiety Disorders
People who meditate are less anxious, more positive, and get better sleep. A new study compares the effects of meditation to progressive muscle relaxation.
Results will be published in the January 2010 issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine and are currently available at Early View.
“Anxiety is a prevalent worldwide problem that significantly affects the quality of life for sufferers,” comments lead investigator Jacob Meyer, MA, of Luther College in Decorah, IA. “Various forms of meditation have shown promise as a treatment for anxiety in previous clinical trials.”
“However, most past studies have compared meditative practices to relaxation or other control groups rather than an active comparison group. This makes it difficult to determine the relative effectiveness of meditative practices.”
To overcome this hurdle, Meyer and colleagues compared the effects of meditation and progressive muscle relaxation on anxiety levels in a group of college students.
Participants included 154 healthy undergraduates who initially filled out questionnaires about their general anxiety levels and then completed eight weeks of practice.
For the first two weeks, they simply relaxed. For the next six weeks, one group meditated while another practiced progressive muscle relaxation. The order was reversed for the final six weeks.
During each session, participants used a five-minute audio recording to guide them through their meditation or progressive muscle relaxation practice. Afterward, they completed additional questionnaires assessing their anxiety levels.
At the end of the eight-week study, participants repeated their initial questionnaires to determine if their anxiety levels had changed.
Results showed that meditation was more effective than progressive muscle relaxation at reducing both tension and anxious moods. This suggested that meditative practices may have long-term benefits in coping with stress. Anxiety disorders stress management is an ongoing ordeal.
Anxiety Disorders Cost to Treat
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in the United States. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) reports that “40 million American adults are affected by anxiety disorders.” Yet, only about one-third of those who suffer receive treatment.
The reason for this has to do with cost, according to ADAA. For those who do seek help, treatment is generally inexpensive, but many people are uninsured or underinsured and don’t receive the care they need. What’s more, ADAA adds that “no exact figures exist” on what anxiety disorders cost Americans in terms of medical expenses and lost wages every year, but the economic burden has been estimated at over $42 billion.
Financial Issues of Anxiety Disorders
Financial issues are not the only concern, however. A second reason many people who suffer do not receive treatment is that many “don’t recognize or reject the idea that they have an emotional disorder.”
This is especially true for men. While women are more likely to acknowledge symptoms of anxiety, men tend to view them as character flaws and often fail to seek treatment.
A third reason many fail to get help is that they turn instead to alcohol and drugs in an effort to self-medicate their symptoms. In fact, the ADAAs says that “almost one-third of adults with an anxiety disorder also suffer from alcohol dependence or abuse.”
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) adds that Anxiety disorders stress management “about half of all people with an anxiety disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), also suffer from alcohol or drug abuse.”
Finally, many fail to get help because they don’t know where to turn. The NIMH says, “Although there are effective treatments available for anxiety disorders, only about one-third of those suffering receive help.”
This may be because “individuals with anxiety disorders frequently go to physicians for relief, but generally fail to mention their anxiety symptoms unless directly asked.”
This information on anxiety disorders stress management is just an overview by the Health Wealth Lifestyle. You should consult the appropriate health care provider as you see fit.