Anxiety - Causes & Solutions
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or fear. It can be a mild, but chronic nagging. Imaginings of doom, trouble, glitches that could, would, should, or might happen fill your thoughts and keep you from feeling comfortable and relaxed in your body and in your life. Anxiety is usually accompanied by muscle tension, sleeplessness, lack of appetite or chronic eating. People try to squash these feelings by keeping busy, focusing on the needs of others, drinking or smoking. Anxious people like carbohydrates such as breads, pasta and potatoes. Little do they know that these foods often fuel more anxiety.
Panic attacks are the sudden feeling of rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, faintness and feelings of having a heart attack. Panic attacks usually result in fear of having more panic attacks.
What causes this anxiety? There are a number of theories but the underlying mechanism is a nervous system that is getting a message that there is an emergency around you. That nervous system is sending alarm messages to the body which prepares for fight or flight.
What should you do if you have anxiety?
Get a good physical. Probably an approach that includes the elimination of any true physical problems such as low blood sugar, hypertension, asthma & food allergies, irregular heartbeat, thyroid disorders, seizure disorder or sleep disorders. But also,
See a therapist. Start looking at the stressors in your life and devise a plan for reducing those stressors. Often the person with an anxiety disorder looks calm and cool in the face of a very difficult relationship or tremendous work pressure. While they are out of touch with what they're feeling, their body is sounding the alarms.
Natural solutions include changing the diet to eliminate processed carbs, alcohol, caffeine, energy drinks and diet pills. Walking and/or exercising (swimming, aerobics) up to thirty minutes a day. Yoga or meditation are proven ways to both reduce stress and anxiety and improve your ability to calm down. There are homeopathic and herbal remedies which, when wisely chosen and used (consult your herbalist or naturopath), can reduce moderate anxiety.
There are non-addictive anti-anxiety meds which may be obtained from your medical provider and are helpful in the short term while you consult a therapist for ongoing psychotherapy to help you identify and resolve your feelings. While drugs can be very effective in limiting anxiety, anxiety does not arise because of a lack of drugs in the body. It's important to resolve the root cause of your anxiety and to get back in conscious control of your life.
Anxiety strikes women more than men and it can also strike children as well.