Anxiety disorders are fairly common conditions that often manifest themselves with feelings of fear and excessive worry which can escalate to intense and incapacitating anxiety and even panic!

The body has a "fight or flight" response which occurs with increased levels of the hormone adrenaline. It causes increased muscle tone and tension, makes the heart beat faster and breathing more rapid as the body prepares itself to deal with some threat.

When neither fight nor flight occurs anxiety is generated. Some anxiety is normal and useful as it helps us to focus on deadlines and issues in our lives and the anxiety resolves as goals are attained. However, when the anxiety is unresolved the distress can become so severe that the person is unable to carry on with normal daily activities. In addition to feeling tense and nervous, other associated symptoms include:

Mood swings

Restlessness

Irritation

Forgetfulness

Poor concentration

Exhaustion

Sleep disturbance

A panic attack is an extreme manifestation of anxiety accompanied by feelings of:

Terror and dread

Pounding of the heart

Shortness of breath

Nausea

Dizziness

Sweating

Weakness

Trembling

Tingling sensation in the limbs

The person experiencing these sensations often believes that they are having a heart attack or stroke.

It is unusual for anxiety to kill in the short term, although we have all heard of people who suffer heart attacks or stroke or even just faint after receiving bad news. The sudden overload of the stress hormones (adrenaline and growth hormone and others) can have a deleterious effect on a body which is already physically compromised with poor health issues.

What occurs more often is that chronic stress can actually cause the body to develop the chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can ultimately culminate in the very same life-threatening illnesses!

Treatment with Benzodiazepine tranquillizers such as Diazepam, Clonazepam, Xanax and Lexotan is common when symptoms first occur, but they cannot be used for long as their long-term use is associated with dependency and addiction. The Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors group of antidepressants can be used long term to relieve many of the symptoms experienced.

Stress reduction is imperative and many different approaches to this can be done. "Talk" therapy, official with a doctor or unofficial with a trusted friend or member of the community, is useful. Exercise and other methods of exercise relaxation such as yoga, walking with friends and swimming helps to rest the mind and can bring new ideas about how to cope. Religion and prayer can also help many in our communities at this time.

In the end there is the knowledge that severe anxiety only hinders progress. It is not helpful in any way. It is better to focus on possible solutions or give problems TIME to resolve. Time is a great healer and solutions can often come from outside our usual sources. Remaining mentally and physically as healthy as possible is important in negotiating the way through life's many and varied problems.

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