1. Anxiety : “a future-oriented mood state”
Anxiety is “a future-oriented mood state in which one is ready or prepared to attempt to cope with upcoming negative events. In other words, one always tends to have a pessimistic attitude towards the forthcoming matters with worriment.
Another view is that anxiety is characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components, generalized as psychological and physiological state. Typically, a person of anxiety is push into an unpleasant feeling in relation with uneasiness, apprehension, fear, or worry. When anxiety becomes excessive, it may be called an anxiety disorder, making bad affects on one’s mood.
2. How does anxiety show plainly?
Anxiety affects and manifests how a person thinks, namely emotional symptoms of anxiety. But concurrently, the anxiety can lead to physical symptoms. The followings are general symptoms a person suffering from anxiety can confront:
2.1. In terms of emotional side:
Emotionally, a person of anxiety must stand pessimistic and unfavorable feelings such as irrational and excessive fear and worry. Take a look at the following symptoms of anxiety for more details:
* Excessive, ongoing worry and tension
* An unrealistic view of problems
* Restlessness or a feeling of being “edgy”
* Irritability
* Muscle tension
* Headaches
* Sweating
* Difficulty concentrating
* Nausea
* The need to go to the bathroom frequently
* Tiredness
* Trouble falling or staying asleep
* Trembling
* Being easily startled
If you feel that some of all the above tokens or all the above tokens are coming to you, you may suffer from anxiety disorder.
2.2 In terms of physical side:
Together with emotional symptoms as above, a person of anxiety may sit down under the specific physical signs:
* Pounding heart
* Sweating
* Stomach upset or dizziness
* Frequent urination or diarrhea
* Shortness of breath
* Tremors and twitches
* Muscle tension
* Headaches
* Fatigue
* Insomnia
Obviously, anxiety is not just as a feeling, but more than that. Anxiety involves a wide range of physical symptoms as a product of the body’s fight-or-flight response. It explains for a medical illness that possibly turns up with a person of anxiety. One may visit many doctors to take numerous trips and cure methods for one’s illness treatment in this situation. This illness can be discovered after one has to go to the hospital many times.
3. What causes anxiety?
In which situations does one become anxious, under anxiety disorder?
Anxiety is often triggered by stress in life. Some of us are more vulnerable to anxiety than others, but even those who become anxious easily can learn to manage it well. It is advisable for us to avoid a habit of always telling ourselves the worst will happen – “negative self-talk”. If not, it is difficult for us to give anxiety disorder away.
However, the exact cause of anxiety is not fully known. Such factors as genetics, brain chemistry and environmental stresses may contribute to its development.
* Genetics: Some research suggests that family history plays a part in increasing the likelihood that a person will develop GAD (General anxiety disorder). This means that the tendency to develop GAD may be passed on in families.
* Brain chemistry: GAD has been associated with abnormal levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are special chemical messengers that help move information from nerve cell to nerve cell. If the neurotransmitters are out of balance, messages cannot get through the brain properly. This can alter the way the brain reacts in certain situations, leading to anxiety.
* Environmental factors: Trauma and stressful events, such as abuse, the death of a loved one, divorce, changing jobs or schools, may lead to GAD. GAD also may become worse during periods of stress. The use of and withdrawal from addictive substances, including alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine, can also worsen anxiety.
4. How is anxiety treated?
As anxiety places both of emotional and physical effects on one’s health, we should combine medication therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat this type of illness. Take the following therapies as effective ones to do good for your health if you are of anxiety symptoms.
* Medication: Drugs are available to treat GAD and may be especially helpful for people whose anxiety is interfering with daily functioning. The medications most often used to treat GAD in the short-term are from a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. These medications are sometimes referred to as “tranquilizers,” because they leave you feeling calm and relaxed. They work by decreasing the physical symptoms of GAD, such as muscle tension and restlessness. Common benzodiazepines include Xanax, Librium, Valium and Ativan. Antidepressants, such as Paxil, Effexor, Prozac, Lexapro, and Zoloft, are also being used to treat GAD. These antidepressants may take a few weeks to start working but they’re more appropriate for long-term treatment of GAD.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy: People suffering from anxiety disorders often participate in this type of therapy, in which you learn to recognize and change thought patterns and behaviors that lead to anxious feelings. This type of therapy helps limit distorted thinking by looking at worries more realistically.
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