Mental Health Problems
and Mind-Body Wellness
Anxiety
Feeling worried, anxious, and nervous
is a normal part of everyday life. Everyone frets or feels anxious from time
to time. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming and interferes with your
daily life, it is not normal.
Anxiety can cause both physical and
emotional symptoms. A specific situation or fear can cause some or all of these
symptoms for a short time. When the situation passes, the symptoms go away.
Physical
Symptoms
Trembling, twitching, or shaking
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Feeling of fullness in the throat or chest
Muscle tension, aches, or soreness
-
-
-
Breathlessness or rapid heartbeat
Sweating or cold, clammy hands
Emotional
Symptoms
Feeling keyed up and on edge
-
Fearing that something bad is going to happen
-
Irritability or agitation
-
Many people, including children and
teens, develop anxiety disorders in which many of these symptoms occur when
there is no identifiable cause.
Phobias and panic disorder are two
common anxiety-related disorders. Phobias are irrational, involuntary fears
of common places, objects, or situations. Panic disorders occur when a person
has periods of intense fear and anxiety when there is no clear cause or danger.
Physical symptoms that may occur during a panic attack include chest pain, feelings
of choking or suffocation, nausea, shaking, sweating, pounding heart, and dizziness
or faintness.
Self-care, often combined with professional
treatment, can be effective in managing anxiety.
The following Home Treatment tips
can relieve simple anxiety and also help in combination with medical care.
Recognize and accept your anxiety about specific fears
or situations. Then say to yourself, "Okay, I see the problem. Now
I'll start to deal with it."
-
Relieve tension with vigorous exercise or massage.
-
-
Avoid alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, and nicotine. They
increase your anxiety level.
-
Get out and do something you enjoy, such as going to
a funny movie or taking a walk or a hike.
Plan your day. Having too much or too little to do
can make you more anxious.
Keep a record of your symptoms. Discuss your fears with
a good friend. Confiding with others sometimes relieves stress.
Get involved in social groups or volunteer to help others.
Being alone sometimes makes things seem worse than they are.
If you are seriously considering harming yourself or someone
else.
If anxiety interferes with your daily activities.
If you have sudden, severe attacks of fear or anxiety with
intense physical symptoms (shaking, sweating) when there is no apparent
reason to be afraid.
If intense, irrational fears of common places, objects,
or situations interfere with your daily life.
If symptoms of anxiety are still severe after 1 week of
Home Treatment.
If you suffer from nightmares or flashbacks to traumatic
events.
If you are unable to feel certain about things (e.g., whether
you unplugged the iron) no matter how many times you check, or if repetitive
actions that you cannot control interfere with your daily activities.
Top of Page