Anxiety & Panic Attacks
Anxiety disorders are on of the most common emotional disorders and affect more than 25 million Americans. Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness. Untreated anxiety disorders can push people into avoiding situations that trigger or worsen their symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are likely to suffer from depression, and they also may abuse alcohol and other drugs in an effort to gain relief from their symptoms. Job performance, school work, and personal relationships can also suffer.The many forms and symptoms of anxiety include:
Overwhelming feelings of panic and fear
Uncontrollable obsessive thoughts
Painful, intrusive memories
Recurring nightmares
Feeling sick to your stomach
Heart pounding
Startling easily
Muscle tension
A common type of Anxiety Disorder is Panic Disorder. The core symptom of panic disorder is the panic attack, an overwhelming combination of physical and psychological distress. Because symptoms of Panic Disorder can be so severe, many people with Panic Disorder believe they are having a heart attack or another life-threatening disorder. During an attack several of these symptoms may occur in combination:
Pounding heart or chest pain
Sweating, trembling, shaking
Shortness of breath, sensation of choking
Nausea or abdominal pain
Dizziness or lightheadedness
Feeling unreal or disconnected
Fear of losing control or dying
Numbness
Chills or hot flashes
You may believe that being free of anxiety is a wonderful idea that's just too good to be true. Whether you've lived a lifetime feeling anxious and scared or you have developed sudden panic attacks, the thought of being free of that anxiety is like a dream that's dangling in front of you, but always just out of your reach.
Getting relief from your anxiety will take some time and effort on your part. You'll have to do some soul searching and some house cleaning with the negative experiences of your life. Anxiety represents an underlying fear of the future, a feeling of being vulnerable, and out of control, and expecting the future to be like the past. In order to overcome anxiety, your therapist may work with you to develop a plan to confront feared situations, one step at a time. With practice your anxiety will lessen and your sense of mastery will increase. You'll feel empowered and realize that you can choose to make your life what you want it to be.