Stress/Anxiety/Panic Attacks

In the face of danger we experience a strong feeling to flee or freeze depending on our personalities and life experiences.  Stress is hyper alertness and works along the sympathetic nervous system.  Under stress we experience rapid heart beat, a nervous stomach, cold hands/feet or sweaty hands/feet, we shake, make suddenly go cold or freeze (ie., tightened muscles) and find it difficult to breath, can't catch our breath.  These are all symptoms of stress and if unchecked and allowed to go on for long periods of time, new symptoms develop such as frequent headaches, sleep disturbance, ulcers, unexplained feelings of extreme tiredness, neck and shoulder tension, pains in the chest area due to tightened muscles, constitipation/diarrhoea.

The emotional signs are feeling edgy, guilt, sadness, worry, blame, fear, boredom and anger. The signs that become obvious to those around us are avoidance of friends and family, withdrawal, aggression, relationship problems, procrastination, hyperactivity and possibly substance abuse such as food, drugs and alcohol.

Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common anxiety disorder and it affects many people over the course of their lifetimes. It is characterized by a more-or-less constant state of worry and anxiety, which is out of proportion to the level of actual stress or threat in one's life. People with anxiety disorder may experience physical symptoms (such as gastrointestinal complaints) in addition to, or even in place of, mental worries.

Panic disorder is characterized by periodic attacks of anxiety or terror (panic attacks). Panic attacks usually last 15 - 30 minutes, although residual effects can persist much longer. Symptoms of a Panic Attack: during a panic attack a person often feels intense fear or discomfort with rapid heart beat , sweating, shakiness, shortness of breath, a choking feeling or a feeling of being smothered, dizziness, nausea, feelings of unreality, numbness, either hot flashes or chills, chest pain, a fear of dying, and a fear of going insane.

If you experience any of these symptoms above, give me a call.  Often, just changing the way you think can change the way you feel.