Anxiety could be described as the fly in a room full of large mosquitoes. While it can be aggravating chances are it’s not going to bite you or inject a life threatening disease into your bloodstream.
In this informational article titled “Recognizing Anxiety” we will first take a quick look a Jane, the anxiety queen, to get a more realistic picture of how this condition might be recognized.
Jane has been waiting for months for the highly anticipated concert tickets to go on sale. She showed up to get tickets early and is fifth in line. Waiting is making her both restless and slightly bored. Standing she shifts her weight from side to side. As she anticipates the big moment Jane feels a slight tightening in her chest. Her breathing quickens. She feels that weird, somewhat exhilarating, combination of excitement and growing anxiety. She tries to relax, telling herself it is only another concert but the tension continues to intensify. Finally, tickets go on sale and the anxiety is almost unbearable, she feels like screaming but manages to suppress the urge. She is literally sick with anticipation. The number three person is not moving fast enough leading to another wave of dizzying anxiety and worry. What if there are not good seats left she asks herself? Then she is at the ticket window. The moment of truth has come. Pleasantly surprised she receives even better tickets than she thought due to a power outage at other ticket outlets. Her anxiety fades as her breathing and heart rate quickly return to normal. End
Jane has no serious anxiety disorder; she isn’t having some kind of nervous meltdown, and she obviously isn’t going nuts. Simple put anxiety attacks happen all the time, in fact they are a normal function of everyday life events. But anxiety comes in many different forms.
The root of the word anxiety is Latin and means to strangle or choke. A sense of choking or tightening in the throat or chest is a common symptom of anxiety. Also, anxiety attacks can present other symptoms such as accelerated heartbeat, nausea, the shakes, and excessive perspiration; anxiety may also be connected with fears – fear of heights, fear of bugs, fear of illness, fear of losing control or even the fear of dying. Additionally, those with more intense types of anxiety avoid public places and social interactions.
There are seven major categories of anxiety disorders.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorders
Social phobia
Agoraphobia
Specific Phobia
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
In summary, anxiety comes in many different packages ranging from mild to severe. It is likely that only a mental health professional can identify for certain what type of anxiety disorder you may have due to the complexity of the conditions themselves combined with their similarities to other medical conditions.
Additionally, many natural health minded individuals are choosing to implement natural alternative remedies for anxiety. Perhaps the most popular of these are herbal remedies for anxiety. Herbal remedies for anxiety have shown to be a valuable tool in the treatment of anxiety, and are an affordable option worth considering.
