As unpleasant emotions go, anxiety is the vaguest. It’s an unclear pit of the stomach dread that sneaks up on you – that unease when your boss says that he needs to talk to you right away, when the phone rings at 5am in the morning or when your dentist looks into your mouth and says “Hmmmm” for the third time.
Anxiety is often confused with fear, the difference is that with fear you know what’s scaring you, because it is more specific of some clear and present danger. Anxiety is the dread of the not yet known: You don’t know precisely what you’ll face when you show up in the boss’s office, when you pick up the phone or when the dentist finishes probing your mouth. But you don’t expect good news.
With fear you can take action like staying away from dogs, if you’re anxious about them. But when anxiety is vague and has not been traced to a particular problem, immediate solutions don’t come to mind and the anxiety tends to linger.
Anxiety affects who we are as people. It affects how we feel, how we behave and has very real physical symptoms. Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling – severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating.
Anxiety is more often then not caused by stress in our lives. Some of us are more vulnerable to anxiety than others, but even those who become anxious easily can learn to manage it well. We can also make ourselves anxious with negative beliefs about ourselves and as a result our internal dialog is negative. We then get into a habit of always telling ourselves that the worst will happen. As well as feeling apprehensive and worried (possibly without knowing why).
Anxiety really affects people in three ways: Firstly, there are the physical symptoms of anxiety, changes that occur in the body. Secondly, there are psychological symptoms of anxiety, what you feel and what you think when anxious. Thirdly, there are the behavioral symptoms of anxiety, what you actually do when you are anxious
Here are some of the more common anxiety symptoms: Chest pains, lump in throat & difficulty swallowing, skin loosing color (blanching), sweating, shaking or shivering (visibly or internally), indigestion, heartburn, constipation and diarrhea, sexual dysfunction, symptoms of urinary tract infection, skin rashes, weakness in arms & tingling in the hands or feet, dry mouth., insomnia, nightmares, fears of going mad or losing control, increased depression & suicidal feelings, aggression, disturbed hearing, hormone problems, headaches & feelings of having a tight band around head, sore eyes, hyperactivity, dizziness or light-headedness.
To deal with your anxiety you may decide avoiding situations that make you anxious, this might help you feel better for a little while. The trouble is the anxiety keeps returning, and has a habit of spreading to other situations. This can lead to becoming socially isolated. So although avoidance makes you feel better in the short term the relief is only temporary, you may worry about what will happen next time. Every time you avoid something it makes it harder the next time you try to face it and gradually you want to avoid more and more things, and then find you are not living the life you want to live.
Simple ways to reduce anxiety include remembering to breathe fully and deeply. When you’re anxious you tend to breathe too shallowly or hold your breath which can make you feel more anxious. Breathing slowly and deeply can have a calming effect. To make sure you are breathing correctly, place your hand under your diaphragm which is just below your rib cage. Feel it rise with each inhalation and fall with each exhalation.
Find the cause, to rid yourself of that vague sense of dread, you have to figure out exactly what is it that you dread. Then you can map a plan of action to do something about it. Usually the first step in the action plan is to find out more about the problem. Ask yourself “What in particular am I afraid of in this particular situation” If there is a real problem work on the solution, the antidote to anxiety is analysis and action.
Meditation is also a way to ease anxiety as it cultivates a calmness that eases anxious feelings and offers a sense of control. A technique which is particularly uses full is to sit quietly in a comfortable position and take a few deep cleansing breaths to relax the muscles in your body. Then choose a calming word or phrase (such as peace, calm or silence) silently repeat the word or phrase for 15-20 minutes. As you find your thought straying gently return your focus to your repeated word and continue to breathe fully and deeply.
Exercise such as jogging, walking, swimming or cycling can have the same calming effect as mediation particularly if it is something repetitive like swimming laps or running.
You may even try combinations of methods for real benefit. But don’t ignore the problem, unless you take action, it will only get worse. If you feel intense anxiety consult a therapist you should also consider counseling if anxiety is interfering with your ability to work or establish and maintain relationships, and if you are always on the edge or expecting the worst. There is also The Lynden Method which is a proven way of getting free of anxiety, for more information go to www.anxiousfree.com
