And overwork. The whirlwind of life requires us to be prepared to withstand everyday troubles and problems at work. When such negative factors too much, there may be a constant feeling of approaching danger, threat. This feeling is called anxiety, it can be a symptom of some disease, then doctors talk about anxiety. A person with anxiety may describe their state of mind as restless or rebellious. People become restless, expecting some kind of danger, although they may not know what form it will take or where it will come from. In some cases, anxiety can lead to dizziness, excessive sweating, rapid heartbeat, fainting, and gastrointestinal disorders. Psychiatrists and psychologists sometimes use the term frustration to describe this condition.
Causes of anxiety
The causes of anxiety can be external circumstances (exams, problems in the family, professional activity, change of habitual way of life, overwork, etc.). This often happens with healthy people, their concern in this case has a reasonable explanation and leaves with a solution to the problem. However, there are people who are prone to anxiety, regardless of the external situation, or who tend to worry excessively about the most insignificant things. Many scientists believe that this reaction is genetic and is inherited. Some psychologists are inclined to believe that the causes of excessive anxiety lie in improperly constructed relationships with loved ones in early childhood, or a tendency to anxious reactions arises due to internal conflicts (most often related to self-esteem).
Diseases accompanied by anxiety
Anxiety is observed in many diseases, and not only mental ones. For example, with hyperfunction of the thyroid gland, with hormonal disorders during menopause in women, and sudden anxiety can be a harbinger of an incipient myocardial infarction, a drop in blood sugar levels in diabetes.
Almost all mental illnesses involve anxiety at one stage or another. For example, in schizophrenia it can be observed in the prodromal period or be a sign of an impending exacerbation. Various neuroses often begin with an increase in anxiety levels. With withdrawal symptoms in an alcoholic or drug addict, this symptom is quite pronounced.
Anxiety is often combined with phobias (fears), sleep disturbances, decreased mood, irritability, and sometimes with hallucinations or delusions.
What other diseases cause anxiety?
Reactive idiopathic hypoglycemia
- Thyrotoxic crisis
- Cardiogenic pulmonary edema
- Withdrawal syndrome
- Bacterial meningitis
- Parkinson's disease
- Neurosis
- Chagas disease
- Hemorrhagic form of dengue fever
- Plague
- Rett syndrome
- Myocardial infarction
- Alcohol and drug intoxication
Which doctor should I contact if I have anxiety?
If the condition inexplicable anxiety bothers a person for several days, it is advisable to consult a doctor. You can start with a visit to a therapist, especially if you have any health complaints. Be prepared to take a blood test, urine test, and do an ECG; this is necessary to determine the general condition of the body, especially if you have not visited the clinic for a long time. If necessary, the therapist refers the patient with anxiety to a consultation with an endocrinologist or neurologist. These specialists may prescribe additional examinations - an endocrinologist, for example, will suggest an ultrasound thyroid gland or donate blood for certain hormones, and a neurologist may prescribe an electroencephalogram to get an idea of the functioning of the brain. If examination at the clinic does not reveal pathology internal organs You may need to consult a psychiatrist or psychotherapist to determine the causes of anxiety.
You should immediately visit a specialist if anxiety is accompanied by low mood, there are signs of hallucinations, or the person behaves inappropriately. In this case, it would be right to immediately visit a psychiatrist. You should not postpone a visit to the clinic if the symptom of anxiety is accompanied by loss of consciousness (at least once), or there is tremor (shaking), cold sweat, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat. If these signs are severe, it is better to call an ambulance. medical care. The danger of underestimating anxiety is that you can miss the onset of life-threatening conditions - myocardial infarction, hypoglycemic coma, or the development of a psychotic state - when the patient is not able to reliably assess reality and his behavior may pose a threat to others and himself.
The combination of anxiety with low mood can signal depression, which, when severe, often leads to suicide.
How to get rid of anxiety (symptomatic treatment)
Meanwhile, anxiety itself is quite treatable. Basically, tranquilizers are used (for example, phenazepam, relanium, rudotel, mezapam and others). These drugs reduce the patient's anxiety. Some also have hypnotic effect, which allows them to be used to treat insomnia (it often accompanies anxiety), but when taking such tranquilizers, you cannot drive vehicles or perform work that requires a high degree of attention and concentration. If this is important to the patient, it is necessary to discuss with the doctor the possibility of prescribing so-called “daytime tranquilizers” - they act on symptoms of anxiety without causing drowsiness. Such drugs include Rudotel, Grandaxin.
Additionally, a psychiatrist can prescribe drugs that affect mood - antidepressants (for example, Prozac or Fevarin, Atarax), and if there are signs of a psychotic state or severe irritability, antipsychotics (Sonapax, Rispolept, haloperidol and others).
The psychotherapist will help the patient master auto-training methods or breathing practices that can be used when anxiety approaches.
Traditional medicine offers a wide range of soothing herbal preparations, including lemon balm, mint, tansy, valerian, motherwort and many others. medicinal plants. Their use is unlikely to cause any significant complications, but you can expect quick and high-quality results from using only herbal preparations no need to. How aid Treatments for anxiety, herbal remedies may be beneficial. Treatment exclusively with traditional medicine and refusal of specialist help is fraught with dangerous complications condition. As mentioned above, you can miss the onset of serious illnesses, but even if we are talking only about an isolated symptom of anxiety, then a long-term state of anxiety without proper treatment can lead to the emergence of a chronic anxiety disorder or the development of anxiety neurosis, not to mention a significant decrease in quality patient's life.
Paying attention to your health - best prevention all ailments.
Psychiatrist Bochkareva O.S.
Every person is periodically in a state of worries And anxiety . If anxiety manifests itself in connection with a clearly defined reason, then this is a normal, everyday occurrence. But if such a condition occurs, at first glance, for no reason, then it may signal health problems.
How does anxiety manifest itself?
Excitement , anxiety , anxiety manifested by an obsessive feeling of anticipation of certain troubles. In this case, the person is in a depressed mood, internal anxiety forces partial or total loss interest in activities that previously seemed pleasant to him. Anxiety is often accompanied by headaches, problems with sleep and appetite. Sometimes the heart rhythm is disturbed, and attacks of rapid heartbeat occur periodically.
As a rule, a person experiences constant anxiety in his soul against the background of alarming and uncertain life situations. These could be worries about personal problems, illnesses of loved ones, dissatisfaction with professional success. Fear and anxiety often accompany the waiting process important events or any results that are of paramount importance to a person. He tries to find the answer to the question of how to overcome the feeling of anxiety, but in most cases he cannot get rid of this condition.
Constant feeling anxiety is accompanied by internal tension, which can be manifested by some external symptoms — trembling , muscle tension . Feelings of anxiety and restlessness bring the body into a state of constant " combat readiness" Fear and anxiety prevent a person from sleeping normally, concentrating on important matters. As a result, so-called social anxiety appears, associated with the need to interact in society.
The constant feeling of inner restlessness may worsen later. Added to this are some specific fears. Sometimes motor restlessness manifests itself - constant involuntary movements.
It is quite clear that such a condition significantly worsens the quality of life, so a person begins to look for an answer to the question of how to get rid of feelings of anxiety. But before you take any sedatives, it is imperative to accurately establish the causes of concern. This is possible subject to a comprehensive examination and consultation with a doctor who will tell you how to get rid of anxiety. If the patient bad dream , and anxiety constantly haunts him, it is important to determine the original cause of this state. Prolonged stay in this state is fraught with serious depression. By the way, a mother’s anxiety can be transmitted to her baby. Therefore, the child’s anxiety during feeding is often associated with the mother’s anxiety.
The extent to which anxiety and fear are inherent in a person depends to a certain extent on a number of personal qualities person. It is important who he is - a pessimist or an optimist, how stable he is psychologically, how high a person’s self-esteem is, etc.
Why does anxiety occur?
Worry and anxiety can be a symptom of serious mental illness. Those people who are constantly in a state of anxiety, in most cases have certain psychological problems and are prone to .
Most diseases mental nature accompanied by a state of anxiety. Anxiety is characteristic of different periods, For initial stage neuroses. Severe anxiety is observed in a person dependent on alcohol when withdrawal syndrome . Quite often there is a combination of anxiety with a number of phobias, irritability, etc. In some diseases, anxiety is accompanied by delirium and.
However, with some somatic diseases anxiety also appears as one of the symptoms. At hypertension people often experience high degree anxiety.
Also anxiety may accompany hyperfunction of the thyroid gland , hormonal disorders during the period in women. Sometimes sharp anxiety fails as a harbinger of a sharp drop in blood sugar levels in patients.
How to get rid of anxiety?
Before pondering the question of how to relieve an anxious state, it is necessary to determine whether the anxiety is natural, or whether the anxiety is so serious that it requires consultation with a specialist.
There are a number of signs that indicate that a person will not be able to cope with anxiety without visiting a doctor. You should definitely consult a specialist if symptoms of anxiety appear constantly, which affects daily life, work, and leisure. At the same time, excitement and anxiety haunt a person for weeks.
Anxious neurotic conditions that recur consistently in the form of attacks should be considered a serious symptom. A person constantly worries that something in his life will go wrong, while his muscles tense, he becomes fussy.
You should definitely consult a doctor if anxiety conditions in children and adults are accompanied by dizziness, heavy sweating, work disruptions Gastrointestinal tract, dry mouth. Often, an anxiety-depressive state worsens over time and leads to.
There are a number of drugs that are used in the process complex treatment anxiety and anxiety. However, before determining how to get rid of an anxiety state, the doctor needs to establish accurate diagnosis, determining which disease and why could provoke this symptom. Conduct an examination and determine how to treat the patient, must psychotherapist . During the examination, it is necessary to assign laboratory research blood, urine, carried out ECG. Sometimes the patient needs consultation with other specialists - an endocrinologist, a neurologist.
Most often, tranquilizers and antidepressants are used in the treatment of diseases that provoke anxiety and restlessness. The attending physician may also prescribe a course of tranquilizers during therapy. However, treatment of anxiety with psychotropic drugs is symptomatic. Consequently, such drugs do not relieve the causes of anxiety. Therefore, relapses of this condition are possible later, and anxiety may appear in an altered form. Sometimes anxiety begins to bother a woman when pregnancy . How to remove this symptom in this case, only a doctor should decide, since taking any medications by the expectant mother can be very dangerous.
Some specialists prefer to use exclusively psychotherapy methods in the treatment of anxiety. Sometimes psychotherapeutic techniques are accompanied by medications. Some are also practiced additional methods treatments, for example, auto-training, breathing exercises.
IN folk medicine There are many recipes that are used to overcome anxiety. Good effect can be obtained by taking regularly herbal teas , which include herbs with sedative effects. This mint, Melissa, valerian, motherwort etc. However, feel the effect of using herbal teas It is possible only after constant use of such a remedy for a long time. Besides folk remedies should be used only as an auxiliary method, since without timely consultation with a doctor, you can miss the onset of very serious diseases.
Another important factor influencing overcoming anxiety is the right way of life . A person should not sacrifice rest for the sake of labor exploits. It is important to get enough sleep every day and eat right. Caffeine abuse and smoking can aggravate anxiety.
A relaxing effect can be achieved with a professional massage. Deep massage effectively relieves anxiety. We should not forget how much exercise improves your mood. Daily physical activity will always keep you in good shape and prevent your anxiety from getting worse. Sometimes a walk is enough to improve your mood. fresh air for an hour at a fast pace.
To control his emotions, a person must carefully analyze everything that happens to him. Clearly identifying the reason that caused anxiety helps you focus and switch to positive thinking.
Stress and anxiety are a normal reaction to difficult life situations, however, after the difficulties are resolved, it goes away. During periods that cause anxiety and anxiety, use stress relief techniques, try folk remedies.
Anxiety is the body's response to a physical or psychological threat. Acute anxiety may occur before an important or difficult event. It goes away quickly. However, for some people, anxiety becomes almost normal, seriously affecting their daily lives. This painful condition is called chronic anxiety.
Symptoms
An acute state of anxiety manifests itself in a vague or, conversely, clearly directed premonition. It may be accompanied by physical symptoms such as stomach cramps, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, sweating, diarrhea and insomnia. With chronic anxiety, sometimes there is causeless worry. Some people fall into panic, for which there seems to be no reason. Symptoms include a feeling of suffocation, chest pain, chills, tingling in the arms and legs, weakness and a feeling of dread; sometimes they are so strong that both those suffering from neurosis and those around them can mistake them for a real heart attack.
Breathing exercises for anxiety
Yoga classes are useful for people who often experience anxiety. They promote physical and mental relaxation, smooth breathing and help overcome negative emotions. The exercise is designed to strengthen and relax the chest and abdominal muscles and restore impaired flow vital energy(prana). At each stage, take five breaths.
- Kneel down, place one hand on your stomach, the other on your thigh. Feel like when you inhale abdominal wall rises, and with a slow exhalation retracts.
- Place your palms on both sides chest. When breathing, raise and lower your chest, while exhaling, pressing on it with your hands, squeezing out the air.
- Tighten your abdominal muscles. As you inhale, raise your shoulders and top part chest and lower them as you exhale, while relaxing your abdominal muscles
No matter how the feeling of anxiety manifests itself, it exhausts and deprives one of strength; could end up seriously hurt physical health. It is necessary to find ways to combat the main cause of the disease. Consult a specialist. How to avoid feelings of anxiety?
Obsessive neurosis
Obsessive neurosis is a disorder in which a person feels the need to constantly do something, such as wash their hands, endlessly check whether the lights are off, or replay sad thoughts over and over again. It is based on a persistent state of anxiety. If this type of behavior violates normal life, contact a specialist.
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IN stressful situations The body burns nutrients faster than usual, and if they are not replenished, the nervous system gradually becomes depleted, which causes a state of anxiety. Therefore it is important to adhere healthy diet, rich complex carbohydrates, which are found, for example, in whole grain bread and brown rice. This diet is believed to have a calming effect.
Note! If you can’t cope with stress on your own, it doesn’t matter. Today there are many How to choose your sedative, read our material.
For supporting nervous system V in good condition be sure to include essential foods in your diet fatty acid(found in, for example, whole grains, nuts, seeds and vegetables), vitamins (especially B vitamins) and minerals. To achieve stable blood sugar levels, eat small, frequent meals. A harmonious combination of relaxation, physical activity and entertainment will help you feel healthier physically.
Treating Anxiety
You yourself can do a lot to alleviate your condition.
- Self-knowledge. Reflections on the reasons pathological condition will serve as the first step to overcoming them. If you have a phobia, such as flying, you may be able to focus your fear on something specific.
- Relaxation. Evolution has programmed our body in such a way that any danger causes a response, expressed in involuntary physiological changes, which prepare the body for the “fight or flight” response. By learning techniques for physical and mental relaxation, you can relieve anxiety. There are several ways to achieve this.
- Try exercise or other physical activity that requires effort to ease muscle tension and release nervous energy.
- Do some quiet activity.
- Start a group class that teaches relaxation and meditation, or take a relaxation course recorded on audio or video tape.
- Do progressive muscle relaxation exercises twice a day or any time you feel anxious. Try relaxing yoga exercises.
- You can relieve anxiety and improve your well-being by pressing your thumb on active point, located on back side hands, where the big and index fingers. Perform the massage three times for 10 - 15 seconds. Do not touch this point during pregnancy.
Hyperventilation when anxious
In a state of anxiety and especially during outbreaks panic fear breathing quickens and becomes shallow, the ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide. To eliminate overoxygenation, or hyperventilation, sit with your hand on your upper abdomen and inhale and exhale so that your hand rises as you inhale. This helps to breathe slowly and deeply.
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Cognitive therapy. Practicing affirmations will help reprogram your thoughts so that the emphasis falls on the positive aspects of life and personality, rather than the negative ones. Write short phrases that suit your occasion. For example, “I am prepared for this job” if you have an interview with a possible employer. It can be helpful to repeat these phrases out loud or write them out several times. This type of psychological exercise is part of cognitive therapy, aimed at changing natural or instinctive reactions without trying to understand their essence. The doctor can direct your thoughts to search for a positive explanation for the actions of certain people: for example, a friend did not pay attention to you in the store, not because she does not like you, but simply did not see you, thinking about something. Once you understand the essence of such exercises, you will be able to perform them yourself. You will learn to adequately perceive negative impacts and replace them with more positive and realistic ones.
Anxiety and nutrition
The amino acid tryptophan has a calming effect on the brain. In the brain it is converted into serotonin, which causes calm. Most protein foods contain tryptophan. In addition, the absorption of this substance improves with the simultaneous consumption of carbohydrates. Good sources tryptophan is milk with cookies, sandwiches with turkey or cheese.
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Nutrition. A state of anxiety suppresses appetite or increases it. Give preference to foods rich in B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium and magnesium, since the lack of these nutrients aggravates feelings of anxiety. Limit your intake of sugar and white flour products. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated drinks. Instead, drink spring water, fruit juices or soothing herbal teas.
Aromatherapy. If you feel physically tense, massage your shoulders with aromatic oils, add them to your bath or inhaler. To prepare massage oil, take two teaspoons vegetable oil cold pressed - almond or olive - and add two drops each of geranium, lavender and sandalwood oil and one drop of basil. Avoid the latter during pregnancy. Add a few drops of geranium or lavender oil to your bath water or bowl of hot water and inhale the steam for 5 minutes.
Phytotherapy. For three weeks, drink three times a day one glass of tea made from verbena, wild oats or ginseng. These herbs have a tonic effect.
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To relieve stress during the day and sleep well at night, add chamomile, intoxicating pepper (kava-kava), to the described mixture of herbal raw materials. Linden blossom, valerian, dried hop cones or passionflower. Consult your doctor before use.
Flower essences. Flower essences are designed to relieve negative emotions. They can be used individually or in various combinations, depending on the personality type.
At general condition anxiety four times a day, take essences from the flowers of aspen, mirabelle, larch, mimulus, chestnut, sunflower or pedunculate oak. If you're feeling panicky, take Dr. Buck's Rescue Balm every few minutes.
Other methods. Psychotherapy and cranial osteopathy can help relieve symptoms of anxiety.
When to see a doctor
- Severe feelings of anxiety or attacks of fear.
- See your doctor immediately if
- The state of anxiety is accompanied by depression.
- Insomnia or dizziness.
- You are experiencing one of physical symptoms listed above.
Do fear and anxiety happen for no reason? Yes, and in this case you need to contact a psychiatrist or psychotherapist, because with a high degree of probability the person suffers from causeless fear and anxiety because he has anxiety neurosis. This is a mental disorder that occurs after severe short-term stress or prolonged emotional overstrain. There are two main signs: constant severe anxiety and autonomic disorders body - palpitations, feeling of lack of air, dizziness, nausea, upset stool. A provoking or background factor can be attractions and desires that in real life are not fully realized and not realized: homosexual or sadistic tendencies, suppressed aggression, adrenaline needs. Over time, the cause of the initial fear is forgotten or repressed, and fear and anxiety acquire independent meaning.
Neurosis differs from psychosis in that neurosis always has a real cause, it is the response of an unbalanced psyche to a traumatic event. Psychosis proceeds according to its own endogenous laws, real life has little effect on the course of the disease. Another important difference is criticism. Neurosis is always recognized by a person, causing painful painful experiences and the desire to free himself from it. Psychosis changes a person’s personality so much that reality becomes unimportant for him, his whole life takes place in a world of painful experiences.
Success in treating mental illness and borderline disorders is often a matter of time. The result is always better if treatment is started earlier.
In order for anxiety neurosis to develop, in which feelings of fear and anxiety arise for no apparent reason, two factors must converge at one point:
- traumatic emotional event;
- insufficient psychological defense mechanism.
Psychological defense suffers if a person has a deep conflict, there is no way to get what he wants. Anxiety neurosis most often affects women between 18 and 40 years old, and this is understandable. A woman is always vulnerable because she is too dependent on society’s assessment. At the very successful woman there will always be weakness, for which ill-wishers may “bite” her. Problematic children, free leisure, insufficient career, divorces and new novels, appearance - everything can serve as an impetus for development anxiety neurosis.
The rapid development of society, distortions and flaws in the moral side of life lead to the fact that the postulates perceived in childhood lose their relevance, and many people lose their moral core, without which a happy life is impossible.
IN last years the importance of biological factors has been proven. It became known that after severe stress the brain forms new neurons going from the prefrontal cortex to amygdala. Histological examination revealed that the new neurons contained a peptide that enhances anxiety. New neurons restructure the work of all neural networks, and human behavior will change. Added to this is a change in the level of neurotransmitters or chemical substances, with the help of which it is transferred nerve impulse.
The discovery of the morphological substrate of emotions partly explains the fact that the reaction to stress is delayed in time - the formation of stable anxiety and fear requires some period.
In men, the background factor in the development of anxiety neurosis is considered to be a functional deficiency of neurotransmitters or an insufficient quantity or poor quality of substances transporting nerve impulses. Endocrine disorders can play a bad role when the functioning of the adrenal glands, pituitary gland and hypothalamus - the main suppliers of hormones - is disrupted. human body. Failure in the functioning of these systems also leads to feelings of fear, anxiety, and decreased mood.
The international classifier does not have a category describing anxiety neurosis; instead, the section “Generalized anxiety disorder” is used, designated as F41.1. This section may be supplemented by F40.0 (Agoraphobia or fear of open spaces) and F43.22 (Mixed anxiety and depressive reaction caused by adaptation disorder).
Symptoms
First and main feature– anxiety, which is constantly present, exhausts, changes the entire habitual way of life. Such anxiety must be constantly monitored, and this is not always possible. You need to think about illness if deep anxiety lasts for at least six months.
Anxiety consists of the following components:
To assess the level of anxiety, you can use the Zang scale, which is intended for self-diagnosis.
The severity of anxiety is sometimes so strong that the phenomena of derealization and depersonalization are added. These are conditions in which the environment loses its colors and seems unreal, and one’s actions cannot be controlled. Fortunately, they are short-lived and pass quickly.
Vegetative somatic manifestations are like this:
In all cases of initial treatment, clinical examination to distinguish neurotic or reversible disorders from somatic or bodily diseases. In a properly equipped hospital this may take 2-3 days. This is necessary because some serious chronic diseases can begin under the guise of neurosis.
Drug treatment
It is not always used; if necessary, it is used in a short course, only at the peak of experiences. Medicines can temporarily relieve anxiety and normalize sleep, but the leading role in the treatment of neuroses belongs to psychotherapy.
Begin treatment with herbal preparations complex action, to which it is impossible to get used to. The preferred drugs are those that simultaneously improve sleep, reduce irritability and alleviate anxiety. These are Persen-Forte, Novopassit and Nervoflux, they have a balanced composition and are completely harmless. They contain herbal sedatives in different proportions: valerian, passionflower, motherwort, lemon balm, mint, lavender, hops, bitter orange.
A psychiatrist can prescribe medications from the following groups:
The doctor always prescribes these psychotropic drugs with neurosis with caution. Benzodiazepines are given in a short course, and they quickly become addictive. Pronounced effect from antidepressants should be expected no earlier than 4 weeks, and the duration of the entire course medicinal correction usually does not exceed 3 months. Further drug treatment inappropriate good improvement it won't give anymore.
If in the background drug treatment the condition does not improve significantly, this indicates that the person has a mental disorder deeper than neurosis.
If the functioning of internal organs is disrupted, drugs that affect the heart rate (beta blockers) and digestive system(antispasmodics).
Physiotherapy
It is always useful, especially techniques aimed at removing the muscle “shell”. Improving the condition of the muscles, getting rid of muscle tension improves the state of mind according to the biological mechanism feedback. Physiotherapeutic methods are good at eliminating vegetative manifestations.
Massage is useful, everything water treatments, electrosleep, darsonval, electrophoresis, low-frequency pulsed currents, sulfide baths, paraffin applications.
Psychotherapy
The leading method of treating anxiety neurosis, in which personal problems are consistently worked through, which ultimately contributes to the acquisition of new experience and a revision of a person’s entire value system.
Good results are obtained from the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, which uses confrontation and desensitization techniques. In collaboration with a psychotherapist, the patient voices his deepest fears, dismantles them “piece by piece,” while being completely safe. In the process of training, destructive patterns of thinking and beliefs that are devoid of logic fade away.
Traditional hypnosis or its modern modifications are often used. In a state of controlled relaxation, a person gets the opportunity to fully reveal his fears, immerse himself in them and overcome them.
In large medical institutions They use a variant of group psychotherapy called sociotherapy. This method is more about communication based on interests, obtaining joint impressions. The patient council can organize visits to concerts and exhibitions, excursions, during which personal fears and concerns are worked out.
Group psychotherapy allows you to communicate with people who have similar problems. During the discussion, patients reveal more than during direct communication with the doctor.
Methods that combine communication with a specialist and working with the body are successfully used. This is rebirthing or connected breathing, when there is no pause between inhalation and exhalation. Special breathing allows you to “bring to the surface” suppressed experiences.
The Hakomi Method reveals to the patient the meaning of his favorite poses and movements. Using strong emotions and appealing to the spontaneity that every person has, the specialist guides the patient to awareness of the problems.
The normal treatment period for anxiety neurosis is at least six months, during which time you can completely get rid of it.
Anxiety is an emotion that all people experience when they are nervous or afraid of something. Constantly being “on edge” is unpleasant, but what can you do if life is like this: there will always be a reason for anxiety and fear, you need to learn to keep your emotions under control, and everything will be fine. In most cases this is exactly the case.
It's normal to worry. Sometimes this can even be beneficial: when we worry about something, we pay more attention to it, work harder, and generally achieve better results.
But sometimes anxiety goes beyond reasonable limits and interferes with life. And this is an anxiety disorder - a condition that can ruin everything and which requires special treatment.
Why does anxiety disorder occur?
As is the case with most mental disorders, no one will say exactly why anxiety clings to us: they still know too little about the brain to talk about the reasons with confidence. Several factors are likely to blame, from ever-present genetics to traumatic experiences.
For some, anxiety appears due to the stimulation of certain parts of the brain, for some, hormones - and norepinephrine - are acting up, and for others, the disorder occurs as a result of other diseases, and not necessarily mental ones.
What is an anxiety disorder?
To anxiety disorders Studying Anxiety Disorders. include several groups of diseases.
- Generalized anxiety disorder. This is the case when anxiety does not appear because of exams or the upcoming meeting with the parents of a loved one. Anxiety comes on its own, it does not need a reason, and the feelings are so strong that they prevent a person from performing even simple everyday activities.
- Social anxiety disorder. Fear that prevents you from being among people. Some are afraid of other people's assessments, others are afraid of other people's actions. Be that as it may, it interferes with studying, working, even going to the store and saying hello to neighbors.
- Panic disorder. People with this disease experience panic attacks: they become so scared that they sometimes cannot take a step. The heart is beating at a breakneck speed, the vision is getting dark, there is not enough air. These attacks can come at the most unexpected moment, and sometimes because of them a person is afraid to leave the house.
- Phobias. When a person is afraid of something specific.
In addition, anxiety disorder often occurs in combination with other problems: bipolar or obsessive-compulsive disorder or.
How to understand that this is a disorder
The main symptom is constant feeling anxiety that lasts at least six months, provided that there are no reasons to be nervous or they are insignificant, and emotional reactions are disproportionately strong. This means that anxiety changes your life: you give up work, projects, walks, meetings or acquaintances, some activities just because you are too worried.
Other symptoms Generalized anxiety disorder in adults - Symptoms., which hint that something is wrong:
- constant fatigue;
- insomnia;
- constant fear;
- inability to concentrate;
- inability to relax;
- trembling in hands;
- irritability;
- dizziness;
- frequent heartbeat, although there are no cardiac pathologies;
- increased sweating;
- pain in the head, stomach, muscles - despite the fact that doctors do not find any violations.
There is no exact test or analysis that can be used to identify an anxiety disorder, because anxiety cannot be measured or touched. The decision on the diagnosis is made by a specialist who looks at all the symptoms and complaints.
Because of this, there is a temptation to go to extremes: either diagnosing yourself with a disorder when life has just begun, or not paying attention to your condition and scolding your weak-willed character, when, due to fear, an attempt to go out into the street turns into a feat.
No need to get carried away and confused constant stress and constant anxiety.
Stress is a response to a stimulus. For example, a call from a dissatisfied client. When the situation changes, the stress goes away. But anxiety may remain - this is a reaction of the body that occurs even if there is no direct impact. For example, when an incoming call comes from a regular customer who is happy with everything, but it’s still scary to pick up the phone. If the anxiety is so strong that any phone call is torture, then this is already a disorder.
There is no need to bury your head in the sand and pretend that everything is normal when constant stress interferes with your life.
It is not customary to consult a doctor with such problems, and anxiety is often confused with suspiciousness and even cowardice, and being a coward in society is shameful.
If a person shares his fears, he will more likely receive advice to pull himself together and not become limp than an offer to find good doctor. The trouble is that you won’t be able to overcome a disorder with a powerful willpower, just as you won’t be able to cure it with meditation.
How to treat anxiety
Persistent anxiety is treated like other mental disorders. This is why there are psychotherapists who, contrary to popular belief, do not just talk to patients about difficult childhoods, but help them find methods and techniques that truly improve their condition.
Some people will feel better after a few conversations, others will benefit from pharmacology. The doctor will help you reconsider your lifestyle, find the reasons why you are nervous a lot, assess how severe your symptoms are and whether you need to take medications.
If you don't think you need a therapist yet, try taming your anxiety on your own.
1. Find the reason
Analyze what makes you worry the most and most often, and try to eliminate this factor from your life. Anxiety is natural mechanism, which is necessary for our own safety. We are afraid of something dangerous that can harm us.
Maybe if you are constantly shaking with fear of your boss, it’s better to change jobs and relax? If you succeed, it means that your anxiety is not caused by a disorder, there is no need to treat anything - live and enjoy life. But if you can’t identify the cause of your anxiety, then it’s better to seek help.
2. Exercise regularly
There are many blind spots in the treatment of mental disorders, but researchers agree on one thing: regular exercise stress really helps keep my mind organized.
3. Let your brain rest
The best thing is to sleep. Only in sleep does the brain overloaded with fears relax, and you get a break.
4. Learn to slow down your imagination with work.
Anxiety is a reaction to something that hasn't happened. It's the fear of what might happen. Essentially, anxiety exists only in our heads and is completely irrational. Why is it important? Because counteracting anxiety is not calm, but reality.
While all sorts of horrors happen in the anxious imagination, in reality everything goes on as usual, and one of the best ways turn off the constantly itching fear - return to the present, to current tasks.
For example, keep your head and hands busy with work or sports.
5. Stop smoking and drinking
When the body is already a mess, it is at least illogical to shake the fragile balance with substances that affect the brain.
6. Learn relaxation techniques
The rule “the more the better” applies here. Learn breathing exercises, look for relaxing yoga poses, try music or even drink chamomile tea or use lavender essential oil in the room. Everything in a row until you find several options that will help you.
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