How to get rid of a constant feeling of anxiety. How to get rid of feelings of fear and anxiety

Anxiety takes away strength, thoughts, and the ability to react to a situation and look for opportunities to solve it. Anxiety drives you into depression and acutely makes you feel your own helplessness and insignificance. Is there a way to get rid of this oppressive state?

According to many psychologists, anxiety has a greater destructive effect than even depression. A state of constant tension, expectation of something terrible, lack of the slightest opportunity for relaxation, inability to accept correct solution and generally take at least some action that can overcome feelings of anxiety and get out of this difficult psychological state- this is how people who experience a constant feeling of anxiety describe their feelings. This exhausting, depressing feeling contributes to the development of various psychosomatic diseases, sleep disorders, digestion, physical and mental activity. That is why it is so important not only to identify in advance the slightest manifestations of anxiety and immediately begin treatment when its main symptoms occur. To overcome anxiety state caused by stress, psychologists recommend using several methods to help cope with the first symptoms of anxiety:

1. Recognize the existence of the “lizard brain.”

It means coming to terms with the fact that our fears, concerns and our anxiety come from a small part of the brain called the amygdala, which is responsible for the emergence of primitive reactions and feelings. Of course, our thoughts, decisions and actions in a normal situation arise in the frontal lobes of the brain, the part of the brain that is responsible for cognition, learning and logic in reasoning and actions. But as soon as a threat arises to our basic needs (our life, health, well-being of loved ones and relatives), logic is powerless, we are overwhelmed by feelings and emotions that have very deep roots and we act more instinctively than judiciously. What solution can be found in this situation? Every time, feeling your hands getting cold, your stomach shrinks into a tight ball, and words begin to get stuck in your throat, in general, feeling a full range of approaching alarming symptoms, it is worth remembering that the situation is now controlled by the “lizard brain”, and not by us. It's worth remembering this and talking to this overly dramatic creature and offering to take control! Realizing that you can find a way out of any situation, you just need to think about what resources we have in this moment, you can return to logical reasoning, ceasing to be afraid and worried about who knows what.

2. Understand the cause of anxiety: try to find out what causes your anxiety, why you feel anxious and what it is aimed at.

Having found out what your anxiety is, where it came from, in other words, what or who you are worried about, it is much easier to stop worrying and think about what can be done to neutralize the alarming situation in which you find yourself. It might be worth calling the family whose trip you're worried about to find out how they're doing, sending an SMS to a child who's late from school, talking directly to your boss to clarify your situation at work.

3. Perform breathing exercises.

They are necessary to calm down and pull yourself together. The principle of these breathing exercises is quite simple: you need to consistently inhale through your mouth, hold your breath, then exhale through your nose and hold your breath again; only the abdominal muscles should work, not the chest. The main task is to relax all the muscles of your body as much as possible while inhaling and focus on the state of relaxation that gradually covers you during this exercise.

4. Imagine the most terrible outcome for your alarming situation, what could happen to you in this situation and accept it.

Try to feel what you might feel if the ending were like this. Calm down, don't forget about breathing exercises. Now imagine how you will act in this situation, find everything possible solutions and ways to get out of this situation. See how you can fix everything. By preparing in this way, you can stop worrying and worrying and start taking action. So, instead of anxiety and a feeling of fear, you were prepared for the worst outcome of the situation and were able to find a solution for it, although the situation may not happen! Is it worth worrying about minor troubles now?

5. Distract yourself from any source of anxiety.

Stop watching news coverage of disaster scenes if you are worried about them. You shouldn’t multiply your own anxiety by looking at the nightmarish pictures in the news. This will make you even more anxious. Find yourself a hobby that can captivate you, try to avoid topics that cause you anxiety when communicating with family and friends. Hang out with people who exude confidence and positive attitude, look interesting movies, take up new sports, start collecting stamps, or join any environmental protection society.

6. Write a letter to yourself.

In the letter, list your worries, the reasons for them, and the decisions you are going to make to stop worrying.

7. Time management: divide the day into minutes and hours.

This gradation will allow you to escape from anxious thoughts, especially if your whole day will be busy with some important and not so important things. By concentrating on them, you can safely set yourself not to worry until tomorrow, almost as Scarlet did from the movie “Gone with the Wind.”

8. Eat tasty and healthy food.

Limiting diets in order to lose weight, become slimmer and more attractive, especially if the decision to “go on a diet” was made independently, without the necessary recommendations from doctors, can play with your mood bad joke. There are enough other things to worry about in this world than adding a few extra grams to your weight. Your body will thank you if you do not burden it with diets, but create a balanced diet that includes vitamins and minerals that your body is used to receiving in full.

9. Double your physical activity.

Running, swimming, skydiving, cycling and mandatory evening or morning jogging- any physical activity will help you cope with anxiety. No matter how good you are at this sport, just do it consistently and to the point that your doubts and worries fade into the background. It doesn’t matter what exactly you do - aerobics or weeding garden plot, the main thing is a combination of determination and physical activity, which can distract you from disturbing thoughts.

10. Use visual anchor images.

Choose an image that suits you that represents calm and relaxation. For example, clouds, with their measured and smooth flow across the sky, or the deep calm of the ocean, its waves gradually rolling onto the sandy shore. Every time you look at an image of the ocean or look out the window at the clouds, you will feel that they are helping you calm down and stop worrying.

11. Repeat your own mantra.

For everyone it is different, the one that brings peace and serenity. For example, in a wonderful cartoon, Carlson loved to repeat “It’s not a big deal, it’s just an everyday matter,” and he blithely waved his hand, turning away from the newly broken toy, which threatened to turn into a disaster for the Kid. Come up with any phrase for yourself that will help you overcome the approaching anxiety and remind you that you can always find a way out of any situation, the main thing is to know that it is possible!

Photo source: Depositphotos
August 17, 2015 I like:

Anxiety before taking an exam, anxiety in anticipation of an interview, or anxiety about walking in a dark alley are all normal, although not the most emotionally pleasant, phenomena of everyday life.

Often anxiety arises from the possible social consequences of a person's success or failure. It is impossible to call the state of anxiety good or bad with confidence, because one side of it is tension and fear, which are unpleasant for us, and the other is an incentive to change the circumstances and situations that cause such feelings.
But sometimes a state of anxiety arises in the soul without apparent reason, A panic fears capture and shackle a person, preventing a normal life.

Where does the feeling of anxiety come from?

Serious requirements for personality imposed modern world, the incredible pace of life and the pressure on a person in such conditions lead to a feeling of tension, sudden anxiety, fear, outbursts of panic that paralyze normal life.

Sometimes a person’s lifestyle, starting from childhood, is such that it contributes to the development of increased anxiety in the future. A child who is brought up in a stressful, unfavorable atmosphere with the use of various methods of intimidation by parents, has high risk develop an anxiety disorder as an adult. The fear of punishment and rejection from society is firmly established in his soul.

It also happens that from the outside, an increased feeling of anxiety seems causeless and incomprehensible, since it is not associated with external circumstances. In such cases, the sources of anxiety are hidden deep in the subconscious, associated with unconscious fears and motives. When any life situation contradicts the unconscious mental processes, signs of an anxiety disorder appear. Anxiety in the soul arises whenever something significant to a person is under threat.

Main causes of increased anxiety

It is worth noting that the unreasonable uneasy feeling is always a sign of a mental disorder. An anxious feeling often appears in people who do not have psychological flexibility and are unable to adequately respond to changes in life or adapt to changed circumstances. Character traits can be sources of anxiety. If a person is restless and suspicious by nature, he will constantly replay in his head all sorts of negative scenarios, ponder the consequences, imagining everything in a negative way. When he constantly watches, reads and listens to news about incidents, disasters, crises, etc., his anxiety will constantly increase. There are other causes of anxiety:

constant worries, chronic stressful environment, nervous work, a large number of responsibilities;
minor financial, personal or family problems, tense relationships with loved ones;
fear for one’s health, reaching the point of fear of death and detection of non-existent diseases;
hereditary factors genetic predisposition;
as well as a whole bunch of other experiences of varying significance.

Excessive anxiety and tension in the soul over a long period of time lead to psychological and physical ailments and problems.

Accept life with anxiety or fight it?

Get rid of the disease or continue to endure the unpleasant emotional condition- a decision made by a person individually. However, without incomprehensible phobias and anxieties, life will improve qualitatively.
Making a decision about treatment is often hampered by a person’s fear of appearing “sick”, of being perceived inadequately, in the event of attacks, in the eyes of others. Because of this, many people try to deal with anxiety on their own, which does not always improve the condition. Often this only worsens the situation, the person becomes more and more entangled in fears and failures.
There are also quite common cases when a person does not understand what is happening to his body, why burning sensations and pains occur, sleep disturbances and many other unpleasant manifestations of restless conditions. He begins to frantically search the right doctor, run around to specialists of different profiles and does not always get exactly where he needs to go. Because of this, making a correct diagnosis is delayed for for a long time, and a person can sink deeper and deeper into a state that leaves negative imprints on psychological and physical health.
You should not be tormented by thoughts about the opinions of others or get confused in the endless corridors of hospitals, not knowing who to turn to - a psychotherapist can help in getting rid of an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety Prevention

There is no definite prevention of the disorder, but lifestyle changes can be made and there is a chance that inexplicable feeling anxiety will arise, will be reduced to a minimum.

The practice of yoga helps not only to improve the health of the body, but also to prevent pathological anxiety. Performing various exercises makes it possible to get rid of negative emotions, reduce stress levels, and achieve relaxation and strengthening of muscles.

Automotive training options also contribute to improving your life. Motivating yourself and only positive statements are excellent tools in managing your emotional state.
And frequent walks fresh air, active sports, having a hobby or hobby, as well as meeting and communicating with good friends- the path to calm and happy life without obsessive phobias.

Permanent and strong feeling fear and anxiety are not the end of the normal path of life, but only a small obstacle on it, overcoming which the pleasure from every moment of life will return!

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Feelings of anxiety and fear are familiar to every person. They usually occur when there is a reason. As soon as the circumstances that caused them disappear, the psycho-emotional state also stabilizes. However, there are times when constant fear and anxiety become commonplace, these feelings begin to haunt and become a habitual state.

Fear and anxiety as symptoms of the disease

Feelings of constant fear and anxiety can be symptoms of the most various diseases. Most of them are the area of work of a psychotherapist. In any case, you need to listen to your own feelings and decide whether you should contact a specialist, or you can try to solve the problem yourself.

The most common diagnosis, the symptoms of which are fear and anxiety, is anxiety or fear neurosis. However, this can be finally verified or refuted only by seeking qualified help.

Causes of fear and anxiety

If not obvious reasons If you are afraid and worried, you should find out why the person is experiencing constant tension. In fact, the reasons lie in a combination of physiological and psychological factors. Great value in solving the problem there is a connection between generations, that is, heredity. That is why, before diagnosing anxiety syndrome or another disease in a child, you need to find out whether parents and close relatives suffer from similar problems.

Psychological causes of constant fear and anxiety

Among psychological reasons, which cause constant fear and anxiety, can be distinguished:

strong emotional experiences, stress. For example, when changing place of residence, there is a fear of change and anxiety for the future;
suppression of one’s deepest desires and needs, restraining emotions.

Physical causes of constant fear and anxiety

The main cause of all nervous mental disorders usually lies in improper work thyroid gland. Violations in endocrine system causes failure hormonal levels, which leads to the fact that fear hormones begin to be actively produced. They are the ones who control a person’s mood, making them fear, worry and worry for no apparent reason.

Besides, great importance It has:

strong physical activity;
severe course of the underlying disease;
presence of withdrawal syndrome.

Constant fear and anxiety in pregnant women

Pregnant women, as well as those who have recently become mothers, experience severe hormonal changes. Related to this are discomfort anxiety and fears for your life, for the life and health of the baby. Added to this is a mass of new knowledge gleaned from medical literature and stories from those who have already gone through it. As a result, fear and anxiety become permanent, and nervous stress to the expectant mother no use at all.

If this happens to you, then enlist the support of your loved ones, as well as an experienced doctor who is ready to advise you on any issues.

such symptoms are troubling mental disorders or physical stress

Treating persistent fear and anxiety

Self-treatment of anxiety and fears

If you have just recently begun to feel haunted by constant fear and anxiety, but have no other symptoms and have not experienced severe emotional distress, then you can take steps to self-treatment. The word “treatment” here is conditional. Try the following tips:

consider switching to healthy image life and right good nutrition. This will not only maintain good physical fitness, but also stabilize hormonal levels;
sleep and rest more;
combine mental stress with physical exercise, only in conditions of such a balance will you feel in good shape;
Find something to do that gives you maximum emotional satisfaction. It can be any hobby;
communicate with people you like and limit unwanted contacts;
try not to think about what bothers you, especially if these events are in the past. There is no point in imagining an unfavorable future by deliberately exaggerating;
Find a relaxation method that suits you. This could be auto-training, a relaxing bath, massage and much more.

Observation by a specialist for fears and anxiety

If you feel that it is becoming difficult for you to live with a feeling of constant fear and anxiety, that these sensations interfere and change your usual way of life, then seek help from a psychotherapist. An argument in favor of consulting a specialist will be the accompanying feeling of heaviness in the chest, pressure in the heart area, and difficulty breathing.

Treatment may involve a combination of psychotherapy and drug treatment. Only timely appeal will become the basis effective disposal from fears and anxieties. A psychiatrist or psychotherapist will determine how severe the stage of the disease or disorder is, based on the data obtained, he will prescribe an appropriate approach.

Not everyone who suffers from constant fear and anxiety needs pills. TO drug method resort only if you need to quickly relieve symptoms and achieve results. In such situations, tranquilizers and antidepressants are prescribed.

Psychotherapeutic treatment can be combined with examinations of the whole body, especially to identify disorders of the thyroid gland.

Pledge successful treatment- this is an attentive attitude towards yourself and compliance with the doctor’s recommendations.

Surely every person has experienced a feeling of anxiety and fear at least once in his life. These are normal emotions that help protect against the dangers that sometimes occur in the world. life path. However, if anxiety increases in scale, becomes constant and painful, it begins to cause inconvenience and suffering. A clear manifestation of this condition is a panic attack (or in other words, a panic attack).

Why there is a constant feeling of anxiety and fear

The reasons for the appearance of feelings of anxiety and fear can be different. These include constant stress that a person experiences in everyday life, complex unforeseen situations, genetic predisposition, etc. As practice shows, these disorders occur in people with a special character (usually those who have an anxious-suspicious personality type).

Very often, increased anxiety is associated with a person’s worries about his health and life. The patient begins to pay Special attention one or another sensation in the body, carefully monitors the work of the heart and the breathing process. It seems to him that he is developing some kind of disease that will certainly lead to death. This is how a panic attack develops.

As a rule, this disorder is accompanied not only by painful anxiety and fear, but also by unpleasant somatic symptoms: feeling of lack of air, increased frequency heart rate, excessive sweating, trembling in the body. All of these are manifestations of an anxiety disorder. In many cases, a person considers these sensations to be the cause of feelings of anxiety and fear: I don’t have enough air, I can’t breathe, so I have a feeling of anxiety. In reality, everything happens exactly the opposite: it is anxiety that leads to unpleasant autonomic disorders.

How to get rid of constant feelings of anxiety and fear

Therapy anxiety disorders must be, first of all, individual and comprehensive. The best result is achieved when combining drug therapy and psychotherapy. From medicines tranquilizers, antidepressants and adjuvants are commonly used.

Among the psychotherapeutic methods, cognitive behavioral therapy is used. Its goal is to convince the patient not to be afraid of danger. A person must not only know how to cope with anxiety, but also must learn to face dangers. This is the only way he can cope with anxiety disorders.

Panic attack (PA) is a factor in an inexplicable and quite alarming and painful panic attack for the patient, which may be accompanied by fear and somatic symptoms.

Domestic doctors for a long period of time used the term “vegetative-vascular dystonia” (“VSD”), “sympathoadrenal crisis”, “cardioneurosis”, “vegetative crisis”, distorting all ideas about disorders nervous systems s, depending on the main symptom. As you know, the meanings of the terms “panic attack” and “panic disorder” were introduced into the classification of diseases and recognized throughout the world.

Panic disorder- one of the aspects of anxiety, the main symptoms of which are panic attacks and psycho-vegetative paroxysms, as well as anxiety. Biological mechanisms play a significant role in the development of these disorders.

Panic attacks are very common and happen frequently. They can reach several million people at any given time. This disease usually begins to develop between the ages of 27 and 33, and occurs evenly in both men and women. But according to some scientists, women may be more susceptible to this disease, and this may be due to as yet unstudied biological factors.

Causes of panic attacks

If you find yourself in one of the following situations, you may experience certain symptoms of panic. But these symptoms can also occur spontaneously.

Strong emotions or stressful situations
Conflicts with other people
Loud sound, bright light
Large crowd of people
Reception hormonal drugs(birth control pills)
Pregnancy
Abortion
Prolonged exposure to the sun
Drinking alcohol, smoking
Tiring physical work

Such attacks can occur from one to several times a week, or it may even happen that the body does not succumb to such manifestations. Often after panic attack the person feels relief and drowsiness.

It is important to remember that panic attacks cause severe stress for humans and cause a feeling of fear, but do not pose a threat to life. Although in general this can sharply reduce social adaptation patient.

It has been noticed that all patients who experience panic attacks most often turn to cardiologists, as they suspect they have heart disease. If you still show signs of panic, then you should consult a neurologist.

Symptoms of panic attacks

A panic attack is characterized by the presence of fear and anxiety in the human body, combined with four or more symptoms from the list below:

Heart palpitations, rapid pulse
Sweating
Chills, tremors, feeling of internal trembling
Feeling short of breath, shortness of breath
Choking or difficulty breathing
Pain or discomfort in the left side of the chest
Nausea or abdominal discomfort
Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded, or lightheaded
Feeling of derealization, depersonalization
Fear of going crazy or doing something uncontrollable
Fear of death
Numbness or tingling sensation (paresthesia) in the extremities
Insomnia
Confusion of thoughts (decreased voluntary thinking)

We can include these same symptoms: abdominal pain, frequent urination, stool upset, sensation of a lump in the throat, gait disturbance, cramps in the arms, frustration motor functions, visual or hearing impairment, leg cramps.

All these symptoms are presented as a source of stress, and they also bring with them subsequent waves of panic attacks. When adrenaline is released, it quickly reacts and at the same time the adrenal glands’ ability to produce adrenaline decreases, after which the panic attack subsides.

Diagnosis criteria for panic attacks

Panic attacks are considered and considered a separate disease, but at the same time they are diagnosed as part of other anxiety disorders:

During an attack, at least four of the above symptoms are observed;
The attack occurs unexpectedly and is not provoked increased attention to the patient from others;
Four attacks within a month;
At least one attack, within a month after which there is a fear of a new attack.

For a reliable diagnosis it is necessary that

several severe attacks of autonomic anxiety occurred over a period of about 1 month under circumstances not related to an objective threat;
attacks should not be limited to known or predictable situations;
between attacks the state should be relatively free of anxiety symptoms (although anticipatory anxiety is common).

Clinical picture

The intensity of the main criterion for a panic attack (anxiety attacks) can vary widely: from a pronounced state of panic to a feeling of internal tension. In the latter case, when the vegetative (somatic) component comes to the fore, they talk about “non-insurance” PA or “panic without panic”. Attacks, depleted emotional manifestations, are more common in therapeutic and neurological practice. Also, as the disease progresses, the level of fear in attacks decreases.

Panic attacks can last from a few minutes to a couple of hours, and can occur as often as a couple of times a day or once every few weeks. Many patients talk about the spontaneous manifestation of such an attack, unprovoked. But if you look deeper, you can determine that everything has its own reasons and grounds, and every attack has its own influencing factor. One of the situations may be an unpleasant atmosphere in public transport, hum in a confined space, lack of composure among large mass people, etc.

A person encountering this condition for the first time becomes very frightened and begins to think about some serious disease of the heart, endocrine or nervous systems, gastrointestinal tract, can cause " ambulance" He begins visiting doctors, trying to find the causes of the “attacks.” The patient’s interpretation of a panic attack as a manifestation of some somatic disease, leads to frequent visits to the doctor, multiple consultations with specialists in various fields (cardiologists, neurologists, endocrinologists, gastroenterologists, therapists), unjustified diagnostic studies, and gives the patient the impression of the complexity and uniqueness of his disease. The patient's misconceptions about the essence of the disease lead to the appearance of hypochondriacal symptoms, contributing to the worsening of the disease.

Internists, as a rule, do not find anything serious. At best, they recommend visiting a psychotherapist, and at worst, they treat non-existent diseases or shrug their shoulders and give “banal” recommendations: rest more, play sports, don’t be nervous, take vitamins, valerian or novopassit. But, unfortunately, the matter is not limited to attacks alone... The first attacks leave an indelible mark on the patient’s memory. This leads to the appearance of the anxiety syndrome of “waiting” for an attack, which, in turn, perpetuates the repetition of attacks. Repeating attacks in similar situations (transport, being in a crowd, etc.) contributes to the formation of restrictive behavior, that is, avoidance of potentially dangerous ones, for development PA, places and situations. Anxiety about possible development attacks in a certain place (situation) and avoidance of a given place (situation) are defined by the term “agoraphobia”, since today in medical practice This concept includes not only the fear of open spaces, but also the fear of similar situations. The increase in agoraphobic symptoms leads to social maladjustment of the patient. Because of fear, patients may be unable to leave home or remain alone, doom themselves to house arrest, and become a burden to loved ones. The presence of agoraphobia in panic disorder indicates a more serious disease, entails a worse prognosis and requires special therapeutic tactics. Reactive depression can also join in, which also “aggravates” the course of the disease, especially if the patient cannot understand for a long time what exactly is happening to him, does not find help, support, and does not receive relief.

Treatment of panic attacks (panic disorders).

Most often, panic attacks occur during age group 20 – 40 years. These are young and active people who are forced to limit themselves in many ways due to illness. Recurrent attacks panic attacks new restrictions are imposed, as the person begins to strive to avoid situations and places where he was caught in an attack. In advanced cases, this can lead to social maladjustment. That is why treatment of panic disorders must begin in the early stages of the disease.

For the treatment of panic attacks modern pharmacology offers a fairly large number of drugs. With properly selected dosages, these drugs can reduce the frequency of attacks, but any medication has side effects, and therefore their role in the treatment of panic attacks cannot be overestimated.

Treatment of panic attacks should be carried out individually. Our clinic treats patients with panic disorders carried out comprehensively, taking into account individual characteristics. Treatment is carried out on an outpatient basis, which allows the patient not to disturb the usual rhythm of life. It is important to remember that treating panic attacks requires some effort not only on the part of the doctor, but also the patient. With this approach, it is possible to completely get rid of these problems caused by panic disorders.

Typical patient complaints during panic attacks

I often feel dizzy when walking down the street and lack air, as a result, I panic and think that I’m going to fall. Even being at home alone, suddenly panic began;
panic, unfounded. Fear of something. Sometimes it’s even scary to turn my head, it seems that as soon as I do this, I’ll just fall. At these moments, even just to get up from a chair or walk, you have to make an incredible effort of will, keep yourself in tension;
There were attacks at the beginning of a coma in the throat, then palpitations, and when an ambulance arrived, everyone said well that they gave sedatives! About two weeks ago I had an attack on the subway - sudden dizziness and palpitations;
constant feeling of fear. Even because of little things. It appeared after frequent stress. I try to stay calm, relax, but it only helps for a while;
During attacks, there is tightness in the temples, tightness of the cheekbones and chin, nausea, fear, a feeling of heat, and weak legs. Which ultimately ends in a splash (tears).