Once you know what causes anxiety attacks, you’ll be more able to address the underlying conditions and eliminate them. Anxiety attacks are terrifying, and those who have never suffered an anxiety attack can never really appreciate just how scary?they can be.?You’ll discover the main causes and symptoms?of anxiety attacks?here.

Before we consider what causes anxiety attacks, we’ll look at the symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety attacks are many, but the most common seem to be…

• a fear of something bad going to happen
• hyperventilation
• dizziness
• a feeling of being detached from your surroundings
• tightness across the chest
• tightness in the throat
• racing heart
• irregular heart beat
• heart thumping in the chest
• feeling sick
• sweating
• palpitations
• tingling fingers and toes
• tremors

You may not experience all of them during an anxiety attack, but you will experience several. One of the most common feelings during an attack is the real belief that you’re having a heart attack. I can tell you it’s a really scary experience!

So what causes anxiety attacks and why are they so scary? Anxiety attacks can happen without warning, but they don’t happen without a reason. Something else has been going on in the background and some sort of ‘trigger’ has then sparked-off the attack. That ’something else in the background’ is general anxiety, i.e. higher-than-normal levels of daily anxiety. And the trigger is usually a highly stressful event or situation, which may even have occurred some time before the actual attack.

You see, an anxiety attack — also called a panic attack — isn’t the same as having a normal, short burst of stress / anxiety. For example, the normal reaction to an unexpected event like having to brake suddenly to avoid a child in the road. It normally takes just a short time for a person with normal levels of daily anxiety to recover from that.

No, a person with general anxiety, faced with a similar highly stressful situation, will react much more severely. Their anxiety levels will be pushed, from already higher-than-normal levels, to extremely high levels. Then, far too much adrenalin is produced in the body and the outcome is the symptoms of an anxiety attack.

Since the beginning of mankind, adrenalin is naturally released in our bodies to help us survive dangerous situations, so we can make ‘fight or flight’ decisions fast, and, be physically prepared and capable of carrying them out.

But these are for ‘real’ danger situations. In a general anxiety condition, the person has totally ‘irrational’ fears and feelings of danger. So that when they experience a further sharp increase in anxiety or fear, the body reacts in the only way it knows how. But there is no physical enemy, to fight or run away from. So the victim suffers a whole range of symptoms that don’t make sense to them. They are having an anxiety attack, and not knowing the cause is a really scary — terrifying actually — feeling.

So now that you know what causes anxiety attacks, what do you do about them? If you suffer from anxiety and anxiety attacks, there are two strands to your cure. The first is to get rid of the ‘fear’ of having another attack. This is so important because that fear alone can cause you to have another attack. Then once you have eliminated that fear, you are much better placed to get rid of your general anxiety.

Today its drastic effects on human nature are extensively studied and different types of remedies are suggested to an individual so that the society can be improved. One of the major remedy that is suggested comes from nature, i.e. use of herbs to relieve from stress and its side effects. These herbs are gaining popularity among the masses because they are just natural, which means they lack the man made ingredients. This is a satisfying thought enough that herbs will not have any side effects, which is escalating its use.

Chamomile - promotes feelings of relaxation and settles digestion. It boosts the immune system, which is often depressed during stress, and prevents infections. Chamomile contains glycine, a nerve relaxant… We all know about the soothing effects of Chamomile tea!

Everyone knows about Chamomile, usually taken as a tea. This helps with relaxation and with sleep. It is now incorporated into many herbal cures in powder or pill form, but this reduces the effect of simply sitting down for a hot drink, which in itself is part of the stress relief process. Use two teaspoons of the dried flowers per cup of tea.

When you are faced with a stressful situation, and you react to it with fear, anxiety, or tension, your adrenal gland starts to pump out stress hormones. These hormones are fine in small doses. But, if these hormones are pumping through your system for a prolonged period of time, they can actually weaken your immune system, raise your blood pressure, put strain on your heart, and cause you to feel extreme fatigue.

Valerian - In the process of Internet searching, I discovered a natural product called Valerian to ease the anxiety slightly. It really helped me deal with my general anxiety to a certain extent but it didn’t stop panic attacks. I found that I had to take Valerian for about thirty days before I noticed the reduction in anxiety. I also noticed a reduction in back pain. But it really did help keep the anxiety at manageable levels after that until I didn’t need it anymore.

Siberian Ginseng - This herb packs a punch when it comes to stress relief. Its benefits are: increases resistance to stress, combats mental fatigue, relieves fatigue, depression and anxiety, increases energy, diminishes irritability and lethargy and strengthens the nervous system. What more could you ask for in an herbal treatment?

Rhodiola rosea is a herb found in Russia and is also known as Golden Root. This herb has been used for centuries by the residents of Siberia to reduced the effects of the cold weather, reduce stress and as an anti-depressive. Rhodiola rosea is believed to enhance mental and physical abilities and has been used by Russian athletes to increase energy. It increases the blood-supply to the muscles and brain allowing for a quick recovery after intense physical activity

You will need to treat your body better whenever you are under a lot of stress. Fortunately, you can use natural remedies for stress in the form of vitamins and supplements to help you through these times. Too much stress can cause you to feel overloaded. You begin to feel the effects of poor health when you do not eat or sleep properly due to stress and your immune system becomes low.

Another natural stress remedy connected to taking time off is to reward oneself after a particularly stressful event or activity. This could be done simply such as watching a good movie or eating a favorite meal. Or, it could be extravagant such as treating oneself in a five star hotel. Whatever the case, rewarding oneself can ease up the stress.

Now-a-days many people suffer from excessive stress due to hectic and modern lifestyle. In excessive stress, the body tends to break down or feeling drowsy and tired. Person with stress easily get irritated, exhausted and even get sick. Some people used to take drug to reduce their stress, but it gives relief for short time. This may have some side effects which can be harmful for your health.

Stress can make you sleepless and feel overloaded. When you don’t sleep properly your immune system will be weak or low. You have to learn to cope with stress naturally with positive attitude. Vitamins and supplements are helpful in making your body and mind strong enough to fight against stress and depression. You should take proper diet for adequate supply of nutrients in the body.

St.-John’s-Wort - A common treatment for anxiety and depression, it is also useful in treating the symptoms of stress. Studies have shown that it is as effective as Prozac and other anti-depressants. It is commonly taken as a tea and is also available in capsule form. Do not take with prescription anti-depressants unless instructed to do so by a doctor.

A little stress is good to keep us going and stay motivated. The danger comes when we become over-stressed. Jobs, problems at home, and money troubles are just a few of the most common sources of stress. As a result, our relationships, jobs, lives, and health suffer because of it. The most common symptoms of stress and anxiety are trouble sleeping, feeling unusually tired, problems concentrating, tension, and irritability.

Self help starts by recognizing what triggers the attacks. People have different stress triggers which means they may not all be the same. Once you know what sets off your anxiety, you can find ways to calm yourself before an attack even occurs. Taking short breaks when feeling stressful can help to calm you and clear your head. It may also help to try aromatherapy and drinking calming herbal tea.

A panic attack can be a very scary and humiliating experience, especially your first one! Three million Americans have experienced this -normally their first time being in their teens or mid twenties.

Many common questions and fears are ,”Why does this happen to me?”, “What if the next one sends me to the hospital?”, “How can I stop the next one?”

The true secret of how to control panic attacks lies in understanding what they are and knowing that they actually begin hours before you have them. How they begin, how they get worse, and why they can happen again. This is how many sites and products I’ve reviewed begin. But understandably, most people don’t want to sit and read all the scientific jargon explaining panic attacks. You just want to know what you can do right away to control them!

I’d like to share a few tips that I personally have practiced to control a panic attack. I did suffer from several of them in my early twenties, and did not want to take medication like those around me. Here are a few natural techniques.

-When you first begin to feel the fear that you are going to have a panic attack, remind yourself you’ve already had one and that you lived. Don’t dwell on the feelings. Breathe, and replay funny events in your head.

-Drink water. While you’re drinking, concentrate on the cooling effect it has on your body. Drinking water in a paced amount is like the IV they give you in a hospital and helps a lot.

-Don’t really fight. Fighting it will cause a struggle and your fear to peak and will make it even worse if it happens.

-If you need, go outside and get fresh air, or excuse yourself to a less populated place like the bathroom. Practice breathing and meditating exercises while there, and go back when you feel more confident.

These are a few of the basic techniques I’ve used to stop my anxiety. With these and some other techniques, after about 11 years, I have been free of panic attacks. I really hope these techniques help you learn how to control panic attacks as well. Anxiety is truly debilitating, and hinders you from living a happy life.

Do you constantly worry and feel like your world could fall apart at any moment? Are you someone that thinks they suffer form anxiety and panic attacks? There are many people in this world that suffer from these types of attacks and they are not only bad for your health, but very horrible to go through. It is never fun to feel like you don’t have control anymore. Here is how you can get that control back.

First, when it comes to anxiety and panic attacks you need to know that the first step to getting better is always going to be identifying the root cause. If you went to a doctor they might not go this route, but it is the best way to go. It is like having something in your eye. The only way to get it out is to identify that you have something in your eye that is causing the discomfort, then you fish it out.

Second, with anxiety and panic attacks you need to know that you are not alone. This is helpful because if you feel alone it will just make the problem worse. This also means that you need to ask your friends and family that have witnessed your attacks and are closest to you what they think caused the attacks. You might have to make them tell you the truth and be ready to hear some things that you might not want to hear.

Last, you also need to seek out help in the form of a guide to getting rid of these attacks. Anxiety cannot be cured by prescription drugs or a visit to your doctor. Panic cannot be cured by therapy sessions, but both can be controlled and eliminated by using a natural remedy that is set up in a step by step guide. These guides are found in bookstore and on the internet. They might cost you a small fee, but you have to wonder how much an anxiety free life is worth to you.

Most people experience some hesitation in public bathrooms. Some people simply feel more comfortable using a stall rather than a urinal. If you can go easily in one place where you feel safer but not in more public settings you probably have paruresis. This should always be checked out by a doctor to make sure that nothing else is wrong and anxiety is the only problem.

Shy bladder sufferers may avoid the bathroom for extended periods of time or even avoid social events for fear they will have to go. Many people suffer quietly because they are afraid to admit why they can’t go out and will make up excuses to cover for their shy bladder. One thing many paruretics do is find a pee buddy. This is a person they feel comfortable enough around to go to the bathroom. This can be good practice for social situations.

In severe cases, paruresis can completely run a persons life. They wind up scheduling any meetings or activities around their bladder and can never leave the house for long periods of time. They may even stop drinking fluids so they won’t have to go the bathroom for longer. These extreme cases may be rare but it is hard to gather statistics on such an embarrassing condition.

Cognitive behavioral therapy is said to be helpful to those with paruresis. This usually consists of drinking a lot of water then practicing urinating with someone just outside of your safe zone. When success is achieved the person moves closer and closer. Social anxiety disorders can often cause people to act and think in ways that are very strange to a normal person. Paruresis can cause people to behave based on fears instead of the outside world.

Imagery:

• Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Think of a place where you would feel very comfortable and safe, such as lying on a beach, in a field, or in a forest. Whatever image you like is fine. Concentrate on this place and pay attention to all the details, the sights and sounds, such as the time of day, the temperature, the feeling of the wind on your skin, the sound of the waves breaking in the distance, the leaves rustling, and the birds singing. Continue to focus on what you see, hear and feel, and on how comfortable and safe you feel here. Do this exercise for 5 minutes, longer if you want. As you do this more and more, you will be able to imagine the scene much more vividly. You may find that some images work better than others.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation:

• Sit comfortably, close your eyes if you want to, take your shoes off. Clench your hands into fists and keep them clenched for three seconds then allow them to relax slowly. Do this same clenching exercise for other muscles, in this order: wrists, lower arms, upper arms, shoulders, neck, feet, legs, buttocks, stomach, lower back, upper back, forehead, eyes, jaw, lips. Concentrate your thoughts on how tense your respective muscles are throughout the exercise and then the feelings of relaxation.

Deep Muscle Relaxation:

• Sit comfortably, close your eyes, and take off your shoes. Clench your hands into fists and hold them clenched for three seconds, then relax them slowly. Do the same with your feet, clench your toes and observe the feeling as you do so. When you relax them, again observe the feeling as the muscles relax, often you will feel tingling, coolness, or a warm feeling. Without tensing your muscles, once again focus on the sensation you felt when your feet/hands were relaxed. Allow this feeling to flow through your feet and passed your heel to your ankle. At your own pace, focus on the feeling of your muscles relaxing and allow this feeling to move up into your legs, buttocks, hips, stomach and back. Don’t force yourself to relax, this process will happen all of its own accord. Allow the feelings to flow into your chest, through your shoulders and down your arms, and up to your neck and then flow into your head. The length of this process can differ and may take 5 minutes or twenty five minutes, depending on your pre-existing anxiety level, how relaxed you want to be, and how well adjusted to relaxing you are. Take your time, and practice this exercise regularly, even if you don’t feel that it is always necessary. Because, with practice your body will take less and less time to achieve deep relaxation.

For better ways to cure anxiety, stress, panic, fear, or phobia click here: http://www.johnsreview.net/beatanxiety.html

This article was written by John horrax.

References:

Edmund Jacobson, (2008). TENSE-RELAX FOR DEEP MUSCLE RELAXATION EXERCISE. Retrieved June 22, 2009, from K-State Educational Counseling services.

Frogge, Margaret Hansen RN, MS;Goodman, Michelle RN, MS, OCN;Yarbro, Connie Henke RN, MS, FAAN, (2007). Anxiety: Progressive Muscle Relaxation And Guided Imagery. Retrieved June 22, 2009, from Healthline.

Justin Schwan, Using Imagery to Conquer Anxiety and Depression.

The publication of this article does not constitute the practice of medicine, the information contained in it is not to be construed as medical advice, under no circumstances is it to replace the advice of your doctor or other health care provider.

Imagine you’re lying on a beach. It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining and there is a gentle breeze wafting over your body. Sounds of nature fill the air as you chat and laugh with family and friends. You are surrounded by people you love and respect and who love and respect you. You feel warm, contented and happy, totally relaxed, anxiety-free.

Now imagine a very different scene. It’s the dead of night, you are alone walking down a dimly-lit alley. There are doorways on either side - who knows what’s hiding in them, waiting to pounce? You are scared, your senses are heightened - your sight and hearing have become more sensitive, able to pinpoint the slightest movement or sound. Your breathing and heartbeat have become more rapid, you feel light-headed and dizzy, want to go to the toilet or throw up, your limbs feel shaky and your whole body is now charged with energy, full of anxiety, ready to fight or flee, possibly for your life.

These two scenes represent either end of the anxiety scale. In the first we feel warm, secure and safe, we are fully relaxed, virtually anxiety-free. In the second we are fully tense, in a state of preparedness, highly alert and scared.

Anxiety and panic are a series of mind and body reactions that have evolved over millions of years and are essential to the survival of all living things.

Anxiety probably serves many functions, but two of the main ones are:-

1. It helps prepare our body for action, make us more alert, ready to fight or flee from any imminent threat to our survival - this is related to the direct anxiety symptoms such as fast heartbeat, fast breathing, being jittery and on edge, trembling etc. We can go from being totally relaxed to totally tense in an instant (related to panic).

2. It causes us to plan ahead for any potential dangers and how we may deal with them - an excellent survival strategy (it’s better to deal with a danger or avoid it before we get in the situation) but an unfortunate effect of this is that we can get anxious / nervous just thinking about situations - a main

ingredient in many anxiety disorders - related to symptoms such as persistent negative thoughts (worrying and obsessions).

Anxiety is a part of being alive. Although we may not realise it, it is with us all at varying strengths throughout our lives:-

- Without anxiety [of being knocked down] we wouldn’t be careful when we crossed the road.

- Without anxiety [of not having food and shelter, (or recognition, status, achievement)] we wouldn’t go to work each day.

- Without anxiety, the performances of athletes, entertainers, executives, students etc.would suffer (if they bothered to perform at all)

Anxiety is the fear of being harmed (in some way), it is a ‘preparer’ and an energizer, warning us of danger or potential danger and giving us the ability to avoid or deal with it. It is essential to our survival, yet for a number of reasons it can increase in strength and presence. It may come to be with us more intensely and give rise to anxiety disorders involving such things as persistent worrying and apprehension, panic, phobias, OCD and depression.

In part 2 we’ll look at how these ways in which anxiety works relate to various anxiety disorders (and depression).

Is it me or does the time seem to be going faster and faster every year

Sometimes it can be quite frightening the way the days and weeks go by so quickly. If you’re the worrying type, it’s very easy to get caught up in the whole “time” issue and feel that your life is passing you by. And what does worry do It makes you feel stressed, that’s what it does!

Then all of this stress makes you feel anxious . . . . . and before you know it you’re experiencing those horrible physical symptoms of anxiety.

Time for a change!!

Once you get into the habit of worrying about things it can be a hard habit to break. But worrying is a learned condition and, like any thing learned, it can be unlearned!

But before you can make any headway with changing your habits, let’s have a look at a few things that might be blocking you from making progress.

Are You Worthy

First of all, do you feel that you’re worthy of experiencing happiness Do you feel that you have to “earn” it in some way And by “earning” it I mean do you feel you have to endure some of the more unpleasant things in life before you have “earned” your happiness Is this you

Have you ever gone out for the day with the aim of having a really lovely time and had your day spoilt by worrying thoughts You know you locked the back door on your way out - so why are you suddenly worrying that you’ve left it unlocked Where did that random thought come from all of a sudden

Can you see how your worrying thoughts might be stopping you from experiencing happiness Your brain is literally sabotaging your more pleasant times because it’s been programmed over the years to think that you’re not worthy of true happiness.

Most worries are not useful. So you need to make a positive commitment to cutting down on worrying.

The Worry Notebook

One of the most popular ways of achieving this is to delay your worrying. Get into the habit of postponing your worrying until a later time. Have a special “Worry Notebook” and, as a worrying thought comes to you, make a note of it in your notebook. Tell yourself that the worry is written down (so you won’t forget it) and you will worry about it later.

Whether you actually do go back to your notebook later on or not is up to you, of course. Some people find they cope well by having a special ‘Worry Time’ where they choose to address their worries in an allotted time slot. However, some people find that they forget they ever had the original worry, they don’t refer to the notebook later on and the whole thing gets completely forgotten! How wonderful would that be And all because you chose to delay your worrying rather than dwell on it straight away!

Who knows, maybe if you look back over worries that you’d written down several weeks ago they would seem silly now and totally irrelevant. Why not try it and let me know how you get on

When Worrying Works in Reverse

When you worry about something, it’s a bit like having the Law of Attraction in motion but in a reverse sort of way. If you think about something for long enough your subconscious mind will do all it can to bring that thing into your life. It’s very obedient and “helpful” like that!

Unfortunately, your subconscious mind doesn’t deal with negatives very well. So if you’re always worrying that you don’t want to trip up at an important meeting, your subconscious will be very much focusing on “tripping up”. So don’t be surprised if it happens!

Another example could be that you’re worried about blushing in front of somebody you’re trying to impress. So what are you concentrating on Blushing, that’s right! And your subconscious mind will dutifully concentrate on blushing right along there with you!

So can you see that worry quite often can bring about the very thing you’re worried about !

Using the delaying tactic described above is quite often enough to calm things down with you. If you then choose to use positive visualisation as well (to imagine the smooth way that you would like things to happen rather than dwelling on the worrying aspects) then quite often the results will be amazing!

The biggest problem a person who suffers from anxiety attacks with is how they deal with them. Below we offer some tips that could prove useful for these people and help them to learn how to stop anxiety attacks before they have a chance to take control.

1. If a person really wants to prevent an anxiety attack before it happens then they need to learn the correct techniques to help them relax. The techniques that are used are ones that not only help a person to gain control over their breathing but also help to relax tense muscles. There are plenty of places online that offer lessons to help you relax. It is important when using these lessons to learn the right relaxation techniques that each day you spend 20 minutes practicing what you have been taught.

3. Finally one needs to be aware that when an anxiety attack occurs it causes the levels of adrenaline and energy in the body to increase. Tp>The biggest problem a person who suffers from anxiety attacks with is how they deal with them. Below we offer some tips that could prove useful for these people and help them to learn how to stop anxiety attacks before they have a chance to take control.

1. If a person really wants to prevent an anxiety attack before it happens then they need to learn the correct techniques to help them relax. The techniques that are used are ones that not only help a person to gain control over their breathing but also help to relax tense muscles. There are plenty of places online that offer lessons to help you relax. It is important when using these lessons to learn the right relaxation techniques that each day you spend 20 minutes practicing what you have been taught.

2. Another thing that one can do which can reduce the possibilities of further anxiety attacks is to reduce the amount of stimulants are in your diet. People who do suffer from anxiety attacks may find drinking lots of tea and coffee with caffeine or sugar in them are causing their adrenaline levels to increase. A person who is in a more aroused or alert state when having an anxiety attack will find it far harder to bring them under control.

3. Finally one needs to be aware that when an anxiety attack occurs it causes the levels of adrenaline and energy in the body to increase. To help bring these levels under control a person who suffers from anxiety attacks should be exercising every day for around 20 minutes. Even just a brisk walk can help them to cope with their attacks better. Plus after a while they will start to feel good also.