I’ve heard that Buddhists describe the state of constantly recurring problems in which we can sometimes find ourselves; to them the origin of this state is ignorance, it is a misunderstanding of existence. The truth is that everything in life is dependent on other factors and everything is in a constant state of change, whereas ignorance sees everything in a fixed sense; we especially see ourselves in a very fixed way; as if things weren’t in this state of continual change. “My problems”, “my life”, “my job”, “my house”, “my car”, “my turn”, “I’m next” “me” “myself” and “mine”....

As such we make ourselves very fixed. We have great attachment to ourselves. We want to look after ourselves we want ourselves to be happy, if our neighbor or a guy down the road is not happy so what, as long as we are okay…. “I want to travel”, “I want to see this”, “I want to do such and such”, “I don’t want to do that”, “I want this”, “I wanted that” becomes our life story. We put ourselves first all the time. Everyone else comes in second place. Of course no one would come out and say such a thing outright, but its clear from the way we do things that this is, in fact, exactly what is happening.

This is where anxiety comes from, because we are constantly preoccupied with ourself. We become preoccupied with ourselves and all of our concerns?to such an extent?that these concerns get excess attention. The key is that they are to do with ourselves, even insignificant things, provided they are to do with us, gain a heightened sense of significance. Anxiety is very closely linked to this self-centeredness.

Instead, focus your attention on helping other people, even people you don’t know, and sympathizing with them, and helping them through their struggles. This will work wonders for reducing your own anxiety levels.

Stress is the biggest contributor to anxiety and it is self-induced! Consequently, it is under your direct control. Stop! Take breaks, and learn to relax. If all you can manage is 5 minutes here and there, then make that 5 minutes count; listen to a song you like, or do something else you enjoy. You also need to find time, to do nothing, to let your mind unwind. To treat yourself, and have some fun.

Although we can’t slow down the pace of life we can slow down our minds. Only ever do one thing at a time. When something that causes you anxiety happens, stop, close your eyes and count slowly to twenty. Break whatever it is that’s causing you anxiety down into small easy to handle steps. Then take it on one step at a time, at an easy pace. Then afterwards let your mind relax for a time. Take a break from the cycle of stress and tension and just “lax out”. Don’t continually over-exert your mind. Take time off for you. Learn to say “no” to people. Clear your day of scheduled plans with nothing at all planned.

Do not allow yourself to get stressed over something which you have no or little control over. If your mind is on “overload” that is your body’s way of telling you that you need to stop, relax, and regroup even if for only a moment or two. Start by breathing through your nose, not your mouth, and practicing some controlled breathing exercises, such as buteyko (shallow breathing exercises); if you have a medical condition such as a heart condition consult your doctor first. By doing shallow breathing exercises, you will be able to slow your system down, and get your body to relax physically. Try closing your eyes, while shallow breathing through your nose for five minutes, and relax as you do; concentrate on your breathing, while clearing your mind of all thoughts.

Other ways to unwind include taking a relaxing hot bath, this will help your mind to clear and relieve your mind of stress and your body of tension. Another way is to occupy yourself with games or other activities that are filled with fun and entertainment. You could also take a break to watch a comedy and have a laugh, talk to someone, go exercise, sit by the sea, watch a sunset from beginning to end, spend time in nature, go for a walk along the beach, or next to a river, listen to the sounds of nature, take a vacation, go somewhere tranquil. Whatever it is that makes you feel relaxed.

Many people who suffer from anxiety disorder suffer more when trying to find an anxiety attacks treatment. The market is full of techniques and methods that the anxiety sufferer my get an episode just by looking at all these options that all claim to have the solution.  

One word of assurance we would like to give is that the challenge does not lie with all the options available or with the fraud that is filling up this area. The challenge is within our own understanding of our anxiety case.  

Why do we say it is a word of assurance? Because when the answer is within our hands and our control is much easier to find and solve, but if it lies somewhere out of our reach and control then it will be very hard to get.  

As we said our understanding of our anxiety disorder forms the basis of solving the confusion. The first thing that we need to know if actually suffer from anxiety, or is it to the best of our knowledge we suffer from anxiety.  

The real question is how did we arrive to the conclusion that we suffer from anxiety disorder? Was it the symptoms? If it was the symptoms we need to know this: most if not all anxiety physical symptoms are shared with other medical conditions.  

Maybe we talked about what we experience to friends and family. A couple of those have friends who went through the same experience. They told us about the things those people did to overcome their anxiety disorder. We think we should do the same since what my friends’ friends went through seems similar to what we are going through.

I guess you get the picture. The first thing that we need to do when we experience out of the normal symptoms is to seek professional medical help. Only a doctor should give you a diagnosis. You are not an expert, your family members are not experts, your friends nor are their friends experts. The doctor is the only expert who is entitled to give you a diagnosis.  

Once you are sure that your diagnosis shows an anxiety disorder, then you would need to know what type of anxiety disorder it is. You will need to understand the reasons and probable causes lying behind your anxiety case. Now you are ready to find an anxiety attacks treatment.  

Now your search is concentrated, you know what you are looking for and you understand you understand the details of your anxiety case. Still you will find different methods and techniques. To be able to overcome this kind of diversity, you will need to understand what you are capable of and what kind of discipline you can handle.   Regardless of the effectiveness of the program, if you cannot stick to what the program requires then the program will do what it is supposed to do, and you will not get the results you expect.  

When you find something that you think could work for you, what you need to do is to conduct a constructive research to understand the credibility and effectiveness of the program. Then you need to understand if you are capable of following what the program requires.