I know, anxiety attacks are probably the most frustrating thing a person can go through. I have experienced them myself and never want to again. If you want to get rid of your anxiety attacks and live happier life then I am glad you are here and reading this. I will do whatever I need to do to help you succeed because I have been there and experienced everything you are experiencing. The truth is, you do not need to suffer from the physical symptoms of anxiety any longer and I am going to show you exactly how you can stop your attacks safely and easily.

The first thing you need to do is recognize what your goal is. Right now your goal is to stop having anxiety attacks and cure them for good.

Next, you need to realize that the second you believe the lies that anxiety attacks can not be cured you make it that much harder on yourself to actually cure your physical symptoms of anxiety.

Now I want you to think about what your life would be like if you no longer suffered from anxiety attacks. Think about how much more stress free you would be.

If you want to cure your panic attacks you need to take action. And by taking action I do not mean you need to go to your doctor to see what kind of pills he recommends. Pills are not the answer to getting rid of anxiety. The best way for you to get rid of your anxiety is to practice self relaxation techniques.

Like happiness, times of sadness are inevitable. When we lose a loved one, experience disappointment, or become discouraged, it is normal to feel sad. Midlife also offers a season of “blue” feelings, as children leave home to begin lives of their own, and age begins to affect our body.

But when sadness lingers for long periods of time and colors the world drab, when fatigue zaps energy and emotional enthusiasm wanes, and when feelings of melancholy rob the quality of life . . . that is depression.

Depression hurts; not only the sufferer, but family and close friends as well. In fact, depression can drastically affect a person’s life and health in very negative ways.

“Clinical Depression” is defined as depression that lasts for weeks, months, or even years at a time. Symptoms vary from person to person, and can be mild, moderate, or severe. But the biggest difference between an “ordinary” episode of sadness and Clinical Depression is that in Clinical Depression, symptoms are present most of the day, nearly every day, for a period of at least two weeks.

Depression can negatively affect suffers in a variety of ways. Sleep, appetite, intimacy, and energy can all be affected. Relationships with family and friends can suffer. The ability to think, concentrate, and function is crippled. Hope and enjoyment of every day life can escape the sufferer as interest in daily activities diminishes, and the will to survive seems unimportant.

Not everyone will experience the same group of symptoms, or any individual symptom to the same extent. However, the more symptoms the person experiences, the greater the odds are that they have Clinical Depression.

Let’s take a closer look at the symptoms of Clinical Depression.

1. Ongoing feelings of sadness that lasts for weeks: The person may not even be able to talk about their feelings of sadness, or explain “why” they feel that way. But family and friends can easily tell something is wrong. The person looks and behaves downcast; something is bothering them, something is making them sad.

   Persons who become sad or upset when they experience something significant such as the loss of a job, relationship or money difficulties, or another problem are behaving normally. Their outlook on life and attitude improves in time, or when the situation that first upset them improves. This is not Clinical Depression.

   For sufferers of Clinical Depression, the sadness seems to have come from nowhere, and without warning. Things may be going well in their present day to day life, but they become increasingly “swallowed up” by feelings of melancholy and sadness. They may be confused about their sadness, but feel helpless to change how they feel.

2. Feelings of emptiness take root: When asked, the person may say they feel “nothing,” as opposed to feeling sad or “blue.” There is a deep emptiness or numbness inside. They may feel as though they are going through life in slow motion. They may respond exactly the same to good or bad news. They feel hollow inside; going through the motions of living without enthusiasm.

3. A loss of interest in things once enjoyable: Persons who suffer from Clinical Depression lose interest in hobbies and activities they once enjoyed. In fact, they seem to have lost their ability to experience any enjoyment. Intimacy suffers; some persons lose all desire for .

4. The ability to concentrate, remember, or make decisions becomes increasingly difficult: One of the first signs that the person is having difficulty thinking or retaining thoughts is a problem with listening, and reading. Work becomes difficult, or even impossible. Remembering important things becomes increasingly hard. Relationships suffer as the person begins to isolate himself from others.

5. Difficulty sleeping: Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep is a common problem for persons suffering from Clinical Depression. Many people say they lie awake in bed for hours at a time, eyes wide open, unable to sleep. Once they do manage to fall asleep, they toss and turn, and wake up after only a few hours. The resulting fatigue caused from sleeplessness further compounds the problem.

   Other persons suffering from Clinical Depression experience the opposite problem. They sleep continually. Even after adequate sleep, they find it difficult to get out of bed in the morning, or to stay awake during the day. Yet, they never feel rested, and want more and more sleep.

6. Loss of motivation: Clinical Depression is exhausting. It robs energy and motivation. Fatigue is intense and can be disabling. Many times, the person’s appearance suffers. In fact, though normally particular about how they dress, they may dress in wrinkled clothes that are dirty and mismatched. When asked why, they may say they are just too tired to care how they look.

7. Appetite and eating habits change: Many times a person with Clinical Depression will lose large amounts of weight, because they no longer care about food. They have no appetite, and the taste of food is no longer satisfying. Their clothes may hang limply on them. Although loss of appetite is the more common of the two, other persons go on eating binges and gain a lot of weight. They can’t seem to get control over their eating habits, and snack constantly.

8. Lack of self-esteem: As the depression continues, many sufferers begin to feel worthless. They may feel their life has no real value. Some persons experience deep guilt for things beyond their control. Even the fact that they are depressed can cause some persons to feel guilty, which in turn makes them feel even more depressed. When family and friends attempt to console them, the negative feelings persist.

9. Physical symptoms manifest: Surprisingly, some of the most prominent symptoms of Clinical Depression are complaints of physical discomforts such as aches, pains, and digestive disorders. The sufferer may begin to attribute their depression to a medical problem, but an examination will often turn up no reason for the pain and discomfort.

   Depression can weaken the immune system’s ability to fight off disease, and can heighten the risk of heart and other diseases. In fact, one Finnish study revealed that when all other risk factors were equal, depressed men had two to four times greater risk of plaque buildup in their arteries than men who were not depressed.

10. Thoughts of imminent or As the depression continues, thoughts of and take root. The person feels that their life will never get better, and that it might be better if they didn’t exist. Sometimes these feelings become so strong, the person makes plans to .

11. Abnormal thoughts: Persons with severe Clinical Depression may experience episodes that both confuse and scare them. They may hear imaginary voices. They may obsess with hypochondria, paranoia, or other such manifestations.

12. A change in physical activity: Daily tasks are an effort and take longer to complete. Feelings of restlessness or listlessness may persist. Some sufferers experience zombie-like “trances,” while others feel anxious or nervous and are unable to relax and sit still.

The Oxford Reference Dictionary says that depression is “a state of extreme dejection often with physical symptoms”. There are, as with anything, different types of this condition which range in duration and severity.

The human condition is one that brings with it what is often called “moods”. You can be in a good, bad, high, low or indifferent mood. It is normal to experience all these moods at different times. Some of these moods can be started by conscious events in our lives whilst at other times we may be unaware of why we feel a particular way. Sometimes there may be a physical reason for feeling one of these moods.

The word ‘depression’ or ‘feeling depressed’ is often used to refer to feeling ‘blue’ or ‘down’ even though this state may last for only a short period of time. Referring to this short time of feeling down as depression is not accurate and it is important to distinguish between occasional low moods and depression.

Depression is when someone experiences a sustained period of dejection or feeling low that seems to have little respite or it can be a low mood that seems to continue to return on a regular basis. To this end there are categories of depression ranging from what is considered mild depression to the heavier and longer lasting low moods of chronic, clinical or manic depression.

What are the Symptoms of Depression?

Typically a person with depression may experience any or all of the following:

1) Loss of appetite
2) Broken sleep or insomnia
3) A constant feeling of dread
4) A lack of motivation
5) Feelings of guilt
6) Low self-esteem and self-confidence
7) A sense of being trapped with no means of escape
A sense of shame and failing
9) A pessimistic outlook on life (always expecting the worst to happen)
10) A lack of energy
11) A hunched stance, unhappy expression and negative attitude to any or everything
12) A sense of being a victim or always having bad luck
13) A high level of stress or anxiety

In the mildly depressed person only some of the above may apply for only a short period of time. In the person with manic depression many more of these symptoms may be true and can be coupled with psychotic episodes of delusions, hallucinations and a loss of a sense of reality. Anyone with manic depression should be under the supervision of a psychiatrist and will probably be prescribed drugs to help the condition.

It is for the mild forms of depression that other forms of help such as counseling, hypnotherapy and EFT may be useful. Certainly if you do feel that you are depressed, even if it is only a mild form of depression and has been with you for a only few days or keeps returning sporadically, you should go and see your doctor first. It is not the intention of this article to address anything other than mild depression.

There are a number of events that can trigger mild depression. These can be:

1) A divorce
2) Shock or upsetting news
3) Loss of a job
4) Loss of the home
5) Being assaulted (mugged)
6) A burglary
7) Rape or constant abuse
Physical, verbal or psychological abuse at home or at work

These ‘life events’ happen to all of us. It is how we perceive them and ultimately deal with them that make the difference between someone who handles the crisis and someone who feels unable to cope. Even children can suffer with depression, which may be due to factors in the home or at school.

For those people with mild depression, which they know has been caused by a particular event or events, the Up From Depression self-hypnosis CD may help. Sometimes all it takes is a different way of viewing or perceiving matters for the person feeling low to gain a new sense of perspective and proportion. Certainly the relaxation qualities of any self-hypnosis CD will help the stress that often is felt with depression.