Anxiety
This is a normal reaction to stress.
It helps you to deal with any important situations be it in the office, studying etc.
It will keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps you to manage yourself.
However, when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a destructive anxiety disorder.
Anxiety can be accompanied by physical effects such as heart palpitations, nausea, chest pain, shortness of breath, stomach aches, or headaches.
This can also be coupled with the feeling of nausea. Physically, the body prepares to deal with what it perceives as a threat.
Blood pressure and heart rate are increased, sweating is increased, blood flow to muscle groups increases and immune and digestive system functions are inhibited (the fight or flight response).
External signs of anxiety may include pale skin, sweating, trembling and many others.
If you are suffering from anxiety you may also experience it as a sense of dread or panic.
Panic attacks
These are sudden surges of overwhelming fear that that comes without warning and without any obvious reason.
It is far more intense than having anxiety or the feeling of being ‘stressed out’ that most people experience.
One out of every 75 people worldwide will experience panic attacks at one time in their lives.
People who have full-blown, repeated panic attacks can become very disabled by their condition and should seek treatment before they start to avoid places or situations where panic attacks have occurred.
For example, if a panic attack happened in an elevator, someone with panic disorder may develop a fear of elevators that could affect the choice of a job or an apartment, and restrict where that person can seek medical attention or enjoy entertainment
Panic attacks are not dangerous, but they can be terrifying, largely because it feels ‘crazy’ and ‘out of control.’
Panic disorder is frightening because of the panic attacks associated with it, and also because it often leads to other complications such as phobias, depression, medical complications, even suicide.
The symptoms of panic attacks
– Racing heartbeat
– Difficulty breathing, feeling as though you can’t get enough air
– The terror that is almost paralyzing
– Nervous, shaking, stress
– Heart palpitation, feeling of dread
– Dizziness, light-headedness or nausea
– Trembling, sweating, shaking
– Choking, chest pains, distress
– Fear, fright, afraid, anxious
– Hot flashes, or sudden chills
– Tingling in fingers or toes (‘pins and needles’)
– Fearful that you’re going to go crazy or are about to die.
Don’t suffer from panic attacks or anxiety. Contact me to find out more and so I can answer and questions you may have.