What Is Anxiety?

[admin]

What Is Anxiety?

The word ANXIETY comes from the Latin word ' anxious ' meaning a condition
of agitation and distress. The term has been in use since the 1500's.

You can better understand the nature of anxiety by looking both at what it
is and what it is not. For example , anxiety can be distinguished from fear
in several ways or situation. The event that you fear is usually within the
bounds of possibility directed towards some concrete, external
object . You might fear not meeting a deadline, failing an exam, being
unable to pay your bills, or being rejected by someone you want to please.
When you experience anxiety, on the other hand, you often cannot specify
what it is you're anxious about. The focus of anxiety is more internal than
external. It seems to be a response to a vague, distant , or even unrecognized
danger. You might feel a vague distant or even unrecognized
danger. You might be anxious about "losing control" of yourself or some
situation. Or you might feel a vague anxiety about "something bad happening "

Anxiety affects your whole being. It is a physiological, behavioral and
psychological reaction all at once. On a physiological level , anxiety may
include bodily reactions such as a rapid heartbeat, muscle tension,
queasiness, dry mouth , or sweating. On a behavioral level , it can sabotage your
ability to act, express yourself, or deal with certain everyday situations.

Psychologically anxiety is a subjective state of apprehension and
uneasiness. In its extreme form, it can cause you to feel detached from yourself and
even fearful of dying or going crazy.

To be continued ........
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[admin]

Part 2 Anxiety

The fact that anxiety can effect you on a physiological , behavioral and
psychological level has important implications for your attempts to recover. A
complete program of recovery from an anxiety disorder must intervene at all
three levels to ~~~
1) Reduce physiological reactivity.
2) Eliminate avoidance behavior.
3) Change subjective interpretation ( or self-talk ) which perpetuate a
state of apprehension and worry.

............. to be continued.

[admin]

Anxiety part 3

Anxiety can appear in different forms and at different levels of intensity.
It can range in severity from a mere twinge of uneasiness to a full blown
panic attack marked by heart palpitations, disorientation , and terror. Anxiety
that is not connected with any particular situation , that comes " out of
the blue " is called free-floating anxiety or, in more severe instances , a
spontaneous panic attack. The difference between an episode of free - floating
anxiety and a spontaneous attack can be defined by whether you experience four
or more of the following symptoms at the same time ( the occurrence of four
or more symptoms defines a panic attack )

Shortness of breath.
Heart palpitations ( rapid or irregular heartbeat )
Trembling or shaking.
Sweating.
Choking
Nausea or abdominal distress.
Numbness.
Dizziness or unsteadiness.
Feeling of detachment or being out of touch with yourself.
Hot flashes or chills.
Fear of dying.
Fear of going crazy or out of control.

[admin]

Anxiety part 4

Situational or Phobic Anxiety

If your anxiety arises only in response to a specific situation, it is
called
situational anxiety or phobic anxiety . Situational anxiety is different
from everyday fear in that it tends to be out of proportion or unrealistic,. If
you have a disproportionate apprehension about driving on freeways, going to
the doctor , or confronting your spouse , this may qualify as situational
anxiety. Situational anxiety becomes phobic when you actually start to avoid
the situation; if you give up driving on freeways , going to doctors , or
confronting your spouse altogether. In other words, phobic anxiety is situational;
anxiety that includes persistent avoidance of the situation.

[admin]

Anxiety part 5

Often anxiety can be brought on merely by thinking about a particular
situation. When you feel distressed about what might happen when or if you have to
face one of your phobic situations, you are experiencing what is called
anticipatory anxiety . In its milder forms, anticipatory anxiety is
indistinguishable from ordinary " worrying " But sometimes anticipatory
anxiety becomes intense enough to be called anticipatory panic.

to be continued .......
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[Mr.Willing]

that was beautiful , thnx

[flowersbecomescreens]

This is all too familiar. I have....numerous anxiety disorders. But learning about them helps.
It makes a difference, helps you gain better control. Thanks for sharing. :)