Anxiety Disorder

The information below has been shared by my friend Usha again. who is a life coach.

Lots of thanks to her sharing her knowledge with us and in turn helping people understand various mental health issues in layman terms. 

What is anxiety disorder?

Ø  Occasional anxiety is part of normal life.

Ø  But when in extremes, it is a type of mental health condition where one responds with extreme fear and dread about everyday situations.

Ø  Also comes across in the form of panic attacks.

Ø  They then interfere in daily activities.  In such cases, medical intervention is required. 

Ø  Counselling helps to a certain extent along with medications.  

Different types of anxiety disorders:

Ø  Panic disorders.

Ø   Social anxiety disorder.

Ø   phobia disorders, etc. 

Some symptoms of a person with anxiety disorder are:

Ø  Feeling restless and irritable. 

Ø  Increased heart rate and palpitation.

Ø  Difficulty in decision making.

Ø  Extreme tiredness. 

Ø  Having difficulty in sleeping. 

Ø  Tense muscles. 

Ø  Having difficulty in concentrating or mind going blank.

Ø  Phobias like fear of height, fear of crowd, etc. 

What is Panic Attack?

Ø  Panic attacks are different from anxiety attacks.  They share many similar symptoms. 

Ø  A proper diagnosis is necessary to treat the person.  

Ø  Panic attack occurs with or without a trigger and they typically subside after a few minutes.

Ø  The symptoms are intense and appear suddenly.

Ø  Whereas anxiety attacks are perceived threats and may prevail for longer periods.

Ø  The symptoms are build over time and they last longer.

Ø  Proper therapy and medication, if needed can help a person come out of their disorders with time. 

Some therapy/ techniques helps to reduce anxiety disorder:

1.     CBT- Cognitive Behavior Therapy:

Ø  is a form of psychotherapy which can be used to treat people with anxiety disorders.

Ø   It helps us  manage our problems by changing the way we think and behave.

Ø  It helps focus on the way we deal with our problems and the way we find solutions.  

Ø  It helps us deal with the here and now. 

Ø  It helps identify the thoughts and emotions and how they impact our behavior. 

Ø  Once identified, can work on intervention techniques.  In short, Catch, Check and Change. 

2.     Acceptance therapy:

Ø  is another form of therapy that helps in acknowledging thoughts and emotions and then working on accommodating and allowing the emotions to express themselves.

Ø  Appreciating the message that the emotion wishes to convey in the present moment helps build acceptance of ourselves and gradually helps in bringing about a change in behavior.

Ø  It helps develop psychological flexibility without judging ourselves and our situation. It helps move from a stuck state to a state of growth and change. 

3.     In severe cases, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication need to be administered.

 

4.     Support groups(NGO’s) can help deal with anxiety disorder along with medications, if needed. 

 

5.     A simple 3,3,3 technique can help calm a person with an anxiety disorder by deviating their mind from anxiety feel and brings them to present moment of awareness.

Ø  Notice three things you can see around you.

Ø  Listen to three sounds you can hear.

Ø  Three things you touch.

6.     A few other breathing techniques also help. where in, you focus on your breathing and that takes you away from your anxiety thought process.

Being mindful from time to time helps enhance self awareness and that helps to bring about a change in our thought and emotional pattern. That then brings about a change in our behavior.