EVERYONE HAS ANXIETY, it is a survival instinct, deep inside us,
that helps to protect us from getting hurt. And it does this by preparing our
body (and mind) to fight or run away. To fight or flee, the fight-or-flight
response, it is this that makes us scared and prepared in order to keep us
safe.
In the past, dangerous things that could harm us included such
things as wild animals, poisonous snakes and insects, strangers, heights and
confined spaces. Being confronted by any of these could have been life
threatening.
Today, we no longer face
the direct threats of our ancestors. They still exist of course: wild animals,
dangerous strangers
etc. and could potentially kill us in certain circumstances, but
they don't impact our lives as they did.
Today, the threats we face are more subtle and
vague. Problems with…
x_ Partners
in relationships
x_ Family
members
x_ Work
colleagues or the job itself
x_ Money
and bills
x_ Health
and diet
x_ The
violence in the world
…
can make us feel bad,
unhappy and miserable for a long time. They make us uncomfortable, generally
discontented and in a very real way, insecure.
When problems in our life persist or get worse we start to feel
bad and insecure more often. Eventually anxiety (our self protection system)
kicks in, mild at first, usually in form of increased nervousness and
apprehension or some anxiety- related symptom.
We may notice that we are more shaky, sweating more, experiencing
heart palpitations, tightness across the chest or blushing. Any symptom related
to anxiety may develop. And worrying about these symptom only makes them worse
for it increases the anxiety.
These anxiety symptoms reflect our mind and body
warning us that something is not right in our life, something is making us
insecure and we need to stop it or get away from it. If the situation remains
unresolved we can become more and more anxious (with various anxiety symptoms
getting worse) seemingly for no apparent reason.
Reducing
Anxiety Naturally
Today, many people start to experience anxiety
symptoms for the reasons detailed above: unresolved life situations that cause
continuous unhappiness and insecurity.
And the way to deal with short-term anxiety
problems (that seem to have come on for no reason) involves three things:-
1.
Establish
a Reason for the Anxiety (or Depression)
Identify any situation in your life that is regularly causing
unnecessary stress and feelings of insecurity. Realise that such situations would
cause anxiety in anyone and that your symptoms are justified and there for a
reason.
This reduces much of their power. Seeing them as justified and
with an external cause rather than being a medical condition or due to “something
wrong with you” allows you to take control. When anxious (or depressed) accept
it and that it is there for a good reason.
Stressful, negative situations should be removed from your life
completely or avoided wherever possible. And when it's not possible to do this
try to adapt how you react to them so they don't upset you so much.
2.
Learn How
to Relax and Do it Regularly
Relaxation is the physiological opposite of tension. It is
impossible for a relaxed muscle to be tense or a calm mind to be anxious. Find
a relaxation technique that is comfortable and effective and practice it often.
(The 'Progressive Muscle Relaxation' technique developed by Jacobsen in the
1930's still remains one of the most successful methods available today).
3.
Exercise
Often
Endorphines (natural morphine-like chemicals) released by the body
during exercise to combat the stress of the exercise help to alleviate all
stress. Physical exercise also provides a release for pent-up nervous energy
and numerous studies show exercise to be better than anti-depressants at
alleviating (not curing) depression.
Develop an exercise regime appropriate to age, fitness levels and
health (always consult a medical and fitness professional before starting any
exercise regime) and, again, do it regularly.
Identifying and dealing with any stressful life situation combined
with counteracting the mental and physical effects of anxiety and depression
through relaxation and exercise can help to remedy short-term problems.
Anxiety
Disorders and Depression
Excessive and persistent anxiety, uncontrollable worrying, panic
attacks, irrational fears and phobias (particularly social phobia), obsessive
thoughts and compulsive behaviours, even severe depression…
These problems reflect how the human mind tries
to deal with unresolved anxiety.
There is no doubt that persistent nervousness and anxiety, if
unresolved, can lead to serious problems. Indeed, numerous research studies
show that the first thing many people with
long-term anxiety disorders remember about the start of their
problem is “being too nervous for a long time”.
Over time, anxiety that isn’t resolved starts to become linked to
our self rather than any external situation that caused it. It’s how the mind works and it does make
things a bit more complicated, but when we truly understand how this happens it
is possible to cure these problems completely.
Help for
Anxiety Disorders and Severe Depression
If you would like to know more about these problems and about a
new answer for them – one that shows how to cure them completely and
permanently without therapy or
medication