Tired of being anxious?

What is anxiety?

First of all, it is important to be aware that anxiety is a normal response to what is happening around us. In other words, it is warning us about negative things which might come up. 

However, anxiety can become a problem when it is experienced out of context or even exaggerated. In some cases, it can turn us into an irrational person to the point of developing an unhealthy stress pattern.

For example, if you were to jump over a bridge, a certain level of anxiety would probably prevent you from doing it. But if you were anxious about crossing the bridge safely by car or by foot, this would be an abnormal and irrational response, which means that it would be an unhealthy level of anxiety.

The physical effects of anxiety disorder

Some of the physical effects of anxiety can include shaking or trembling of the extremities, breaking out into a cold sweat, becoming short of breath, feeling like your heart is coming out of your chest or your heart rate becomes very fast and you start to feel light-headed or faint. It can make you feel weak as well. This affects different people in different ways. Some people that have the physical effects try to avoid other people when having these signs and symptoms, as they feel others are watching them and see that they are shaky or weak and feel funny and do not want to have attention brought to themselves. 

Treatments and techniques to beat anxiety

There are two major approaches to combating anxiety. There are treatments that are prescribed by a professional such as tranquilisers, antidepressants or simply counselling (mainly CBT).

The other approach consists of techniques you can use yourself. Meditation, mindfulness, gentle exercises, relaxation and even yoga are common ways to help overcome anxiety.