Anxiety Solutions
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Sudden anxiety panic attacks are seemingly out of the blue and unprovoked. Often they are very intense and terrifying. In many attacks sufferers report that they experienced a sense of dying.
Symptoms of an attack also include a rapid pounding heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pains and obsessive thoughts of embarrassment, fear and worry. Dread and fear of something bad happening is a common symptom too.
People who suffer from panic disorder and agoraphobia are more likely to suffer from a panic attack. Agoraphobia can vary in severity and many people can live their lives quite normally without too many limitations.
People who suffer from agoraphobia have a fear of embarrassing themselves in a situation where they cannot readily escape. The fear of being seen to have a panic attack is enough to put them off from certain situations.
Attacks are the result of the fight or flight response, also known as the stress response. The stress response played a vital role in man’s survival back when men were hunting prey with spears.
The fight or flight response triggers increase in heart rate and blood pressure, a boost in adrenaline and energy. This helped man prepare for an attack. Thousands of years on and our brain chemistry have remained relatively unchanged.
Although many scientists believe that the stress response is the cause for many anxiety disorders it does have its uses. In modern day society, the stress response is triggered too frequently and unnecessarily triggered.
It’s not likely that you’re going to be hunted down by a lion but it could save you from a thief or a dangerous situation. However, when adrenaline and other hormones aren’t expelled from the body, it can damage the mind and body. This may lead to anxiety disorders.
Mental illnesses can sometimes be debilitating making life diffciult to cope with. Fortunately anxiety disorders can be treated. Moreover, therapies like hypnosis and CBT are effective at treating anxiety and depression.
