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Understanding Anxiety

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Written by Paul Forcey

Sunday, 09 March 2008

by PaulForcey

Understanding anxiety and what causes it can help you on the road to dealing more effectively with your own or someone elses anxiety. We all at some stages in our lives come under some kind of stress that causes an adverse reaction and affects the way we deal with the situation.

Most of us have learned over the years how to deal with stressful situations that we may come up against , we may get annoyed and we may feel frustrated. This is normal, however people who suffer with anxiety feel the same emotions that all of us do but they tend to feel them far more intensely and for extensive periods of time .

All anxiety is not the same, you may feel some anxiety before a test or a exam, or maybe before you have to go into a meeting with your boss. This level of anxiety is perfectly normal, when you start feeling that anxiety every waking minute (and it stops you sleeping) in the weeks , or months, running up to the test or meeting, then you may be suffering with some form of anxiety.

Anxiety is a state of mind but it can have huge affects on peoples physical health as well as their mental health. People with the most common form of anxiety , Generalized Anxiety Disorder, make up as much as 5% of the population in the USA. These figures show that anxiety is a much bigger problem than most of us realize.

Going to a medical professional is vital, but it can also be difficult for anxiety to be recognized as it may well be just one of many medical conditions that a person is suffering from. Getting treated for any physical medical conditions first is a good idea , as you may find that your anxiety improves as your physical health does. It certainly can't become any worse.

Some of the symptoms that a anxiety sufferer will display can greatly affect not just them but everyone in their social circle as well as family members. Restless, edgy and irritable - These symptoms can lead to confrontations with family members. Sleeplessness - Days or weeks with little sleep will compound the physical problems that anxiety sufferers often experience.

Day to day life can be tough for all of us, but if you are suffering from anxiety then it becomes even more difficult to manage with the problems that are thrown at most of us every day. These small problems mount up and the negative affects compound until the anxiety sufferer can't cope anymore and gives up his job and just stays home.

Although it may seem impossible there is help available for all of the anxiety disorders. The difficult step for most people is getting the friend or family member to admit they need help and go to see their Dr. When they do admit they have a problem and go to see their Dr he will most likely start them on a course of medication. Medication is not a instant fix for anxiety, understanding and support for the anxiety sufferer will be as valuable as any medication that can be prescribed.

Anxiety like any mental health issue is more complicated than it seems, it can be affected by something as simple as a diet or lifestyle change. You must be totally honest with your Dr when you go to see him tell him what you eat and drink as well as whether you are on any other medication (prescribed or not).

About the Author:

Understanding anxiety can be almost impossible especially if it is taking such a toll on your family, work and social life. Anxiety affects over 5% of the US population so you are not the only one with anxiety.