Ok so in my case Anxiety comes in many forms. Which are classified into these catagories:
Social Anxiety: Is when you feel like you are going to be judged in a bad way by others even though you have no reason to feel that way. It's mostly anticipation. Like you THINK you're going to be judged by other people when in fact when you're in the situation you'll find it was all in your head. Social Anxiety is normal when its shyness or something like that but if its leading you to avoid social situations then it must be confronted.
Seperation Anxiety Disorder: is when you feel a lot of feelings of anxiety when you are away from somewhere you feel safe, for example at home, of from someone you feel safe with, for example your mam or dad. Feeling like this are being afraid to stay home alone or with someone you don't feel safe with even though they could be part of your family, or worrying that you wont be able to be around that person, or worrying that something is going to happen to that person if you are not around them. Seperation Anxiety is normal for little kids and stuff but when it starts to affect your everyday life then it needs to be dealt with.
Agoraphobia: is an anxiety disorder that develops as a complication of panic attacks, or it may arise from the fear of having a panic attack in a place where there is no easy way of escaping or where they feel like they have no control, or social anxiety problems may be an underlying cause. People with Agoraphobia tend to avoid public and unfamiliar places especially large open spaces like shopping centers and airports because they don't feel safe and 'there is nowhere to hide'. In really bad cases the person would remain at home and have great difficulty leaving this 'safe place'. Agoraphobia usually happens after people experience a number of panic attacks because they fear another panic attack is going to happen, ofen going to extreme lengths to avoid these situations.
Panic attacks: can last from as short as 15 seconds to about 30 minutes. Panic attacks happen when you feel nothing but fear and it takes over your whole body leading to shaking, sweating, feeling sick or numb, feeling like your chest is tight or you can't breathe, or you feel dizzy or start hyperventilating. Not all of these feelings are experianced it depends on the person. But know these are just feelings and nothing more and should disappear once you start to relax by doing, for example deep breathing or distracting yourself. But if you experience a lot of panic attacks that alter how you live your life you should get some advice on how to get it sorted.
The most common forms of treatments are:
Prolonged exposure: which is when you keep going to the place or doing the thing that causes you anxiety until you don't feel it anymore.
Support groups: which is where a group of people get together to face the problems that cause them anxiety.
Therapy: which is attanding a psychologist. The most common form of treatment here is C.B.T which is Cognitive behavioral therapy. This is found to be very effective.
I would not UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES recommend anti-depressants or anti-anxiety drugs as most of the time they don't work and the side effects are someimes worse than the actual symptoms!
I would however recommend Homeopathy as a form of treatment. It offers natural remedies with no known side effects that help to restore your internal balance and lessen the feelings of anxiety. I am taking it at the moment and I find everyday life a lot easier now that I am taking it. It is something to think about as a form of treatment in association with a psychologist. However some people who practise Homeopathy also offer psychological treatment along side their remedies like in my case.
Peace and Love
Robyn
Peace
