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Suffer No More From Panic Anxiety Attacks - Vanquish All Fears And Enjoy Life
http://www.anxietyandwomen.com/panic
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Anxiety Attack Symptoms
An anxiety attack sometimes referred to as a panic attack
can be a very terrifying experience. The symptoms of anxiety
attacks can be very confusing as usually the person has no
idea as to why their body is reacting in the manner it is.
If you have experienced some of these unusual symptoms (below)
while experiencing anxiety let me help you to understand it
better and try and put your mind at ease.
Firstly anxiety attacks are very treatable. It is very important
that you speak with your doctor if you are experiencing these
anxiety attack symptoms in order to receive an accurate diagnosis.
Getting your anxiety symptoms investigated after you first
experience them will help reassure you that nothing more serious
might be wrong.
So what are the typical anxiety attack symptoms?
The most common symptoms of anxiety attacks are: Palpitations
Pounding heart or an accelerated heart rate
Sweating
Trembling or shaking
Shortness of breath
A choking sensation
Chest pain or discomfort
Nausea or stomach cramps
A feeling of being dizzy
Unsteadiness
Lightheadedness or feeling faint
Derealization (a feeling of unreality)
Depersonalization (a feeling of being detached from oneself)
Fear of losing control or going crazy
Fear of dying Numbness or a tingling sensation
Chills or hot flashes
(Source Source: American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV-TR) 2000 Washington, DC.)
These are some of the possible symptoms of a anxiety attack but
what does it actually feel like to experience one?
Usually an anxiety attack begins with an unusual bodily sensation
from the list above. The person then reacts with fear that the
symptoms are indicators of a much more serious threat and in turn
reacts with more fear which escalates into a state of heightened
anxiety. A vicious cycle of anxiety and fear can begin.
Typical situations people report having an anxiety attack are:
Driving
Airplanes
Crowded areas
At Night while sleeping
Often anxiety attacks occur in a situation where the person feels
they cannot exit easily from such as a meeting or out socializing
with others. Many can also experience an anxiety attack for no
apparent reason while at home or in the middle of sleep.
People who first experience these symptoms feel a sense of foreboding
and that there is something terribly wrong with their health. This
is understandable as anyone who has experienced an anxiety attack can
tell you how unusual the bodily sensations are.
What initially may have been a once off out of the blue anxiety attack
can develop into a perpetual cycle of fear and anxiety if not treated.
This cycle can last from weeks to years depending on how much help the
person receives. I want to point out that anxiety attacks are not a
mental illness. The great news is that this disorder is very treatable.
You do not have to fear you will spend your life living with this condition.
More often than not the symptoms of anxiety attacks cause people to
worry that there is some larger problem lurking behind the unusual
sensations. If you have experienced anxiety attack symptoms do not
convince yourself that you have a clinical illness. You do not.
Experiencing anxiety attacks and their associated symptoms does
not mean that you have a physical or mental illness. Your brain is
fine; your body is fine. You can return to a more relaxed level of
living if you follow the steps and psychological techniques I am
going to outline for on this site.
Learn to trust is your body. Yes it may be experiencing a wide range
of strange anxiety attack symptoms but it is well able to handle this.
During an anxiety attack many of the symptoms are similar to those
of a really good workout:
Increased heartbeat rate
Sweating
Increased bodily sensations
Rapid breathing
You do not become fearful of these symptoms while exercising and
therefore you should not fear them should they be present while
experiencing anxiety.
The fuel that really drives the anxiety symptoms is anxious thinking.
The what if thoughts that appear during an anxiety attack create the
powerful drive that fuels the anxiety much longer than it would
normally last.
"What if I have a heart attack"
"What if my mind loses control"
"What if I do something crazy or faint"
"What if I cannot get out of here"
In order to extinguish the fuel that drives the anxiety attack we
need to eliminate these anxious thoughts. Tackling anxious thinking
effectively requires a two-pronged approach. To eliminate the
negative thinking patterns there needs to be a shift in attitude
along with specific visualization tools.
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Suffer No More From Panic Anxiety Attacks - Vanquish All Fears And Enjoy Life
http://www.anxietyandwomen.com/panic
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