The Biggest Cause of Anxiety
Anxiety is apprehension of experiencing fear in the future. The danger feared isn’t imminent and may not even be known or realistic. In contrast, fear is an emotional and physical reaction to a present, known threat. Anxiety is typically characterized by obsessive worry and an inability to concentrate that may affect our sleep.
It can trigger a full-blown fight-flight-or-freeze response of our sympathetic nervous system that prepares us to meet real danger. However, a big difference between fear and anxiety is that because anxiety is an emotional response to something that hasn’t occurred — there is nothing to fight or flee. Therefore, tension builds up inside our body, but there is no action we can take to release it. Instead, our mind goes round and round, replaying possibilities and scenarios.
Physical symptoms can include:
Increased heart rate
Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
Perspiration
Shortness of breath
Tunnel vision
Nausea or diarrhea
Dry mouth
Dizziness
Restlessness
Muscle tension
When excessive, unrealistic worry persists about two or more things for at least six months and is accompanied by at least three of these symptoms: irritability, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, sleep problems, or the last two listed above. In some cases, anxiety can manifest in specific phobias that are inappropriate to the specific situation, or in a panic disorder, where we feel sudden, unprovoked terror that can cause chest pain and a choking sensation and be mistak...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Darlene Lancer, JD, MFT Tags: Abuse Addictions Anti-anxiety Borderline Personality Cognitive-Behavioral DBT Disorders Family General Grief and Loss Medications Panic Disorder Personal Stories Psychotherapy Relationships & Love Self-Esteem Adrenaline A Source Type: news
More News: Addiction | Anxiety | Bipolar | Borderline Personality Disorder | Cardiology | Child Abuse | Children | Depression | Environmental Health | Heart | Heart Attack | Mania | Pain | Panic Disorder | Phobias | Psychiatry | Psychotherapy | Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy | Sleep Disorders | Sleep Medicine | Social Anxiety Disorder | Substance Abuse | Women