Jamie Clark74 said:
LET'S START WITH "PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLNESSES"
I know we can all find much better information online in just about any language, but I've noticed some people just don't like digging through the web. So, I’m sharing what I think is most useful.
:The data provided on these pages cannot, and is not intended to, serve as a substitute for a medical examination. Intermed is not and cannot be held responsible for any provisional diagnoses or treatments based on the information available here. Always entrust your healthcare to your personal physician.
Anxiety
Definition
A state characterized by feelings of tension, dread, fear—extending all the way to panic—accompanied by psychomotor tension, internal restlessness, and a sensation as if one might "explode." Anxiety is most often unmotivated and isn't tied to a specific object or person.
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time. In fact, being unable to feel anxiety at all could actually be a sign of a serious issue. We live in a world full of risks, and anxiety is just one way our body helps the mind recognize danger.
As with most mental health conditions, the mere appearance of a symptom or psychological state isn't the problem; the problem lies in its intensity—specifically, how much it interferes with your normal life.
What are the symptoms?
Psychiatrists generally categorize anxiety into three main types: generalized anxiety, phobias, and Panic Disorder. If there is an especially difficult or problematic situation at work or home, the stress resulting from that situation can spill over into other parts of life, thereby creating anxiety.
Similarly, someone who has gone through a very terrifying experience might carry that fear into their daily life. This is known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While it's little comfort for what the person is going through, it at least allows them to identify the cause of those unpleasant emotions.
It seems that emotional struggles rooted in anxiety tend to follow their own logic. Some psychiatrists refer to this as "free-floating anxiety."
Unlike phobias or panic, with generalized anxiety, the person doesn't always have a clear reason for why they feel anxious—they simply feel it all the time. When there is no identifiable cause, people often become anxious simply because they are *always* anxious! That’s how anxiety begins to feed itself, creating a vicious cycle.
People suffering from anxiety may frequently experience the following symptoms:
-low patience levels
-difficulty concentrating
-expecting the worst possible outcome in any situation
-constantly ruminating on the worst-case scenario
-trouble sleeping
-becoming depressed
-becoming preoccupied or obsessive about certain things
These psychological symptoms can lead to, or be accompanied by, physical symptoms:
-increased thirst
-nervous stomach
-flatulence
-frequent urination
-inability to respond to sexual stimulation
-chest tightness
-periods of heart palpitations
-muscle aches
-headaches
-confusion
-tremors
-missed or extremely painful periods in women
The link between physical and psychological symptoms can create a feedback loop where any one symptom can trigger another.
In a panic attack, anxiety progresses rapidly into a crisis. With generalized anxiety, patients often manage to keep things under control, even as the cycle continues. The effort required to maintain that control is incredibly stressful in itself—which essentially adds fuel to the fire. This is one way people start feeling anxious about being anxious, further intensifying the problem.
How likely am I to have this disorder?
Nearly 100% of people experience anxiety at some point. Over the course of a year, about 5% will deal with generalized anxiety severe enough to disrupt their daily lives. Most of those individuals won't even reach out for professional help.
What can I do to help myself?
The first step is trying to understand how anxiety actually works. It’s essentially a mix of physical and psychological symptoms—part of a biological response psychologists call "fight or flight." When the body senses a threat, it instinctively prepares to either fight back, defend itself, or simply run from the danger.
Relaxation
To tackle anxiety, you first have to break the cycle. One way to do this is by dampening those physical sensations through various relaxation techniques. Just a heads-up: relaxation isn't an instant fix. It's a skill you have to learn, and like any other skill, it only improves with steady, persistent practice.
Physical Exercise
Another strategy to ease the physical symptoms within that cycle is "aerobic" exercise. I'm talking about walking, running, or basically any activity that gets your heart rate up just a little bit.
Strengthening your heart muscle can make it more resilient, which may help reduce those sudden, uncomfortable bouts of palpitations. Exercise also helps release built-up tension in the body, which can otherwise fuel your anxiety.
Diet
Caffeine shows up in many refreshing drinks, not just coffee and tea. It’s a good idea to avoid caffeinated beverages as much as possible, as they can easily trigger that anxiety cycle. Caffeine affects the heart, speeds it up, and acts as a diuretic—both of which mimic the signs of generalized anxiety. It can also mess with your sleep, which is another anxiety trigger.
If you're exhausted, your emotions become harder to manage, making you more susceptible to anxiety. Trying to fix fatigue with caffeine usually just makes things worse.
Learn to say "no"!
This might actually be the best therapy there is. We often take on too many responsibilities without considering how difficult they'll be to handle. You might find yourself realizing you've overcommitted. Usually, it's not just one single thing causing the anxiety. But as we pile obligations onto our lives, we get more and more anxious with every new task.
Anxiety can build up until you feel like you're hitting a breaking point. It's just as draining to feel a little anxious about everything as it is to feel intense anxiety over one specific thing.
Monitor your thoughts and feelings
Sometimes it helps to think about anxiety the same way someone with asthma thinks about their breathing. Everyone breathes, just as everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lives. Just as an asthmatic monitors their lung function, it’s useful to check in on your anxiety levels regularly. You can use specific techniques to spot problems before they escalate into something unmanageable.
Professional Help
For some, developing the tools to face and solve these issues is only possible with professional guidance. Your first point of contact should be your primary care physician or family doctor.
Many people find they can manage this disorder quite well if they utilize medication early on. A common group used is benzodiazepines; they are very effective, but they carry a risk of dependency. They shouldn't be taken for more than a month. The window of relief they provide is often enough to help a person stabilize and start tackling the underlying issue.
If the problem persists, you might need to see a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist. At that stage, antidepressant treatment might be necessary, along with looking at the bigger picture of the person's life—things like friendships, romantic relationships, family dynamics, self-esteem, and overall life expectations.
🙂😉 :cool
Man, I dealt with anxiety for about a year or two, and let me tell you, it is a nasty, ugly feeling to deal with.
I was deployed in the war and saw some heavy stuff, and honestly, I drank a hell of a lot during that time. I mean, you know how it is when you're stuck in a trench, just waiting for a bomb to drop on your head at any second? Or when you find yourself in those split-second situations where it's either you or them, and someone’s gotta die? That is anything but easy. And let's be real, staying sober in those moments is incredibly tough, but that was just my daily reality....
After I got back from the war, I felt that same crushing anxiety—that restlessness, that constant sense of dread....
The symptoms I went through were:
Feeling super restless in big crowds (especially in the middle of the city or in busy cafes)
That tight, squeezing feeling in my chest
Feeling like I couldn't catch my breath
The terrifying fear that I was actually losing my mind
The fear that I was going to collapse right there
The fear that I was having a heart attack
Losing all my self-confidence
My mood just tanking
Weird, intrusive thoughts
And a few other little things.... But trust me on this: the best way to tackle this kind of stuff is to stay busy, especially with physical work, hitting the gym, or some kind of sport.
When you're actually engaged in something, you don't have the headspace to dwell on all that nonsense. Most of the time, you only start spiraling because you're bored and your mind starts wandering toward those stupid thoughts...
I did take some pills here and there, like Xanax, and Helax if I really needed it....
All in all, I can tell you, this anxiety stuff is one crazy ride...