Tips For Managing Nervousness
If you are prone to nervousness, there are several ways to ease your symptoms. The following are some easy tips to can help get your nerves under control:
- Practice, practice, practice. You’re less likely to freeze up if you’re prepared. If you have a presentation coming up, practice until you feel relaxed. If you’re nervous about a hard conversation you must have with a friend or loved one, try thinking through or even writing down what you want to say. Nothing calms nerves and gives you as much confidence as being well-prepared.
- Breathe. When you’re nervous, your muscles tighten and you may even hold your breath. Take a few deep breaths to get oxygen to your brain and relax your body.
- Stay positive. When the nervousness bubbles up, don’t freak out. Remember, that it’s normal to feel nervous sometimes and remind yourself that it will pass.
What Is An Anxiety Disorder
We all feel anxious from time to time, but anxiety disorders are more than a temporary bout of worry or fear. An anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent, overwhelming feelings of anxiety, worry, or fear that are intense enough to interfere with an individuals day-to-day life. People with an anxiety disorder experience stress that is out of proportion to the thing they are worrying about and are unable to put these negative thoughts aside. They may feel constantly tense and on-edge, even if they arent certain what exactly they are anxious about.
Obtaining A Professional Diagnosis
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How To Tell If An Attack Is Anxiety Or Something Else
The biggest question people have is whether or not they suffered from an anxiety attack or something more physically serious, like a heart attack.
Unfortunately, the symptoms are so close to each other that the only way to tell is to talk to a doctor. The important thing to realize is that anxiety attacks are quite common, and heart attacks/serious health issues in those that are younger and are generally in good health are less common. There are a few differences as well:
- Although both may cause vomiting, heart attacks are more likely to lead to vomiting.
- Chest pains during heart attacks tend to radiate more throughout the shoulder.
- Anxiety attacks are more likely to have a âpeakâ at about 10 minutes.
It is always a good idea to speak with your doctor at least once.
Who To Talk To First
There are a couple of options for you to take. Many people might go see their general practitioner and discuss treatment options. This is definitely one way to go, although this individual might not be specialized in mental health disorders.
General practitioners are often able to prescribe mental health medication without the individual seeing a psychiatrist or counselor first. This works for some, but its usually best to see someone who is specialized in mental health disorders before you start thinking about treatment.
At the very least, ask your general practitioner to refer you to a counselor in your area. Its also possible to schedule an appointment with a counselor directly and just cut out the middle man.
Sitting down with someone will give you the opportunity to talk for an hour or so about what youre experiencing. Keep in mind that this person is trained to listen and understand the mental difficulties that others are having, so what youre saying probably fits closely with things theyve heard before.
That means you can feel free to describe whats actually going on in your head without judgment. In fact, the more honest you are, the better your odds of getting an accurate diagnosis and better therapy as a result.
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Do I Have Social Anxiety Or Am I Just Shy
Social anxiety disorder is a chronic mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety. Social anxiety is more than just feeling shy. People with social anxiety have an intense fear of situations where they could be watched, judged, embarrassed, or rejected by others. The symptoms are so extreme that they interfere with the persons daily routine and prevent them from taking part in ordinary activities.
The Link Between Anxiety Symptoms And Depression
Many people with anxiety disorders also suffer from depression at some point. Anxiety and depression are believed to stem from the same biological vulnerability, which may explain why they so often go hand-in-hand. Since depression makes anxiety worse , its important to seek treatment for both conditions.
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This Is How To Tell If You Have Health Anxiety
Worrying about your health now and then is completely normal, especially amid a global pandemic. However, if your worries are hindering your everyday life, it could be a sign of health anxiety.
Health anxiety is distinct from other forms of anxiety such as generalized anxiety disorder or social anxiety disorder because of its specific focus on health. Individuals with health anxiety are preoccupied with either having or acquiring a serious illness, explains Hart Haragutchi, a licensed mental health counselor associate in private practice in Washington.
Health anxiety can be debilitating and have a significant negative impact on a persons quality of life. But there are treatment options available. Many people with health anxiety also have other mental health conditions, evaluation by a mental health professional is especially important in order to develop an effective and comprehensive treatment plan.
Needless to say, the sooner you identify the problem, the sooner you can manage it. Lets take a look at some expert-backed signs that you may have health anxiety.
Common Symptoms Of Sad
Symptoms of social anxiety disorder might manifest in different degrees in different situations. Additionally, some people might only experience one or two of these symptoms.
Because social interaction is such an integral part of life and our feelings of self-worth, symptoms of the disorder come in most areas of our lives. Namely, physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, and behavioral symptoms exist at once or separately in different degrees.
Lets take a look at each one of those categories:
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Anxiety Attack Symptoms Include:
- Feeling of losing control or going crazy.
- Heart palpitations or chest pain.
- Feeling like youre going to pass out.
- Trouble breathing or choking sensation.
- Hyperventilation.
- Nausea or stomach cramps.
- Feeling detached or unreal.
Its important to seek help if youre starting to avoid certain situations because youre afraid of having a panic attack. The truth is that panic attacks are highly treatable. In fact, many people are panic free within just 5 to 8 treatment sessions.
Heart Attack Or Anxiety
It feels like your heart is getting squeezed. You can’t get a deep breath. You get chest pains. You feel weak. You genuinely feel as though you’re about to die.
Then it all goes away.
What happened? Many people worry they suffered from a heart attack. But what you may have suffered from is a panic attack. Don’t let the name fool you – panic attacks cause very real physical symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack, yet in general, nothing is wrong with your heart.
Why are these anxiety attacks so powerful and how can they be stopped? We’ll explore these anxiety attacks below.
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Physical Symptoms Of Anxiety:
Physical anxiety symptoms can often include:
- Headaches
- Loose bowels and frequent urination
- Muscle tension and tiredness
- Hot or cold flushes
- Panic attacks these occur as a form of release or physical reaction to anxiety, and can be extremely frightening
- Appetite changes either increased or reduced appetite which may also result in weight fluctuations
- Sleep disturbances experiencing reduced sleep because you are unable to switch off from your anxiety, or finding that you are sleeping long hours and struggle to get out of bed
If Youre Up For It Go For A Walk Around The Block
Research suggests exercise can be an effective treatment for depression because its a natural mood booster and releases feel-good hormones. However, for some people, exercise or a gym can trigger anxiety and fear. If thats the case for you, look for more natural ways to move, such as walking around your neighborhood or looking for an online exercise video you can do at home.
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What Is Social Anxiety
Social anxiety disorder is a chronic mental health condition in which social interactions cause irrational anxiety. Social anxiety is more than just feeling shy. People with social anxiety have an intense fear of situations where they could be watched, judged, embarrassed, or rejected by others. The symptoms are so extreme that they interfere with the persons daily routine and prevent them from taking part in ordinary activities.
Why Do Anxiety Attacks Cause Heart Attack
Panic attacks tend to cause a chain reaction in the body that triggers many of these physical symptoms. Some of these reactions include:
- Hyperventilation Poor breathing can cause chest pains, shortness of breath, etc. It can also lead to lightheadedness and muscle weakness.
- Adrenaline The anxiety from a panic attack leads to an adrenaline rush, causing rapid heartbeat. Like hyperventilation, it can cause tingling in the extremities and other heart attack-like symptoms.
- Hyper-sensitivity Another issues is known as hypersensitivity. It’s when the person experiences a lesser symptom more than someone without hypersensitivity would experience. For example, a small amount of chest pain might physically feel more severe, when any other person would shrug it off.
In addition, physical stress can cause a host of problems, like memory loss, indigestion, and more, and these can contribute to the heart attack experience in their own way.
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Signs And Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders
Many people experience anxiety at some point in their lives. In fact, anxiety is a very normal response to stressful life events like moving, changing jobs, or having financial troubles.
However, when anxiety symptoms become larger than the events that triggered them and begin to interfere with your life, they could be signs of an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety disorders can be debilitating, but people can manage them with proper help from a medical professional. Recognizing the symptoms is the first step.
In this article, we discuss common symptoms of an anxiety disorder, as well as how to reduce anxiety naturally and when to seek professional help.
One of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder is excessive worrying.
People with anxiety disorders will worry disproportionately about events or everyday situations.
A doctor will diagnose someone with a generalized anxiety disorder if this worrying occurs on most days for at least 6 months and is difficult to control.
The worrying must also be severe and intrusive, making it difficult to concentrate and accomplish daily tasks.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, generalized anxiety disorder affects around 6.8 million Americans, roughly 3.1 percent of the United States population. However, less than 45 percent of people with the disorder are receiving treatment.
This kicks off effects throughout the body, such as:
- racing pulse
- shaky hands
- dry mouth
Who Is This Anxiety Quiz For
Below is a list of questions designed for people who are experiencing anxiety-inducing thoughts. The questions relate to life experiences common among people who have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder . If youd like to learn more about anxiety read Psycoms guide, Tell Me All I Need to Know about Anxiety.
Please read each question carefully, and indicate how often you have experienced the same or similar challenges in the past few months.
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What To Do About Your Anxiety Attacks
In some cases, a person has one anxiety attack and then they’re done. Often this occurs when a person is under extreme stress and the body loses its ability to cope. But many people develop panic disorder, which is characterized by recurrent anxiety attacks or a fear of anxiety attacks.
Remember, this disorder isn’t something someone can control. Many people think that rational thinking is all a person needs to get out of it, but anxiety attacks are much more like a disease. You need to find something effective to treat it, like cognitive behavioral therapy, rather than try to ride it out and hope that they go away.
That’s why if you do feel like you’ve had an anxiety attack or have anxiety attack problems, it’s important that you take action right away. The longer you wait, the harder they may be to cure and the more they affect your life.
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Want To Learn More About Mental Health
Mental health issues, whether they have to do with social anxiety or something else, are important to understand. Its crucial to have resources for yourself and those around you who might need your advice.
Were here to help. Contact us for resources, information, and more discussion about mental health and various ways to improve it.
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How To Get A Clinical Diagnosis
Theres no single test that can diagnose depression or anxiety. Instead, your doctor will likely conduct a physical exam and a depression or anxiety screening test. For this, theyll ask you a series of questions that help them get a better insight into what youve been experiencing.
If the results arent clear or if your doctor suspects the symptoms may be the result of another condition, they may order tests to rule out underlying issues. Blood tests can check your thyroid, vitamin, and hormone levels.
In some cases, general practitioners will refer you to a mental health expert, such as a psychiatrist or psychologist, if they dont feel equipped to properly manage your symptoms and conditions or if they suspect youre experiencing more than one condition.
Although depression and anxiety are two separate conditions, they share many of the same treatments. A combination of these may be used to treat both conditions at the same time.