Anxiety
Feeling worried, anxious, and nervous is a normal part of everyday life. Everyone frets or feels anxious from time to time. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming and interferes with your daily life, it is not normal.
Anxiety can cause both physical and emotional symptoms. A specific situation or fear can cause some of all these symptoms for a short time. When the situation passes, the symptoms go away.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
- Trembling, twitching, or shaking
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Feeling of fullness in the throat or chest
- Muscle tension, aches, or soreness
- Restlessness
- Fatigue
- Insomnia
- Breathlessness or rapid heartbeat
- Sweating or cold, clammy hands
EMOTIONAL SYMPTOMS
- Feeling keyed up and on edge
- Excessive worrying
- Fearing that something bad is going to happen
- Poor concentration
- Irritability or agitation
- Constant sadness
Many people, including children and teens, develop anxiety disorders in which many of these symptoms occur when there is no identifiable cause.
Phobias and panic disorder are two common anxiety-related disorders. Phobias are irrational, involuntary fears of common places, objects, or situations. Panic disorders occur when a person has periods of intense fear and anxiety when there is no clear cause or danger. Physical symptoms that may occur during a panic attack include chest pain, feelings of choking or suffocation, nausea, shaking, sweating, pounding heart, and dizziness or faintness.
Self-care, often combined with professional treatment, can be effective in managing anxiety.
HOME TREATMENT
The following home treatment tips can relieve simple anxiety and also help in combination with medical care.
- Recognize and accept your anxiety about specific fears or situations. Then say to yourself, “This is not an emergency. I feel uncomfortable, but I am not in danger. I can keep going even if I feel anxious.”
- Be kind to your body:
- Relieve tension with the vigorous exercise or massage.
- Practice relaxation techniques.
- Get enough rest.
- Avoid alcohol, caffeine, chocolate and nicotine. They increase your anxiety level.
- Schedule worry time. Set aside a specific time each day (15 to 60 minutes) to do all your worrying. Write down all your fears. When worries come to mind during other parts of the day, save them as a list for your next scheduled worry time.
- Engage your mind:
- Get out and do something you enjoy, such as going to a funny movie or taking a walk or a hike.
- Plan your day. Having too much or too little to do can make you more anxious.
- Keep a record of your symptoms. Discuss your fears with a good friend. Confiding with others sometimes relieves stress.
- Get involved in social groups or volunteer to help others.
WHEN TO SEEK MEDICAL HELP
- If you are seriously considering harming yourself or someone else.
- If anxiety interferes with your daily activities.
- If you have sudden, sever attacks of fear or anxiety with intense physical symptoms (shaking, sweating) when there is no apparent reason to be afraid.
- If intense, irrational fears of common places, objects, or situations interfere with your daily life.
- If symptoms of anxiety are still sever after 1 week of home treatment.
- If you suffer from nightmares or flashbacks to traumatic events.
- If you are unable to feel certain about things (for example, whether you unplugged the iron) no matter how many times you check, or if repetitive actions that you cannot control interfere with your daily activities.
Source: Kaiser Permanente Healthwise Handbook (pages 316-317)
