-Chest and stomach pain or discomfort -Hyperventilation -Feeling of being smothered or choking -Dizziness and nausea -Sweating -Depersonalization

Symptoms are frightening, however, they are [...]]]> In order for you to know how to stop panic attacks and stop panic attacks now, you must be able to recognize the symptoms of a panic attack. Some of the symptoms may include the following:

-Chest and stomach pain or discomfort
-Hyperventilation
-Feeling of being smothered or choking
-Dizziness and nausea
-Sweating
-Depersonalization

Symptoms are frightening, however, they are not harmful. The only reason the symptoms become present is because for some reason the mind is imaging some kind of danger. Knowing and realizing that panic attacks can not harm you will help you with better utilizing the techniques that it takes to help stop and eliminate them.

Knowing what is actually causing and or triggering these attacks is the first step in combating them. Most symptoms are present due to stress or some type of an event in your life. Some of the causes can be:

-Traumatic events in the past
-Genetic or hereditary – being a family history of anxiety disorders
-Medical – mostly with heart problems
-Substance abuse and withdrawal
-Phobias – extreme fear of certain events or objects

Once you learn what triggers your panic attacks you will be able to learn how to stop the panic attacks and how to stop anxiety attacks too. There are many techniques out there that may be used. However, some of the most effective methods are these:

- Learning relaxation techniques will help you to remain in control during the panic attack
- Seeking professional help such as counseling or therapy will help stop the attacks. One of the most successful therapies for panic or anxiety attacks is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In this type of therapy the therapist specifically helps you to identify the triggers for the attack and then helps you to work on what you will need to do to deal with the triggers so the attacks will stop.
- In some extreme cases, medication may be used. However, it should only be used under the care of a physician since medication can have some side effects that might increase the attacks rather than reduce them.

Keeping a positive approach towards dealing with the attacks will help you to control them and possibly eliminate them all together. Panic attacks can be avoided and are curable. One of the keys to breaking the fear of a panic attack is to stop thinking about them. Accept the fact that your life really isn’t in any danger. Once you have accepted that they are not harmful then you can learn how to control your thoughts as well as the attack itself.

There is no way to have a life completely free from anxiety. Everybody always has some anxiety. The problem is [...]]]> A little anxiety is always good to help us be more productive and competitive. It helps us to be more alert and think quickly when we have a very short time to make decisions.

There is no way to have a life completely free from anxiety. Everybody always has some anxiety. The problem is when it starts to interfere with our lives. How do we know that our anxiety is at an unhealthy level? Your anxiety may be at an unhealthy level if:
1.    It is interfering with your sleep
2.    It is affecting your relationships
3.    You have been angrier or more upset than usual
4.    You are not having much patience with people or things in general
5.    You are having stomach problems (heartburn, ulcers)
6.    Your memory is not working well lately
7.    You aren’t able to concentrate well
8.    You are having frequent and/or more intense headaches
9.    There was changes in your eating habits (eating more or less)
10.    You feel tired often
11.    You often feel discouraged

For effective anxiety management, it is important to learn to recognize early signs of anxiety or stress. Take action as soon as you notice recurring signs of stress, including those listed above. This way you can prevent worse consequences.

You can use the anxiety management strategies listed below to immediately get some relief:
1.    Practice vigorous physical exercise for at least 30 minutes and 3 times a week minimum. Ideally you should exercise every day.
2.    Improve your nutrition. Reduce the amount of fat, salt, sugar, coffee and other stimulants. Eat more fruits, vegetables and cereals. Consider taking a vitamin supplement.
3.    Have an adequate amount of sleep.
4.    Have more time dedicated on your day for things that you enjoy and that make you relax, such as hobbies, playing games, going to social events, reading books, listening to soothing music, i.e., anything that makes you relax. You should have at least 1 hour a day and 1 day a week set aside for these activities.
5.    Try to reduce the number of appointments in your day.

The strategies presented above will help with managing your anxiety, but ultimately you will want to address what is causing it for more effective results.
Perhaps you have been more anxious because you are going through a difficult period in your life. Perhaps you are going through a divorce or through the loss of a loved one. Did you loose your job? Or is it a disease that is causing you anxiety?

In some cases all that you have to do is have patience until you overcome whatever you are going through. In other cases, besides using some of the techniques presented in this article (or throughout this website), you will need to seek professional help.

If you suffer from chronic anxiety, you can also try the anxiety disorder management techniques presented in this website. These techniques have helped many people to alleviate their anxiety.

It may be difficult to fit the anxiety management techniques presented here into your daily routine. In order to feel motivated about improving your condition, consider the possible terrible consequences of untreated anxiety, such as, diseases, bad decisions and broken relationships.
In addition, think about how much better you will feel, happier and with more energy and also the effect that this will have on people around you, especially those that you care about.
It is really worth the effort.

You may not benefit from all the anxiety treatments or methods indicated in the [...]]]> I will present my reviews of three of the best self-help books that talk about overcoming anxiety disorder. I purchased these books after an extensive review of opinions from other readers and after researching the contents of the books myself.

You may not benefit from all the anxiety treatments or methods indicated in the books, but certainly there will be some techniques that will help to reduce your anxiety. Keep in mind that you have to do your part though by consistently practicing what is taught. Only reading the information in the books will not help much.
Whether you are looking for information about social anxiety treatment, panic attack treatment or treatment for any other type of anxiety, these books will be a valuable resource to you.

Some or all of the reviews below may be based on previous editions. Where this is the case, it is still highly likely that the review apply to almost all of the content from the latest edition.

1-    The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook, by Edmund J. Bourne

Unlike the other two books reviewed below which limit themselves basically to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, this book covers several aspects of anxiety treatment, including nutrition, physical exercises, cognitive-behavioral techniques, medication, among several others. The chapters include exercises related to the topics covered.

Chapter 1 describes each type of anxiety disorder, the corresponding symptoms and a summary of the current treatments. At the end of the chapter, there is a self-diagnosis questionnaire which helps to determine the types of anxiety the reader is suffering from.

Chapter 2 shows in detail the several factors that result in anxiety disorders, including heredity, cumulative stress, biological causes, rearing during childhood and others.

Chapter 3 presents some real life examples and the methods employed for treatment. It also presents the steps for a successful recovery program, including a very helpful weekly practice record.

The remaining chapters (4 to 19) show the several approaches for treating anxiety disorder.

There are also appendices with additional information about overcoming anxiety.

If you want an excellent book that presents, in detail, several aspects related to treatment of anxiety disorder (not only CBT techniques), then this book is for you.

2- Anxiety, Phobias & Panic, by Reneau Z. Peurifoy

This book is about cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques to help reduce/eliminate anxiety disorder.

The book starts by describing the different types of anxiety disorders and related symptoms. After this, it talks about what causes anxiety disorder.

The second chapter presents some quick techniques to help reducing the symptoms (but not the causes) of anxiety. This is useful to give some relief in the short term, while you are working with the techniques that address the causes of your anxiety.

Chapter 3 discusses how to identify and reduce stress.

The next chapters talk about CBT techniques to deal with different factors (such as, perfectionism, excessive need for approval, low self-esteem) that cause anxiety.

I specially liked the chapters 13 and 14, which discuss in detail how to deal with conflicting situation and being assertive with people. People who suffer from anxiety disorder usually have trouble with expressing their feelings and being assertive when somebody hurts them. These chapters are an excellent guide on how to improve these aspects.

The book finishes by describing how to make sure you continue your progress toward reduction/elimination of anxiety disorder.

3- When Panic Attacks, by David D. Burns

David Burns is famous for his best-seller books on depression treatment based on cognitive-behavioral techniques (CBT).
Following the same line of his books about depression, “When Panic Attacks” presents CBT methods for anxiety treatment.
It contains more (CBT) techniques than the previous two books that I reviewed above.

The book illustrates the techniques presented with several real life examples. The book explains so well the methods proposed that sometimes I feel it could be more direct to the point.

I liked the way the author structured the application of the methods suggested. For many of the techniques presented, there is a corresponding worksheet for putting the technique into practice. This is very helpful, because it makes you write down your thoughts (if you don’t write them down, it is very difficult and not an effective way of applying the techniques) and provide an efficient and systematic way of putting the techniques into practice.

In one of the final chapters, the author presents a list of the 40 methods suggested in the book for treating anxiety. The same chapter also presents a diagram and a table that show how to select the methods to be used. In addition, this chapter presents a summary of each one of the 40 techniques.

If you would like to understand very well the psychological (CBT) techniques for overcoming anxiety along with systematic and efficient way of applying them, then this book is for you.

Besides the natural methods utilized as treatment for anxiety, medication is used when the symptoms of anxiety are so intense that they greatly interfere with the person normal way of functioning. For example, somebody suffering from social anxiety feels so panicky that he/she is not able to give a presentation to a group [...]]]>

Besides the natural methods utilized as treatment for anxiety, medication is used when the symptoms of anxiety are so intense that they greatly interfere with the person normal way of functioning. For example, somebody suffering from social anxiety feels so panicky that he/she is not able to give a presentation to a group of people at work or school.

Medication can be used in a short term basis, as for example, to help the person suffering from anxiety to handle a specific situation, such as, flying in a plane or giving a presentation. In these cases, tranquilizers are normally used.

Medication can also be used in a longer term basis to improve the overall symptoms of anxiety.

Keep in mind that medication does not cure anxiety and that it is used for symptomatic treatment, i.e., to alleviate anxiety symptoms.

Listed below are the types of medication that are normally used to treat anxiety:

ANTIDEPRESSANTS

Antidepressant medication was also found to be effective for treatment of anxiety. This category of medication includes the tricyclic antidepressants, MAOIs and the SSRIs, which are the most popular antidepressant that is used for anxiety treatment.

Antidepressants take more than 4 weeks to start alleviating the symptoms of anxiety and they must be taken every day. They can not be taken on an as needed basis as the tranquilizers.

SSRIs – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
This type of medication increases the amount of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved with mood regulation and feelings of well being. Low levels of this chemical in the brain can cause anxiety and depression.

Medications that are under this category include Celexa, Cipramil, Lexapro, Cipralex, Prozac, Luvox, Paxil, Aropax, Zoloft, etc.

TRANQUILIZERS

Tranquilizers include barbiturates, azapirones and benzodiazepines, which is the type of tranquilizer that is most used for anxiety treatment.

Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines start to produce effect very fast, i.e., in about 30 minutes after taken by mouth. The intensity of the effect will depend on the dose and also if the medication was taken on an empty stomach or not.

These medications work by calming the nervous system. They also produce muscle relaxation.
The following medications are within this category: Alprazolam (Xanax), Chlordiazepoxide (Librium), Clonazepam (Klonopin), Diazepam (Valium), Lorazepam (Ativan).

BETA-BLOCKERS

This type of medication is mainly used to treat diseases related to the heart and high-blood pressure. It alleviates symptoms of anxiety such as shaky hands, sweating and pounding heart. Because of that, it helps anxious people to concentrate better on the task being performed.

This medication can be used as an aid for social anxiety treatment and also to help with performance anxiety.

Beta blocker medication that is utilized for anxiety includes Propranolol (Inderal) and Atenolol (Tenormin).

SIDE-EFFECTS

Side effects of anxiety medication will vary from person to person and will depend upon the specific medication being taken. Listed below are some side-effects for each different category of medication:

SSRIs

• Dry mouth
• Weight gain or loss
• Suicidal thoughts
• Restlessness
• Aggressiveness
• Insomnia
• Drowsiness
• Nausea

Benzodiazepines

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness
• Decreased alertness
• Decreased concentration
• Slower reaction
• Slower thinking
• Paradoxical reactions (aggressiveness, irritability, impulsivity, etc)

Beta-blockers

• Weakness, dizziness
• Cold hands and feet
• Fatigue
• Dry mouth, eyes, and skin

The process of changing a belief usually takes time, especially for those personal strong beliefs that were proved so many times [...]]]> I will present here some methods to change/eliminate limiting beliefs and to create empowering beliefs that will help you to reduce your anxiety and will make you move toward your goals and dreams.

The process of changing a belief usually takes time, especially for those personal strong beliefs that were proved so many times to be “true” and, as a result, are so well ingrained within us. But it is worth the effort to change them. Imagine getting rid of beliefs that are making it difficult for you to drive a car, talk in public, express your feelings, have more confidence, and the list goes on and on.

The first step to change or eliminate a belief is to identify it. How do you identify your limiting beliefs?
Remember something that makes you feel anxious and find out what your thoughts are when you feel anxious. For example, if you suffer from social phobia, imagine that you are going to give a presentation to a group of people. This makes you feel anxious. Then you ask yourself: “what thoughts are going through my mind?” Write down all your thoughts. Choose one of the thoughts that you wrote down and ask yourself what would be the problem if what you are thinking would actually happen. For example, if you think that “people will judge me when I give a presentation”, ask yourself the question: “what is the problem with people judging me?” The answer to this question will be another thought. Then you ask the same question again, and another thought will come up. Keep doing this until you find the underlying belief.

For example, if we continue this process with the thought “people will judge me when I give a presentation” let’s say that we get the following sequence of thoughts:

•    People will see how bad I speak and how nervous I am.
Then you ask yourself: what is the problem with people seeing how bad I speak and how nervous I am. This will bring the following thought:
•    It will mean that I am not good enough
Then you ask yourself: what is the problem with not being good enough. This will bring the following thought:
•    People won’t like me if I am not good enough

At this time we can see that we found the following belief: “If I am not good enough people won’t like me”.
NOTE: Make sure you write the thoughts that come up to your mind.

Now going back to our question: How do we change a belief? Basically the answer is: focus on those things that reinforces what you want to believe in. It is easier said than done. But let’s talk about some things that will help you with this process.

The first thing I want to mention is that beliefs are not necessarily logical. We can actually believe on anything.

Beliefs are always true to us due to the following mechanism:
•    We focus on those things that confirm our belief and ignore those that prove it to be wrong
•    We act in a way to make other people and situations react as if our believe was true
•    We are attracted, and get attracted to, people and situations that confirm our belief

To create a new belief we need to focus on the things that support the new belief. For example, if you want to have the belief “People like me the way I am” make a list of all the people that you get along with well. Include the people you work or study with, your relatives, friends, spouse, etc. Focus on how well you relate to them. If you focus more, and with more intensity, on the good aspect of your relationships (instead of the bad ones), with time, you will probably end up believing that people like you the way you are.

It is also important to learn to watch your thoughts and feelings emotionally detached, without judging them as good or bad. For example, if somebody acts in a way that makes you feel bad, just pay attention to the thoughts and feelings that you have without judging them as good or bad. Learn to do this with all the things that causes you discomfort. With practice this will help you in the process of getting rid of the beliefs that don’t serve you.

Another way of learning to believe that people like you  the way you are (still using our example) is to relate to people that have this belief. Notice how these people behave, how they approach others, how they relate to other people. You will notice that their behavior not only reflects their belief but also reinforces it (see again the little list above about why beliefs are always true to us).

You can also use visualization, as discussed in a previous post, to help you develop a new belief. Visualize yourself acting as if you already had the new belief. Do this at least two or three times a day.

As previously mentioned, it may take a good time to change beliefs (perhaps months or years), especially those that are deep rooted within us, but the effort is more than worth it. And after you change or replace a belief, it will probably be much easier to change other beliefs.

Master all the tools described above. Keep using them persistently and, with time, you will reap the great rewards!

The benefits of regular physical exercises include:

1.    More mental and physical energy 2.    Better sleep 3.    Increased self-esteem 4.    Weight loss 5.    Decreased cholesterol levels

Exercise must be practiced at least three times a [...]]]> Physical exercise is not only a very powerful way to reduce the symptoms of anxiety, but it also contributes for general health and well being.

The benefits of regular physical exercises include:

1.    More mental and physical energy
2.    Better sleep
3.    Increased self-esteem
4.    Weight loss
5.    Decreased cholesterol levels

Exercise must be practiced at least three times a week for no less than half an hour each time. Choose the exercises that you like to do and that make you feel more relaxed. You can also vary the types of exercises you do. For example, you can practice weight lifting a couple of days a week and aerobic exercises, such as running, cycling or swimming, twice a week. This way you get the benefits of different types of exercises and, in addition, this can make exercising less boring.

If you are not physically fit, start slow by doing less intense exercises that do not last too long. As you become more physically prepared, gradually increase the intensity and time. If you start slow, you avoid getting overwhelmed and discouraged by trying to do more than you can reasonably handle and you increase your chances of adapting to an exercise routine and to feel more encouraged to stick to it.

Make sure you don’t have any medical condition that could prevent you from practicing exercises.

Because the effects of exercise on anxiety last for about 24 hours, if you suffer from chronic anxiety, a daily exercise routine is recommended.

There is not enough words to emphasize the importance of exercise not only for reduction of anxiety but for health and well being in general. If you don’t feel motivated to start an exercise program, write down a list of your reasons and, for each one of the reasons, describe what you will do to get around it.
If for example, you say to yourself that exercise is boring, find first the reason why it is boring to you. After you find the reason, make a list of things that you will do to satisfy your reasons. If, for example, you think exercising is boring because you are doing it by yourself, practice some team sport, such as volleyball, basketball, etc.
It may be easier to maintain an exercise program, especially in the beginning, if you get lessons and join a group.

Use your creativity to make exercising as pleasurable as possible! It will eventually pay off.

During meditation, the heartbeats slow down, our mind relaxes, the blood pressure drops and we feel relaxed. But the more important are the long term benefits that result from consistent practice [...]]]> Meditation is a powerful way not only for overcoming anxiety but it is also a very effective tool for personal development in general.

During meditation, the heartbeats slow down, our mind relaxes, the blood pressure drops and we feel relaxed. But the more important are the long term benefits that result from consistent practice of meditation. Some of these benefits are listed below:

•           stress reduction

•           better concentration and focus

•           more energy

•           enhanced self-esteem

•           better sleep

•           more health

•           enhanced creativity

Some people practice meditation in the lotus position, but this position is not very easy to do for a lot of people. You can meditate sitting in a chair. Keep your back straight. You can support your back on the backrest, but if this makes you sleep, then it is probably a good idea to not support the back. You may fall sleep in the beginning, but this goes away with persistent practice. If you fall asleep you are not meditating.

In order to meditate you have to focus your attention on something. Before meditation do some relaxation first. While sitting in a chair, concentrate on each part of your body and make it relax. Alternate your concentration between each side of the body. Start with the head and go all the way down to the feet.

For example, relax your right eye and then your left eye. Relax your right cheek and then your left cheek and so on all the way down to the feet.

After relaxing, concentrate on your breathing. Keep your focus on your breathing. If a thought comes, gently bring your focus of attention back to your breathing. Don’t try to eliminate your thoughts during meditation. They will keep coming, perhaps several times in a few seconds. This is OK. Just bring your focus of attention back to your breathing. Another thing you can do is counting every time you exhale. Count from one to ten. Start over after you reach ten.

After you meditate for at least half an hour, slowly bring your focus of attention to your body and after to your surroundings. Hear the noises around. Open your eyes slowly to end meditation.

Although meditation can be done by almost everybody, it is a good idea to consult your doctor to make sure that your health condition allows the practice of meditation.

Keep in mind that meditation must be practiced consistently for the results to come. Meditate every day, at least 30 minutes. Set aside a portion of the day for it (morning, afternoon or evening) and make sure you practice meditation at about the same time. This helps to work your schedule around your meditation practice and to make it into a habit. Pick a quiet place and make sure you won’t be interrupted during your practice.

It is worth the dedication.

The techniques to cure (or at least reduce) chronic anxiety are simple, but they require a lot [...]]]> If you have anxiety, especially chronic anxiety, you know how limiting it can be. People, things or situations that would be otherwise insignificant, turn into a threat and life becomes less joyful, burdensome and full of frustration.

The techniques to cure (or at least reduce) chronic anxiety are simple, but they require a lot of personal commitment and perseverance. For example, if you have a busy schedule, but are not willing to reduce the number of activities you have during the day, you are not totally committed to improve your anxiety.

Here we will see a summary of what causes anxiety, the symptoms and how to overcome it.
I will also discuss, in subsequent posts, some ways that I find very effective for reduction/elimination of anxiety.

CAUSES

Several factors (alone and in combination) cause anxiety.

There may be something that is temporarily causing you anxiety, such as a relationship, work, life changes or you may suffer from chronic anxiety.

The causes of chronic anxiety, such as social phobia, panic attacks, generalized anxiety disorder, etc, are various and include:
1-    Heredity.
2-    Physical problems such as a disease, physiological imbalance in the brain and/or body.
3-    Neglect, physical or emotional abuse during childhood.
4-    Internal cognition, i.e., things that we say to ourselves.
5-   Low self-esteem.
6-    Personal beliefs.

SYMPTOMS

Anxiety symptoms include: wet underarms and hands, cold hands, palpitation, fight or flight response, headache, stomach ache, heartburn, dizziness, shaking legs/arms, impatience, anger, fatigue, memory problems, etc

OVERCOMING ANXIETY

The best anxiety treatment should address the different causes of anxiety. Medication should not be the only treatment utilized. Usually medication along with counseling is recommended. While medication will help you to deal with the immediate symptoms, counseling will help you develop the skills to deal with and overcome anxiety in the long term.

Anxiety treatment should cover the following aspects:
1-    Physical
a.    Breathing (breath slower and deeper)
b.    Proper nutrition (avoid sugar and stimulants)
c.    Adequate amount and quality of sleep
d.    Exercises (cycling, running, walking, etc)
2-    Emotional
a.    Learn to identify and deal with feelings
3-    Behavioral
a.    Learning to face situations that cause fear or anxiety
4-    Mental
a.    Replace negative things you say to yourself with a more positive and resourceful self-talk
b.    Learn to replace self-defeating beliefs with more resourceful beliefs
c.    Visualization
5-    Learn to improve your self-esteem
6-    Learn to live to live a less stressful life
7-    Meditation

Keep trying different techniques to reduce your anxiety. If one doesn’t work, try another one. Look for another therapist. Don’t give up. Keep trying. Eventually you will find something that will work the best for you.

In the next posts, I will talk about some approaches that I find very effective for reduction of anxiety.