Anxiety attacks’ symptoms differ from one person to another, but they are an experience that one is not likely to forget. In many cases they mimic heart attacks, which is why many panic attack sufferers are rushed to the emergency rooms of the hospitals. In order to reduce the frequency to their occurrences and their severity, apart from consulting a medical professional and acting on his or her recommendations, there is a lot that one can do on his or her own in order to alleviate stress and lessen your worries.

Choosing a healthy and balanced diet is a step in the right direction. When you eat the right food and take care of yourself your body will perform at its best. There are many different foods that you can incorporate into your diet that will help with dealing with anxiety. There are also certain foods and drinks you should try to avoid.

1. Very important is the daily consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating plenty of these high nutrient foods will not only make you feel better mentally, but it will also be good for your physical health as well.

2. Eat complex carbohydrates, such as potatoes, whole-wheat bread and pasta. In order to keep your blood sugar level under control it is important to eat at least three meals per day and two snacks in between meals.  Studies have shown that when a person’s blood sugar drops this can actually cause them to feel anxious. One should also never miss breakfast – most dieticians recommend having your meal within one hour of getting out of bed.

3. Drink enough water – the quantity depends on the person’s weight and his physical activities, but as a rule one should drink at least eight glasses of water every day. Even mild dehydration will affect one’s mood.

4. Many people are sensitive to certain types of food, food ingredients or spices, the most common being dairy products, nuts, shellfish, and wheat. If you notice that certain type of food alters your mood then try your best to avoid it.

5. It also very beneficial for a person that is dealing with anxiety to take multi-vitamin supplements! The vitamin that many medical practitioners recommend to the anxiety sufferers is the B vitamin; you can increase its intake either by purchasing supplements, or increase the percentage of B vitamin rich food in your diet.

6. If you are a coffee lover you should consider switching to tea or decaffeinated coffee. The caffeine is a well known stimulant and when taken in large quantities can actually induce anxiety attacks. You should also be aware of the fact that teas and certain sodas contain caffeine as well- make sure that you read the labels before buying your next bottle of fuzzy drink.

7. Avoid drinking alcohol or if you are a social drinker stick to a glass of wine; even though the link between alcohol and illegal substance abuse has not been fully understood, it has been proven that about 20% of the anxiety and depression sufferers in the US also suffer from alcohol or other substance abuse disorder.

By following some of the dieting recommendations in this article you will not only live a healthier life holistically, but you will also be treating your anxiety in a very productive way. Of course, in case of severe and frequent anxiety attacks you should always consult a doctor, seek therapy or medicine treatment, but in conjunction you should also change your diet, exercise, and apply some basic self-management techniques which will help you live a normal life with less stress and worries.

The fear of an anxiety attack by itself can trigger an attack. This is true as reported by many anxiety disorder patients and after resolving the “meta” fear, most reported an immediate cessation of anxiety attacks. Learn how to get rid of the fear of anxiety attacks, and you will be able stop your problem naturally and effectively.

Stress, depression and anxiety disorders are psychological challenges faced by many people. Most psychological problems can be averted if you know how to properly manage your mind and not letting it get out of order. Managing your mind is like tending to a garden. If you do not tend to it in a disciplined manner, unwanted weeds and undergrowth will overwhelm it. On the other hand, if you manage your garden with tender loving care and plant it with good seeds, then you will reap a good harvest.

In other words, if you consistently bombard your mind with worrisome thoughts, anxiety and stress will set in until it gets out of control. Seeding your mind with good and resourceful thoughts will ward off a breakdown and will keep your mind in tip top levels.

Do you know that the fear of anxiety attacks by itself is the main trigger to cause anxiety attacks? Just by learning how to conquer that fear has helped thousands of sufferers stop these problems in it’s tracks.

This should be the first step, among others, and listed below are the top 21 stress & anxiety management techniques that you can do on your own. All of them are proven to work well and will lessen your worries and should be part of your overall self-management strategy. Remember, manage your mind well using these psychological and physiological tips and you will live a positive and fulfilling life, free from stress and anxiety attacks.

1. Change your diet. Following a balanced diet is not only good for your weight and general health, but is a proven stress & anxiety management technique. You should never starve yourself and always eat breakfast – skipping breakfast results in low sugar levels, which in turn might bring up anxiety-like symptoms. Eating food rich in calcium, phosphorus and magnesium helps reducing stress and so does avoiding refined sugar.

2. Reduce the intake of caffeine – limit your caffeinated beverages to one per day or switch to decaf. The large amounts of caffeine will induce anxiety symptoms and might lead to sleeping troubles as well.

3. Vitamin B will help you in your battle with anxiety disorders and stress. Most doctors will advise you to increase the intake of foods, rich on B vitamin, or take it as a supplement. Click here for resources on Vitamin B and its calming effects.

4. Exercising is an excellent stress & anxiety management technique – it eases the symptoms of anxiety and stress. During exercise endorphin is released and that helps in boosting your mood. Medical practitioners recommend at least 45 minutes daily exercise from up to five days per week and this can be aerobic, walking, or cardio.

5. Massages help in decreasing stress and anxiety levels. If you start feeling anxious at work or don’t have the time to visit a professional masseur you can give a quick and discrete neck and hands self-massage right there in your office.

6. Analyze and face your problems and fears. If you are suffering from phobia you should never try to face your fears “head-on”, but gradually, with the help of a professional, learn to accept situations that you find terrifying. Take proactive approach to your problems, do not leave your chores and tasks for the last minute, this only increases your stress levels.

7. Think positive. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. You might have heard of this already, but this is in fact a simple, yet powerful stress & anxiety management technique. If you start having negative thoughts and excessive worries you can force yourself to think about something pleasant and enjoyable. Immediately you will start feeling better and calmer.

Suppress negative thoughts – do not underestimate the power of your own mind. You are in control and you can decide to push your negative thoughts away and replace them with happy ones. A simple technique is to imagine that you are in a better place – close your eyes and “see” yourself sitting on the beach, listening to the splash of the ocean waves – this will calm you down and help you reduce your stress levels.

8. Take action. If you have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder, take action – this will give you a sense of control and in turn reduce your stress and anxiety. Start seeing a mental health professional, join an anxiety support group, join the gym, start exercising, take any action and you are already a winner.

9. Manage your “worry time”. Many people worry about events that are far ahead in the future. Why worry now if you can worry later? If you can take practical steps to solve a problem, by all means take them, but there is no need to worry excessively as this will only increase your anxiety.

10. Write down your worries and fears. Once you put it all down on paper, you might find out that you worry about events that you have no control over (they will either happen or they won’t) are small and insignificant matters. In that case simply stop worrying about them – keep your strength for the big challenges in your life.

11. Don’t worry what other people think or say about you. This is very helpful for people who suffer from social anxiety disorders. You don’t need other people’s approval in order to lead fulfilling and exciting life, and the sooner you realize this simple truth, the less stressed out you will feel.

12. Sex is one of the most wonderful and pleasant stress & anxiety management techniques. Large amount of endorphin, which is a feel-good hormone, is released during sex and this explains why all people are happy after having sex. Studies have proven that sex and orgasms boost mood and reduce stress levels. Even though most of us lead busy lives, you can always find time for sex.

13. Practice deep breathing – many health professionals will be able to show you breathing exercises, which you should keep practicing. Once you sense some physical or mental signs of anxiety or even panic attack, start breathing deeply – this is a simple technique where you deliberately slow down your breathing and use your diaphragm. This will slow your heartbeat, relax your muscles and reduce anxiety.

14. Smile! Smiling realeases our body’s natural drugs: Serotonin and Endorphins. These hormones are natural pain killers and are also labeled as natural “feel-good” drugs. It will wash away all the tensions in your body, relaxes your muscles and take away pain. It will also instantly change the negative state that you are in into a positive one and this will in turn put you into a good mood. Smiling is also contagious and will boost your immune system.

15. Use the power of affirmations – using positive affirmations throughout the day will help you fight anxiety – if you suspect that you might be having another panic attack, you can keep repeating to yourself “I can handle this,” and “I will calm down.” Even though this might seem odd at first, it will help you feel much better. Your mind will move you towards things that you are focusing on. If you keep on saying “I will calm down”, etc, it will take immediate command of calming you down and this has instant effect.

16. Don’t be a victim – fight back! If you and your family are in good health, if you live in a peaceful country and there’s no major weather disaster coming your way, then you don’t have much to worry about. You must be a fighter and tackle your everyday tasks with ease and simply see them as minor challenges, not as something that you should excessively worry about.

17. Don’t overload yourself. If you work 12-14 hours every day and take no time off, your stress levels will inevitably rise. Know your limitations, take practical steps to reduce your workload, take time to relax and you will better manage your anxiety and stress.

18. Aromatherapy is a great way to relax – many oils like lavender, geranium, marjoram and others can help you relax and in fact have been used to help people with sleeping disorders. They are believed to relieve anxiety and stress symptoms as well.

19. Acupressure is an ancient Chinese technique that is believed to reduce stress, tension, and anxiety. Studies have shown that it has positive effect, similar or better than the traditional full-body massage.

20. Focus on doing something that you like. If you have been putting off an interest, now is the time to take up the hobby. It may be keeping a pet, painting or anything that will occupy your mind. In so doing, your mind will now have new thoughts and that leaves it with no room for negative ones. Just by flushing out the unresourceful thoughts which create anxieties and replacing it with a new focus will work wonders.

21. Listen, read or watch motivational materials. Simply search Youtube.com for videos tagged with keywords “motivational” or “inspirational” and spend some time going through highly rated videos. This will almost instantly change your perspective and downplay your worries. You can also read inspirational books or talk to people who can inspire you.

Do you like the list above? Remember, the first step to conquering panic anxiety attacks is to conquer the fear of having one! Click here to listen to others who have solved their issues, just by conquering this fear.

What are the most common anxiety treatments without medication though?

Most mental health professional would recommend psychotherapy and the most widely-used one is the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT us actually a group of therapies, based on the presumption that the therapy can help the anxiety sufferer to change the way he or she thinks and thus change his feelings and behavior, without having to change his or her surroundings. CBT is usually short-term therapy and lasts up to six months, while psychotherapy can last for years. The anxiety sufferer has to be willing to put all that he learns during the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy into practice and this is crucial for its success; the Cognitive model is directive – during every session the patient has to learn new ways on how to behave and think in order to achieve their goals.

Psychoanalytic therapy is one of the most popular anxiety treatments without medication and is arguably the most beneficial one in the long run. It aims at bringing on the surface the unconscious thoughts that according to this therapy’s supporters determine our behavior and thoughts. This therapy is a long and intense process that can last for years.

Relaxation techniques can help the anxiety sufferers lessen its effect and symptoms and in general help lower the stress levels. Some of the most beneficial techniques are muscle relaxation, meditation, and breathing retraining (widely used for treating panic disorder).

The Gestalt Therapy is also widely used and it helps the anxiety sufferer face the situations and surroundings that they fear. The main emphasis on this therapy is on the self-regulating and personal responsibility.

Some other anxiety treatments without medication are the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), the Short-Term Dynamic Therapy (STDT), as well as some non-traditional medicine therapies.

Self-management is one of the best ways to reduce your stress levels, depression, and anxiety and is something that you can easily do on your own, especially when you have your friend’s and family support. This translates to following a few simple rules that will help you lessen your worries. Some of these steps include writing down all your excessive worries and fears, which will help you separate the irrational ones from the ones that most people your age have. You should also avoid doing your work and chores in the last moment – this can put a lot of stress on you and taking action is the far better approach. Talking about your worries with a medical professional, or your friends and family, is also a step in the right direction, and so is avoiding worrying about what other people think or say about you. If you suffer from panic attacks you can rest assured that no matter how frightening they are, they cannot do you any harm – this will help you have all the “in between panic attacks” worries that many anxiety suffers have.

When dealing with anxiety you should always talk to your doctor, who in turn might refer you to a mental health professional. Then he or she should advise you on the best course of action and in most cases this is adopting one of the above-mentioned anxiety treatments without medication.

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Psychologists have confirmed that most anxiety attacks stem from fear. When a fearful thought creeps into the person’s mind, this will trigger an attack. Even the fear of an anxiety attack by itself, is a trigger and it is proven that this “meta” fear can be undone. Once this “meta” fear is resolved, the trigger is no longer there and anxiety attacks will cease to happen.

To learn how to get rid of this “meta” fear, click here and review how others have succesfully done it.

]]> http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-treatments-without-medication/feed/ 0 http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-treatment-for-children/ http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-treatment-for-children/#comments Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:34:48 +0000 admin http://www.anxietyattack.org/?p=58

What is the most effective anxiety treatments for children?

First of all you should learn what the symptoms of anxiety disorders are since in many cases they fail to get recognized by the parents and thus the treatment is postponed and started way too late. If your child shows excessive worries and unjustified fears, or physical sings of anxiety such as headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension then he or she might suffer from anxiety disorders. In some cases this results in panic attacks as well. If these symptoms persist for at least six months or longer periods, then you should seek professional help.

Finding the best mental health specialist for your child might take some time and research, but you should talk to friends and family, your child’s doctor, and finally check his or her background and “success rate.” This is actually crucial since you are putting your child’s health and future in his hands. Once that professional has diagnosed your child with anxiety disorder, he or she would advise you on the best course of action.

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

On almost all cases a therapy is the best anxiety treatment for children and the most common one is the Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). This therapy is actually the general terms of various similar therapies, but what all of them have in common is that they are based on the idea that we can control our thoughts and they, in turn, determine our behavior and feelings. Thus, the CBT is an anxiety treatment for children that try to change the way the kid or adolescent feels even though he or she remains in the same situation. The Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy has shown great success in managing anxiety in kids of the age seven to eight years or older, but the most crucial part is the will of the child to take part and learn the new ways of thinking. Parents are involved as well since they have to encourage their children to practice the new skills and help them every step on the way.

Psychoanalytic therapy is an anxiety treatment that is much longer compared to the CBT, it can go on for years and can best be described as “talk therapy” that helps the children and teens manage their anxiety.

Behavioral Therapies are used to help children get over their irrational fears and manage their anxiety reactions.

Self-management – this where the parent plays crucial role. You should consult a mental health professional that would explain you the best way to support your child. This can be an extremely effective anxiety treatment for children and is quite often overlooked. If your child only experiences mild anxiety then showing him a practical and easy way to lessen his or her worries can help enormously. Keep in mind that this takes time and don’t expect to see immediate results, but as long as some progress is made in a six month or longer period, then you are on the right track. If your child suffers from phobias do not force them to face their fears “head-on,” but rather take the prolonged exposure approach – this means letting your child gradually confront the situations that they are scared of.

Medications – these are usually prescribed to children who do not respond well to the previously mentioned treatments and after careful evaluation. The most widely used medications are Serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and although they can help you cure your child’s anxiety disorder, you should keep in mind that they come with side effects. These side effects are usually mild, but careful monitoring by a medical practitioner is recommended.

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The fear of an anxiety attack by itself can trigger an attack. This is true as reported by many anxiety disorder patients and after resolving the “meta” fear, most reported an immediate cessation of anxiety attacks. Learn how to get rid of the fear of anxiety attacks, and your child will be able to cope much better.

]]> http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-relaxation-technique/feed/ 0 http://www.anxietyattack.org/dealing-with-anxiety/ http://www.anxietyattack.org/dealing-with-anxiety/#comments Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:14:16 +0000 admin http://anxietyattack.org/?p=3 Anxiety and fear are quite normal and in many instances useful – they can help an individual to better cope with certain situations and keep him or her alert and careful. However, millions of people suffer from various anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), or phobias. These are not mild fears and anxieties, but rather severe disorders that persevere; it is believed that in the United States alone, more than 40 million people older than 18 suffer from anxiety disorders.

Once you have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder what is the best way to deal with it?

Get rid of the fear of your fear

Psychologists have confirmed that most anxiety attacks stem from fear. When a fearful thought creeps into the person’s mind, this will trigger an attack. Even the fear of an anxiety attack by itself, is a trigger and it is proven that this “meta” fear can be undone. Once this “meta” fear is resolved, the trigger is no longer there and anxiety attacks will cease to happen. For a good resource on how to permanently resolve this “meta’ fear, click here.

Understand and analyze your worries

Your first step should be to understand and analyze your worries. Put your mind into work and carefully determine if your worries, fears, or phobias are justified: being afraid of a dog when one is growling at you is more than understandable, staying home all the time because you are afraid of dogs is quite unreasonable. Understanding the nature of your worries will help you decrease their power, it will also help you decide on the practical steps that you can take in order to overcome them.

Postpone worrying

This is not the same as ignoring your worries, this is more telling yourself that there’s no need to worry now about something that is only about to happen two weeks from now. This will actually help you reduce anxiety and is a very simple, yet very powerful technique. In many cases people worry about things that are insignificant or about future events that never materialize – postponing your worries might actually lead to avoiding them altogether.

Take action

Contrary to the popular belief most of us experience mild anxieties quite often. Consider this: you have to submit a large project two weeks from now and you haven’t started with it yet, but you keep worrying about meeting the deadline and finding the time to finish it. However, once you start working on that project, you are taking action, you are in control and your worries are less stressful. Ignoring your troubles and concerns would only make them worse.

Be positive

If you are obsessed with worries and dark thoughts all day long, then this might actually lead to a lot of troubles. This is also commonly known as “the power of thought” – instead of thinking and focusing all your energy on your anxiety, think of how you can successfully resolve your issues or take care of your troubles and this might actually happen.

Write down your worries

This is one of the most powerful ways to fight anxiety. This will also help you easily analyze the nature of your worries – if you are over-concerned with small and unimportant events and issues, then don’t give them a second thought, focus on the most important things in life!

Put a lid on your negative thoughts.

You can spend all day feeling angry and worried about small things or you can force yourself to have much happier thoughts. Yes, you are in control of your own brain and can actually decide on what you are thinking.

Don’t worry too much what other people think or say about you.

Many people are way too concerned what others think about them or if they are well-liked or not. Of course, we live in a society, and we all want to fit in and be well-accepted and appreciated. However, do not be over-consumed by what others think or say about you.

Talk about it

Talking about your worries with a friend or a medical professional will always do your good, for people with severe anxiety disorders few different therapies have been developed and most of them can be quite beneficial, but the above-mentioned actions and steps will help you better deal with your stress and anxiety.

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The fear of an anxiety attack by itself can trigger an attack. This is true as reported by many anxiety disorder patients and after resolving the “meta” fear, most reported an immediate cessation of anxiety attacks. Learn how to get rid of the fear of anxiety attacks, and you will be able stop your problem naturally and effectively.

How can parents help their anxious children? Here are a few simple things a parent should do:

Prepare your children for the changes in their lives.

Many of the child’s fears are associated with moving to a new area or city, moving to a new school, divorce, leaving a friend behind, among others. In most cases these changes are known to the parents in advance, and they can make reasonable efforts to “cushion” the child’s stress. Explain to them why you have to make the change or what caused that change (in a case of a death of a relative for example) and address the child concerns. In case you are moving your child to a new school or city, you might want to take a trip there with your child, and slowly introduce him or her to the new environment.

Many of the kids experience anxiety due to “modeling” their parents’ behavior.

You don’t have to put up a brave face every time you are up against danger or major change, but positive attitude towards change and calculated risk-taking should serve as a good example. Studies show that children, whose parents are suffering from anxiety, are up to seven times more likely to become anxiety sufferers as well. Many doctors believe that in such cases prevention is far better than treatment.

Handle your child’s fears with care and understanding.

You first step should be to make the child express and share his or her fears with you, after that you must try to teach your child some strategies and ways to cope with these fears – if they feel like they have control over the situation, they might get over their irrational fears faster. Make sure that you give your children enough time to overcome their fears, in some cases this might take months, even years. A very good way to give a reasonable explanation and ways of understanding your child’s excessive fears is using children’s books.

Talk and listen to your child

Talking and listening to your child will make you aware of his or her concerns and worries, but in some cases you can observe the anxiety symptoms in the child’s behavior and they can be expressed as aggression, defiance, temper tantrums, destructive behavior, poor eye contact, crying, etc. These, of course, might be a simple indicator of overload, or in rare cases if serious mental illness. Nevertheless, addressing them on time is vital for the child’s health and future development.

Make sure that your child is adequately protected

Children that feel that their home is a safe heaven are less likely to develop anxiety disorders. Remember that sexual or physical abuse can scar your child for life! Also, remember that children can be abused not only by adults, but by their peers as well, and today many children are subjected to verbal and physical abuse at school. Watch out for worrisome symptoms and act immediately – do not try unnecessarily overprotecting your children, but make sure that they are safe at all times.

Your child’s anxiety can be effectively treated with the help of various therapies (especially when the family is involved in them), but late diagnosis and treatment can lead to under-performance at school, depression, and even alcohol and substance abuse.