Find Out The Link Between Anxiety Disorder and Obesity here

A study by Australian researchers concluded that there is a correlation between obesity and mental health. This study, published by the Australian Health Review, was conducted on more than a thousand volunteers. The obese participants mostly aged 45 and above had reported that emotional problems had a significant effect on their daily working life and social activities. This group of people also showed very low serenity levels, and was less calm compared to those who were smaller in size. This indicates that obese people are more likely to suffer from psychological issues compared to their skinny counterparts.

Generally, people who are obese tend to have a poor self image due to their physical condition. Obesity is definitely linked to many health problems. Obese people may not be able to participate in many physical fitness activities which require speed and agility compared to thinner people. So, it is not surprising how physical problems have an effect on mental health. When a person is labeled as obese, automatically this poor self image will result in lower self esteem, thus causing negatives conditions such as depression.

While some studies say that people who are obese tend to develop panic attacks and other mental health related problems, there are others who say that it really is the other way round. There are studies that indicate people who have mental health problems tend to become obese. The rationale is simple; people who are undergoing depression or mental disorders will not be feeling good about themselves. They tend to be less physically active, and overeat. Therefore, they will be the least motivated to work out, or make a trip to the gym. They tend not to be focused on their physical health, thus making them prone to grow obese.

The debate of whether it was the egg or chicken that came first can go on and on, but there is growing evidence that reveal the link between treatments for anxiety and obesity. Medicine that is used to treat mental health problems have come to be labeled as contributors to a number of obesity cases. The British Journal of Psychiatry published a study in 2009 showing that anxiety causes obesity, not vice versa. This study went further to show that medicine was the cause of obesity, not overeating. According to this study, the culprit was psychotropic medication.

In 2010, findings published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research further confirmed the previous studies. This study revealed that there exists a significant relationship between mood disorders and obesity. According to this study, antidepressant and antipsychotic medications were strongly linked to treatments of anxiety disorder. The study went on to make known that antidepressants and antipsychotics were the significant predictors of obesity.

Research and findings definitely flood us with information about the link between anxiety disorder and obesity. However, depression-obesity experts warn us to be careful while interpreting data. This is because medication is prescribed to patients with mental health conditions for a reason, and sometimes there may not be another alternative medication for the particular condition. It could cause more harm to the patient to switch medication and discontinue use of a certain drug just because of the fear of obesity. It is true that certain medications for mood disorders have a high link to obesity, but it does not mean it should be completely done away with.

The best way to combat the problem of obesity with anxiety disorder, whichever way it is linked, is for the person to join a weight management program. Whatever medication is prescribed to treat a particular condition, physical exercise will only do well for the body overall, in promoting both physical and mental health. So, ultimately, moderation is the key – to take a holistic approach to life without neglecting one part or the other.

Click here to listen how to stop anxiety disorder now. ]]> http://www.anxietyattack.org/is-obesity-linked-to-anxiety-disorder/feed/ 1 http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-symptoms-video/ http://www.anxietyattack.org/anxiety-symptoms-video/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:22:34 +0000 admin http://www.anxietyattack.org/?p=151

Anxiety Symptoms To Watch Out For!

Transcriptions From Video:

Anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions, and because of this reason, most sufferers will have different symptoms. Almost all anxiety disorder sufferers share the same common major symptoms which are severe fears and worries. These are oftentimes unwarranted.

Other than the primary symptoms of irrational and excessive fear and worry, common emotional symptoms of anxiety disorders include:

Watch Real People Discussing Ways To Deal With Anxiety. Click Here Now!

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 deal with anxiety 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!

Listen to 54,000+ People On Ways To Deal With Anxiety here!

]]> http://www.anxietyattack.org/deal-with-anxiety-disorders/feed/ 0 http://www.anxietyattack.org/symptoms-of-anxiety-disorder-in-children/ http://www.anxietyattack.org/symptoms-of-anxiety-disorder-in-children/#comments Sun, 09 Aug 2009 08:42:19 +0000 admin http://anxietyattack.org/?p=16

	Help Your Child To Defeat Anxiety And Reclaim His Life Click Here Now!

Anxiety disorders are very common amongst children and adolescents, and it is believed that 13% of them suffer from them. And even though they are very well documented, quite often they are misdiagnosed and if left untreated can lead to even further complications. Stressful events such as loss of parent or sibling, divorce or separation of the parents, abuse, family conflicts, moving to a new location or a new school can cause worries and in most cases these mild anxieties are quite normal. Once they start interfering with the child’s normal activities though, like the ability to learn and perform well in school, the ability to make new friends, and result in loss of normal sleep, then the child is suffering from anxiety disorder.

If a child is experiencing any of the symptoms below almost every day for at least six months, then it is likely that he or she is suffering from anxiety disorder. The most common physical symptoms are stomach ache, headache, muscle discomfort, hyper-activity, sleeping discomforts, diarrhea, feeling sick, chest tightness, etc.

Oftentimes, children do not outwardly show physical symptoms but if you suspect that your child is in a challenging situation, you should also monitor for non-physical symptoms. Some non-physical signs of anxiety disorders to watch out for are:

Worry – this, of course, is normal for any child and is usually experienced before a test, a school play that the child performs in, a field trip, or any other events that the child might see as important. However, children with anxiety disorders seem to worry excessively without any reason and they would worry excessively about school, friends, past or future events, or meeting new people.

Fear of separation is quite normal for infants and toddlers, but if this fear is experienced at a later stage, then this might be a sign of an anxiety disorder. An older child, who refuses to go anywhere without the parent, sleep alone, or go to school alone, might be suffering from anxiety.

Phobias – fear of particular situation that most people don’t find threatening. These phobias can be the extreme fear of dogs, closed spaces, heights, spiders, etc. Usually children with phobias will try everything in their power to avoid situations which scare them.

Panic attacks – just like adults, children can suffer from panic attacks too. In some cases they are associated with other anxiety disorder symptoms like phobias and stress, or they can be totally unexpected and unprovoked. These are often misdiagnosed and not treated on time, which in turn means that they might be experienced in the adulthood too. Panic attacks occur more often amongst teenagers than amongst younger children, and are usually associated with physical symptoms like nausea, palpitations, sweating, shaking, and numbness.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – children can suffer from OCD just like the adults and in most cases that would translate into constantly washing their hands, repeating a certain “ritual,” or being obsessed with particular thoughts.

Selective mutism – this is a condition where the child stops speaking. It can be caused by other anxiety, as well as some biological factors. This is also quite often misunderstood since parents think that their child is simply refusing to speak while in fact he or she is unable to speak. This makes selective mutism one of the most overlooked anxiety disorders amongst children.

In most cases the anxiety disorders are diagnosed in children between the ages of six and eight, it is also believed that the temperament of the child is of importance as well: children and are shy and introverted are more likely to suffer from anxiety. Parents should always consult a doctor if they suspect that their child is showing symptoms of anxiety disorder since if they are not treated in time, this might lead to difficulties in the adult live of the child too.

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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.