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Bad days with anxiety


What is Generalized Anxiety? | The Anxiety Network

by Thomas A. Richards, Ph.D., Psychologist

"I just dread being alone at night. I don’t know why, but I do......"

"My thoughts won’t shut off. They’re constantly running, making me worry, worry, worry......"

"Will I ever be my old self again?"

"I can’t remember ever feeling relaxed and calm....What would that be like?"

"I’m always on edge....."

"I hate having to go to work now. I haven’t always been this way....."

Generalized anxiety disorder is a relatively common anxiety problem, affecting 3-4% of the population, that turns daily life into a state of worry, anxiety, and fear. Excessive thinking and dwelling on the "what ifs" characterizes this anxiety disorder. As a result, the person feels there’s no way out of the vicious cycle of anxiety and worry, and becomes depressed about life and the chronic state of anxiety they find themselves in.

Generalized anxiety usually does not cause people to avoid situations, and there isn’t an element of a "panic attack" involved in the prognosis, either.


It’s the thinking, thinking, thinking,
dwelling, dwelling, ruminating, ruminating,
and inability to shut the mind off

that so incapacitates the person. At other times, thoughts seem almost non-existent because the anxious feelings are so dominant. Feelings of worry, dread, lack of energy, and a loss of interest in life are common. Many times there is no "trigger" or "cause" for these feelings and the person realizes these feelings are irrational. Nevertheless, the feelings are very real. At this point, there is no "energy" or "zest" in life and no desire to want to do much.

This emotional fear and worry can be quite strong. If a loved one is ten minutes late, the person with generalized anxiety fears the very worst -- something’s dreadfully wrong (after all, they’re ten minutes late!), there’s been an accident, the paramedics are taking the person to the hospital and his injuries are just too critical to resuscitate him. ...."Oh, my God!.....WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?" Feelings of fear and anxiety rush in from these thoughts, and the vicious cycle of anxiety and depression runs wild.

Some people with generalized anxiety have fluctuations in mood from hour to hour, whereas others have "good days" and "bad days". Others do better in the morning, and others find it easier at the end of the day. These anxiety feelings and moods feed on themselves, leading the person to continue in the pattern of worry and anxiety -- unless something powerful breaks it up.

Physical manifestations 

The physical manifestations of generalized anxiety may include headaches, trembling, twitching, irritability, frustration, and inability to concentrate. Sleep disturbances may also occur. Elements of social anxiety and/or panic may sometimes be present, such as high levels of self-consciousness in some situations, and fear of not being able to escape from enclosed spaces.

It is also common, but not universal, for people with generalized anxiety to experience other problems, such as a quick startle response, a lack of ability to fully relax, and the propensity to be in a state of constant motion. It is difficult for some people with generalized anxiety to settle down enough to have a quiet, reflective time where they can calm down, relax, and feel some peace and tranquility. Strategies to peacefully calm down and relax are one part in overcoming this problem.

Normal life stresses aggravate generalized anxiety. The person who typically performs well at work and receives a sense of accomplishment from it, all of a sudden finds that work has become drudgery. If work is perceived as a negative environment, and the person no longer feels fulfilled, then considerable worry takes place over these situations. As a result, the anticipatory anxiety about going to work can become quite strong.

Generalized anxiety has been shown to respond best to cognitive-behavioral therapy, an active therapy that involves more than just talking to a therapist. In CBT, the person gradually learns to see situations and problems in a different perspective and learns the methods and techniques to use to alleviate and reduce anxiety. Sometimes medication is a helpful adjunct to therapy, but for many people it is not necessary. Research indicates that generalized anxiety is fully treatable and can be successfully overcome over the course of about three to four months if the person is motivated and works toward recovery.

Generalized anxiety must be chipped away from all sides and that is what CBT is designed to do. No one has to live with generalized anxiety disorder.  Treatment for GAD has been shown to be both effective and successful.

Please seek a therapist who understands anxiety and the anxiety disorders. Remember, that just because a person has a degree behind their name, does not mean they understand and can treat an anxiety disorder. Feel free to ask questions of any professional and make sure your therapist understands and knows how to treat generalized anxiety. It is usually a good idea to see a specialist in this area because they have a practice that is geared toward the anxiety disorders.

What you need to know about anxiety recovery

anxiety Aug 01, 2021

 

If you struggle with anxiety and are want to do something about it. There are things you need to know about the journey that will change the way you see your progress and approach recovery.

 

I have been through the journey of recovery myself. Not only from intense anxiety, but depression, PTSD and Panic as well. I get it, and in this post I'm going to share with you what you need to know about Anxiety Recovery.

 

 

You're not going to start working on your anxiety and just get better and better by the day. Each day being filled with less and less anxiety, until its gone altogether. That's just not what people experience.

 

It's normal to have good days and bad days. Days where you notice your anxiety is significantly reduced. And then other days when it comes back up and is a struggle again.

 

I found it really helpful early on to see a graph that was a sawtooth, sometimes up and sometimes down.

 

The thing is if you are following the right process for recovery then over all it will improve.  So an overall upwards improvement. Just not straight.

 

It's best not compare your anxiety day by day. This can be discouraging, but by weeks and months. Over time with the right support you will see improvements and anxiety can definitely reduce.

 

So remember if your journey is a bit bumpy, you're not doing it wrong, that's normal.

 

 

It's not uncommon for people with anxiety to see themselves as an anxious person.

 

Unfortunately, this strong identity attachment to anxiety can lead to really negative thoughts and feelings about yourself when anxiety gets in the way.

 

Early on in my recovery from depression someone was talking to me and gave me a really helpful image. They suggested when things were bad to say "This is the illness". And I would encourage you to think about your anxiety in this way.

 

When you have  tough night and anxiety is really making life difficult.

 

"This is the anxiety"

 

By separating it off from your identity it becomes easier to change.

 

Anxiety isn't who we are, it's a response we have to situations. It is something we can reduce and change with the right process.

 

Whereas who you are doesn't need changing. You are good enough, and worthy of love and belonging just as you are right now.

 

Now this third one is going to be a bit of a hard pill to swallow. And it is vital to proper recovery rather than just numbing which can lead straight into depression.

 

 

So many people come to our clinic and when we ask them what their goals are they say, "I want to get rid of my anxiety."

 

Now anxiety is part of our survival wiring, and isn't something you can just remove. And yes we do get asked if there is a part of peoples brains that can be removed so they don't experience anxiety.

 

Anxiety can really suck, it's understandable to not what to experience it. However, like pain, it has a function. If someone lost their ability to feel pain they would be in a lot of danger. They wouldn't know to remove a hand from a hot stove or That they were stepping on something sharp that could cut them. That was the big issue with leprosy 

 

Like with pain we need the uncomfortable sensation of anxiety to keep ourselves safe in certain situations. However, you don't need anxiety at a level that gets in the way of everyday life. That stops you from enjoying time with friends and doing well at work.

 

This anxiety can definitely be reduced. Reduced down in terms of the intensity and the amount of time spent anxious.

 

Not only this, with the right process you can retrain your brain not to respond with anxiety in situations that don't need you to be in fight or flight survival mode.

 

And one more reason to not get rid of anxiety completely:

 

Not only is having some anxiety protective, the exact same sensation of anxiety are also the sensations experienced when you are excited. The difference is that excitement comes with a different meaning attached.

 

If you want your life to have movements of excitement you need to be able to experience these sensations that are part of anxiety.

 

When we try to numb or avoid any difficult emotion, unfortunately we lose access to positive emotions as well.

 

You can't pick and choose what you numb.

 

Your life wouldn't be better if you never felt anxiety, because that would mean you weren't feeling.

 

That my friend is called depression.

 

Knowing this last point, that the aim isn't to get rid of anxiety...

 

 

You are going to experience anxiety in your life. Depending on what is going on, your stress may increase. This often makes anxiety more intense.

 

Life has these ups and downs. There isn't a pill or a breathing strategy that can just solve all your problems and take anxiety away for good. And it would not be a good thing if there was.

 

However, when you hit these moments in life where anxiety pops up, what you really need is a process to follow to manage and master that anxiety.

 

Anxiety still pops up, but you have the confidence that you can get through it and be ok.

 

When you practice and get good at the right process, anxiety doesn't get in the way like it used to.

 

Where a bad panic attack used to take me out for a whole day, now when anxiety pops up I can work myself through it in quickly, sometimes even in a matter of minutes.

 

The anxiety I experience now isn't nearly as intense and each time I work through it I gain resilience.

 

The struggle at the start is that a good process for managing and mastering anxiety is going to be counterintuitive.

 

It's the opposite of what your anxiety wants you to do. However, over time, it is going to shift anxiety out of the driving seat and help you regain control of your life.

 

Lastly I want to finish with something really exciting not many people know about the anxiety journey.

 

 

That is, that when you work on your anxiety, when you commit to following a process for managing and mastering it, not only can you get back to functioning and feeling normal again.

 

Who wouldn't want that?

 

But you can go beyond that.

 

I can't believe the things I can now do because of challenging my anxiety. I'm able to share publicly about anxiety and help and encourage other people. Something that I've found hugely rewarding. I'm running a business and helping other business people, on the other side of the world, to improve their businesses.

 

I'm now able to tackle things normal people would see as too hard or scary.

 

And that skill has opened up my world to so much more than just a normal life. It's a life I enjoy and one that has real meaning.

 

So if you are just starting out on your anxiety journey, or have been doing this thing for a while, I want to encourage you to keep moving forward.

 

Life can be so much better than the restrictions anxiety gives you.

 

And I'd love for you to jump in the comments on the video below and tell me which tip you found most valuable.

 

How to deal with anxiety - articles from the company Elamed

What the article is about:

Bad news, anxiety, worries and stress-stress-stress ... Many of us would like to get a magic pill for anxiety, but someone probably did not refuse and from a potion against obsessive thoughts. Unfortunately, it’s not that such remedies don’t exist - they do exist - but the benefit from them is greater than the harm only when it comes to severe anxiety-depressive disorder. In milder cases, addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and other possible unwanted effects of psychopharmacology outweigh its benefits. So something else is needed. What exactly - find out from our article.

Healthy and unhealthy anxiety

It should be said right away: it is normal to experience fear and anxiety from time to time. These feelings are as much a part of our lives as any others. Without them, we would simply lose touch with reality. Moreover, normally these emotions help to survive. Under the influence of fear, the heart begins to beat faster, we breathe faster, fresh, oxygen-rich blood enters the muscles. The body comes on alert to run, fight or, if the danger is too great, freeze and hide from it. But if the excitement becomes too long, it begins to hurt.


Why long-term anxiety is harmful

A person cannot be constantly in a state of “readiness No. 1”. It causes tense muscles to hurt, the stomach to fill with acid (which is why people get ulcers), excessive biochemical reactions to occur in the brain and body (such as the release of adrenaline and cortisol), and excessive blood flow to the brain can lead to migraines, severe headaches. pain and even stroke.

For this reason, if you are away from real dangers, prolonged anxiety must be curbed.

How to deal with anxiety and stress

Breathe properly

Rapid breathing occurs during times of stress and can even trigger it on its own. But when a person breathes calmly, the processes of excitation and inhibition proceed evenly. That is why breathing techniques promote calm.

The easiest to use is:

  1. Sit upright with your shoulders up and your diaphragm open.
  2. Inhale deeply for 5 seconds.
  3. Hold your breath for 5 seconds.
  4. Exhale for 5 seconds.
  5. Hold your breath for 5 seconds.

One should try first to completely fill the lungs, and then exhale all the air from them.

Try to breathe in this way for a few minutes, and then imagine that you have met a good friend and smile. Breathe for a few more minutes with a smile.

Do some exercises

The human body doesn't care what it fears: an attacking tiger or an upcoming conversation. In any case, it reacts to this with muscle tension. The easiest way to get rid of it and the anxiety that accompanies it is by doing vigorous physical exercises - squats and bends, swinging arms and legs.

If this is not a situational, but a long-term anxiety that has been haunting you for more than a day, progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson can help. The essence of this method is the consistent tension and relaxation of all major muscle groups. You can see the execution method in the video below.

Fantasize and laugh

Often the cause of anxiety is thoughts that begin with the words “What if? ..” What if the boss calls to fire? What if the child is not just delayed, but got hit by a car? What if, when I move to a new place, I can't find friends or work?

Nothing has happened yet, but the alarm has already appeared!

You can fight it by inventing a new continuation for the words "What if?.." - the most favorable and most probable.

What if the boss calls for a pay rise? Or offer to participate in a new project? What if the child started talking to friends? Or just can't get on a late bus? What if you manage to find a job in a new place that is better than the previous one, and relationships with friends are not interrupted thanks to the Internet?

Even better, not just mentally try to replace the old continuation with a new one, but make a table with 4 columns. In the first write down disturbing thoughts, a bad version of what could happen. In the second and third - optimistic and realistic options, and in the last column, later, enter what really happened. Such a diary will show over time how implausible our worries can be.

Example of a disturbing thought diary

Anxious thought Best case scenario Realistic scenario What really happened
Son does not answer calls. Suddenly he got hit by a car? .. Phone is dead. The son broke the phone. The son forgot his phone with a friend and, of course, could not answer calls while driving home.

It can also be useful to deliberately come up with a funny and absurd continuation for a disturbing thought. What if the boss is leaving for Lake Chad to admire the giraffes, and he plans to leave you in charge and calls you to warn him about this?

Eat right

Do not forget: our brain is the same part of the body as joints or kidneys, which means that in order to work properly, in addition to spiritual food, it needs physical food. Therefore, proper nutrition becomes especially important during stress and anxiety.

First of all, foods containing B vitamins are needed at this time:

  • Beef liver (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9 and B12)
  • Chicken (B3, B5, B6)
  • Bananas (B1, B2, B3, B9 and B7)
  • Legumes (B9)
  • Cheese (B12)
  • Curd (B1)

It is also good to eat citrus fruits. In addition to vitamin C, they contain pyridoxine, which is involved in the formation of the "hormone of joy" - serotonin.

If it is too difficult to make the right diet, a complex containing B vitamins, biotin and pyridoxine can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Use transcranial magnetotherapy

Also, if you find yourself in a state of chronic stress and anxiety, physiotherapy will be useful for the brain - gentle stimulation with a pulsed magnetic field.

This effect normalizes the blood supply to the brain and improves the activity of its cortex, as well as the production of such hormones as adrenaline, cortisol, serotonin, melatonin.

All this together:

  • relieves anxiety;
  • relieves tension headaches;
  • normalizes sleep disturbed by stress;
  • improves mood.

Allergic or other adverse side effects characteristic of psychopharmacology are excluded, because the body uses its own resources and itself establishes the production of the necessary hormones in the required proportions.

Modern medicine makes it possible to undergo treatment with transcranial magnetotherapy even at home. For this, there are special portable devices.

Things to remember:

  1. Anxiety, anxiety and fear are normal parts of our lives, but not when they absorb a person's full attention and last for weeks. This state of affairs must be dealt with.
  2. Prescription medications are not always needed, and anxiety and stress can often be dealt with in other ways.
  3. Breathing exercises, Jacobson muscle relaxation, work with beliefs are suitable for this.
  4. In addition, you need to make sure that the food contains enough B vitamins necessary for the brain or start taking vitamin complexes.
  5. Transcranial magnetic therapy will also be useful. It improves the blood supply to the brain and the function of the cortex, and also improves the production of adrenaline, cortisol, serotonin, melatonin. All this allows you to relieve anxiety, remove tension headaches, normalize sleep and improve mood.

what it is and how to deal with it — University for the Humanities

Every person experiences a feeling of anxiety, it prevents them from living normally and fulfilling themselves in difficult situations. And very often manifested in first and last year students. How to deal with it?

What is an alarm?

Anxiety is a state of excitement, a feeling of strong inner restlessness, turmoil. Anxiety can arise from difficulties at work or school, conflicts, relationship problems, internal experiences, health problems.

Anxiety is different from fear, it can arise even with a slight threat, even if the threat is only imagined. A person may be aware of the cause of his anxiety (a specific situation, meeting someone, a road, an unfamiliar place) or experience a vague vague anxiety, which is sometimes called just a bad feeling.

However, there are three pillars of anxiety: external circumstances, unpleasant memories, fear of the future. In addition, many other factors can cause it, from feelings of loneliness to loud noises.

Psychologists distinguish two types of anxiety:

- background - constant anxiety, which is easier to control;

- situational or peak - a sharp rise in anxiety or a panic attack.

How harmful anxiety is

Feelings of anxiety are not always harmful. When it arises as a reaction to danger or inevitable life changes, anxiety can become adaptive, helping the person to become more active and begin to solve the problem. This occurs before a difficult exam, moving, or in an extreme situation.

Unhealthy anxiety, on the contrary, blocks the ability to do anything. It becomes a fetter in which it is very difficult to move. The intensity of experiences does not correspond to real circumstances, emotional stress becomes too strong.

"Feels like martial music is playing in the head"

Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms. The stress hormone and the fear hormone work together. The feeling is comparable to when the battle music starts playing in the game, and you cannot understand where the enemy is.

Anxiety may be accompanied by rapid heartbeat, sensation of a lump in the throat or stomach. Skin may feel hot, but being touched is icy.

With a strong attack of anxiety, it becomes impossible to do anything, the legs stick to the ground, become cottony, and the hands are shaking, dizzy, starting to feel sick.

It becomes very difficult to find a place for yourself, to do something or switch to other thoughts.

What are the methods to deal with background anxiety?

1. Sports - rhythmic sports that can be done at home (walking in place or sit-ups) Through sports, endorphins will be released, you will be able to relax and relieve stress.

2. Just any activity. Suitable shower or bath, massage, cooking, where you need to knead or rub something, cleaning. The body is good at drawing attention to itself and helps to get out of the cycle of anxiety.

3. Water. Dehydration is associated with increased anxiety. 1.5-2 liters per day, or 0.5-1 glass every hour and a half until you sleep.

4. Distraction. Turn on other areas of the brain to reduce the energy directed towards anxiety. Watch a series, listen to music, or talk to someone. Take up needlework, but it is only important to do what you already know how to do and can do in a relaxed way.

5. Humor. It activates parts of the brain that extinguish anxiety. Humor is very good at distracting and helping to come to terms with the situation, and maybe even find a way out of it.

How to deal with peak anxiety?

One of the most popular methods is to name: