What methods can I use to overcome health anxiety?
Health anxiety happens because people catastrophically misinterpret health related information. e.g. a lump in the breast or testes MUST be cancer, forgetting someone’s name MUST be a symptom of dementia.Health anxiety sufferers may become worried by:reading articles or seeing programs about diseasesknowing someone who has a diseasethings they observe about their own body, their physical symptoms, etc.SELF HELP FOR HEALTH ANXIETYTo break the vicious cycle of health anxiety, we need to action each "cog" of the Health Anxiety machinery, by changing the way we think, and changing what we do.Quick and easy ways to get moving:Take a shower, go for a walk, or a swim, do some yoga, dance, stand up and takes some deep breaths or try Qigong - whatever appeals to you, get up and move. Better still get out the door and move.HOW TO OVERCOME:Self monitoringIdentifying and challenging negative thoughtsModifying abnormal illness related behaviours. e.g. checking, reassurance seekingIdentifying and correcting core beliefs using disputation and behavioural experiments
I can't sleep........anxiety thoughts are killing me?
This is from an article about night anxiety and how to deal with it, hope it helps: "If you suffer from night anxiety, be aware – you are definitely not alone. 50% -70% of anxiety and panic disorder sufferers have reported having night anxiety attacks as well. You would think that anxiety and stress could at least give you a break at night – but no. Maybe you are worried about losing your job. You go to bed, but toss and turn for an hour. Finally you get out of bed at 2 A.M with full-blown anxiety or panic attack. How You Become Afraid of the Night Your anxiety quickly spreads to other areas: a nine o’clock doctor’s appointment, the urgent tasks you didn’t get to accomplish today, and the presentation you’re going to blow if you don’t get some sleep. Awful thoughts fill your head:…”I’m going to be a wreck tomorrow”, “This thing will drive me crazy”…”Am I going to die tonight?” After a few nights of these repeated thoughts, you start being afraid of the night starting with early evening. It is a hopeless situation. My Little Story I used to be sure that I am going to die. With what was racing in my mind, there was no way to drift back to sleep if I could go to sleep at all. The quiet of the night, the isolation and “night sounds” were daily triggers to my night anxiety. I couldn’t sit still, but I didn’t have much energy to move. I could pace around for hours thinking how I am going to lose my mind. I didn’t have a spouse or anyone else to lean on. Over the years I found just a few methods that gave me some relief from night anxiety, I wanted to share them with you: The Best Methods to Fight Night Anxiety: 1. Avoiding prescription drugs – I have tried that out – and it gave me a little relief – but the goal is to get through night anxiety without creating another problem – chemical dependency. Besides, these drugs will never cure the condition, only temporarily relieve symptoms.... Read the rest at the source...
Can depression and anxiety cause problems with logical thinking?
I am not a mental health professional, doctor, or any authority.I am only speaking on my own behalf from my own experience AND what other friends/acquaintances have told me as well.For one thing, anxiety is actually quite normal. Without it, how would we see that our country is in the condition that it is in?Depression/anxiety, in my personal opinion, is just simply a sign that something within your psyche/spirit is out of balance and must be addressed at the foundational level. So, with this being said, I would say that, yes, they can effect logical thinking, but, only to a certain point. It's not always about getting from point A to point B as fast as possible, but, rather, how can I identify my feelings so that I can see if this feeling is really reasonable or valid at the time I am feeling it? Am I just simply unconsciously comparing myself to others because I do not feel as superior or feel inferior to the other people around me? Is my anxiety and feelings of sadness blocking me from seeing reality, as things really are, and not how I want to see them? THAT is really the foundation of logical thinking: What is this/What is going on, and why is this happening (e.g. why does 2+2=4)?
What's the real cause behind anxiety?
In the most fundamental sense, anxiety attacks are caused by brain chemistry.Anxiety, fear, and all other emotional, intellectual, and cognitive processes originate in the brain. Neurochemicals constantly interact with one another and influence our navigation of the world. Our brain is powered by a biological operating system we inherited from our ancestors. This brain “hardware” has not changed in tens of thousands of years. Our cortexs use serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, endorphin, and other neurotransmitters, to make decisions.The hormone cortisol is what we call “pain.” Pain gets our attention. A big burst of cortisol is what we call “fear.” Small drips of cortisol are “anxiety” or “stress.” When you see things associated with past pain, your cortisol is triggered and you take steps to avoid more pain.Cortisol makes you feel like you will die if you don’t act instantly. An anxiety attack is a flood of cortisol. In an anxiety attack, the brain’s broadcast system is sending you an inflated signal to avoid catastrophe. When your brain finds no immediate physical threat, it continues searching frantically for danger. Without an immediate threat in sight, your mind can attach to or manufacture a new threat.Ironically, identifying threats make us feel safer. This can result in quite the vicious cycle. Identifying or labeling the source of anxiety will cause cortisol will subside. You get a dopamine boots from finding what you seek. You may get a serotonin boost from the feeling of being right. You may even get an oxytocin boost if the evidence bonds you to those with similar concerns. The speed and intensity of this reaction is heightened the next time a similar threat is perceived. Brain synapses develop through repetition.Once you understand how your brain works, even at a high-level, it is easier to accept, manage, and control the chemicals that cause anxiety attacks.Understand And Master The Brain Chemicals That Cause Anxiety
Anxiety symptoms have me think about brain tumors alot?
Am i the only person with anxiety who has sever symptoms from the anxiety and obsesses over the fact that they might have a brain tumor or any other deadly disease?
Can anxiety make you feel like you're going crazy?
Yes it can...but you are not. :) Anxiety, even when it is involving an anxiety "disorder" is a very normal reaction to stress. What is abnormal is the amount of stress and negative thinking and worry that you do. Your brain works just fine. It is releasing the amount of adrenaline that your negative thinking is calling for. But you don't know you are calling for all that adrenaline with your negative thinking and worry. So here you are feeling the side effects of adrenaline that you don't know is coursing through your veins and you think something is mentally wrong with you. But that is not the case. You are the captain of the ship. The brain can only release adrenaline on your command. Whatever your emotions tell it do, that is what it does. Laughing, crying, panicking. You are in charge. Anxiety is not confusing at all. People just have it backwards. They think that the anxiety symptoms are causing the worry and fear and negative thinking. But the truth is that the worry and fear and negative thinking is what came first. THEN the adrenaline and anxiety symptoms came. And then you start worrying even MORE because of the adrenaline symptoms that are making you feel physical and mental side effects, and so than you start making even MORE adrenaline and eventually you are just a dog chasing your tail over and over and you don't know what came first, the chicken or the egg. How many analogies can I fit in one paragraph? lolYou are not crazy. Your brain is not crazy. Nothing about this is crazy. Its just a case of bad communication between you and your brain. Your brain wants you to calm down and relax and slow down you life so that it can trust that you are safe and shut off the adrenaline. YOU, on the other hand want your brain to shut off the adrenaline so that you can relax and stop worrying. Its like a game of "chicken" and I can tell you right now that your brain is NOT going to flinch. It will NOT back down first. Your brain has a job to do and it takes it very seriously so if you want the anxiety to change, YOU have to go first. You have to make changes to your life, change the way you think, etc. It can be done! I could write all day but I am out of time but you can read more at my blog at www.theworrygames.com
I can't control my anxiety...I think I'm dying?
I have this huge fear I will have a heart attack any minute; I'm having heart palpitations and I cannot stop shaking. The similarities between a panic attack and heart attack scare me because I won't be able to distinguish which one I'm REALLY having. Anxiety is ruining my life, and no one seems to understand that I feel alone in my mind. I think about dying 24/7. I wake up worrying. I can't go to sleep without thinking I won't wake up. Sorry to be so morbid, but that's how I feel. If there's anyone out there who's ever felt the same way, what improvements or exercises can I do to help get my life back? Thank you so much.