Anxiety, No More a Fear

Anxiety, often we have read about it heard about it and I am sure everyone must have had at least a few experiences of anxiety. It is just like a reflexive action that happens with us when we are either tensed or when we face a problem. It is actually a very common term that is used for the disorders that causes stress, fear, nervousness, worrying etc. Anxiety attack is a normal thing that happens to everyone and is directly proportional to our behavior and it does not always need the involvement of our conscious mind, at times it happens just without our consent. Various incidents may lead to anxiety.

Hence anxiety attack is a part and parcel of everybody’s life and is nothing more than an experience of a general state of stress, worry or fear before facing various situations like an interview or a test. But when these feelings start to interfere in your daily life and prevents you from being at peace then it is certainly not justified.  This is the time when you need to think about the cures of anxiety attack.

For the initial level a doctor is definitely not needed. It’s we who can have a control over it. There are some very basic things that we could do, like:

1.    Exercise: The very first thing that is suggested to deal with anxiety attack is a regular practice of exercise. It is a universal fact that exercise is a stress buster. As per the research reports 30 minute of schedules exercise at least three to five times a week is the best self help technique. If you find it difficult to get adapted to yoga then you can go for an hour of aerobics on a regular basis.

2.    Relaxation Techniques: Deep breathing when practiced regularly is very effective.  Slowly breath in through your nose taking the air to your abdomen and then slowly breath out through your mouth. Proper muscle relaxation exercise can top up the breathing exercise.

3.    Learn to manage stress: One should know how to manage stress, and should know how to handle the negative thoughts. Positive thinking helps a lot. One easy way is to pen down all your negative thoughts and positive thoughts as well, and then try to replace the negative ones with the positive ones.

4.    Meditation: Meditation has been into practice since ages. It helps one individual to de stress himself/herself, and distressing means reduction in the anxiety level. It also diminishes the negative thoughts and helps you to become composed.

5.    Counseling: Talking to a person who can listen to your problem and who can support you also is of great help

These were some of the self help techniques to get over the anxiety attacks, but if these techniques are not able to resolve the problem and one still faces the threat then one should think about the anxiety attack treatments. Anxiety attack has become a very common thing and so today people are also looking forward to get some medical treatment for this disorder. Some medications are:

1.    Benzodiazepine: It is a very famous anti anxiety medicine. It is a medicine that has been accepted widely and is well known for its instant reaction. Usually the patient is asked to take this medicine 30 to 60 minutes prior a stressful situation.

2.    Klonopin and Xanas: These are two anti-anxiety drugs which are comparative more effective and a little less addictive because it does not contain valium. This medicine helps you to relax hence reducing the level of anxiety.

3.    SSRIs or Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors: these are the antidepressant drugs. Use of this medicine helps you to increase the natural level of serotonin (neurotransmitter that has a variety of effects on a person’s mood) in your brain. This medicine does not have an instant effect, it takes at least 2 to 6 weeks to notice any significant effect.

4.    Therapy: The main aim of a therapy is to reach the source of the attack, it deals with the identification of the problem. It does not have any instant effect but it is the best in the long run.

The drugs are preferred only for the instant reaction, because prolong use of these drugs can cause some side effects in the body like dryness of mouth, sleepiness, stomach problems, adverse sexual effects etc. These are only good for the instant effect but it is not advisable to get into the regular practice of drugs to overcome anxiety rather one should go for the therapies which may not have instant effect but are the best in the long run as they have no side effects.