Self-Improvement Resources

Ever experienced one or more of these feelings, some of which have become habits that are hard to beat?

• A feeling that you might have forgotten to turn off an appliance before leaving the house.
• A feeling that you might have left something behind on the last place you’ve been.
• The bothersome thought that you might have annoyed someone whom is the least person you want to displease.

These feelings can bring about panic/anxiety in a person. All of us have somehow experienced anxiety one way or the other, in more instances than one, and at different levels. These experiences make us all familiar with what anxiety is. Aside from what we know about it, there could be some facts about anxiety we may not be familiar or aware of.

Simply put, anxiety is the feeling of uneasiness, discomfort, or fear of what may eventually happen resulting from perceived, real, or imagined threat or condition. Panic attacks, on the other hand, are actually heightened anxiety.

Two distinct symptoms become obvious during a panic or anxiety attack: physical and emotional.

Physical Symptoms include:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Loss of energy or fatigue
• Cold or sweaty hands
• Shaking or trembling body parts
• Rapid heartbeat
• Restlessness
• Body pains or aches
• Insomnia

Emotional Symptoms include:
• Irritability
• Excessive worrying or fear
• Inability to focus on the task at hand
• Frequent feelings of sadness
• Feeling edgy
• Disturbed composure

Given the choice, we would rather avoid facing an impending threat or undesirable situation we foresee. However, if we are left with no other option but to face the circumstances, we might as well be prepared for it and face it with confidence.

Not all anxiety feelings are caused by things we hate happening to us. One example is graduating top in class, and a valedictorian address needs to be delivered during the commencement exercise. Just the thought of speaking in front of an audience may bring about anxiety. The worst scenario that could happen is getting tongue-tied and this could bring about a panic attack. It’s a mixed feeling of positive and slightly negative anxiety. Before the speech, nervousness engulfs the speaker. After the speech, the feeling of relief starts to turn to pride for having graduated no. 1 in class.

In spite of the negative impression we have for anxiety, it is by no means dangerous. Some of us may think that anxiety may result to life threatening health conditions. This is a myth and a false perception. Symptoms like butterflies in the stomach and clammy palms that occur when we get anxious are pretty normal.

However, panic attack is a more serious concern. It can sometimes result to blurred vision, dizziness, and a tight chest that leads to difficulty in breathing. One might misinterpret this as a stroke. The thought of having a stroke might make the anxiety-prone person think that he has a life threatening condition; thereby aggravating the situation.

To dispel this notion, it is best to consult a physician and have regular medical check-ups. This is the best way to segregate anxiety from a serious illness.

When we are confronted with a thought of an impending danger, real or imagined, we have one of two choices: either confront it or run away from it. This is better known as the fight/flight response. If we have to face it, we must be brave enough to do so.

The feeling of anxiety is actually a defensive inherent feeling that protects us from possible danger. It’s not the “bad guy” that we usually think it is, but rather a protective shield or response that does not harm us physically.

What Transpires During a Panic Attack
 

What we usually perceive as a possible threat or danger brought about by a panic attack actually starts from the brain. From the brain, signals are sent to the nervous system of our body. It is the nervous system that is responsible in preparing our body to face or to escape the threat. It is also responsible in returning our body to its original state of equilibrium or tranquility once the threat has gone away or has subsided.

In layman terms, there is this independent region of the nervous system responsible for the rise and fall of our nervous feeling. This rise in feeling is responsible in preparing our body to face or to flee the danger. The fall in feeling or subsiding feeling works to restore balance and equilibrium, bringing our body back to its normal state.

Let us use our example earlier about graduating top in class. Before the valedictory speech, the rising feel goes to work. After the speech, the subsiding feel is responsible for the body’s equilibrium. The rising feel is the controversial section of the nervous system which starts the anxiety (or possibly panic attack), while the subsiding feel is the one that brings our body to its original comfortable state.

You might ask: “Exactly what part of our body is activated during a panic attack?” In medical terms, just above the kidney are the adrenal glands that release adrenaline (a hormone) when we are in a state of anxiety. The adrenaline is responsible in keeping our anxiety going. Remember that anxiety within controllable levels is here to protect and not to harm, which is why a continued anxious feeling can be beneficial to the body. Once the excitement is done with, the subsiding feel takes over to return our body to relaxation mode.

What can we do to control anxiety to a tolerable level? We can engage in some coping techniques or strategies to diffuse or control anxiety. Coping techniques are actually a means of activating the subsiding feel even before the perceived danger is over. Whether we will it or not, this feeling will be called into action at one point or another as the body cannot continue to stay in an ever increasing state of anxiety.

It would be interesting to note that our body is an ingenious work of art. We need not fear that anxiety will reach an uncontrollable level because our body cells are wise enough to protect themselves from any potential harm. We may even think negatively and perceive the worst scenario; yet our body’s ingenuity will still prevail and protect us. Even modern science is baffled with the way the human body works, which is why new discoveries develop as time passes by. Whatever situation we find ourselves into, we can be sure of our body’s aim to keep us away from harm.

To sum up what we have discussed so far, anxiety or panic attacks are actually products of our mind; and to a certain extent, they are due to body chemistry.

Entertain yourself by visualizing a caricature of two persons - one representing your mind and the other one, your body. While the mind keeps on doing all sorts of stuff to bring the body to its worst condition (typifying anxiety), the body keeps its ground - confident and barely moving.

Other Distinct Reactions
 

A rising feel in the nervous system brings about other distinct reactions in the body.

The heartbeat goes up due to the amount of blood flowing through our body. This is to ensure enough oxygen supply so that bodily wastes are removed, thereby priming the body to be ready for action.

Unconsciously, our body works to distribute more blood to where it is needed, such as our extremities. The legs and thighs are primed up, ready for moving; so do the arms and biceps, adding strength to our upper extremities. This additional blood flow comes from the skin, fingers, and toes, which explains why our skin has a paler color under this condition. Our hands feel numb and there’s a tingling sensation on the fingertips. We often mistake this manifestation as a prelude to a heart attack. As explained earlier, this is the reason why we need regular medical check-ups to dispel this wrong notion.

In a panic attack, there are other symptoms: difficulty in breathing to the point of suffocation, a tight chest, or a clogged throat. All of these are normal under this condition, as the tissues in the body need to get more oxygen to prepare for any emotional action. Breathlessness resulting to increased speed and depth of breathing, and even chest pains, are resultants of extreme anxiety.

A feeling of dizziness, a blurred (as in “seeing stars”) vision, a difficulty to distinguish what is real and what is illusion, a hot flush feeling, a dry mouth, a nauseating feeling in the stomach, a feeling of being hyperactive – all these may also occur under an anxiety condition. The more extreme the anxiety is, the more pronounced the symptoms are.

The Causes of Panic Attacks
 

It is important that we identify the causes of panic attacks. For different people, the causes may come from various factors.

Oftentimes, we get anxiety feelings for reasons we do not know or cannot identify. We start to get agitated and our concentration gets derailed. We get disrupted in whatever we are doing.

It is extremely difficult to stay focused on what we are doing under an anxiety attack. It makes us commit mistakes that we hardly even notice, until someone else disrupts our attention.

If we are in the company of other people, say our family, friends, or business associates, and they notice that our actions are out-of-the-ordinary, they might begin to ask why. They might think we are hiding something when in fact we are not. That is the difficulty of having such a disorder. Those who are familiar with the situation can somehow help to pacify and calm down a panic victim.

It is important that we get to the root of anxiety. One denominator as reported by a lot of people reveals that prolonged or repetitive work pattern like those working with computers or in manufacturing lines can cause anxiety or panic attacks. This is the reason why regular breaks must be set up for those who work with computers.

Another possible cause of anxiety or panic attack is the fear that we might lose our body control. We are the ones who know our body the most, next to the doctor. What we eat, how we treat our physique, how we feel, and how we think, somehow reveal our health condition. In short, diet, stress, exercise, and our entire metabolism have something to do with the anxiety level within us.

We shall touch on these issues as we continue to know more about anxiety.

During a panic attack, two things usually come to mind: (1) the social embarrassment if such attack occurs when you are in the company of other people; and (2) the thought that runs through your mind of a probable serious illness or disease. The second one is more dangerous especially when the thought of an incurable illness is perceived by your mind, as this could intensify the attack even more. People often tend to think of the worst scenario, which again aggravates the feeling within them.

To allay this kind of fear, it is best to know the differences in symptoms associated with panic attacks compared to suspicions of possible illnesses.

continued in the ebook...