Saturday, July 30, 2016

How to Overcome Anxiety or Nervousness or generalized anxiety disorder?

Are you anxious to know about anxiety?
Anxiety is sympathetic function but relaxation is parasympathetic function.


Anxiety disorder occurs due to excessive worry about all matter related to individuals life- health, money, work, relationships and so on. If this is not induced due to drugs, disease or drinking and is causing restlessness, irritability, sleep disturbance, unable to concentrate, blank minded feeling, pressure of doing a wrong decision, then it needs attention.


Anxiety is genetically carried by parents to children. If grand parents have anxiety, eventhough it might not get expressed in parents but get expressed in grand kids. So there is a need to seek help for anxiety.

People with shy or timid nature are easy victims of anxiety. If you are shy? Don't scold me!! It is just a theory that shy or timid people avoid risks. They try to protect themselves too much so they end up getting nervous.

 Symptoms of Anxiety
1. Hyper vigilance
People with anxiety scan their surrounding for any potential threats, multiple times. Eventhough they don't find any potential threats they assume some serious threat and get easily distracted from their work. Their hyper vigilance also contributes to difficulty in falling asleep.

2. Motor tension
    Individuals with this symptom are unable to relax, they are visibly shaky and tensed. Strained facial expressions are common. They have deep sighs. Such individuals are easily startled. You talk to them. You see them shaky.

3. Automatic reactivity
    In individuals with this symptoms, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems seem to be working over time. There is some combination of sweating, dizziness, pounding or racing heart, hot or cold spells, cold and clammy hands, upset stomach. slight headache, frequent urination,high pulse and respiration rates. You shake their hand. You feel their sweat.

Treatment techniques to overcome anxiety disorder or nervousness

1. Diet planning

Involve marine food in the diet. That can be marine fish or any other food supplement which is made out of sea organisms. Fishes like salmon, sardines, mussels are rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Research has found out omega 3 fatty acids inhibit anxiety. I am sure you will become a sea food fan!. Ofcourse that's a good idea.
 
2. Extinction

Involves terminating of the reinforcement. That is if that person is getting any reward by being nervous, may be care, support or big attention. That should be stopped. Then the response of being nervous to conditioned stimulus becomes weak. The same technique is used to prevent temper tantram of children.
Now you remember why your mom ignored your tears and cries on that day!!!  

3. Relaxation

Ask person with anxiety rest on a bed. Please don't touch your friend on the bed. Ask him/her to focus on breath. Use the word 'relax....relax...relax'. Ask him/her  to tighten the toes. Later ask him/her to relax. Ask him/her  to tighten cop muscles. Ask him to relax. Gradually  go for all the muscle groups, one after the other till the head using the magical word 'relax...relax...relax'.
At the end ask him/her to shake their right hand fingers. If he/she  can shake them. Then ask  that person to slowly open eyes and sit.

Just wave your hand and ask 'hai! how do you feel?'.
Enjoy their answers.

4. Counter conditioning

If you get somebody nervous about cockroach. Ask them to close their eyes and remember their most favorite time. Ask the person to add some color, shape, odor, sound. Ask the person to enjoy that moment to the fullest extent. Ask the friend to slowly open eyes.

Now show your friend a cock roach. If your friend is nervous, ask him/ her to relax and imagine his/her favorite moment again.

With time the undesired response to eliciting situation get counter conditioned. I mean your friend becomes comfortable with cockroach.

5. Brisk walk

Twenty minutes brisk walk can suddenly reduce the anxiety response. They tell right? walking is the way to immortality. Of course it is the brisk walk dear, not a slow walk. You know brisk walk activates sweat  glands. This is the secret of brisk walk, in helping overcome anxiety or nervousness.

Are you planning to go for a brisk walk every day? Not necessary, dear; One day in a week take an excuse. Body needs rest. That's alright.

6. Tea therapy

Have you ever wondered how can monks sit tight for meditations for lots of hours?

Have your parents given you an example of monks ?
Don't worry I am not asking you to become a monk!!!

But how about having green tea, once in every two hours. Monks in shaolin temple, the birth place of kungfu have green tea.  That's why they sit for long hours in deep meditation. This little Chinese secret can help lot of people with anxiety.
Green tea is one of the best anxiety buster. It can help people overcome anxiety disorder easily.

7. Alternative medicine Supplements

a) Lemon balm
It has been used from middle ages. It is available as tea, capsule. If you are under medication, then you need to talk to the doctor before taking lemon balm. You need to start it with minimum dose. Too much of lemon balm causes anxiety. 
 
b) Lavender 
It has been successfully used to help students to face exam. It has also been used by lot of people to crack interview. It basically keeps the nerves cool.
Are you buying lavender oil and add few drops in bath tub?

c) Passion flower
I know what you are thinking. But it is not for passion. It can't help you in seducing men or women. You can't make anyone develop passion by using this. Actually this is used in sleep therapy. If anyone have disturbance in getting asleep then this is used. It also reduces the anxiety. It is similar to lemon balm.

8. Sauna
Enter in to a steam sauna or dry sauna. As it warms up the body. It keeps the mind cool. So nerves get relaxed and it prevents nervousness. To get better result you can add any one alternative medicine supplements (7 (a)-(c)).

Avoid beverages and tobacco. Because caffeine, alcohol or nicotine can induce anxiety.

It is a good idea to give positive reinforcement like doing something you like if you had reduced anxiety in some situation. You know it is like gifting a chocolate or ice-cream to a child for good behavior.




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