50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Anxiety

by Wendy Green, Joanna Sale (Foreword by)

Overview

One in 20 adults in the UK will suffer from anxiety at some point in their lives. Are you one of them? Learn how to replace negative thoughts and behaviour with positive ones.

• Learn assertiveness skills and boost your self-esteem

• Discover ways to become more active to reduce stress and anxiety

• Find helpful organisations and products

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857653048
Publisher:	Summersdale
Publication date:	11/01/2011
Series:	Personal Health Guides
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	128
File size:	442 KB

About the Author

Wendy Green has a First Class Hons degree in Health Studies and currently works as a Trainer for a health promotion programme. She is the author of The Greatest Slimming and Healthy Living Tips in the World (2008).

Read an Excerpt

50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Anxiety

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By Wendy Green

Summersdale Publishers Ltd

Copyright © 2010 Wendy Green
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-85765-304-8

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CHAPTER 1

About Anxiety

This chapter explains what anxiety is and gives a brief overview of the different types and their symptoms. It also discusses the possible causes of anxiety, including the social, psychological, genetic, biological, lifestyle and environmental factors that may be involved.

1. Learn about anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, apprehension or dread. It is a natural reaction to situations we find stressful and is part of the 'fight or flight' response that helps us to deal with demanding events like sitting an important exam or giving a speech. Mild, short-term anxiety can help us feel more alert and focused, as it causes the body to release stress hormones to help it deal with the perceived threat, but long-term anxiety has detrimental effects on the mind and body.

Anxiety and depression

Anxiety and depression are often interlinked – according to the Office for National Statistics, mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental health problem in the UK, affecting nearly nine per cent of the population (around four – and-a-half million people). This is because anxiety can be both a cause and symptom of depression. It is often difficult for a GP to determine whether a person has depression with anxiety symptoms, or an anxiety disorder that is making them feel depressed.

If you suffer from symptoms like low mood, feelings of sadness and hopelessness, tearfulness, irritability, appetite changes (eating more or less), fatigue, changes in sleeping patterns (sleeping more or less), and a lack of interest in things you normally enjoy doing, it is likely that you are suffering from depression. Usually, if you focus on relieving your depression, your anxiety symptoms will ease too. The advice in this book aims to promote good mental health, so whether your anxiety is making you feel depressed, or vice versa, the advice it contains should help you to both beat anxiety and boost your mood.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), is a form of depression that occurs when the days get shorter and we are exposed to less sunlight. Around one in 50 people in the UK suffer from 'full-blown' SAD but, according to NHS Direct, as many as eight out of ten people suffer from a less severe form, which is commonly known as the winter blues. The symptoms include anxiety, mood swings and a reduced ability to deal with stress. The severity of these symptoms will depend on which form of the condition you are suffering from. A lack of sunlight is thought to lower levels of a brain chemical called serotonin, which has an important role in regulating mood. It also reduces levels of vitamin D in the body (it is produced in the skin on exposure to sunlight) – which some experts believe may also be involved in SAD and winter blues. Exposure to bright light – usually in the form of a light box – for 30 minutes daily has been shown to relieve the symptoms of SAD in as little as two weeks. For milder symptoms, it may be helpful to make sure that you get outside as much as possible during daylight. A dawn simulator alarm clock that mimics a natural sunrise can also be helpful (see Useful Products).

Common forms of anxiety

Feeling anxious about stressful events is normal, but if you feel anxious most of the time for no particular reason, or have irrational fears and as a result are unable to function normally, you are likely to have an anxiety disorder. There are various types of anxiety disorder – below is an overview of the most common types and their symptoms.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

GAD is diagnosed when a person suffers from excessive worry and anxiety for most of the time over a period of six months, along with at least three of the following symptoms (or just one for a child):

· Restlessness, or feeling 'keyed up' or 'on edge', irritability.

· Fatigue, muscular tension.

· Difficulty in concentrating, or the mind going blank.

· Problems falling asleep or staying asleep, or having restless sleep.

Other symptoms can include:

· Impatience, being easily distracted.

· Being oversensitive to criticism.

· A sense of dread or panic.

· Rapid, shallow breathing.

· Pallor, sweating, trembling, feeling faint, palpitations.

· Headache, dizziness, pins and needles, dry mouth.

· Loss of appetite, excessive thirst, excessive urination.

· Stomach ache, nausea, diarrhoea.

· Painful or missed periods, loss of libido.

· Panic attacks.

Panic attacks

Panic attacks are a common symptom of anxiety disorders. A panic attack is a rapid build-up of overwhelming fear and can include several of the following symptoms:

· A pounding, irregular heartbeat, chest pains, breathing difficulties.

· Dizziness, feeling faint, nausea.

· A choking feeling, sweating, trembling or shaking.

· A sense of imminent danger and the need to escape.

· Feelings of unreality and detachment.

· Fear of losing control, fear of blacking out.

· Fear that you are having a heart attack, fear of dying.

Panic attacks can be triggered by a traumatic event such as bereavement or divorce, or a stressful life change such as having children or moving house. Hyperventilation (over-breathing) is frequently a feature of panic attacks that is caused by breathing too quickly: this disturbs the oxygen and carbon dioxide balance in the body, leaving you with insufficient carbon dioxide and too much oxygen and causing many of the symptoms described above. Most panic attacks last for around two minutes, but they can sometimes go on for up to an hour. Many sufferers become anxious in between attacks, because they worry about when the next one is going to happen.

Three easy ways to overcome hyperventilation

Next time you start over-breathing, try one of these instant fixes:

1. Hold your breath for as long as you can without feeling uncomfortable – usually this is for about 10–15 seconds. Repeat a few times if you can. This helps you to retain carbon dioxide.

2. Breathe in and out of a paper bag – this makes you re-inhale the carbon dioxide you have exhaled.

3. Go for a brisk walk or jog whilst breathing in and out through your nose – this helps to beat the tendency to over-breathe.

Phobias

A phobia is an irrational fear of a situation, animal or object that generally does not worry other people, for example, going to the dentist; snakes; or heights. An individual with a phobia will go to great lengths to avoid the cause of their fear and this can have a disruptive effect on everyday life and relationships – depending on the type of phobia. This evasion can range from not being able to touch the object of fear to not even being able to look at an image of one. When a person with a phobia is confronted with the thing they fear, they are likely to experience extreme distress and anxiety that may take the form of a panic attack. A child with a phobia may cry, or have a tantrum – adult phobics are usually aware that their fear is excessive and illogical, but child phobics may not be. When someone develops a phobia it is sometimes possible to work out where it has stemmed from; for example, being bitten by a dog in childhood can lead to a fear of dogs in adulthood. Phobias are categorised into five main areas:

Agoraphobia is the fear of leaving an environment you consider safe – this could mean being unable to go out of the house, or even leave a room, or only being able to travel within a specific boundary. Some agoraphobics can travel more widely if they are accompanied by someone they trust.

Claustrophobia is the fear of enclosed spaces such as lifts, buses, trains, cinemas, theatres, tunnels, revolving doors, public toilets, etc. Whilst it is normal to fear being trapped when you are in a threatening situation, a person with claustrophobia will be afraid even when there is no obvious danger. Claustrophobia is usually characterised by two underlying fears: fear of restriction and fear of suffocation. The condition can be triggered by a traumatic event, such as being stuck in a lift, or it can be a learned behaviour, for example from growing up with a family member who suffers from the condition. Around ten per cent of the population is likely to experience claustrophobia at some time in their lives.

Social phobia is the fear of any situation that involves meeting other people, even in the course of everyday activities like going shopping, catching a bus, or walking into a room full of people. Sufferers feel excessively self-conscious and embarrassed, they may blush or sweat in the presence of others and feel tongue-tied. The condition can make holding down a job and having a social life very difficult and, if left untreated, sufferers can become more and more reclusive and isolated.

Blood or injury phobia is the fear of the sight of blood, or of injections, blood pressure measurement or surgery. As a result, sufferers avoid visiting the doctor or dentist.

Simple phobia includes the fear of animals, birds, insects, specific objects such as buttons, bridges, or telephones, etc.

Other phobias include a fear of vomiting, a fear of the dark, a fear of some part of the body looking or smelling wrong (an extreme form of social phobia), a fear of heights and a fear of fire.

One type of phobia can often lead to another, for example someone with social phobia may develop agoraphobia because of their fear of meeting people, whilst someone with claustrophobia may develop a fear of flying and travelling by car, train or bus, because of their fear of enclosed spaces. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for phobias (see Chapter 6).

The UK's most common phobias

1. Arachnophobia (fear of spiders).

2. Social phobia (fear of social and public situations).

3. Aviophobia (fear of flying).

4. Agorophobia (fear of public or open spaces).

5. Claustrophobia (fear of enclosed spaces).

6. Emetophobia (fear of vomiting).

7. Acrophobia (fear of heights).

8. Carcinophobia (fear of cancer).

9. Brontophobia (fear of thunderstorms).

10. Necrophobia (fear of death – other people's or your own)

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)

OCD is a condition characterised by obsessions or compulsions, and very often both. An obsession is a repetitive, involuntary, fearful thought about things like dirt and germs (contamination), harming oneself or others, throwing things away, or an abnormal concern with order and symmetry. Other common obsessions include abhorrent, blasphemous or sexual thoughts, or fears that things are unsafe. Most of us experience similar thoughts – for example wanting to double check you have switched off the iron or locked the front door – but these are normal reactions to everyday concerns about safety and security. However, OCD sufferers are likely to experience such thoughts frequently in their daily lives yet, despite this, many are able to hide their condition and appear to function perfectly normally. At the other end of the scale however, severe OCD can make it difficult to have normal relationships, hold down a job or socialise.

A compulsion is a repetitive physical action or mental ritual that temporarily reduces an obsession, for example, excessive cleaning and washing, checking, counting, hoarding and arranging objects. Compulsions can also involve repeating certain words or phrases, or praying. OCD sufferers don't act out their unpleasant thoughts and they are not a danger to others.

Around one to two per cent of the UK population is thought to suffer from OCD and it seems to affect men and women equally. The condition tends to affect men in their late teens and women in their early 20s – but many people develop symptoms during childhood. Sufferers tend to go undiagnosed for many years, often because they are unaware they are suffering from a recognised condition, or from fear that they will be labelled as 'mad'.

Research suggests that OCD can run in families – this could be because of a genetic link or it could be down to copying the behaviour of an anxious parent. Other possible factors include a lack of the brain chemical serotonin and negative thought patterns and behaviours. It is also thought that a traumatic event or excessive stress can trigger the condition in someone who already has a predisposition to it. Personality type may also be involved: perfectionists are thought to be more likely to develop OCD. Some research also suggests a possible link between a childhood bacterial throat infection, commonly known as 'strep throat', and OCD: it is thought that, in children with a genetic predisposition to the disorder, antibodies produced by the body's immune response affect the brain and trigger symptoms. Researchers believe that, when OCD is due to strep throat, it usually appears within one or two weeks of developing the infection.

Mild OCD often improves without treatment, perhaps when a stressful situation has been resolved. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has proved to be very successful in the treatment of moderate to severe OCD – although some sufferers may also need to take a suitable medication, such as an antidepressant called a selective serotonin-reuptake-inhibitor (SSRI), which increases serotonin levels in the brain. For further details of these two treatments see Chapters 6 and 7. If you would prefer not to take medication, you may find supplements such as 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) or St John's wort helpful (see Chapter 3).

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

BDD is similar to OCD in that sufferers feel compelled to carry out particular rituals. With BDD, a person has a distorted self-image which leads to a preoccupation with what they perceive as defects in their appearance that go unnoticed by other people, such as bad skin or a big tummy; a sufferer won't go out in public without hiding their perceived defects first, perhaps with make-up or loose clothing. Common rituals include frequently checking their appearance in a mirror, feeling their skin for blemishes, reapplying make-up and brushing their hair. Other compulsions can include constantly trying to improve one's appearance with new cosmetics and toiletries, exercising excessively and taking steroids. Around one in 100 people suffer from BDD and it seems to affect men and women equally. People usually develop BDD during their teens – taking more interest in your appearance is considered part of growing up. In today's looks-obsessed society, it is considered normal to pay attention to one's appearance; however, when a person's concern with their appearance causes significant distress or handicap, it is likely they are suffering from BDD. The condition is often accompanied by social anxiety (because sufferers are worried about what other people will think about their appearance) and depression. BDD can sometimes lead to an eating disorder like anorexia, if a sufferer sees him or herself as being overweight. Like OCD, treatment for BDD usually involves CBT and sometimes SSRI antidepressants as well. This suggests that supplements that boost serotonin levels – such as 5-HTP and St John's wort – may also be helpful.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD is a mental condition caused by a traumatic event, such as a road, rail or air accident, or being the victim of a violent attack. A prime example is servicemen or women who have experienced combat – during World Wars I and II the condition was known as 'shell shock'. Sufferers find themselves revisiting the event weeks, months, or even years later, through intrusive memories, flashbacks, hallucinations or nightmares. The symptoms include intense anxiety and panic, depression, irritability, anger, an inability to concentrate, and sleep problems. In many cases, the symptoms ease within a few weeks or months. However, some people are affected for much longer and to the extent that they are unable to return to their normal lives. People in this situation will need professional treatment, which is likely to include CBT and taking SSRIs.

What causes anxiety?

There appears to be a number of factors involved in anxiety, rather than one specific cause.

Society

Social factors, such as living alone and poverty, play a part in anxiety-related disorders. Research suggests that there are more people living alone than ever before – four times more than during the 1950s – as a result of higher divorce rates and fewer people choosing to marry. Single, divorced or separated people – especially lone parents – are more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders fuelled by loneliness and the pressures of surviving on a low income and bringing up children alone.

Gender

As we have already noted, more women than men suffer from anxiety. One reason for this is likely to be the hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle and during the menopause. Anxiety and panic attacks are common in women who suffer from premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS is the name given to a group of emotional and physical symptoms that some women experience during the days or weeks before their menstrual period. Many women going through the menopause suffer from anxiety and depression as their ovaries dramatically reduce the amounts of oestrogen and progesterone they produce.

Another reason for the higher incidence of anxiety-related disorders among women is that the social factors already mentioned are particularly likely to affect them. Lone parents are more likely to be female; more women than ever – both those who are part of a couple and those who are single – are juggling managing a home with bringing up children and working, which increases the likelihood of suffering from anxiety-related disorders. Many middle-aged women, labelled by the media as 'the sandwich generation', find themselves caring for ageing parents, as well as looking after teenage children and going out to work. Women in this age group are more likely to experience loneliness following divorce, bereavement, childlessness, or their children leaving home.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from 50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Anxiety by Wendy Green. Copyright © 2010 Wendy Green. Excerpted by permission of Summersdale Publishers Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Contents

Cover,
Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication,
Acknowledgements,
Author's Note,
Foreword,
Introduction,
Chapter 1 – About Anxiety,
Chapter 2 – Eat an Anti-Anxiety Diet,
Chapter 3 – Helpful Herbs and Calming Supplements,
Chapter 4 – Get Active,
Chapter 5 – Stress Management,
Chapter 6 – Adopt an Anti-Anxiety Attitude,
Chapter 7 – Medical and Other Treatments,
Chapter 8 – DIY Complementary Therapies,
Recipes,
Jargon Buster,
Useful Products,
Helpful Books,
Directory,

Editorial Reviews

"Everyone can feel anxious from time to time but if stress is taking over, follow Wendy Green's calming advice."  —Daily Express

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