Generalized anxiety disorder can be described as an overall feeling of uneasiness and tension that can invade many aspects of one’s life. It is a vague feeling of uneasiness with for no specific reason.
| Physical symptoms of GAD: | Mental and emotional signs : |
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Causes of Generalized Anxiety Disorder:
• Genetics: Family history of depression or anxiety is a strong contributing factor,
• Smoking,
• Alcohol consumption,
• Substance abuse,
• Medications
Generalized anxiety disorder may also be associated with panic attacks and a few patients develop agoraphobia, either of which can range from mild to severe.
Treatment:
A combination of therapy and medication has proven very effective in the treatment of Generalized anxiety disorder. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication used in combination with counseling and self-help provides a comprehensive method of promoting overall patient health and wellness.
Self help tips:
Maintain a journal:
Write down your fears and worries and what is troubling you everyday and write down what you would want from this situation.
Recognise the thought patterns and events that trigger anxiety.
Adopt a routine for deep relaxation: the relaxation can be achieved through many forms of training such as deep breathing exercise, yoga, guided meditation.
Avoid excessive sleep:
Excess sleep has been associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety. Before you retire to bed every night, make a list of things you want to do the next day and be very clear about what you want to do when you wake up in the morning. Tell yourself before going to bed that upon waking you will be doing this particular activity first. Since the brain is in altered state when you wake up, having something specific to do will help you get rid of early morning confusion.
Focus on your problems and avoid worrying:
If you are suffering from Panic/Anxiety attacks, Agorophobia or OCD, Watch this video
Concentrate on what you want in life more than what you don’t want. It is easy to worry about the many issues we face in life and it such excessive worrying is a natural tendency! This is due to the fact that over millions of years of evolution we have been worrying about problems and trying to avert dangers so that we may continue to live longer. However we have not yet evolved to a stage where we can eradicate vague worrying, precisely identify a problem and address it accurately. So the end result is that we look at everything with the critical eye and intellectualize and rationalize our tendency to worry.
If you have a habit of carrying problems in your mind for a long period of time and pondering over them with reaching a solution , then you may be suffering from associated anxiety. Let me show you a small trick to help you get rid of this problem: Carry with you a piece of paper and call it the “Problem sheet” – Whenever you find yourself worrying about something write down the problem on your sheet and move on. Schedule 30 minutes of your day / preferably early in the morning to look at your problem sheet and identify sources of genuine advice to solve your problems. You can also brainstorm solutions to solve your problem.
It is essential that you realize the wandering brain is an ineffective and incapable of solving problems, however if it is allowed to focus single-mindedly on a problem and organize its thoughts, it can become extremely agile at solving problems. For this reason focusing on your problems for a specific period of time and trying to solve your problem on paper can be very effective.
Many problems in life can be avoided. Some problems help you grow and lead a better quality of life, while others can only bring negativity into your life. For example you could worry about the global crime and corruption and the bad news on TV and newspapers , these problems bring negativity into your life but if you use the same time to take steps to maintain the quality of physical health and relationships, then it can dramatically change your life. Focus on your priorities and work towards solving problems in the four big areas of life i.e. health, money, relationships and spiritual perfection.
Associate with higher minds:
It is said that advice is the cheapest commodity on earth and it is hard to disagree with that statement. You will find that it is possible to find quick and convincing advice from almost anyone but it won’t be effective in the long run. Gossiping and complaining about your problems or sharing them with people who are dull and inexperienced makes your problem look worse and robs you off your enthusiasm…. on the other hand effective long term solutions to problems in your life can be reached by talking to brilliant people and by referring the best various treatment methods available .
Hiring a professional such as a life coach can provide you with the additional support you need to handle your life. Such cooperated effort will let you take control over your life in a very short span of time. If you find this option too expensive for you then you can choose great books written by these people that will help you solve the problem.
Remember the four big areas of life that cause most of the problems in life:
1) Health,
2) Money,
3) Relationships,
4) Spiritual perfection.
Almost all of your big problems can be traced back to these four major areas of life so make it an endeavour to consistently work and improve on these areas.
So to recap; maintain a problem sheet and identify the main sources of your problems and seek out brilliant people to help you with your problems.
Therapy and Counseling are also proven to be effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders. These can provide insights into behavior and thought patterns that cause problems in one’s life and help them deal with those thoughts.
Maintain a healthy diet:
Substances such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine are known to worsen the mood and provoke anxiety. A healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits and regular exercise can be greatly beneficial.
If you’re suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and would like to take control of your anxiety without medications, then take a minute and check this best resource available and most widely referred resource for treatment of anxiety.
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