Posts Tagged anxiety attack
Triggers Of Panic And Anxiety
Posted by in Anxiety Disorders, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder on September 4, 2009
Almost everyone has experienced the trigger of a panic and anxiety attack, they probably just didn’t know it. Think back to a time where you were in a situation of stress, fear anxiety. Can you remember how it felt?
Does this sound familiar to you?
A woman walks down a darkly lit street after a late night at a party. She feels uneasy walking home alone, so she begins to walk faster. The street is eerily quiet and all she can hear is her footsteps. Her breath quickens and her heart starts to pound. All of a sudden a wave of fear jolts through her.
This jolt, this fear, is what some people call the fight or flight response, or simply put, the stress response. The stress response is basically a mechanism that gets you ready in a position of danger. We all have this mechanism built inside us.
It is a set of physiological and psychological changes the body makes in response to a threat. The problem is that even emotional stress, such as fear, anxiety and even worry can trigger this biological response.
Back in prehistoric times this would have been of use to the caveman, who had to be on guard against other threatening animals, hence why it is referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response. When triggered the body releases hormones such as adrenaline thus causing symptoms similar to panic symptoms such as:
• Pupil dilation
• Increased awareness
• Fast breathing
• Slowed metabolism
• Increased heart rate
• Increased sweating – to cool the body down
• A sudden boost of strength
These effects can help the hunter stand and fight or run away to safety when being attacked. You might be thinking, what is the point of this mechanism now? Well, in a modern day society it does have a lack of uses. Many scientists believe that it has become a redundant response that is not needed, but we can’t simply erase this part of human biology. Human evolution takes thousands, if not millions of years to respond.
Another negative factor is that it is widely recognized as a major cause in anxiety disorders as well as mental illnesses. Stress, or too much stress rather, is very bad for physical and mental health.
During a stressful time, or in a case of a panic and anxiety attack, the sufferer is in a sense of limbo. If they can’t escape from the situation, they are forced to endure the symptoms. Because there is nothing physically to fight off, they are not in a position to expel the overproduction of hormones built up inside.
The natural response would be to respond in a physical way, thus releasing the stress hormones. Constant triggering of the stress response without a proper outlet is very damaging to a person’s mental and physical state of being.
There is however a natural and safe method to counter panic and anxiety, and diffuse the stress response which doesn’t require physical exertion.
Possible Causes Of An Anxiety Panic Attack
Posted by in Anxiety Disorders, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Phobias, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder on September 1, 2009
An anxiety panic attack can seem to come out of nowhere, regardless of time and place but is there a more logical explanation? In fact, there are many triggers for panic symptoms. Let’s take a look at some of the possible causes of an attack;
Drugs;
LSD and more commonly marijuana are euphoriant and hallucinogenic drugs that can alter perception and heighten senses. Many describe euphoric and relaxing states but there is a darker side to hallucinogenic drugs. Restlessness, intense paranoia, nausea and increased anxiety; these can lead to an anxiety panic attack.
Anxiety disorders;
There are numerous types of anxiety disorders including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder and Phobias. Each disorder has its own characteristics but share some symptoms.
Phobias;
There are literally hundreds of specific phobias some of the more common ones are; Claustrophobia, which is the fear of confined spaces and also; aviatophobia, the fear of flying. Uncommon ones include; agyrophobia, the fear of streets or crossing a street; Macrophobia, the fear of long waits; and Thaasophobia, the fear of sitting.
Although some of these phobias might seem a little strange and even hard to imagine, they are very real phobias for those that suffer them. How common are phobias? Phobias affect more than 10 percent of the population.
Being faced with one’s phobia can trigger an anxiety panic attack, or in simpler terms, the stress response. This response is a natural chemical and biological reaction to fear or stress. However, over time these chronic stressors take their toll on a person’s nervous system, making them hypersensitive to future attacks.
This is essentially what a panic attack is. It’s a way for the body to cope with a threat, regardless if there’s an actual danger or not. Although most people would agree, that having a panic attack is probably the worst way to deal with a threat, your nervous system cannot tell the difference between a perceived threat and a real threat.
For instance, many phobias may seem completely irrational, take arachnophobia for example, this is the fear of spiders. There is no actual danger (unless of course it’s poisonous) from spiders, yet millions of adults are scared and even terrified of them.
The same biological response when they see one is no different to a situation of actual danger, i.e. a deer jumping out in front of you whilst driving. The same panicky feeling that you get inside is exactly the same.
In the case of the deer jumping out in front of you; in that instance a chain of chemical reactions happened inside of you; your eyes dilated, your heart rate speeded up and strength and speed increased.
It might have saved your life, perhaps it helped you swerve and keep the car under control with the extra heightened senses. After the incident your heart would still be racing, you’d be breathing hard and you’d probably be sweating.
However in a case where an anxiety panic attack occurs without real physical threat, you’re body and mind reacts the same way. It’s because there’s no obvious cause that people often describe attacks as ‘out-of-the-blue’.