| Living with an Anxiety Disorder | |||||||
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- What are anxiety disorders?
- Symptoms of anxiety disorders
- Causes of anxiety disorders
- Prevention of anxiety disorders
- Risk factors for anxiety disorders
- Complications of anxiety disorders
- When to see a doctor about an anxiety disorder
- Diagnosis of anxiety disorders
- Conventional treatment of anxiety disorders
- Alternative/complementary treatment
- Living with an anxiety disorders
- Caring for someone with an anxiety disorder
Living with an anxiety disorder
People who have an anxiety disorder have a great number of strategies that they can use to help reduce the symptoms of these conditions, feel healthier and more in control of life.
General strategies than can be used are to help deal with anxiety disorders are:
- Counselling - the best form of counselling for any type of anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which aims to change thought patterns from negative ones which do not help you, to more positive, or at least neutral ones, which do not have such a negative impact on your thinking or your actions
- Distract yourself - when you feel your worries and anxiety are getting too overwhelming, then it is time to distract yourself with something else that takes your focus away from your internal (and negative) chatter. The distraction works by re-focusing your attention on something else and allows your mind to stop the internal chatter because you need to put your energy into the new activity, which can be whatever you choose (cooking, walking, exercise, singing, painting)
- Exercise regularly - numerous studies show that people who exercise on a very regular basis (most days for at least 30 minutes) report having less anxiety, depression or mood swings. Exercise helps to release endorphins, which help to regulate mood, reduce anxiety and relax your internal chatter
- Good nutrition - proper nutrition is vital to ensuring the body is healthy and has a good basis to fight any type of illness or disease. Good nutrition means eating mainly fresh, unprocessed foods that consists of at least 2 portions of fruits, 5-7 portions of vegetables, some low fat dairy foods (milk, yoghurt or cheese), nuts and seeds, legumes, wholegrains, healthy fats (olive oil, avocado), oily fish 2-3 times a week and as small portion red meat 2-3 times a week. The good fats from olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds and oily fish are really beneficial for people with any type of mental disorder, as they help to keep the brain healthy
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- Let go of the past - it is impossible to change the past or even to worry about because it is done and nothing you can do can change it, no amount of worrying and anxiety will ever change any part of it, so you need to just let it go. Excessive worry about something that is able to be changed is a waste of your energy - use it for something more worthwhile
- Meditation - it is highly recommended for people with any type of anxiety disorder to engage in some form of daily meditation, as many studies show it helps to reduce feelings of anxiety and even depression. There are a number of different types of meditation that are available, so if you want to try it, you should be able to find something that suits you. For best effects, meditation should be done twice a day, every day (about 1/2 an hour) for about 2-3 months and then scaled down to once a day on a maintenance level
- Socialise - being around other people is necessary to stop people with most forms of anxiety disorders from feeling isolated and alone, which may just perpetuate symptoms even more. Call a friend, go out for a drink or to see a movie, something really simple and not too time or energy consuming as a starting point. This strategy may not work so well for people with social anxiety disorder, except under some treatment and other strategies
- Support group - there are a number of support groups for people with anxiety disorders everywhere, you just need to find one that suits you. Once in a group situation, you may start to realise that you are not alone, you are not the only one who has suffered from an anxiety disorder and you can make progression in your condition and have relief from symptoms
- Treatment plan - you need to make sure that you see your doctor (or other health professional) on a regular basis, to make sure that whatever medication (or supplements) you are taking are working and to determine if you need any adjustments in dosage. This helps you because when symptoms are not severe, you can feel more in control of yourself and your life, which in turn will help reduce your symptoms even more
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< 10:alt treatment 12:caring for someone with anxiety disorder > Last reviewed: 21 August 2007 || Last updated: 3 January 2009
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
