Anxiety and Phobias.

Anxiety and fear are normal human emotions and can be related to increasing stress levels.
Aspects of anxiety.

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1. Anxiety is a part of life.

2. Anxiety is something that individuals can learn to live with.

3. It becomes a problem when it influences an individual in an incapacitating way.

4. It can become an overwhelming and very controlling emotion.

5. It can become a very disabling, and frightening, experience for the individual.

6. Anxiety may be considered as ‘fear spread thin’ (Lytle 1986)

Maladaptive.

There are two forms of anxiety that may be generated by previously innocuous and unthreatening scenarios. This may be an object, person, or a situation. This is sometimes referred to as phobic anxiety.

The second form of anxiety is where the suffered is unaware of the origin of the anxiety or the reason for it. This is sometimes referred to as free floating anxiety.

Symptoms.

• Sweating.
• Tension with tremors.
• Visual disturbances.
• Headache.
• Palpitations.
• Gastric disturbances.
• Sleep and appetite disturbance.

 

When does anxiety become a problem?

When the dominate emotion is anxiety the sufferer is unable to engage with normal everyday activities. The sufferer begins to avoid situations and objects (phobic anxiety).

Fight and flight. This is when a sufferer can make the choice to avoid the situation, which is ‘flight’ or confront the situation, which is ‘fight’. This scenario is a basic human instinct which is in all of us when under threat.

A sufferer’s sleep is disturbed to a point where they are no longer able to rest or relax. The sufferer begins to experience panic attacks at ant time anywhere.

Managing Anxiety.

• Talk about the problem.

• Seek help from friends or family, or professionals. This may include doctor, psychologist, nurse, or counsellor.

• Psychotherapy. This is an in-depth form of treatment and allows the sufferer to address the problems at a more profound level. The therapy may last for several weeks or months.

• Graded exposure. This involves the individual confronting their anxiety in a more controlled and appropriate way and in a graded manner.

• Medication. Tranquillisers and anti-depressant drugs.

• Learn to relax. Breathing exercises, long walks, etc.