Healthy Journey » anxiety

Social phobia: Symptoms and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder

editor — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 06:04:25 +0000

Do you know anyone that becomes overwhelmingly anxious, and quite self-conscious and everyday in ordinary social settings? Do they seem as if they never become comfortable in any setting, no matter how hard you may try to make them feel comfortable?

Whether you realize it or not many people suffer from a condition known as social phobia or social anxiety disorder.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder causes an extreme and senseless fear of embarrassment or judgment in public. People who suffer from social anxiety disorder, feel very anxious about being in any type of a social situation whatsoever. They may appear as socially awkward or odd when out in public. Often, this individual may be afraid that they will be embarrassed or somehow look silly in front of other people. This fear may be exacerbated by a lack of experience in social situations or social skills overall.

As a consequence, this fear can build into a full-blown panic attack. (...)

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Beyond Sex: Performance Anxiety Has Many Causes and Effects

editor — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:31:37 +0000

When we hear the words “performance anxiety” we often think of men first. After all, one of the most common types of performance anxiety occurs in men, but in reality the fear of being able to perform can affect men and women in a variety of situations.

The most familiar type of performance anxiety occurs when an individual fears that they will be unable to participate in sex with their partner. This fear can block spontaneous acts of sexual expression. Many men will avoid any type of sexual encounter, in order to not feel inadequate. Often this leads to more self-esteem and problems within the relationship.

The mere thought of a sexual encounter can cause an individual to become preoccupied with their ability to perform. It is almost a self-fulfilling prophecy, in that the focus on performance failure, actually brings about that very failure.

Because of this fixation on performance, the man may focus on very minute details of the sexual encounter that actually have yet to transpire. The lack of spontaneity may ruin any enjoyment of the act itself. (...)

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Take Control with these 7 Effective Steps for Managing Anxiety

editor — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 06:56:10 +0000

Have you ever been in a situation that brought on sweats, rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath? You probably weren’t having a heart attack but an anxiety attack. If you suffer from anxiety disorders, learning to manage it is the first step to overcoming it.

Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to fearful situations. When someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. This is the fight or flight syndrome.

In the case of frequent anxiety, the fearful feelings are dread of a particular situation and not the situation itself. Getting caught in traffic can cause an anxiety attack over what might happen when you get to work late. Starting a new job can bring on anxiety attacks. You don’t know anyone and fear of that unknown can send you into a panic.

Everyone experiences panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save your life. In new situations, we get panicky but when the outcome we fear fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. For someone with chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

Every situation that brings anxiety is not life-threatening. More than likely it is an extremely stressful situation that has brought on the anxiety. Unchecked anxiety of this type can lead to depression, but by learning to manage anxiety you will open a new path to self-confidence. (...)

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Do You Have a True Panic Disorder?

editor — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 03:27:45 +0000

You hear the term all the time from different people saying that they just panicked in a stressful situation. When describing such a panic attack, they may say they have a panic disorder.

In many cases, these individuals have formulated their own ideas about what constitutes a panic attack or disorder based on something they read or someone they saw on TV. The problem is, they may have an incorrect self-diagnosis.

What is panic disorder?

Let’s look at the definition of panic disorder. Generally speaking, people who have multiple and sudden attacks of fear, usually lasting for several minutes or longer are experiencing panic attacks or panic disorder. This is the clinical and accepted definition of panic disorder. (...)

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Recognizing Separation Anxiety Disorder in Children

editor — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 18:51:49 +0000

In order to be able to recognize separation anxiety disorder in children, it’s important to first understand the answer to the very basic question: What is separation anxiety?

Separation anxiety disorder is a problem that occurs when a child becomes quite nervous and fearful when they are away from home or find themselves separated from loved ones. Usually this involves a parent or caregiver of a child to whom they have become quite attached.

The age group that is most affected by separation anxiety is ages 8 to 14 months. However, in theses ages separation anxiety is considered quite normal. At this stage, children are often seen as being trouser huggers or clingy. They are afraid of new and unfamiliar places, and people.

When separation anxiety affects children who are more than 6 years old, lasts greater than four weeks, and is pervasive, then it may be considered to be a true disorder. (...)

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