In the 21st century, people are exposed to many constant stress factors. Attack by negative media news, interpersonal problems, global military conflicts are easily removed from peace of mind. Poor nutrition, ecology, complementing psychological difficulties, can cause a state of depression, depression, an unreasonable feeling of fear, and severe anxiety.

Anxiety is accompanied by symptoms:

• A sudden feeling of anxiety and panic, as if something is going to happen.
• A constant state of discomfort, diffuse pain throughout the body, mild nausea.
• An attack of unreasonable fear of death, of increasing danger without a visible source of threat.
• Anxiety that intensifies in the evening. Depressed Bad mood. Mental turmoil, persistent melancholy.
• Obsessive fears, bad thoughts about the sudden possibility of dying.
• Worsening of the condition in the morning after drinking coffee - increased tremor, anxiety. It becomes difficult to breathe, nausea, and inexplicable anxiety and panic arise.

Psychology and psychiatry describe the increasingly frequent phenomenon of panic attacks. Unconscious defensive reaction provoked by prolonged stressful situations, an oppressive feeling of being under control, and defenselessness in society. Psychotherapist Walter Cannon described a specific state of the body: “fight or flight” in 1932.

The term implies the inclusion of protective mechanisms that have been present in genes since the appearance of the species Homo sapiens. An explainable phenomenon shows that panic attacks occur for no reason, without real threats, provoke flight, defensive attack.

Symptoms of unreasonable fear, panic attack:

1. The sudden attack was not provoked by anything. A feeling of increasing anxiety and panic appears.
2. Unpleasant "excitement" in chest, stomach.
3. Impaired breathing function: rapid, superficial can lead to HVS syndrome (pulmonary hyperventilation). The result is dizziness, lightheadedness.
4. Nausea, “trembling”, trembling throughout the body.

The feeling of panic is caused by constant overexcitation of the sympathetic, nervous system which is controlled spinal cord. Peripheral system is responsible for the physiology of the body, which is not controlled by the human will.

An anxious state causes acute signs of vegetative-vascular dystonia:

• Paleness skin, coldness of the extremities, weakness, feeling of a “lump” squeezing the throat.
• Tremor, internal trembling that cannot be calmed on your own.
• Hyperhidrosis – increased sweating feet, palms, or the whole body.
• Cardioneurosis - causeless excitement provokes irregular heartbeat, tachycardia, pulse rate up to 150 beats per minute.
• A common cause of panic is an irrational, obsessive fear of death, numbness of the body, tingling in the hands and feet.

The condition is caused by constantly growing negative experiences, severe stressful situations of a physical and neuro-emotional nature. On an unconscious level human brain begins to perceive the body as a source of danger, and is constantly in the mode of waiting for a threat.

At this stage of the reactionary struggle, there is an increased production of the hormone adrenaline, cortisol, by the adrenal glands. They provoke unmotivated aggression, auto-aggression, nervousness, rudeness. The period does not last long, followed by a depressed state of boredom, indifference, and lethargy.

Regular attacks of causeless panic provoke:

• Insomnia, insomnia, due to unreasonable fear. Nightmarish dreams associated with constant anxiety, fear of falling asleep, frequent awakenings.
• Constant lack of appetite emotional apathy, anorexia, frequent irritation. Drowsiness, increased tearfulness, causeless mood swings.
• Psychogenic pain in the heart area, which is the cause of fear sudden death. Headaches, dizziness.
• Obsessive phobias, unspecified mystical fears, increased nervous excitability.
• Derealization is a sudden state of clouded perception of reality. A sign of prolonged mental stress.
• Sudden panic attacks are the cause psychosomatic diseases. Feelings of anxiety caused by bad thoughts, increases blood pressure.

The causes of panic attacks are diverse, often present in a complex, rarely represented by a single factor. Prerequisites possible disorder nervous system can be observed already from childhood 7-8 years, become more noticeable by age 18.

A person who begins to perceive himself as an individual falls under a complex of unfavorable influences that traumatize the psyche. In young people and older people, symptoms and panic attacks are similar.

The underlying causes of fear attacks, inexplicable anxiety

1. Emotional deprivation: insufficiently fulfilled psycho-emotional needs and feelings. Seen in single men and women of different ages, young children from disadvantaged families. Manifested by a lack of support and acceptance. Panic syndrome is triggered by constant emotional, tactile hunger, lack of energy exchange with parents and loved ones.
2. Long-term hidden or untreated depression, illness internal organs. Particular influence on emotional condition have problems with the endocrine system. Imbalance of hormones secreted thyroid gland, adrenal glands - one of the causes of attacks of incomprehensible anxiety, rolling feelings of panic.
3. Toxic, harmful interpersonal relationships according to scenarios: accusations, increased demands, manipulation. Elimination of the opportunity to talk and restore justice. A loss loved one– a common factor in long-term neurosis.
4. Hormonal changes in the body adolescence, menopause. Pregnancy, early postpartum period. Seasonal shortage sunny day, autumn blues.
5. Intentionally created conditions where a person constantly feels powerless in the face of a situation, for example - school program, emotional tyranny in the family, persecution. Staying near a source for a long time provokes attacks of panic and inexplicable anxiety.

A feeling of sudden fear can arise against the background of relative emotional health, during a period when the stressor has ceased to act. Feelings of anxiety appear unexpectedly and tend to intensify negative symptoms in the human body and consciousness.

How to overcome chronic anxiety - what to do at the very beginning?

• Seek advice from a psychotherapist.

Before prescribing therapy, the doctor must exclude diseases: diabetes mellitus, cervical osteochondrosis, the presence of cancer. Assign a comprehensive biochemical analysis blood, check the balance of microelements and vitamins.

• Do not use medications on your own that relieve symptoms of sudden panic fear, severe anxiety.

It is forbidden to take pills without eliminating the cause. Anxiolytics, antidepressants, tranquilizers will help for a short period of time, constant use will provoke addiction. Often after withdrawal there is an increased feeling of panic, constant anxiety, and unjustified fear of death.

• Must pass daily monitoring ECG, undergo an ultrasound of the heart.
• Get rid of diets that cause a lack of useful microelements and vitamins. Long-term veganism, vegetarianism, raw food diet, and exclusion of glucose quickly leads to frequent attacks of panic attacks.

A balanced diet is a primary factor in the treatment of depression and panic attacks. The constant presence in food of the proper combination of proteins, fats, complex carbohydrates can prevent most sudden anxiety states caused by hunger.

• Before treatment, it is necessary to undergo an examination by specialized specialists to exclude morphological and structural diseases of the organs. The last examination is carried out by a psychiatrist. Panic attacks can be only part of another pathological psychocomplex.
• Drug treatment of panic attacks is prescribed after the ineffectiveness of working on the emotional state and eliminating the source of stress.

Psychotherapist Evgeniy Batrak regards panic attack syndrome as borderline state. At this stage, the disease has not manifested itself in full force, but the symptoms signaling disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system are already clearly pronounced.

How to prevent causeless anxiety attacks in advance?

1. Warn panic attacks regular outdoor exercise. Running, swimming, any active sport, breathing practices.
2. Self-regulation of emotional background. If you suddenly feel that an attack is coming, you should learn to distract yourself: pinch painfully, stop thinking about the approaching panic attack, interrupt negative thoughts with memorized phrases from auto-training.
3. Physical, emotional overload, all reasons panic attacks– exclude. Plan your time in advance, perform safe work, do not alarming, fear.
4. Sudden causeless anxiety often causes short sleep, work without vacation, and emotional overload. You need to sleep at least 8 hours a day; frequent stress causes exhaustion of the nervous system; if possible, take a long vacation.
5. Eliminate constant sources of anxiety, negative experiences, change jobs, or end harmful relationships. Don't hold back your emotions, find suitable way their expressions: dancing, sports, drawing. Any creative activity distracts from bad obsessive thoughts and anxiety.

The state of an unbalanced nervous system returns to normal quite slowly. It is necessary to treat yourself with patience, to maintain a systematic autogenic calming training and daily routine.

How to overcome a sudden anxiety attack on your own?

1. Provide yourself with access to a large space, fresh air. Dispersing attention around helps to overcome sudden panic and anxiety. Fixing the cause of internal anxiety aggravates the situation.
2. Control depth, frequency breathing movements. Make breathing rare, moderately deep, avoid hyperventilation. It will help dull the feeling of anxiety and reduce emotional stress.
3. Ask for help, or feel free to refuse it. Depending on the reasons, it may be easier to cope with attacks of emotional anxiety on your own.
4. In case of a sudden panic attack at night, internal trembling, fear - urgently get up to eat, drink warm weak tea. There is no need to eat sweets. The process is a distraction, will gradually increase the level of glucose in the blood, and reduce the feeling of anxiety.
5. During frequent, constant panic attacks, remove additional irritants - restless music, films, books, TV, limit Internet use as much as possible.

A mistake in helping people experiencing attacks of sudden fear and panic is the immediate use of medications that block emotions. This causes exhaustion of the nervous system, emotional insensitivity, and dependence on the therapy received. Emotional lability and anxiety require the exclusion of a negative irritating factor.

For two months you can exclude viewing all potentially dangerous things, avoid situations that provoke causeless excitement and panic. Maintain a strict work and rest schedule, eat a balanced diet to avoid a lack of microelements necessary for a healthy nervous system.

Thank you

Anxiety disorders and panic: causes of their occurrence, signs and symptoms, diagnosis and therapy

Under anxiety disorders imply conditions accompanied by excessive excitability of the nervous system, as well as a strong unreasonable feeling of anxiety and signs observed in the presence of certain pathologies of internal organs. arise of this kind disorders may be due to chronic fatigue, stressful condition or previous serious illness. Such conditions are often called panic attacks.
TO obvious signs This condition can be attributed to both dizziness and unreasonable feeling anxiety, as well as painful sensations in the abdomen and chest, fear of death or imminent disaster, difficulty breathing, feeling of a “lump in the throat.”
Both the diagnosis and treatment of this condition are carried out by a neurologist.
Treatment for anxiety disorders involves the use of anti-anxiety medications, psychotherapy, and numerous stress-relieving and relaxation techniques.

Anxiety disorders - what are they?

Anxiety disorders refer to a number of pathologies of the central nervous system, which are characterized by a constant feeling of anxiety that occurs for unknown or insignificant reasons. With the development of this condition, the patient may also complain of signs of some other ailments of the internal organs. So, for example, he may experience difficulty breathing, pain in the abdomen or chest, cough, feeling of a lump in the throat, and so on.

What are the causes of anxiety disorders?

Unfortunately, scientists have not yet been able to establish the real reason development of anxiety disorders, but the search for it continues to this day. Some scientists argue that this disease is a consequence of impaired performance separate departments brain . Psychologists have come to the conclusion that this type of disorder makes itself felt due to psychological trauma, against the background of excessive fatigue or severe stress. It is psychologists who are sure that this state can also arise if a person has a very erroneous idea about certain things, which causes him a constant feeling of anxiety.

If we take into account the fact that modern population just forced to lead active image life, it turns out that this condition can develop in each of us. Factors that can trigger the development of this type of disorder include: psychological trauma resulting from a serious illness.

How can we distinguish “normal” anxiety, which gives us the opportunity to survive in a dangerous situation, from pathological anxiety, which is a consequence of an anxiety disorder?

1. First of all, it is worth noting that senseless anxiety has nothing to do with specific dangerous situation. It is always fictitious, since the patient simply imagines in his mind a situation that does not actually exist. The feeling of anxiety in this case exhausts the patient, both physically and emotionally. The person begins to experience a feeling of helplessness, as well as excessive fatigue.

2. "Normal" anxiety is always associated with real situation. It does not tend to disrupt a person’s performance. As soon as the threat disappears, the person’s anxiety immediately goes away.

Anxiety disorders – what are their signs and symptoms?

Except constant feeling anxiety, which is considered to be the main symptom of this type of disorder, a person may also experience:

• Fear of situations that do not actually exist, but the person himself believes that this can happen to him
• Frequent mood swings, irritability, tearfulness
• Fussiness, timidity
• Wet palms, hot flashes, sweating
• Excessive fatigue
• Impatience
• Feeling low on oxygen, unable to take deep breaths, or suddenly needing to take deep breaths
• Insomnia, sleep disturbances, nightmares
• Memory impairment, impaired concentration, decreased mental abilities
• Feeling of a “lump in the throat”, difficulty swallowing
• Feeling of constant tension that makes it impossible to relax
• Dizziness, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat
• Pain in the back, lower back and neck, feeling of muscle tension
• Pain in the chest, around the navel, in epigastric region, nausea, diarrhea

It is important to note the fact that all the symptoms that were presented to the attention of readers just above very often resemble signs of other pathologies. As a result, patients turn to a huge number of specialists for help, but not to a neurologist.

Quite often, such patients also have phobias - fear of certain objects or situations. The most common phobias are considered to be:

1. Nosophobia– fear of a specific illness or fear of getting sick in general ( for example, cancerophobia - fear of getting cancer).

2. Agoraphobia– fear of finding yourself in a crowd of people or in an excessively large open space, fear of not being able to get out of this space or crowd.

3. Social phobia- fear of eating food in public places, fear of being in the company of strangers, fear of speaking in public, and so on.

4. Claustrophobia– fear of being in confined spaces. In this case, a person may be afraid to remain in a locked room, in transport, in an elevator, and so on.

5. Fear in front of insects, heights, snakes and the like.

It is worth noting that normal fear differs from pathological fear, first of all, in its paralyzing effect. It occurs for no reason, while completely changing a person’s behavior.
Another sign anxiety disorder it is generally accepted obsessive-compulsive syndrome, which is constantly emerging ideas and thoughts that provoke a person to take some of the same actions. So, for example, people who constantly think about germs are forced to thoroughly wash their hands with soap almost every five minutes.
Mental disorder is one of the anxiety disorders, which is accompanied by sudden, recurring panic attacks that occur without any reason. During such an attack, a person experiences rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, and fear of death.

Features of anxiety disorders in children

The feeling of panic and anxiety in a child in most cases is explained by his phobias. As a rule, all children who have this condition try not to communicate with their peers. For communication, they choose grandmothers or parents, since among them they feel out of danger. Quite often, such children have low self-esteem: the child considers himself worse than everyone else, and is also afraid that his parents will stop loving him.

Diagnosis of anxiety disorders and panic attacks

A little higher, we already said that in the presence of anxiety disorders, the patient experiences numerous symptoms similar to signs of diseases of the nervous system, digestive tract, goiter, asthma and so on. As a rule, the diagnosis of this pathology can be established only after all pathologies accompanied by the same symptoms have been excluded. Both diagnosis and therapy of this disease falls within the competence of a neurologist.

Anxiety Therapy

Therapy for this type of condition involves psychotherapy, as well as medicines, which tend to reduce anxiety. These medications are anxiolytics.
As for psychotherapy, this method of treatment is based on numerous techniques that enable the patient to really look at everything that is happening, and also help his body relax during an attack of anxiety. Psychotherapeutic techniques include: breathing exercises, as well as breathing into a bag, auto-training, as well as developing a calm attitude towards obsessive thoughts in case of obsessive-compulsive syndrome.
This method of therapy can be used individually or to treat a small number of people at the same time. Patients are taught how to behave in certain situations life situations. Such training makes it possible to gain self-confidence, and, consequently, to overcome all threatening situations.
Therapy of this pathology through medications involves the use of medications that help restore normal metabolism in the brain. As a rule, in such cases, patients are prescribed anxiolytics, that is, sedatives. There are several groups of such medications, namely:

• Neuroleptics (Tiapride, Sonapax and others) is very often prescribed to patients in order to relieve them of excessive feelings of anxiety. When using these medications, side effects such as obesity, decreased blood pressure, and lack of sexual desire may become apparent.
• Benzodiazepine drugs (Clonazepam, Diazepam, Alprazolam ) make it possible to forget about the feeling of anxiety in a fairly short period of time. However, they can also cause the development of some side effects such as movement coordination disorder, decreased attention, addiction, drowsiness. The course of therapy with these medications should not exceed four weeks.

Anxiety is an emotion that all people experience when they are nervous or afraid of something. Constantly being “on edge” is unpleasant, but what can you do if life is like this: there will always be a reason for anxiety and fear, you need to learn to keep your emotions under control, and everything will be fine. In most cases this is exactly the case.

It's normal to worry. Sometimes this can even be beneficial: when we worry about something, we pay more attention to it, work harder, and generally achieve better results.

But sometimes anxiety goes beyond reasonable limits and interferes with life. And this is an anxiety disorder - a condition that can ruin everything and which requires special treatment.

Why does anxiety disorder occur?

As in the case of most mental disorders, no one can say exactly why anxiety clings to us: too little is known about the brain to talk about the reasons with confidence. Several factors are likely to blame, from ever-present genetics to traumatic experiences.

For some, anxiety appears due to the stimulation of certain parts of the brain, for some, hormones - and norepinephrine - are acting up, and for others, the disorder occurs as a result of other diseases, and not necessarily mental ones.

What is anxiety disorder?

To anxiety disorders Studying Anxiety Disorders. include several groups of diseases.

• Generalized anxiety disorder. This is the case when anxiety does not appear because of exams or the upcoming meeting with the parents of a loved one. Anxiety comes on its own, it does not need a reason, and the feelings are so strong that they prevent a person from performing even simple everyday activities.
• Social anxiety disorder. Fear that prevents you from being among people. Some are afraid of other people's assessments, others are afraid of other people's actions. Be that as it may, it interferes with studying, working, even going to the store and saying hello to neighbors.
• Panic disorder. People with this disease experience panic attacks: they become so scared that they sometimes cannot take a step. The heart is beating at a breakneck speed, the vision is getting dark, there is not enough air. These attacks can come at the most unexpected times. this moment, and sometimes because of them a person is afraid to leave the house.
• Phobias. When a person is afraid of something specific.

In addition, anxiety disorder often occurs in combination with other problems: bipolar or obsessive-compulsive disorder or.

How to understand that this is a disorder

The main symptom is a constant feeling of anxiety, which lasts for at least six months, provided that there are no reasons to be nervous or they are insignificant, and emotional reactions disproportionately strong. This means that anxiety changes your life: you give up work, projects, walks, meetings or acquaintances, some activities just because you are too worried.

Other symptoms Generalized anxiety disorder in adults - Symptoms., which hint that something is wrong:

• constant fatigue;
• insomnia;
• constant fear;
• inability to concentrate;
• inability to relax;
• trembling in hands;
• irritability;
• dizziness;
• frequent heartbeat, although there are no cardiac pathologies;
• increased sweating;
• pain in the head, stomach, muscles - despite the fact that doctors do not find any violations.

There is no exact test or analysis that can be used to identify an anxiety disorder, because anxiety cannot be measured or touched. The decision on the diagnosis is made by a specialist who looks at all the symptoms and complaints.

Because of this, there is a temptation to go to extremes: either diagnosing yourself with a disorder when life has just begun, or not paying attention to your condition and scolding your weak-willed character, when, due to fear, an attempt to go out into the street turns into a feat.

Don’t get carried away and confuse constant stress and constant anxiety.

Stress is a response to a stimulus. For example, a call from a dissatisfied client. When the situation changes, the stress goes away. But anxiety may remain - this is a reaction of the body that occurs even if there is no direct impact. For example, when an incoming call comes from a regular customer who is happy with everything, but it’s still scary to pick up the phone. If the anxiety is so strong that anyone phone call- this is torture, then this is already a disorder.

There is no need to bury your head in the sand and pretend that everything is normal when constant stress interferes with your life.

It is not customary to consult a doctor with such problems, and anxiety is often confused with suspiciousness and even cowardice, and being a coward in society is shameful.

If a person shares his fears, he will more likely receive advice to pull himself together and not become limp than an offer to find good doctor. The trouble is that you won’t be able to overcome a disorder with a powerful willpower, just as you won’t be able to cure it with meditation.

How to treat anxiety

Persistent anxiety is treated like other mental disorders. This is why there are psychotherapists who, contrary to popular belief, do not just talk to patients about difficult childhoods, but help them find methods and techniques that truly improve their condition.

Some people will feel better after a few conversations, others will benefit from pharmacology. The doctor will help you reconsider your lifestyle, find the reasons why you are nervous a lot, assess how severe your symptoms are and whether you need to take medications.

If you don't think you need a therapist yet, try taming your anxiety on your own.

1. Find the reason

Analyze what makes you worry the most and most often, and try to eliminate this factor from your life. Anxiety is a natural mechanism that is needed for our own safety. We are afraid of something dangerous that can harm us.

Maybe if you are constantly shaking with fear of your boss, it’s better to change jobs and relax? If you succeed, it means that your anxiety is not caused by a disorder, there is no need to treat anything - live and enjoy life. But if you can’t identify the cause of your anxiety, then it’s better to seek help.

2. Exercise regularly

There are many blind spots in the treatment of mental disorders, but researchers agree on one thing: regular physical activity really helps keep your mind in order.

3. Let your brain rest

The best thing is to sleep. Only in sleep does the brain, overloaded with fears, relax, and you get a break.

4. Learn to slow down your imagination with work.

Anxiety is a reaction to something that hasn't happened. It's the fear of what might happen. Essentially, anxiety exists only in our heads and is completely irrational. Why is it important? Because counteracting anxiety is not calm, but reality.

While all sorts of horrors happen in the anxious imagination, in reality everything goes on as usual, and one of the best ways turn off the constantly itching fear - return to the present, to current tasks.

For example, keep your head and hands busy with work or sports.

5. Stop smoking and drinking

When the body is already a mess, it is at least illogical to shake the fragile balance with substances that affect the brain.

6. Learn relaxation techniques

The rule “the more the better” applies here. Learn breathing exercises, look for relaxing yoga poses, try music or even drink chamomile tea or use in the room essential oil lavender. Everything in a row until you find several options that will help you.

The concept of “anxiety” was first identified by Sigmund Freud, describing it as an emotional state that includes the experience of expectation and uncertainty, and a feeling of helplessness. Unlike fear (a reaction to a specific danger that threatens a person’s life), anxiety is the experience of a vague threat. Anxiety can occur without apparent reason: It seems like there is nothing to be afraid of, but my soul is restless. Such experiences develop into anxiety and become distinctive feature of a person and the characteristics of his character.

All our worries come from childhood. At first we are afraid of the Serpent Gorynych and Baba Yaga, as we get older - a dark room, spiders, snakes and cars. At school we are afraid of bad grades, at work - conflicts with the boss and/or dismissal, in the family - misunderstandings and disappointments. Everyone has their own Achilles heel. However, absolutely all of us tend to worry about the health and well-being of ourselves, our children and loved ones.

However, the absence of reasons for concern frightens some people no less: if everything is fine now, it means that something unpleasant will certainly happen soon. However, it is important to understand that the basis of all our anxieties is fear of the future, and all people, without exception, are susceptible to it, even the strongest and most fearless in appearance. The difference is only in relation to anxiety and the degree of experience.

How she is born

The development of anxiety in a child is not sufficiently promoted competent behavior parents. Increased demands with inadequate assessment of it real possibilities can cause a child to constantly fear that he does not meet the expectations of his parents and does not deserve their love. An anxious child, as a rule, is passive, not sufficiently independent, he tends to dream rather than act, live in an imaginary world, and finds it difficult to build relationships with peers. With this behavior, parents begin to worry even more, thereby provoking his self-doubt.

On the other hand, a child can become anxious even with overprotective parents - in an atmosphere of excessive care and precaution. Then he gets the feeling that he is insignificant, his opinions and desires are actually not needed or interesting to anyone. And if so, then the world seems unpredictable and filled with continuous dangers.

The next scenario is the conflicting demands of parents: when the father approaches the upbringing process harshly, and the mother lowers all his demands. Torn between one pole and the other, the child is unable to make decisions, which increases his level of anxiety.

“Not so long ago, the concept of “family anxiety” appeared in psychology,” says psychologist Zhanna Lurie. – It refers to a state of often poorly understood anxiety experienced by one or more adult family members. Anxiety can be caused by doubts about the continuation of relationships, problems with money, different views on education... All this, of course, is passed on to the child, very often he becomes an indicator of problems in the family.

In addition, on psychological level anxiety can be caused by internal conflict associated with misconceptions about own image"I", an inadequate level of aspirations, insufficient awareness of the goal, the need to choose between various areas activities and so on.

Universe of Threats

What happens to a person when he is in a state of anxiety?

– One of the characteristic signs is muscle tension, in which a certain group of muscles tenses – usually collar area, says Zhanna Lurie. – Often a person is not aware of the tension, feeling only some discomfort. If this happens constantly, the clamps threaten to become chronic and turn into a kind of armor that will limit freedom of movement and can lead to loss of sensitivity in this area. Periodic massage of the collar area, of course, will relieve tension for a while, but will not get rid of the problem if the person continues to live in stress.

An anxious person becomes nervous, irritable, on the verge of a breakdown, gets scared easily, cannot concentrate, suffers from insomnia, and gets tired quickly. The world is perceived by him as a universe of dangers and threats, and this state can subsequently turn into neurosis, says Zhanna Lurie. “He often hears what is said to him differently, reacts sharply and painfully to harmless messages, and perceives any words from his boss as a personal insult. Such a person is very afraid of making a mistake, perceiving it as the ruin of his entire life.

However, anxiety also has positive sides. She warns us of real dangers, of the possibility of injury, pain, punishment. It is normal for a person to feel anxious when going on a first date or speaking in front of an audience if they are worried about being on time for an important meeting.

We fight and win!

Experts say: anxiety almost always arises when a person is forced to make some decisions, when he is not sure that he can implement them, and when the result is very important and valuable to him. That is, in fact, anxiety accompanies us most of our lives. Therefore, it is very important to understand how to deal with them and how to direct your experiences in the right direction.

● It is important to understand the nature of the anxiety tormenting you: is it real or imaginary. To do this, ask yourself a few questions: how important and necessary is what I am afraid of? What's the worst thing that could happen if everything turns out exactly as I fear? What will happen if it happens differently? This will help separate what is important from what is not.

● Try to think positively. Calm down and tune yourself to the fact that there is more in the world good people and not everyone in this life wishes you harm.

● Rest and relax more often, do not push yourself: in an exhausted state, all reactions are experienced much more acutely.

● Consider yourself to cope with the situation that is causing you anxiety, or at least try to do so. But it is advisable not to slip into auto-training: in this case, the person does not realize real dangers and does not evaluate his strength to combat them, but pretends that the problem simply does not exist.

If you are tormented by constant anxiety and you cannot say what exactly you are afraid of, ask yourself: what worries you so much at the moment? What can you do right now? If you can't find the answer, try to imagine something positive. And don’t put off visiting a specialist: he will help you figure out the reasons and understand what to do next.

By the way

If anxiety goes through the roof, it can develop into panic. Here are its main symptoms: inability to breathe full breasts, dizziness, fainting/fainting, clouding of consciousness, rapid heartbeat, trembling throughout the body, severe sweating, choking, vomiting. As well as stomach upset, numbness or tingling in the body. A person feels either cold or hot, he feels the unreality of what is happening (the body seems not to be mine), pain or a pressing feeling in the chest, it seems to him that he is about to die or go crazy. At least three or four signs from this list are enough to understand that panic attacks have begun. And here you can’t do without a specialist.

Personal opinion

Alexey Romanov:

– Feelings of anxiety are common to everyone. But you don't need to give in to him. I recommend distracting yourself: opening a bottle of champagne or re-reading The Marriage of Figaro. Try to think positive. It's not as difficult as it seems. It helps me out. For example, you are walking down the street, you hear some bad music coming from a stall, it will definitely cling to you and spin around in your head, then with an effort of will I force myself to remember something good from the music. And it drives out nonsense. Same with feelings of anxiety. Gloomy people on the streets think about bad things. This bad habit, but it is very easy to fight. You just need to make an effort. WITH strong emotions difficult to cope with, requires enormous training under experienced guidance. At a young age, over-emotions helped me in creativity, but now I avoid them. A wise figure itself avoids stress, this is simply a property of an adult organism. There is no escape from experience, it turns you into an armed ship when you foresee - armed, forewarned and not getting involved in anything.

Anxiety and restlessness are a person’s tendency to experience a state of anxiety. Quite often, such feelings arise when people are faced with serious problems or stressful situations.

Types of Anxiety and Worry

In his life, a person may encounter the following types of anxiety:

Causes and symptoms

The reasons for feelings of anxiety and restlessness can vary. The main ones include:

The above reasons most often cause anxiety disorders in people at risk:

Such disorders lead to the appearance various symptoms, the main one of which is excessive anxiety. Physical symptoms may also occur:

• impaired concentration;
• fatigue;
• increased irritability;
• sleep problems;
• numbness in the arms or legs;
• anxiety;
• pain in the abdomen or back;
• hyperemia;
• shiver;
• sweating;
• constant feeling of fatigue.

A correct diagnosis will help you understand how to cope with anxiety and worry. Put correct diagnosis a psychiatrist can. You should only seek help if the symptoms of the disease do not go away within a month or several weeks.

The diagnosis is quite simple. It is much more difficult to determine which type of disorder a patient has, since many of them have almost the same symptoms.

To study the essence of the problem and clarify the diagnosis, the psychiatrist conducts special psychological tests. The doctor should also pay attention to the following points:

• absence or presence characteristic symptoms, their duration;
• the presence of a connection between symptoms and possible organ diseases;
• Availability stressful situations which could lead to anxiety disorder.

Treatment

Some people don't know what to do when they feel constant anxiety and worry. There are several ways to get rid of this.

Drug treatment

Tablets for anxiety and restlessness are prescribed for aggravated disease. During treatment the following can be used:

1. Tranquilizers. Allows you to relieve muscle tension, reduce the severity of fear and anxiety. Tranquilizers must be used with caution, as they are addictive.
2. Beta blockers. Helps get rid of vegetative symptoms.
3. Antidepressants. With their help, you can get rid of depression and normalize the patient's mood.

Confrontation

Used if you need to get rid of increased anxiety. The essence this method consists of creating an alarming situation that the patient must cope with. Regular repetition of the procedure reduces the level of anxiety and makes a person confident in his abilities.

Psychotherapy

Frees the patient from negative thoughts that aggravate anxiety. It is enough to carry out 10-15 sessions to completely get rid of anxiety.

Physical rehabilitation

It is a set of exercises, most of which were taken from yoga. With their help, anxiety, fatigue and nervous tension are relieved.

Hypnosis

The fastest and effective method getting rid of anxiety. During hypnosis, the patient faces his fears, which allows him to find ways to overcome them.

Treatment of children

To get rid of anxiety disorders in children, use medications And behavioral therapy, which is the most effective method treatment. Its essence is to create frightening situations and take measures to help cope with them.

Prevention

To prevent the onset and development of an anxiety disorder, you must:

1. Don't get nervous over trifles. To do this, you need to change your attitude towards factors that may cause anxiety.
2. Exercise. Regular physical exercise will help you take your mind off your problems.
3. Avoid stressful situations. It is recommended to do less activities that cause negative emotions and worsen your mood.
4. Rest periodically. A little rest helps relieve anxiety, fatigue and stress.
5. Eat nutritiously and limit consumption strong tea, coffee and alcohol. It is necessary to eat more vegetables and fruits, which contain many vitamins. If this is not possible, then you can take vitamin complexes.

Consequences

If you do not get rid of this problem in a timely manner, some complications may appear.
If left untreated, the feeling of anxiety becomes so pronounced that the person begins to panic and begin to behave inappropriately. Along with this, physical disorders also appear, which include vomiting, nausea, migraines, loss of appetite and bulimia. Such strong anxiety destroys not only a person’s psyche, but also his life.