Date:2011-11-14

What is fear and how to overcome it?

Overcoming feelings of fear. What are the types of fears? Why does fear grow? Specific steps to overcome fear and anxiety.

Good time to you! In this article I want to consider the topic, how to conquer your fears.

Looking back, each of us can notice that fear accompanies our entire lives, starting from childhood. Take a closer look and you will see that in childhood you experienced fear in the same way as now, only then for some reason it did not stress you, you did not pay attention, it came along with some situation and also disappeared imperceptibly.

But then something in life starts to go wrong, fear becomes almost constant, acute and wraps around like a vine.

Until some time, I did not pay much attention to the feeling of fear, but then I had to face the truth and admit that I was cowardly and anxious, although sometimes I did certain things.

Any assumption, any unpleasant situation could make me angry for a long time.Even things that didn’t make much sense began to worry. My mind grabbed at any, even groundless, opportunity to worry.

At one time I had so many disorders, starting with and ending with obsessions and even PA (), that it began to seem to me that I was just naturally so restless, and this was with me forever.

I began to figure it out and slowly solve this problem, because whatever one may say, I don’t want to live in a nightmare. Now I have some experience and knowledge of how to overcome fear, and I am sure that this will be useful to you.

Don’t just think that I coped with all my fears, but I got rid of many, and I simply learned to live with some and overcome them. Besides to a normal person in principle, it is not possible to get rid of all fears; we will always worry in some way, if not for ourselves, then for our loved ones - and this is normal if it does not reach the point of absurdity and extremes.

So, let's first figure out what the feeling of fear actually is?When you know well what you are dealing with, it is always easier to cope.

What is fear?

Here, to begin with, it is important to understand that fear can happen various kinds.

In some cases thisnatural an emotion that helps us and all living beings survive in the event of anrealthreats. After all, fear literally mobilizes our body, physically makes us stronger and more attentive in order to effectively attack or escape from the object of threat.

Therefore, this emotion in psychology is called: “Flight or fight.”

Fear is a basic emotion that all people haveinstalled by default; a signaling function that ensures our safety.

But in other cases, fear manifests itself in unhealthy ways ( neurotic) form.

The topic is very broad, so I decided to divide the article into two parts. In this article, we will analyze what fears exist, why they grow, and I will give the first recommendations that will help you learn to deal with this feeling more calmly and soberly and approach situations correctly so that fear does not throw you into a stupor.

The very feeling of fear, all this chill (heat) throughout the body, a clouding “haze” in the head, internal cringing, overwhelming numbness, fading breath, pounding heartbeat, etc., which we experience when we are scared, no matter how creepy everything may seem, but it's nothing more thanbiochemical reaction of the body to some stimulus (situation, event), that is, it internal phenomenonbased on the release of adrenaline into the blood. Fear in its structure is to a greater extentadrenalin, plus more stress hormones.

Adrenaline is a mobilizing hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, it affects the body's metabolism, in particular, it increases blood glucose, accelerates cardiac activity and blood pressure, all in order to mobilize the body. I wrote more about this in the article “”.(I recommend, this will give you an understanding of the connection between the body and the psyche).

So, when we experience fear, we experience "adrenaline feeling", and so that right now you begin to relate to the feeling of fear a little softer, you can tell yourself: “the adrenaline is pumping.”

What are the types of fears?

In psychology, there are two types of fear: natural (natural) fear and neurotic.

Natural fear always manifests itself whenreal dangers, when there is a threatright now. If you see that a car is about to run into you or someone is attacking you, then the instinct of self-preservation will instantly work and turn on vegetative system, which will trigger biochemical reactions in the body, and we will experience fear.

By the way, in life we ​​very often experience natural fear (anxiety), evenwithout noticingthis, it is so intangible.

Examples of such fear:

• you are reasonably afraid of inattention when driving a car (although there are exceptions), and therefore drive the car carefully;

• some are more, some are less afraid of heights, and therefore, in the appropriate environment, behave carefully so as not to fall;

• you are afraid of getting sick in winter, and therefore dress warmly;

• you are reasonably afraid of becoming infected with something, and therefore wash your hands periodically;

• You are logically afraid to pee yourself in the middle of the street, so when you feel like it, you start looking for a secluded place, and you don’t run down the street naked, just becausehealthySocial fear helps protect you from a “bad” reputation that can harm your career.

Natural fear simply plays the role of common sense here. And it is important to understand thatfear and anxiety - normal functions body , but the fact is that for many of you, anxiety has become irrational and excessive (not useful), but more on that below.

In addition, a healthy feeling of fear (anxiety)Alwaysaccompanies us in new conditions. It's fearbefore the new one, fear of losing current comfortable conditions associated with uncertainty, instability and novelty.

We can experience such fear when moving to a new place of residence, changing activities (jobs), getting married, before important negotiations, dating, taking an exam, or even going on a long journey.

Fear is like a scoutin an unfamiliar situation, scans everything around and tries to draw our attention to a possible threat, sometimes even where there is none at all. Thus, the instinct of self-preservation Just is reinsured, after all, the main thing for nature is survival, and for it it is better to be on the safe side in something than to overlook something.

Instinct doesn’t care how we live and feel: good or bad; The main thing for him is safety and survival, in fact, this is where the roots of neurotic fear mainly grow, when a person begins to worry not because of real reasons, but for no reason or for trifles.

Neurotic (constant) fear and anxiety.

First, let's look at how fear differs from anxiety.

If fear always associated with realsituation and circumstances, thenanxiety always based onassumptions negative outcomeof one situation or another, that is, these are always anxious thoughts of worries about one’s own or someone else’s future.

If we take a vivid example with an attack of PA, then a person experiences horror for his future, his thoughts are directed to the future, heassumesthat something could happen to him, he could die, lose control, etc.

Such fear usually arises against a background of stress when we beginattach excessive importance to everything that comes to mind, , we become fixated and catastrophize the situation.

For example:

• normal fear for one’s health can develop into an anxious obsession with one’s condition and symptoms;
• reasonable self-care or housekeeping can turn into mania for germs;
• concern for the safety of loved ones can develop into paranoia;
• the fear of harming oneself and others can lead to chronic anxiety and PA, and this, in turn, can result in the fear of going crazy or a constant fear of death, etc.

This is it neurotic fear when formed constant (chronic), increased anxiety , some even leading to panic. And it is precisely because of this kind of anxiety that the vast majority of our problems arise, when we begin to regularly feel strong anxiety for all sorts of reasons, and most often without reason, and we become very sensitive to what is happening.

In addition, an anxious state can be aggravated by an incorrect or not entirely accurate understanding of certain interpretations, such as: “thought is material,” etc.

And almost all people exhibit social fears. And if some of them have common sense, then many are completely vain and are of a neurotic nature. Such fears interfere with our lives, taking all our energy and distracting us with imaginary, sometimes unreasonable and absurd experiences, they interfere with our development, and because of them we miss a lot of opportunities.

For example, fear of embarrassment, disappointment, loss of competence and authority.

Behind these fears lies not only the essence of possible consequences, but also other feelings that people do not want and are afraid to experience, for example, feelings of shame, depression and guilt - very unpleasant feelings. And that is the only reason why many do not dare to act.

I was extremely susceptible to such fears for a very long time, but everything gradually began to change when I began to change my attitude and inner view for life.

After all, if you think carefully, no matter what happens - even if they insult us, ridicule us, try to offend us in some way - all this, most often, does not pose a global threat to us and, by and large, does not matter, because life will go on anyway And,the main thing is that we will have every chance for happiness and success, everything will depend only on us.

I think it makes no difference who is there and what they think of you, it’s important,how do you feel about this? . If someone else’s opinion is most important to you, then you are too dependent on people, you don’t have - you have everything: dad-assessment, mom-assessment, friends-assessment, but notitself-evaluation, and because of this a lot of unnecessary anxieties flowing into a neurotic form, I understood this very well.

Only when we startrely on yourself , and not just count on someone, and we begin to decide for ourselves what influence others will have on us, only then do we become truly free.

I really like this quote I once read:

"No one can hurt you without your consent"

(Eleanor Roosevelt)

IN mostcases related to society, you are afraid of people only because of the likelihood of experiencing some unpleasant feelings, but there is no point in being afraid of either these feelings or people’s opinions, because everything feelings are temporary and natural by nature, and the thoughts of others will remain only their thoughts. Can their thoughts cause harm? Moreover, their opinion is only their opinion out of a billion others, just as many people have so many opinions.

And if you consider that those around you are, to a greater extent, concerned about what they think of them, then they don’t care as much about you as you might think. And is it really possible to equate your happiness with someone else’s thoughts?

Therefore, first of all, it is very important to learn how to manage by the emotions themselves so as not to be afraid to experience them, learn be with them for a while, after all, there is nothing bad in this, no one always feels good, besides, any emotions, even the most acute and unpleasant ones, will pass one way or another and, I assure you, you can fully learn calmly be patient. What is important here is the correct approach, which we'll talk below.

And slowly change your inner attitude towards yourself and the world around you, which is what I wrote in the article "".

Why does fear intensify and grow?

There are three areas worth highlighting here:

1. The desire to get rid of fear completely;
2. Avoidance behavior;
3. Inability to deal with feelings of fear, attempts to constantly avoid, get rid of and suppress fear in various ways, which leads to such a mental phenomenon as “ fear of fear”, when a person begins to be terribly afraid of the very feeling of fear (anxiety), beginning to mistakenly believe that these feelings are abnormal, and he should not experience them at all.

The desire to get rid of feelings of fear and anxiety

This instinctive, avoidant behavior stems from the natural desire of all living beings not to experience unpleasant experiences.

An animal, having once experienced fear in some situation, continues to instinctively run away from it, as, for example, the case with a dog.

There was construction going on, and suddenly the hose near the cylinder broke, and not far away there was a house where doghouse. The broken hose, with its whistle, frightened the dog who was nearby, and it subsequently began to get scared and run away not only from something similar to a hose, but even from a simple whistle.

This case demonstrates well not only how instinctive behavior towards certain things (events and phenomena) is formed, but also how fear is transformed, flowing from one phenomenon to another, something similar to it.

The same thing happens to a person experiencing fear and panic when he begins to avoid first one place, then another, third, etc., until he completely locks himself at home.

At the same time, a person is most often well aware that there is something wrong here, that the fear is far-fetched and it is only in his head, nevertheless, he continues to experience it physically, which means he continues to try to avoid it.

Now let's talk about avoidance behavior

If a person is afraid to fly on an airplane, afraid to go down the subway, afraid to communicate, afraid of the manifestation of any feelings, including fear, or even afraid of his own thoughts, which I myself used to be afraid of, he will try to avoid it, thereby committing one of gross mistakes.

By avoiding situations, people, places or certain phenomena, youhelp yourselffight fear, but at the same time,limit yourself , and many form some other rituals.

• The fear of infection forces a person to wash their hands extra often.
• Fear pushes people to avoid communication and crowded places.
• Fear of certain thoughts can form a “ritual action” in order to protect yourself and avoid something.

The feeling of fear prompts you to run,you give in and run, for a while you feel better, because the threat has passed, you calm down, but in an unconscious psychejust secure it this reaction(like that dog who is afraid of the whistle). It’s as if you are telling your subconscious: “You see, I’m running away, which means there is a danger, and it’s not far-fetched, but real,” and the unconscious psyche reinforces this reaction,developing a reflex.

Situations in life are very different. Some fears and corresponding avoidances seem more justified and logical, others - absurd; but in the end, constant fear does not allow you to live fully, rejoice and achieve your goals.

And thus, you can avoid everything, and from this fear grows in life in general.

• A young man, due to fear of failure, fear of experiencing a feeling of insecurity (shame), will not go to meet a girl with whom he could very likely be happy.
• Many people will not start their own business or go to an interview because they may be frightened by new prospects and difficulties, and many will be frightened by the very possibility of experiencing internal discomfort during communication, etc., that is, fear of internal sensations.

And on top of that, many people make another mistake when they begin to resist the fear that has arisen, try to suppress the anxiety that has arisen with emotional effort, forcefully calm themselves down, or force them to believe the opposite.

For this purpose, many people drink sedatives, take alcohol, continue to smoke, or unconsciously eat emotions, since food promotes the production of serotonin and melatonin, which makes the experience easier. This, by the way, is one of the main reasons why many people gain weight. I myself used to often overeat, drink, and even more often light up the experience; for a while, of course, it helped.

I'll say right away emotions must be allowed to be, if an emotion has come, be it fear or something else, you don’t have to immediately resist and try to do something with this feeling, so you just strengthen it tension, just watch how this emotion manifests itself in your body, learn to worry and be patient.

All these actions on your part aimed at avoiding and suppressing feelings only make the situation worse.

How to overcome fear and anxiety?

Fear, as you already understood, not only plays a useful, protective role, but also encourages you to avoid even potential danger, wherever possible. Maybe.

It is not always justified and protects us from danger. Often it simply makes you suffer and prevents you from moving towards success and happiness, which means it is important for us to learn don't blindly believe and give in every impulse of instinct, anddeliberately interfere.

Unlike an animal that is unable to change the situation on its own (the dog will continue to be afraid of the useless “whistle”), a person has a mind that allowsconsciouslygo another way.

Are you ready to take a different path and conquer fear? Then:

1. When some fear arises,you don't need to believe him right away, many of our feelings simply lie to us. I became very convinced of this by observing how and where things come from.

Fear sits inside us and is only looking for hooks to catch on, it doesn’t need special conditions, instinct is ready to sound the alarm at anything. As soon as we weaken internally, experience stress and a bad state, it’s right there and begins to come out.

Therefore, when you feel anxious, remember, this does not mean that there is danger.

2. The very desire to get rid of it contributes to the growth and intensification of fear.

But to completely get rid of fear, as many people dream of it, in principleimpossible. It's the same as wanting to get rid of skin. The skin is the same ashealthyfear, fulfills protective function, - getting rid of fear is like trying to tear off your skin.

Exactly your goal is to get ridand not feeling fear at all makes this feeling even stronger and sharper. All you are thinking is: “How to get rid of it, how to get rid of it, and what am I feeling now, I’m scared, horrified, what to do when this is over, run, run...”, thereby mentally looping on this, the autonomic system turns on, and you yourself do not allow yourself to relax.

Our task is to bring fears and anxiety, which are justified in certain situations, to a normal (healthy) level, and not to get rid of them completely.

Fear has always been and will always be. Realize andaccept this fact. First, stop being at enmity with him, becausehe is not your enemy, he just is, and there is nothing wrong with him. It is very important to start changing your attitude towards him from within and don't overemphasize that you are experiencing it.

This emotion is just now excessively acute works inside you because youafraid to experience it. As a child, you were not afraid of this, you did not attach importance to the feeling of fear and did not want to get rid of it, well, it was and was, it passed and passed.

Always remember that this is only internal, chemical reaction in the body (adrenaline plays). Yes - unpleasant, yes - painful, yes - scary and sometimes very, but tolerable and safe,don't resistmanifestation of this reaction, let it make some noise and go out on its own.

When fear starts to weigh in,suspend attention And watcheverything that happens inside you, realize thatin reality you are not in danger (the fear is only in your mind), and continue to observe any sensations in your body. Take a closer look at your breathing and hold your attention on it, smoothly align it.

Start to catch the thoughts that excite you, they are the ones that aggravate your fear and lead you to panic, but not drive them away by force of will,just try not to get drawn into the mental whirlpool: “what if, what if, why,” andwithout judging what is happening (bad, good),just watch everything , gradually you will begin to feel better.

Here you observe how your psyche and body as a whole react to some external stimulus (situation, person, phenomenon), you act as an outside observer behind what is happening inside and around you. And thus, gradually, through observation, you influence this reaction from the inside, and it further becomes weaker and weaker. You train your psyche be less and less susceptible to this feeling.

And all this can be achieved thanks to “awareness”, fear is very afraid of awareness, read this in the article “”.

Not everything will always work out, especially at first, but over time it will get easier and better.

Take this point into account and don’t throw yourself into despair if something doesn’t turn out the way you wanted, not all at once, friends, it simply requires regular practice and time.

3. Extremely important point: fear cannot be overcome by theory , avoidant behavior - even more so.

In order for it to begin to fade, you need to consciously go towards it.

The difference between brave people who solve their problems and cowards is not that the former do not experience fear, but that they step over fear,fear and act .

Life is too short to be idle and if you want more from life, you need tointernally change: acquire new useful habits, learn to calmly experience emotions, control thinking and decide on some actions, take risks.

After all “opportunity” is always more important than risk, and the risk will always be, the main thing is that the “opportunity” is reasonable and promising.

to you now very wrongit seems that you first need to get rid of fear, gain confidence, and then act, although, in fact, in reality this is exactly how it isotherwise.

When you jump into the water for the first time, you need to jump, there is no point in constantly thinking about whether you are ready for it or not until you jump, find out and learn.

Step by step, drop by drop, sharp jumps, most will not succeed, try to win unceremoniouslystrongfear is ineffective, most likely it will crush you, you need preparation.

Start with less significantfears and move slowly.

• If you are afraid of communication, if you feel uncomfortable among people, start going out to people and communicating, tell someone something good just like that.
• If you are afraid of rejection when meeting the opposite sex - first, just “stay nearby”, then start asking questions simple questions, like: “How to find such and such a place?” etc.
• If you are afraid to travel, start traveling, not far at first.

And at such moments, focus your attention and consider what happens inside you, when you enter a situation, you will begin to know yourself through the reflection of what is happening, you act and consciously observe everything.

You will instinctively want to run, but there is no easy road here: you either do what you are afraid of and then the fear recedes; or you give in to spontaneous instinct and live as before. Fear always arises when we leave our comfort zone, when we begin to act and change something in life. His appearance shows promise, and he teaches us to overcome our weaknesses and become stronger. Therefore, do not be afraid of fear, be afraid of inaction!

4. And the last thing here: practice more mental and emotional rest, it is very important to restore the nervous system, and for most of you it is extremely weakened, without this you simply will not be able to function normally.

I also strongly recommend doing sports, at least a little simple exercises: squats, push-ups, press - this really helps to overcome fear and anxiety, as it improves not only the physics of the body, but also the mental state.

Homework for you.

1. Observe your fear, how it manifests itself in the body and where. This may include discomfort in the stomach, heaviness in the head or “haze,” shortness of breath, numbness in the limbs, trembling, chest pain, etc.
2. Take a closer look at what thoughts come to you at this moment and how they affect you.
3. Then analyze whether this fear is natural or neurotic.
4. Write in the comments about your observations, conclusions and ask if you have any questions.

In the next article "" we will talk about individual, important points, this will help you act better and overcome this condition.

Good luck in conquering fear!

Best regards, Andrey Russkikh.

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1. Tell me, during PA it’s hard to breathe, shortness of breath and, as a result, the fear of suffocation and death. This is possible, I’m very afraid of such attacks and I’m afraid that my heart won’t withstand such stress.

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   • Inna, read articles about PA on the website

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     • How can you write, sit and watch fear, a person in severe panic cannot control himself, in order to understand this, antidepressants are needed, under them the brain receives artificial serotonin and then after acute condition attack, we can talk about something from your article

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       • You can observe fear during pa... you can learn everything!.. Andrey writes about this in detail and about techniques, you just need to read carefully and really want to)

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2. Hello) but I have a question: if I go to a psychotherapist, how can I find out whether he can help me or not? I just know such cases, people have been going for years, but there’s no point (((

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   • Good afternoon Karina. And there’s no way to find out, until you contact us you won’t know. Well, in general, you should look at reviews about the psychotherapist you are going to contact (if any)

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3. Thanks for the articles Andrey! I read your book about mindfulness and how to overcome OCD, I understood a lot, realized, lived through a huge number of fears, passing them through myself, I have been practicing mindfulness for 2 months now, instincts still sometimes win, but awareness is a really powerful thing and during this time I really what it means to live. I have had OCD for over 10 years and I have a few questions. I lived through fears that were very strong for myself, I trusted the innocence and, as a result, on an unconscious level, I received the life experience that this fear is irrational and I stopped being afraid of it. I began to feel an incredible surge of strength and confidence and independence from thoughts. After some time, out of the blue, another fear arises from the depths of memory and I live it again, consciously accept it and it also goes away and I am no longer afraid of it on a subconscious level! So I already have experience. But fears continue to surface, and very serious ones at that. Now the question is: am I doing the right thing by living through every fear? After all, the experience of previous fears has already been formed on an unconscious level, but it does not work with new fears and you have to live them all over again? And another question: do I understand correctly that when fear appears, having consciously accepted it, I agree that it can stay in me and manifest itself, but I did not agree with what this fear is trying to convey to me? And another question: you write that there shouldn’t be internal dialogue, it needs to be stopped, that’s what I do, even though it’s hard, but now it’s much easier than before. And if I conduct a rational dialogue: I tell myself that I lived through very strong fears and they passed, which means this one will pass, is this acceptable? AND last question: How long after you started practicing mindfulness, receiving an unconscious experience of the safety and absurdity of your fears, did your thinking change from anxious to calmer, not looking for constant threats and worries?
   I will be very glad if you can answer!

   Answer

   • Hello Oleg. It is not necessary to experience every manifestation of fear, in the sense that you can calmly ignore and look closely at each of its reactions and do something without paying attention (without attaching importance), the main thing here is not to fight if something has arisen in the sensations , but calmly let it pass through yourself.
     Acknowledging any feelings in yourself is very good. it’s important, it helps to accept them, and to ignore or not to ignore depends on the situation... because sometimes fear is quite justified (healthy fear warns about something real), you just need to learn to calmly see how justified (rational) the fear is or is it just your own speculation .
     Regarding the diet. dialogue., look at yourself, sometimes it’s important just not to analyze anything, and sometimes you can Support yourself by saying something useful, for example,” the thought comes “I won’t succeed or I’m somehow different” - you can answer these harmful thoughts by others - “I will succeed, even if it’s not something else,” or “I am who I am, this is my right and I deserve the best.”
     Your last question is good because you yourself noticed how important it is to accustom the mind to lightness and calmness, because in a calm and clear state the psyche itself helps us deal with emotions and thoughts, and they do not cause problems. And in terms of time - it’s different for everyone, I had to spend a lot of time because I didn’t know many of the nuances, and you, if you carefully read my book, are already much more prepared.

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4. How can you observe the fear that rolls in instantly from the outside?

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   • hello.. look at what leads to fear (what thoughts or images). and what to do in this case, read in other articles on the blog - “Awareness” or in the article “how to deal with panic attacks” wrote

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5. Andrey,ya tak blagodarna,za vashu statyu🌷.Ne davno ya bila v Adueto pravda,ya dumala chto dlya menya,net smisla zhit...dalshe tak kak moat doch bila v glubokom dipressii.No,k sozhaleniyu nasha emigraziya..dala o svete znat.

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6. Vasha statya pomogla mne Zambia posmotret na zhini drugimi glazami

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7. Thanks Andrey!
   I don't regret signing up. A lot about me. Tired of the dependence of others. I understand everything, I can’t do anything. That's how my parents raised me. They praised little, humiliated and beat a lot. It's scary to remember

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   • please.. Yes, this is enough, but you need to understand that parents could not behave differently, many behave this way not because they want to make the child unhappy, but because they themselves are unhappy, do not know how to love and live the way society taught them.

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8. Thank you very much, Andrey. I really like your articles, I will continue to study them

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   • Please)

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9. Andrey, your articles help me a lot. My fears are that I’m going to die, something is going to happen to me right now, I’m starting to feel pain in my chest, cold sweat all over my body, this makes it even worse. I’m learning to accept this fear, convincing myself that nothing serious is happening. I’m probably already used to living with chest pain. Lately, I’ve been afraid that nothing hurts or bothers me. How is it that nothing hurts? I start to think about it and anxiety, fear, and panic appear again. I want to learn how to cope with fears, I’m scared, I have very bad thoughts (about suicide). I think about this a lot and it becomes even more scary, because thoughts, as they say, are material...

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   • Natalia, thoughts without emotions and actions are worth little. and they don’t just become material, otherwise all people on earth would live happily ever after, thinking about big money, etc.

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10. Hello, Andrey.
    I have a terrible fear of loneliness, meaninglessness, and OCD, a very strong + crazy passion for fire. Sometimes I don't leave the apartment at all.
    What to do? Don't know...
    What city are you in? Thank you.

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    • Hello.. I'm from Belarus... what should I do - work with my fears. as I wrote in this and other articles, read and apply at least a little and you will see there

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11. Good afternoon, please tell me how to work with fears associated with medical interventions: I’m afraid of general anesthesia, fear of not waking up, fear of a doctor’s mistake, feelings of helplessness and lack of ability to influence the situation!
    Thanks in advance

    Answer

    • Hello Natalya.. think, is there really a 100% guarantee? This is what prevents you from gaining och. important thing in life - Trust. This does not mean blind trust, but reasonable trust. Explore information about general anesthesia, based on scientific facts and evidence, and then you will probably see that you are in vain overly worried and do not trust... And anyone can make a mistake, no one is immune from this, and this can only be accepted, and not try to control everything, even what basically impossible

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12. Please help me. I went to a neurologist with PA, they prescribed tranquilizers, but they didn’t help me. Then I turned to a psychologist, everything seemed to be fine at first. But then it started again. I take everything very close to my heart. And I start to go through all this in my head. Until PA happens. I became afraid to be alone at home. While my husband is at work. It’s easier for me when visiting or at work, there’s no time to even think about it. But at home, everything is new. Now I have a fear of heights and that I can jump from the 7th floor, although I don’t want to. I'm tired of living like this since February. At home with my husband there is constant stress, swearing. He specially clots all my blood. But I have a little daughter. Help please.

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    • Hello.. read articles about panic attacks, what they are and how to act, as well as articles about VSD and obsessive thoughts. You increase your fear with some disturbing THOUGHTS, and this is what you need to work with first.

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13. What to do if, by getting rid of fears, you bypassed the fear of killing yourself? I entered this state of meaninglessness... the effect was plus on plus...

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14. Hello Andrey, every time I start observing my negative thoughts, they immediately disappear. Is this a normal reaction? Or am I just suppressing them this way? For some reason, it’s not possible to observe thoughts at all; as soon as I turn my attention towards the thoughts, they simply disappear and my attention instantly switches to other thoughts or objects. Thank you so much for your site and book!!!
    I'm trying to incorporate your experience into my daily practice, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it right.

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    • Hello Natasha.. if you’ve read my book, it’s a bit of a strange question.. there’s more about it there.. read the chapter “Working with Thinking.”. and then you’re doing everything right! Thank you for your feedback!

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15. Andrey, hello. I tried your method, but it immediately became much worse. All my life I have been using avoidant behavior in communicating with people, now when communicating I try to let go of control over the PA. I have a strong fear of losing face. That someone will see my nervousness or loss of control over myself. In life I learned to communicate in such a way that people think that I am very calm person and they are surprised to learn that I am an anxious person. And now it turns out that I am breaking my behavior system and this causes severe anxiety, I accept it. I try to accept the fear, but doubts creep in that I am doing something wrong.
    Before that, I used the method of willpower, that is, agorophobia was acceptable, I gradually forced myself to leave the house, further and further. Now I walk calmly, but very distant places still cause fear. If the PA came up with force, I suppressed it, I convinced myself that it was just my imagination and I tried to distract myself. And with your method I am in a shaking state all the time, I use it on the street, for example, and it turns out that I plunge into my state, and do not come out of it. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong, maybe the warrior’s path suits me better? That is, if the situation forces me to take certain actions; I walk with my eyes closed, nervous, but then I understand that there seems to be nothing wrong and I relax. And I can only practice mindfulness at home, when no one is watching me. It seems to me that if I let go of control in public place I will be covered by a strong PA

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    • Hello Maria.. you know.. only fools don’t doubt anything, take doubts calmly, and experience in the future will show everything.. At first, of course, anxiety usually worsens, but this is such a turning point, then it will become easier and easier! I recommend practicing mindfulness more often; it helps you learn how to deal with emotions and thoughts.

      As for training at home with awareness during PA, this is good for a start, but then you will need to decide and take at least a small step in a real situation, this is where it is important to let go of logical control and see that nothing bad is happening, everything depends on you, and awareness is the highest vigilance! How else can you find out that you can handle everything yourself?? nothing other than being in a real situation.

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16. Tell me, are neurosis and pain dangerous to life and health?

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    • Hello. .. Ira.. don’t be lazy for yourself... read the articles about panic attacks, VSD and neurosis on the site and you will understand everything.

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17. Andrey, I really like the way you write, it’s easy and accessible! Your articles help me a lot, I realized a lot of what was written myself, because I was interested in psychology, but for some reason it still didn’t help me, there was some kind of distrust in my own knowledge, and reading you I understand that I was always on the right path , but due to lack of self-confidence, she created obstacles for herself on the path to creating a harmonious personality. It’s great that now people with panic attacks and neuroses can be helped, and more than once I myself extinguished my anxiety simply by reading your articles, and after that I began to work on myself with renewed vigor. Of course, there is still a lot, a lot of work, but now I don’t treat my fear and anxiety as something terrible, but even perceive it as a kind of plus, as an impetus for action and work on myself, I hope you will continue to help people, because that you are doing great)))

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18. Andrey, good day! Please tell me what to do in such a situation. I tried to commit suicide, cut veins on both arms and left large scars on my wrists. I’m very afraid that my friends or someone else will find out about my suicide attempt (friends know), so I hide them in every possible way (I avoid the situation): shirts, long-sleeve T-shirts, bracelets, I want to get tattoos, etc. On the one hand, I avoid the situation, but on the other hand, I don’t really want to plunge into the situation and tell everyone, because... This is going to be bravado. Thanks in advance!

    Answer

    • Good time, what was, was, this is the past that cannot be changed, start living in the present, paying less attention to the past, and depending less on the opinions of people, even loved ones. It’s pointless to spend your whole life hiding something that someone other than you already knows. Believe me, the main thing is not what you were before and what you did there, what’s more important is who you can become!

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19. Thanks for the article! Tell me in this situation: during driving lessons I do everything without mistakes, like an exam: I panic, everything immediately “flies out of my head” and my legs start to shake, I can’t even do anything with them. Help, what’s the reason?

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20. I read your book about fear, a very useful book, everything is very accessible. But if I may, I would like to ask a question about how to deal with the fear of causing harm, especially to children, mostly to our own. It all started not so long ago, 2.5 months ago, after watching film, where a wife stabbed her husband with a knife, I abruptly transferred everything to myself, I was very scared, my daughter was nearby. After this, the fear of causing harm appeared. I work with a psychologist, I try to identify all the moments of avoidant behavior and do the opposite, I’m learning to accept these thoughts and live them. them... Please advise what else can be done specifically with this fear?

    Answer

    • Hello.. From your question, I understand that you are looking for knowledge that will instantly lead to a solution to the problem, but there is no magic words And magic pills, there are only CORRECT ACTIONS, that is, you need not just to know, but to regularly and HONESTLY APPLY knowledge. So, you write “to live through thoughts,” where in the book did you find this? You need to live HONESTLY your emotions (feelings) that some thought evokes in you.
      Regarding your specific problem:
      1 To understand that the wife stabbed her husband with a knife for a reason because suddenly, out of nowhere, she felt like it or her body itself went and did something, a whole series of events in her life led her to this , you see only the final result, and not this entire previous history. People never do anything for no reason, there are reasons for everything, so trying to imitate the actions of others is completely absurd. (you are not that person and you were not in that woman’s place, you don’t know all the reasons that brought her to this state).
      2. Identify and remove all defensive (avoidant) actions that only perpetuate the problem. Such actions may include in your case - hiding knives, avoiding being near your daughter, as well as constantly “thinking” about the problem in order to control everything with logic, but in the book I wrote that logic only creates the illusion of control, without actually changing anything , you were and continue to be afraid of losing control and logic is no help here!!! (it only harms) If you think that by trying to convince yourself that I’m good, I was raised decent and I won’t do this, you will solve the problem, then you are deeply mistaken. Therefore, stop trying to think and persuade yourself all the time. THE CORRECT ACTIONS ARE NECESSARY, and I wrote about them in detail in the book. (so use them if you want results, but just reading is pointless)

      Answer

21. Thanks for your answer Andrey, I read the book Intrusive thoughts fears and VSD. Can you advise me what else to read on my topic?

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    • My anxiety lies in the fact that I think I won’t be able to protect my wife if someone offends her... although I can stand up for her! And I keep scrolling different situations! I’m pushing myself... and these thoughts are constantly spinning in my head!

      Answer

    • Hello Andrey, I really need your help. I don't know what's wrong with me. It all started with the fact that I fell ill with tonsillitis, the doctor prescribed me antibiotics and other medicine for the throat, on the 3rd day of taking antibiotics I had an attack of suffocation at night in the form of a spasm of the throat, this is not asthma. Such fear, heart palpitations, weak legs, body not mine at all. I immediately went to the doctors, but they couldn’t tell me anything, for some reason the gastrologist decided that it was reflux, I passed general analysis blood, immunoglobulin tests. For some types of allergies, to the thyroid gland, I did a throat culture. In general, all the tests were good, but only the tank culture showed that there were 4+ streptococci. I went with these tests to the ENT specialist, she prescribed me an antibiotic, which was determined by tank culture, I started drinking it and immediately on the same day my nocturnal attacks of suffocation with huge content mucus and discomfort in the throat. But during the day there are micro spasms that are not clear from what. A month and a half has already passed, and a day ago I again had an attack of suffocation at night. I was very scared, and in general I didn’t tell you the main thing, that when I get sick and no one can diagnose accurate diagnosis, I experience panic and terrible fear about death, about an insidious incurable disease, and also these negative thoughts enslave my consciousness. Help please

      Answer

      • Hello.. panic due to UNCERTAINTY.. fear of the unknown is one of the most powerful. As for choking, I can’t give any advice, but I can assume that since the examinations didn’t reveal anything serious and the doctors didn’t tell you directly, then choking is probably due to a lump in the throat, this is a symptom of stress and fear.. Basically, you need just relax the muscles of the throat and neck when there is a feeling of suffocation... and see if this helps. You generally need more calm now, learn relaxation skills and have more mental rest.
        As for obsessive thoughts, read the articles on the website “Intrusive Thoughts: How to Get Rid of It” and “Causes obsessive fears“They will help you sort it out and understand what to do with your thoughts.

        Answer

        • Hello.. I can’t say anything.. everything is vague in the question.. “certain thoughts”, you need to let fear pass through yourself and not try to avoid everything - this is the main thing

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      • I read your articles, I started to apply it a little, to observe my thoughts and feelings from the outside, sometimes it comes out, sometimes it doesn’t, but in the last week these feelings have intensified, before I tried to muffle them... but now I have released them, I feel that they are no longer I’m jamming... but again you somehow answered me about slowing down, and when I supposedly have thoughts that there’s not enough time to say I have enough time... it helps to calm down, but in general it’s always and always like this for 10 years chilling: before I had a lot of things to do, and I did each one with pleasure, + I had rest, it didn’t bother me that I had other things to do, and I did each one consciously, so to speak, now the situation is different, I say there’s enough time, I’m still not lets go, this is out of the ordinary, I do one thing, then I have to manage another 2.3, even when there are few of them, there is still panic, anxiety, it’s so unpleasant when every time you take on something, and it immediately starts, this state is very annoying, so how to convince yourself doesn’t work, the phrase doesn’t really work, it just calms down a little... It all started, it seems to me, from society: time flies, time flies, there are only 24 hours in a day, we don’t have time to do anything, we need to hurry, life flies by like 1 second, you don’t have time to look back, and in fact this is the unconscious deep psyche? What to do about it? I can’t rest normally, I can do something quickly in my head and then rest, but this is not always good for me... since the day can be packed... (I don’t strive for multitasking, on the contrary, I unload myself, but there are special load days). I can’t adequately remember what I’m doing, where I am, when I slow down, panic and anxiety again, because the following happens: I’m slowing down now (there’s enough time), but the thought is, damn, I’m slowing down, I won’t make it in time, time is passing... and again panic, anxiety, this is terrible, I never thought that I would drive myself into such a time frame.

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      • Andrey, thank you very much for your articles!

        I would like to write to Ksyusha, who wrote on 05/04/2018 00:28 about asthma attacks. It happens to me like it does to you when I sleep on my back. I stop breathing in my sleep, or so it seems to me that I stop breathing. In general, I wake up in a terrible panic because there is no air and screaming and gasping for air. I'm choking on one word. I noticed that this happens when I fall asleep on my back. But this doesn’t happen on the side. Maybe you have something similar and you might somehow find what I shared useful?

        Reply Reply

    • Hello.
      Against the backdrop of constant stress, I developed neurosis and anxiety. Only if I can still cope with the anxiety about this, then what scares me most is the sleep disorder. At first it was like tremors in the chest that prevented me from falling asleep. Then I overcame it, but began to wake up every hour and a half. Then, with an effort, I managed to calm down, get distracted, and everything seemed to start to get better, like damn, the fear of suffocation came from somewhere, and now when I fall asleep I stop breathing... I just give up, I’m very tired. Such insidious disease, then one thing or another, it seems like you overcome this, something new appears... please help me, what should I do! I'm desperate.

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      • Hello. Such a global question cannot be answered with one comment.. read the articles on the site, they have a lot on this topic. about anxiety, VSD, neurosis.. as well as about practices.. and apply knowledge

        Answer

    • Good afternoon, Andrey. Thank you very much for your site, the most important thing is that I read and understand that everything is to the point, very competent and to the point. I suffered from pain, it all started at university, it was aggravated by my hyper-responsibility, I didn’t have time to finish university when I got pregnant and everything got worse, as they say, thanks to hormones, everything that you describe is very true, I especially like the one about mindfulness, but here’s mine The trouble is that my now pregnant neurosis gives me no peace at all, I have developed a fear of death, associated specifically with pregnancy, with the pain of childbirth, with the fear that if I don’t pull myself together, there will be schizophrenia or psychosis. Now it has become difficult to fight and give up, because before pregnancy I managed without pills, it was sports - this is the number one medicine, meeting with friends, pleasant communication, watching movies, thoughts about traveling, and now it’s just horror. Tell me, have you had to consult expectant mothers in this condition, is it fixable, because I think that the condition before pregnancy was very bad and if I came across your site at that time, it would be an additional pill to my “medicines” ", and now there are no films, no meetings, nothing makes me happy, sadness, melancholy, tears, pain, depression, I’m afraid to admit the thought of what’s inside new life, and as soon as I think about it, I immediately fear death, horror in general

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      • Hello Dasha. Yes, what is most important to you now is the support of loved ones and positive communication, and consultations on these issues would be very helpful. to the place. If you want, let's try, I'm sure I can help.

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    • Thank you very much for the article, I will try, I wrote out the most important thing from it for myself “Anxiety is the assumption of a negative outcome of the situation (its development) so, for example, today I was walking with a friend and met two acquaintances on the street and immediately started making assumptions about the development of the situation 1 they will see that I feel bad (wobbly, etc.) 2 will start teasing me and this will make me even worse (wobbly, anxiety, etc.) and I will be embarrassed and the next time they see me, this will most likely happen again since they will already know that I can’t answer anything (since my anxiety is shaking and etc.) I’m shocked that I wrote so much about the assumption of the development of one situation :) In general, out of all this, only the point from the teasing came true, although I suppressed the anxiety and tried to answer with mutual jokes) I've already read that you don't need to turn it off.
      Briefly about yourself:
      I have suffered from anxiety for 5 years
      I take Velaxin (antidepressant)
      I have been taking it for 5 years, there was a remission after 2 years of taking it. I was happy, I quit drinking and within 3-6 months everything returned to how it was: depression, anxiety, shakes, I can’t work, etc.
      Now I’m taking the pills again at the previous dosage, so far there is no remission for 2-3 years again I’m suffering very much.

      Answer

      • try less to hide your anxiety.. this takes all your energy.. And learn to depend less on the opinions of others! let them think what they want... and remember more often to yourself what is really important... that is, about your most important goals in life!

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    • Which specialist should you contact for fears and panic attacks - a psychologist, psychiatrist or psychotherapist?

      Answer

Good news for those who struggle to cope with daily stress at home and work: there are available methods get rid of constant excitement and anxiety. The author of a new book on stress recommends using simple acupressure exercises as first aid. Changing our reaction to stress is also within our power; to do this, we need to understand the work of the adrenal glands.

Any stress that we attribute to our emotional state- for example, anxiety, low self-esteem or violent reaction - are actually related to our physiology. These so-called "false feelings" are caused by a deficiency in the brain chemical reaction, capable of maintaining resistance to stress. However, such conditions can be quickly corrected by changing your physiology.

I asked Harvard University integrative medicine specialist Sarah Gottfried, MD, how to stop feeling like a failure if you can't live every moment of your life like you're a superhero. She suggested a new mantra: “It’s my adrenal glands, it’s not me.” According to Gottfried, we should stop blaming ourselves and trying to jump in over our heads, and instead should “think about our biology.”

Stress and the adrenal glands: how does it work?

Up to 70% of people who report stress actually suffer from some degree of adrenal imbalance (the organs that produce the hormones that control your response to stress). Under conditions of chronic stress, our body goes through three stages, which are characterized by: to varying degrees adrenal imbalance and ultimately depletion.

At the first stage we accumulate extra energy to cope with stressors. After the first surge of adrenaline, the adrenal glands begin to secrete cortisol, which initially - and in small quantities - is a source of strength and endurance for us. In the right amount, cortisol helps metabolize food, fight allergies, and reduce inflammation.

But if the state of excessive arousal continues, the adrenal glands begin to secrete too much adrenaline and cortisol, replacing them with our feel-good neurotransmitters, namely serotonin (the source of self-confidence and optimism) and dopamine (the source of pleasure). When cortisol chronically circulates in the body, it begins to stimulate inflammatory responses and can cause the very diseases it was originally intended to protect against. Accordingly, signs of disease or infection appear.

We no longer experience the “euphoria” associated with the adrenaline rush; instead bad mood or even depression appears. Too much or too little cortisol can lead to decreased concentration and a feeling of being overwhelmed. We resort to external stimulants - caffeine, salty or sweet foods. We exhaust ourselves even more by playing sports, or, conversely, we stop everything. physical activity. We're starting to feel chronic fatigue and irritation.

On last stage Adrenal imbalance causes such damage to these organs that they are no longer able to produce enough stress hormones. Every minor problem now seems like a global catastrophe. From now on, for example, when your son spills milk or your manager gives you a disapproving look, it is truly the end of the world for you.

Adrenal Fatigue: How to Avoid?

We all experience this condition - from time to time. But if this is your normal lifestyle, your body may be at risk of adrenal fatigue. "Diet with high content sugar and low protein trigger stress reactions without us realizing it,” says best-selling author and nutritionist Julia Ross. Ironically, more than 70% of people eat the most junk food just to get rid of emotional stress. We could all do with getting our stress hormones checked so we know exactly where on the adrenal fatigue spectrum we each currently fall.

Instead of struggling through the thorns of stress or anxiety (and then beating yourself up for it), it's worth learning as much as possible about your physiology. You can do a saliva test using a test sold at a pharmacy, or take a blood test at any medical institution, where you will be helped to interpret the results. Then, using the medications prescribed to you, you can restore normal hormone levels in the adrenal glands.

Many experts recommend starting with nutrition - making the necessary changes to your diet and observing the improvements. Start with small but consistent changes in your diet (for example, a diet high in protein and gluten-free vegetables), take natural vitamins and supplements (more B vitamins and fish oil, rich in omega-3 acids, for example), and also try natural herbs (such as rhodiola for concentration and balance; chamomile or passionflower to stimulate the “calming” parts of your brain).

Now I want to tell you some secret tricks that will instantly boost your self-confidence and reduce your anxiety levels.

4 quick ways to get rid of anxiety

One of the components of high stress resistance is the ability to pull yourself together and remain calm and confident, no matter what happens around you. You can do this with the following exercises.

What is the benefit of exercises using the acupressure method, that is, pressing on biological active points in your arms? Many nerve endings are concentrated at the fingertips. Folding your fingers in various combinations and holding them in this position for a specific time applies healing pressure to certain nerve endings. These positions of the hands and fingers can stimulate the expression of various qualities (for example, fearlessness, confidence, a sense of power and peace) in the person performing this exercise, and can have a healing effect in case of various health problems.

In fact, you have the key to the internal medicine cabinet.

Exercise 1: Panic Switch Off Point

If you, like many people, are nervous about public speaking, use the following acupressure point, which I call the “panic switch off point.”

Hand position: thumb With your hand, touch the “knuckle” of your middle (third) finger. Then move your thumb toward your palm until you feel a “soft” indentation or small depression. The pressure should be moderate. By pressing this point you help regulate pressure and reduce anxiety.

Exercise 2: Confidence Point

To stimulate a state of confidence, try pressing the “confidence point.” By pressing this point you send a signal that reduces internal emotional stress, stimulating a state of calm. Place your hands in the appropriate position for at least 30 seconds before a speech, presentation, or any other time when you need a confidence boost.

Hand position: place the thumb of either hand at the side index finger between the first and second joint. Apply light to moderate pressure.

Exercise 3: Breathing technique to get rid of fear

You can train your body to let go of fear. Vigorous exhalations stimulate the PNS, promoting calm. I used this one breathing technique to get rid of claustrophobia, so that it would be easier for me to live in New York, where crowded subways and elevators are an integral part of life.

Breathing technique: Take vigorous inhalations through your nose and exhale through your mouth, concentrating on each inhalation and exhalation. As you exhale, forcefully throw your arms forward, as if you are pushing something away from you that you don’t like. Then, as you inhale, return your arms to your chest in a straight line, elbows pressed to your sides. Exhale sharply through your mouth, throwing your arms out again. Repeat again.

Hand position: Place the tips of your thumb and index finger together and raise your arms in front of your chest, palms facing away from you.

Duration: Start by performing this exercise for one minute, gradually increase the training time to three minutes. When you do the exercise for the first time, you may feel a little dizzy—just stop if you feel any discomfort.

Exercise 4: Hand Positions to Encourage Solution Searching

To solve problems effectively, you must be confident in your abilities and listen to your intuition. The following hand position can be used to activate the problem-solving brain center. This position helps you focus your attention on a point on your forehead that corresponds to the approximate location of your pineal gland and is located at the intersection of the left and right hemispheres. This point is access to “whole-brain thinking.” In some spiritual and physical yoga traditions, it is considered the “third eye”—the intersection of intuition and wisdom.

Hand position: connect the tip of your thumb right hand with the tips of the second (index) and third (middle) fingers. Place the "top" of this triangle about 2.5 cm from a point on the forehead that is about 2.5 cm above the point directly between the eyes. At the same time, connect the tip of the thumb of your left hand with the tips of the second (index) and third (middle) fingers in the same way. Place the “vertex” of this triangle about 2.5 cm from the point on your forehead that will correspond to your “intuition”.

Buy this book

Discussion

My daughter changed schools as a teenager - this is a big problem. New team, new teachers. There was anxiety, poor sleep, and absent-mindedness. We started drinking glycine forte at night, 1 tablet. The result was not long in coming. New friends appeared and school improved.

16.10.2018 21:07:32, Elizaveta Simonova

I'm always in a good mood))

I hope it helps me

Comment on the article "Stress, anxiety, panic: how to get rid of it? 4 quick ways"

Discussion

There is no need to give anything.
Change of activity, change of conversation topics, walks, some suitable physical activity, massage, a good positive atmosphere at home, no feeling of oppression and fatality of what is happening.
With these medications you will only aggravate the significance of what is happening in the child’s mind.
Life goes on as usual, and exams take their course - and the exams will end very soon, but life will go on.
Keep an eye on your mood.
Don't demonize these exams.

Try Brahma Rasayana.

28.03.2018 22:58:44, at

Recommend a sedative. Pharmacies, medicines and vitamins. Medicine and health. +1 It helps me a lot exactly when I need it. Pharmacies, medications and vitamins. Marin, the doctor prescribed me Persen (this was in the first trimester, so that I wouldn’t...

Discussion

Drink Morozov drops at night. You can’t take sedatives while driving, vigilance becomes dull

Yes, like that wand there is and is called tenoten. It can be taken by those who are driving, since it does not cause any drowsiness or other side effects. He helped me a lot at the time. I recommend

Discussion

Glycine was dosed correctly. You can and should drink it in the fall and winter. It is good for brain function and harmless. Do not give anything before the exam. Most often this causes lethargy and drowsiness. It will be even worse.
Go to bed at the right time before the exam. In the morning, have a light breakfast and drink tea with sugar. Glucose is food for the brain. That's why chocolate is recommended for exams. We were always told to scoop up a couple of pieces of refined sugar and eat it right before the exam.
In general, you need to learn and nothing will be scary for those who know. There are still so many exams ahead.... and they are studying just to understand their shortcomings and eliminate them.

I give Afobazol.

Pharmacies, medicines and vitamins. Medicine and health. Section: Pharmacies, medicines and vitamins. What to drink so as not to cry. Girls, my son’s graduation is tomorrow, and I’m very emotional in general and at such moments in particular, I shouldn’t cry...

The question is: is it possible to somehow change the reaction to stress? But this is not the first such situation when severe stress I'm switching off. It’s just that this is a very good example, which clearly shows that even the possibility of losing a child does not allow...

The above drugs are not at all terrible, I have studied the issue extensively - they are quite used in the modern world - they just have a strong side effect, so they are not recommended for the elderly. Painkillers, pain relievers, pain relievers.

A condition characterized by anxiety in the soul worries many people in different periods. A person seems to have everything in order in life, but his soul is restless, he is tormented by strange feelings: a mixture of fear and anxiety. A person who is restless in his soul is often consumed by fear of tomorrow and is disturbed by the premonition of terrible events.

Why is your soul restless?

First, you need to calm down and understand that short-term anxiety for no apparent reason is common to all people. As a rule, a state when the soul is restless, anxiety and fear arises, worries a short period of time. However, for some, anxiety can develop into chronic well-being.

Where does anxiety and fear come from? In order to answer this question, it is necessary to understand what anxiety is and what the reasons for its occurrence are.

Anxiety is a brightly colored negative emotion that represents a systematic premonition of negative events and danger; Unlike fear, anxiety does not have a clear reason; a person has a restless soul.

However, the emergence of anxiety is preceded by certain factors; this emotion does not arise out of nowhere, without reason.

Unrest in the soul, fear and anxiety come from the following circumstances:

• changes in the usual way of life;
• unresolved difficult situation;
• health problems;
• exposure to addictions: alcohol, drugs, gambling addiction.

What does feeling anxious mean?

The feeling of unrest in the soul most often implies obsessive fear and anxiety, when a person seems to be “programmed” expecting that something very bad will happen very soon. A person in such a situation is unable to control and justify his actions, and constantly experiences anxiety for no reason. At the slightest feeling of “danger,” an anxious person has an inadequate reaction to irritating factors.

Anxiety and fear bring with them physical ailments such as: throbbing headache, nausea, indigestion (loss of appetite or overeating). When a person is uneasy in his soul, fear and anxiety appear, it becomes difficult to maintain communication with people, to do anything, to realize his aspirations.

The constant experience of anxiety and fear can turn into a chronic disease, when making an important decision will cause another panic attack. In this case, you need to contact a psychologist. His competence includes making a diagnosis and helping on the path to recovery when the soul is restless and fear and anxiety arise.

A restless state of mind, fear and anxiety do not exist without a reason. As a rule, the consequence of such well-being is hidden deep in the subconscious and escapes attention. You can't let the situation take its course. Exacerbation of uncontrollable anxiety and fear entails disruption of normal activities various organs, insomnia, chronic lack of sleep, neurosis, alcohol and even drug addiction.

Causes of anxiety and fear

Mental illness always have “roots” from which any disease progresses.

Psychotherapy, studying the human condition, will help to find real reasons fear and anxiety, which may include:

1. Well-founded fears, such as anxiety before a significant event (wedding, exams, interview), loss of a loved one, fear of punishment;
2. Unsolved problem. People often put off making decisions unpleasant problems until better times, wanting to postpone the annoying moment. " Better times“Everything doesn’t come, so the person decides to simply “forget” about the question. This helps for a short time, but after some time, incomprehensible alarming impulses begin to come from the subconscious, indicating that something is happening wrong, the soul becomes restless, fear and anxiety appear;
3. Misdeeds from the past. The soul is sometimes restless because of shameful offenses committed even in the distant past. If punishment does not overtake the guilty person, after a while conscience takes its toll and begins to give signals of alarm and fear;
4. Experienced emotional shock. Sometimes, during times of misfortune, people begin to dull their emotions and deny the deplorability of the situation. There is a dissonance between consciousness and the unconscious - a person is convinced that everything is in order, but his internal dulled experiences and emotions indicate the opposite. The soul becomes restless, fear and anxiety appear;
5. Low-intensity conflict. A conflict that begins but never ends often becomes the cause of unstable mental unrest, anxiety and fear. A person will worry about possible unexpected attacks from an opponent, expect danger from everywhere, will be restless in his soul, fear and constant anxiety will appear;
6. Alcohol addiction. As you know, alcohol disrupts the production of happiness hormones - endorphins. A single use of alcohol entails several days of anxiety and fear. When binge drinking, people often fall into depression, from which it is very difficult to get out;
7. Endocrine disorders. Frustration at work endocrine system causes a fan of various emotional outbursts, including fear and anxiety.

Symptoms of the condition

It is usually not difficult to detect signs of anxious behavior, but to understand the situation it is still necessary to voice them:

• depressed mood, restless soul;
• loss of interest in a favorite activity;
• migraine;
• insomnia;
• rapid heartbeat;
• trembling, fear;
• sudden physical activity;
• excessive sweating.

The result of inaction in such a situation is sometimes prolonged depression, deterioration of appearance (bags under the eyes, anorexia, hair loss).

We must not forget that anxiety and fear may be part of a more serious disease, which can only be identified through a full examination in a medical facility.

Feeling how your soul becomes more and more restless day by day, you must immediately begin to take action. It's best to go through first full examination work organisms in order to exclude the possibility of a restless state due to disease. If no abnormalities in health are found, it is worth moving on to looking for the causes of fears that are on a subconscious level.

Help from a psychologist for anxiety

When people are uneasy in their souls, they turn to a psychologist (not to be confused with a psychiatrist). A psychologist is not a doctor; he does not write prescriptions or make diagnoses. Field of activity professional psychologists– stressful situations, constant fears, panic attacks, anxiety, communication problems. A specialist is able to provide not only verbal support, but also real help.

A specialist will help identify those thoughts that automatically fly through a person’s brain that cause such a feeling as “restless in the soul.” This provides a person with the opportunity to look at the problem that has been tormenting him all the time from a different angle, analyze its meaning, and change his opinion about it. This procedure will relieve anxiety and fear.

At the first psychotherapy session, the psychological diagnostics. As a result, it should be: the true causes of anxiety and fear are found and a plan for treating the disorder is drawn up. During the treatment process, the specialist uses not only verbal methods of persuasion, but also pre-designed exercises. After completing the exercises, a person should acquire new, more adequate reactions to various kinds of stimuli.

To get rid of anxiety and fear, it is enough to make 6-20 visits to a psychologist. The number of required sessions is selected based on the stage of psychological disorder, individual characteristics person.

Pay attention! It has been proven that the first signs of improvement appear after 2-3 sessions.

Drug treatment

Antidepressants, tranquilizers and antipsychotics can eliminate the symptoms, but not the cause of a restless state of mind. The drugs relieve all symptoms of anxiety and fear and restore normal sleep patterns. However, these drugs are not as harmless as they seem: they are persistently addictive, entail many unpleasant side effects, and weight gain.

Efficiency of use of funds traditional medicine will also not be able to eliminate the true motives of hidden fears and anxiety. Folk remedies are not as effective as the above-mentioned medications, but they are safer in terms of harmful consequences and relieve an uneasy state of mind.

Important! Before using any medications, you should consult a specialist.

Normalization of lifestyle

Psychological problems are directly related to the work of our body, all its systems as a whole. If any system fails, this fact is reflected in our mental state.

For successful recovery from mental disorder You need to follow a few simple rules:

1. Get enough sleep. It's no secret that healthy sleep for a person it is 8 hours a day. During sleep, a person rests both mentally and physically. Problems, fear and anxiety that tormented you during the day can be unexpectedly resolved in a dream - a rested brain provides answers to questions that hovered during the day. A person’s mood directly depends on sleep, his appearance, health, tone;
2. Eat right. Vitamin deficiency, that is, insufficient consumption of seasonal vitamins, negatively affects health, both physical and psychological. For problems associated with anxiety in the soul, special attention you should pay attention to products that promote the production of the hormone serotonin;
3. Be physically active. Regularly performing simple physical exercise will improve the metabolic process in the body, which is closely related to the mental component of human health;
4. Breathe fresh air, commit hiking at least for an hour a day;
5. Limit or completely avoid the use of alcoholic beverages, cigarettes and other substances that cause unhealthy mental activity. As mentioned earlier, the substances they contain have a depressing effect on the psyche, causing anxiety and fear.

The following tips will help you find peace in your soul and relieve fear and anxiety:

1. Treat other people with love and care. Try to displace accumulated fears, bitterness and resentment from your heart. Notice the positive qualities in people and treat them kindly. When you are able to establish relationships with people, unjustified fears of ridicule, envy, disrespect will disappear from your consciousness, the restless state of mind will pass;
2. Treat problems not as overwhelming difficulties, but as an opportunity to once again prove yourself on the positive side;
3. Don’t hold a grudge against people, be able to forgive the mistakes they have made. Peace of mind can be achieved by forgiving not only the people around you, but also yourself - you don’t need to reproach yourself for years for mistakes you’ve made or a missed opportunity.
4. You can read a prayer when your soul is uneasy, turn to God;
5. Enjoy small pleasant things. Little things you notice can keep your spirits up and state of mind at the proper level, forget about anxiety and fear;
6. Set goals using the phrase “I want” rather than “I have to”. Debt always causes unpleasant associations, since it is obligatory. “I want” is a goal, as a result of which you can achieve the desired reward.

Anxiety is one of the individual psychological characteristics of a person, manifested by a person’s increased tendency to worry, worry, and fear, which often does not have sufficient grounds. This state can also be characterized as an experience of discomfort, a premonition of some kind of threat. Anxiety disorder is usually classified as neurotic disorders, that is, to psychogenically caused pathological conditions, characterized by a varied clinical picture and the absence of personality disorders.

Anxiety can occur in people of any age, including young children, however, according to statistics, most often young women aged twenty to thirty suffer from anxiety disorder. And although from time to time, in certain situations, everyone can experience anxiety, we will talk about an anxiety disorder when this feeling becomes too strong and uncontrollable, which deprives a person of the ability to lead a normal life and engage in usual activities.

There are a number of disorders that include anxiety as symptoms. This is phobic, post-traumatic stress or panic disorder. Normal anxiety is usually referred to as generalized anxiety disorder. Excessively acute feelings of anxiety cause a person to worry almost constantly, as well as experience various psychological and physical symptoms.

Reasons for development

The exact reasons contributing to the development increased anxiety unknown to science. In some people, a state of anxiety appears for no apparent reason, in others it becomes a consequence of experienced psychological trauma. It is believed that a genetic factor may also play a role here. Thus, in the presence of certain genes in the brain, a certain chemical imbalance occurs, which causes a state of mental tension and anxiety.

If we take into account psychological theory about the causes of anxiety disorder, then feelings of anxiety, as well as phobias, may initially arise as a conditioned reflex reaction to any irritating stimuli. Subsequently, a similar reaction begins to occur in the absence of such a stimulus. Biological theory suggests that anxiety is a consequence of certain biological abnormalities, for example, when elevated level production of neurotransmitters - conductors of nerve impulses in the brain.

Increased anxiety can also be a consequence of insufficient physical activity and poor nutrition. It is known that to maintain physical and mental health it is necessary correct mode, vitamins and microelements, as well as regular physical activity. Their absence negatively affects the entire human body and can cause anxiety disorders.

For some people, anxiety may be associated with a new, unfamiliar environment that seems dangerous, their own life experiences in which unpleasant events and psychological trauma took place, as well as character traits.

In addition, a mental state such as anxiety can accompany many somatic diseases. First of all, this includes any endocrine disorders, including hormonal imbalance in women during menopause. A sudden feeling of anxiety is sometimes a warning sign of a heart attack and may also indicate a drop in blood sugar levels. Mental illness is also very often accompanied by anxiety. In particular, anxiety is one of the symptoms of schizophrenia, various neuroses, alcoholism, etc.

Species

Among the existing types of anxiety disorder, the most common are medical practice adaptive and generalized anxiety disorder occurs. In the first case, a person experiences uncontrollable anxiety in combination with other negative emotions when adapting to any stressful situation. In generalized anxiety disorder, the feeling of anxiety persists permanently and can be directed to a variety of objects.

There are several types of anxiety, the most studied and most common of them are:

For some people, anxiety is a character trait when a state of mental tension is always present, regardless of specific circumstances. In other cases, anxiety becomes a kind of means of avoiding conflict situations. At the same time, emotional stress gradually accumulates and can lead to the emergence of phobias.

For other people, anxiety becomes the other side of control. As a rule, a state of anxiety is typical for people who strive for perfection, have increased emotional excitability, intolerance to mistakes, and worry about their own health.

In addition to the various types of anxiety, we can distinguish its main forms: open and closed. A person experiences open anxiety consciously, and this state can be acute and unregulated or compensated and controlled. Anxiety that is conscious and significant for a specific individual is called “instilled” or “cultivated.” In this case, anxiety acts as a kind of regulator of human activity.

Hidden anxiety disorder is much less common than open anxiety disorder. This kind of anxiety is varying degrees unconscious and can manifest itself in a person’s behavior, excessive external calm, etc. In psychology, this state is sometimes called “inadequate calm.”

Clinical picture

Anxiety, like any other mental state, can be expressed at various levels of human organization. So, at the physiological level, anxiety can cause the following symptoms:

At the emotional-cognitive level, anxiety manifests itself in constant mental tension, feelings of helplessness and insecurity, fear and anxiety, decreased concentration, irritability and intolerance, inability to concentrate on specific task. These manifestations often cause people to avoid social interactions, look for reasons not to attend school or work, etc. As a result, the state of anxiety only intensifies, and the patient’s self-esteem also suffers. By concentrating too much on one's own shortcomings, a person may begin to feel self-loathing and avoid any interpersonal relationships and physical contacts. Loneliness and a feeling of “second-classness” inevitably lead to problems in professional activity.

If we consider the manifestations of anxiety at the behavioral level, they may consist of nervous, mindless walking around the room, rocking in a chair, banging with fingers on the table, fiddling with one’s own lock of hair or foreign objects. The habit of biting your nails can also be a sign of increased anxiety.

With anxiety adjustment disorder, a person may experience symptoms panic disorder: sudden attacks of fear with the manifestation of somatic symptoms (shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, etc.). With obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessive anxious thoughts and ideas come to the fore in the clinical picture, forcing a person to constantly repeat the same actions.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of anxiety should be made by a qualified psychiatrist based on the patient's symptoms, which should be observed over several weeks. As a rule, it is not difficult to identify an anxiety disorder, but difficulties may arise when determining its specific type, since many forms have the same clinical signs, but differ in time and place of occurrence.

First of all, suspecting an anxiety disorder, the specialist pays attention to several important aspects. Firstly, the presence of signs of increased anxiety, which may include sleep disturbances, anxiety, phobias, etc. Secondly, the duration of the current clinical picture is taken into account. Thirdly, it is necessary to make sure that all existing symptoms do not represent a reaction to stress, and are also not associated with pathological conditions and damage to internal organs and body systems.

Self diagnostic examination takes place in several stages and, in addition to a detailed interview with the patient, includes an assessment of his mental state, as well as a somatic examination. Anxiety disorder must be distinguished from anxiety, which often accompanies alcohol addiction, since in this case something completely different is required medical intervention. Based on the results of the somatic examination, diseases of a somatic nature are also excluded.

As a rule, anxiety is a condition that can be corrected. The treatment method is selected by the doctor depending on the prevailing clinical picture and the suspected cause of the disorder. Today, the most commonly used drug therapy is using drugs that affect biological reasons anxiety and regulating the production of neurotransmitters in the brain, as well as psychotherapy aimed at the behavioral mechanisms of anxiety.

In the modern world, it is rare to meet a person who has never had a feeling of fear and anxiety, but not everyone knows how to cope with such a condition. Constant stress, anxiety, tension associated with work or personal life do not allow you to relax for a minute. What’s worse is that patients with this pathology experience unpleasant physiological symptoms, including headaches, pressing sensations in the heart or temples, which may indicate serious illness. The question of how to get rid of anxiety interests everyone, so it is worth considering in more detail.

Panic attacks

Conditions caused by excitability nervous system and accompanied by characteristic symptoms are classified as anxiety disorders. They are typically characterized by a constant feeling of anxiety and fear, excitement, fussiness and a number of other symptoms. Such sensations occur against the background of disorders of the central nervous system or are a sign of certain diseases. A neurologist can determine the exact cause after a detailed examination of the patient and a series of diagnostic studies. In most cases, dealing with panic attacks on your own is difficult.

Important! Problems arise due to a dysfunctional atmosphere in the family, prolonged depression, a predisposition to anxiety due to character, due to mental disorders and other reasons.

The reason for anxiety can be justified, for example, a person is worried before an important event or has recently suffered serious stress, or it can be far-fetched, when there are no visible reasons for concern. In both the first and second cases, treatment is required, the type of which is determined by the doctor. When it comes to how to cope with feelings of anxiety, first of all you need to determine whether such a condition is really a pathology, or we're talking about about temporary difficulties. The reasons can be mental or physiological, the list of common ones includes:

• psychological predisposition;
• family problems;
• problems coming from childhood;
• emotional stress;
• problems with the endocrine system;
• severe illness;
• excessive physical activity.

Symptoms of anxiety

Manifestations and signs

Symptoms of anxiety and restlessness are divided into two categories: mental and autonomic. First of all, it is worth noting the constant feeling of anxiety, which can be temporary or permanent, increases the pulse rate. At such moments a person gets worried, he experiences a number of characteristic states, For example severe weakness, trembling limbs or increased sweating. The duration of a standard attack does not exceed 20 minutes, after which it goes away on its own, its severity depends on the severity of the pathology.

Constant feeling anxiety can develop due to autonomic disorders, the causes of which are problems with hormones or vegetative-vascular dystonia. Patients have hypochondria, obsessive states, constant mood swings, insomnia, tearfulness or aggressive behavior for no reason.

Signs of a panic attack are also somatic disorders, in which dizziness, pain in the head and heart, nausea or diarrhea, shortness of breath and a feeling of lack of air are observed. The list of signs is extensive and includes:

• fear of various situations;
• fussiness, sudden reaction to sounds or situations;
• sweaty palms, fever, rapid pulse;
• fatigue, fatigue;
• problems with memory and concentration;
• sensation of a “lump” inside the throat;
• sleep problems, nightmares;
• feeling of suffocation and other symptoms.

Diagnostic features

A person suffering from excessive anxiety often wants to know how to overcome and remove unpleasant symptoms that can greatly complicate life. A qualified specialist can make an accurate diagnosis after a detailed conversation with the patient and thorough examination. First, you should visit a therapist, who needs to explain the symptoms and talk about the possible causes of the condition. Then the doctor will issue a referral to a specialist: a psychologist or neurologist, and if there are specific diseases, to another doctor.

Important! To overcome feelings of anxiety, you should be more careful when choosing a doctor and not turn to psychotherapists with dubious qualifications. Only a specialist with sufficient experience can help get rid of the problem.

When a person has a feeling of acute anxiety and fear for no apparent reason, he simply does not know what to do, how to cope with his condition and behave in specific situation. Usually, the doctor can determine the severity of the pathology during the first conversation with the patient. At the diagnostic stage, it is important to understand the cause of the problem, determine the type and find out whether the patient has any disorders mental nature. In neurotic conditions, patients cannot correlate their problems with the real condition; in the presence of psychosis, they do not realize the fact of the disease.

Patients with heart pathology may experience rapid heartbeat, a feeling of shortness of breath and other conditions that are a consequence of certain diseases. In this case, diagnosis and treatment are aimed at eliminating the underlying disease, which makes it possible to get rid of unpleasant signs anxiety and fear. Diagnosis in children and adults is almost the same and consists of full complex procedures, following which doctors are able to determine the cause of the condition and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Anxiety states

Principles of treatment

The essence of successful recovery is completeness. therapeutic measures, which consist of psychological assistance, changing habits and lifestyle, taking special sedatives and other medications, and a number of other important procedures. For serious pathologies, doctors prescribe antidepressants and tranquilizers, but it is worth considering that such drugs provide temporary relief and do not eliminate the cause of the problem; they have serious side effects and contraindications. Therefore, they are not prescribed for mild pathology.

Cognitive behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques and much more give good results. Often, specialists prescribe ongoing conversations for the patient with a psychologist, who teaches special techniques to help cope with stress and eliminate unpleasant symptoms in moments of anxiety. Such measures relieve stress and help get rid of panic attacks, which is noted by many people who have suffered from anxiety disorders. When it comes to how to cope with anxiety and what treatment to choose, it is better not to self-medicate.

Additional measures

Most signs of anxiety can be relieved by early stages to prevent the condition from getting worse. The main guarantee of good health is traditionally healthy image life, which involves following the rules of healthy eating, good sleep, giving up negative habits, including smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages. Having a favorite hobby helps you to abstract yourself from negative situations and switch to something you enjoy. But not everyone knows how to relax correctly and relieves stress in the wrong ways.

Unpleasant symptoms

Due to frequent stress, a person may have heart pain and other negative symptoms, the correction of which requires special treatment. Special relaxation methods help prevent many serious diseases, so people prone to stress should learn the basics of meditation, breathing exercises and other techniques.

Anxiety can always be prevented if you do not react to external stimuli and try to remain calm even in the most stressful situations, and know how to cope with stress.

You can learn how to get rid of anxiety from the video below:

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