How anxiety affects your life
When we overly concerned about a situation or a problem a sense of uneasiness happens which drive the body to causes unwanted physiological effects. How anxiety affects your life depends on how well you are able to modify or reduces level of stressful thoughts. Normally a thought of what might happen will induce even a panic attack in the person which you may need to take a medicine or consult with a psychiatrist. Excessive worries interfere with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep and even the performance in job.
Introduction and Symptoms
This is a form of anxiety that tends to induce an extremely high degree of worry in its victims about normal day-to-day situations that normally shouldn’t be causes for worry. People with Generalized Anxiety Disorder are continually troubled about their health, their jobs, family members, money, and so on. Nervousness, pessimism, and sleeplessness are additional symptoms.
Risk factors or causes
Though the blatant, exact causes of GAD are not fully clear, researchers have found a few reoccurring traits in patients which could be summarized as risk factors. Genetics is the first, as research has shown that GAD can be passed down from generation to generation. Personality and environmental upbringing is another factor. Finally, GAD is diagnosed more frequently in females than in men.
Treatments
There are two major forms of treatment for GAD that have both proved to be highly effective.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
This is probably the most accepted psychological treatment for GAD. The patient meets with a certified therapist each week for months in a row to discuss issues such as environmental upbringing, the individual’s personality, likes and dislikes, fears, etc. There is also a treatment manual that specifies the procedures and process for conducting this kind of therapy. The therapist must follow the guidelines to produce the best results.
Mindfulness and Applied Relaxation.
Mindfulness is the deliberate focus of your attention in a particular direction to gain control of the situation. The things that cause negative emotions like worry and fear can be brought under subjection by intentional mindfulness. You must make up your mind to not succumb to negative emotions, but rather see them as a weaker enemy that can be controlled and defeated.
Applied Relaxation generally is a process where you learn how to relax the muscles when they become tense under pressure. You will need a specialist to teach you how to employ these techniques when faced with situations that trigger anxiety.
Self care
There are a number of things you can do on a daily basis to manage Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Proper diet: what you eat can affect your state of mind. A healthy diet includes lots of fruits and vegetables. You should also strive for a balanced diet in every meal when possible, which includes proteins, carbs, and fibers.
Exercise: simple exercises like jogging, swimming, and dancing will go a long way in making you feel better and controlling GAD.
Sleep: the right amount of sleep at the right time will reduce stress and worry, and thereby reduce anxiety.
Sobriety: abstinence from illicit drugs and alcohol helps promote independence and self-control. Remaining sober will promote your chances of bringing GAD under control continually.
Communication: hold positive, meaningful conversations with friends, family members, co-workers, etc. Feel free to express your concerns with people you can trust and confide in.
Outdoors: even minor outdoor activities like going shopping and gardening reduce GAD significantly.
Drugs used in treating
There are four major categories of drugs used in treating GAD.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor(SSRI): these include fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, paroxetine, and escitalopram.
Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor(SNRI): these include duloxetine and venlafaxine.
Benzodiazepine: including diazepam, alprazolam, lorazepam, and clonazepam.
Tricyclic antidepressants: including imipramine, amitriptyline, and nortriptyline.