ANXIETY

"BAD WITH THEIR NERVES" "A WORRIER" "STRESSED OUT" "UNABLE TO RELAX" "TENSE AND NERVOUS"

Are all phrases used to describe someone who has a problem with anxiety. If someone has too much stress for too long anxiety is very often the result. This part of Locked In Fear is about anxiety, and aims to help you to:

• Understand what anxiety is, what can cause it, and what can keep it going.
• Recognise whether or not you may be suffering from symptoms of anxiety.
• Overcome your anxiety by learning better ways of coping with it.

Isn't It Normal To Feel Anxious?

Anxiety is something we all experience from time to time. It is a normal response to situations that we see as threatening to us. For example, if we had to go into hospital for an operation, or had to sit a driving test, of take an exam, it would be natural to feel anxious. Anxiety at certain levels can even be helpful in some situations like when we need to perform well, or cope with an emergency. But some anxiety is not at all helpful because:

• Symptoms of anxiety, whilst not dangerous, can be uncomfortable.
• Symptoms can also be frightening particularly if someone does not know that these symptoms are just signs of anxiety.
• Sometimes people with anxiety symptoms worry that they may have something seriously wrong with them. This worry can then produce more anxiety symptoms which of course increases the worry!

When anxiety is severe and goes on for a long time it can stop people doing what they want to do.

Am I Suffering From Anxiety?

"I worry about everything; I get tense and wound up, and end up snapping at the children".

"Even before I get there I start to worry about all the things that might go wrong. When I arrive my heart starts to pound, my legs turn to jelly and I just know I'm going to make a fool of myself. I have to get out".

"It feels as though there is something in my throat. My mouth is dry and I can't swallow properly and then I begin to get panicky. I think I'm going to stop breathing.

"My mind starts to race, I feel like I'm going to lose control and go mad or something".

These are some typical experiences of people who suffer from anxiety. If you are suffering from anxiety you may have thoughts like these yourself. Sometimes it is possible to be suffering from anxiety and not even know it, particularly if you don't think of yourself as an anxious person.

People often mistake symptoms of anxiety for a physical illness. Therefore, the first step in learning to deal with anxiety is recognising whether anxiety is a problem for you.

Anxiety can affect us in at least four different ways. It affects:

• The way we feel.
• The way we think.
• The way our body works.
• The way we behave.

Symptoms Of Anxiety Feelings

• Anxious, nervous, worried, frightened
• Feeling, something dreadful is going to happen
• Tense, stressed, uptight, on edge, unsettled
• Unreal, strange, woozy, detached
• Panicky

Thinking & Thoughts

• Constant worrying
• Can't concentrate
• Thoughts racing
• Mind jumping from one thing to another
• Imagining the worst and deliberating on it
• I'm losing control
• I'm cracking up
• I'm going to faint
• My legs are going to collapse
• I'm going to have a heart attack
• I've got to get out
• I can't cope

Body And Reactions

• Heart pounds, races, skips a beat
• Chest feels tight or painful
• Tingling or numbness in toes or fingers
• Stomach churning or "butterflies
• Having to go to the toilet
• Feeling jumpy or restless
• Tense muscles
• Body aching
• Sweating
• Breathing changes
• Dizzy, light headed
• Pace up and down
• Start jobs and not finish them
• Can't sit and relax
• On the go all of the time
• Talk quickly or more than usual
• Snappy and irritable behaviour
• Drinking more
• Smoke more
• Eat more (or less)
• Avoid feared situations

If you are regularly experiencing some or all of these symptoms, then it is a possibility that you are suffering from anxiety.