The Enemy Of Our Imagination

People who experience panic attacks will often say that they feel out of control as soon as the panic is in full swing. Christian Nevell Bovee once wrote: “Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination.” Doesn’t that sum it up well? A confident self assured person can suddenly feel powerless and vulnerable as soon as the panic manifests. As the bodily sensations race, the mind jumps from logic and reason to wild fears fueled by the imagination. The hardest part for most people to get their heads around is why they feel so suddenly powerless during a panic attack? The automatic reaction for most to the sensations of a panic attack are to fight against it. To shut it down and end it as soon as possible. Coping techniques like deep breathing and distraction are mildly effective at best. When these techniques fail to get results, that is when the person really leaps over to ‘the enemy of their imagination’. It goes something like this: “I used all my coping techniques but I still feel very anxious, in fact it may be getting worse! “What if this keeps getting worse and no help can get to me here?” Where people run with this type of thinking their imagination will continue to escalate the fear, leaving them feeling more and more vulnerable and out of control. The secret to regain control and come back to yourself, is to learn how to respond to the panic in an appropriate manner. The solution is to work with the bodily sensations rather than against them. Let me give you a small example. If you were sitting on a train and started to feel sensations that indicated the beginning of a panic attack, instead of trying to stop the experience do the opposite. Acknowledge that you are safe, label the sensations and then tell the sensations that scare you, to get worse. If you are sweating tell your body to sweat more, if your heart is racing, tell it to race faster. Move into the experience rather than against it. The real panic only begins as soon as you hand over reason and control to your imagination. By moving into the experience voluntarily, you become the decision maker and therefore retain control. If you’re going to have a panic attack it is going to happen on your terms. You empower yourself because you are directing the whole experience not handing “over to the enemy of our imagination.” Learn more about this approach and how to apply it to various manifestations of panic and general anxiety. Click Here

Words of Inspiration Today To Help On Your Journey

Believe that problems do have answers.
Believe that they can be overcome.
Believe that they can be handled.
And finally, believe that you can solve them.”
~ Norman Vincent Peale ~

Our greatest personal growth comes from shining light on our unconscious shadows.
Unconscious blocks (repressed emotions, inner wounds, limiting beliefs, unexpressed grief, etc.) are unseen but they seriously interfere with our satisfaction with life.

If we want to be happier and more confident, we need to reveal the unconscious shadows that are holding us back. It is only when we are conscious of our subconscious programs that we hold the power to release them.

How do we become conscious of what is now unconscious? We can use questions to unlock subconscious secrets.

Ask yourself the Smart Questions below. For each of your answers, dig deeper to uncover any limiting beliefs that keep you from growing and enjoying your life.

When I am stuck in a situation, what excuses do I make to defend myself?
What are my pet peeves, dislikes and hates? What situations evoke strong emotional reactions in me?
What stresses me?
What drains my energy?
What challenges me in life right now?
What desired results are not showing up in my life? Where are my efforts not paying off?
How do I sabotage myself?
Who and what do I blame for my problems, e.g., family members, boss or co-workers, economy, government, nature, life, God ...?
What am I afraid of?
What limits me from experiencing freedom and fulfillment in my life?
Review your answers and your insights into the limiting beliefs that are holding you back. Pick one of the most problematic beliefs and set an intention to become aware whenever it shows up. Plan and implement strategies that will support you in releasing it.

This is just one of 12 new sets of questions added to the Smart Questions resources on the Higher Awareness website. Check out our Smart Questions on Best Questions to Ask Yourself, Healing, Stress Reduction, Empowerment, Life Purpose, Higher Level Thinking, Creativity, Conversation Starters and Good Interview Questions. Watch for even more resources coming soon.

Discover the power of our Smart Question series. Receiving a question, tip and quote daily creates a continuity of intention so you can experience more peace of mind and happiness.



�You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind.”
~ Darwin P. Kingsley ~



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Do You Block Out Signs of Stress?

No one likes to admit they’re on the verge of losing it. We let the daily stress in our lives build and build until we’re fuming inside. Sometimes that anger and hostility works it way out, but for many, it remains hidden away inside, damaging your psyche and your physical health. For many, it can cause or worsen anxiety while driving.

If you’re one of the ones who bottle up your stress, it’s important that you know how it’s really affecting you when you drive. You’re not doing yourself any favors tucking it neatly away to be dealt with at a more convenient time.

Men and women with this type of problem handling stress ignore the signs of what stress is doing to them. They pretend like everything’s okay and don’t connect the fact that their backache, headaches, and driving phobia are a result of putting their stress issues on the backburner.

Women usually do this more than men. In a society where women provide most of the nurturing to the family, they’re busy meeting everyone else’s needs and don’t have time (or energy) to focus on their own personal situation.

In fact, you may not even know that you’re stressed at all – you simply assume this is how life is supposed to be and you accept it as a fact. You can’t and don’t relax because you don’t even know that another state of mind exists.

The problem arises when that stress gets to a point where the person can’t handle it anymore. Suddenly, they’re burned out – suffering anxiety in the car and succumbing to depression without realizing why it’s all unfolding that way.

When the symptoms begin appearing, it means you’re bordering on more severe problems, like high blood pressure and possibly even a heart attack if you don’t address the stress in your life and find ways to alleviate it.

Unfortunately, for someone who doesn’t know that stress is the root of their problems with driving, it’s more difficult for them to know how to tame the stress in their lives. They first have to get back in touch with their emotions.

Instead of getting mad but keeping it to yourself, you need to release it in small amounts so that you don’t allow the damage of stress to infiltrate your body and mind. If you feel overwhelmed, shed some tears.

It’s okay to cry and get angry or express your anxiety to someone you love. You’re not a robot – you’re a human who needs an outlet for your stress. If you have no one to turn to, turn to yourself! Journal your emotions at the end of each day and leave your stress in the pages of your diary so it doesn’t come back to haunt you with your health or on the road.

Click Here If Interested In This program

The New Remedy For Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Subliminal MP3s - The New Remedy For Panic Attacks and Anxiety

Imagine a situation which is a common trigger to your panic attacks - maybe this is the thought of being in a very busy and lively social enviroment full of people you don't know. You will have worry and anxiety attached to just the thought of being in this situation, you'll envision yourself panicing, you will be able to visualize yourself within this situation you may even feel just a little of the worry you would feel in the real situation...

However if you're able to imagine someone who doesn't have problems with anxiety attacks and in-fact loves these exact same types of situations. Maybe these people really like socialising, they enjoy meeting new people, they see the challenge whenever under stress, and they enjoy being the centre of attention.

It is pretty easy to see that this difference in mind-set toward the same sort of situations will have a very different end result regarding your reaction and if you will experience anxiety or have a panic attack or enjoy the situation.

The Power Of Subliminal Audio

This is when subliminal audio can be useful. They aim to sculpt your mind to work in the same way as these kinds of people who don't have any such panic problems. Once you are able to think positively, and share exactly the same optimistic thought patterns as them then you too are going to be cured of your anxiety and panic attacks.

Subliminal audio is rising in reputation merely because of it's capability to effortlessly get into your mind. Hypnosis used to be one technique of choice for panic victims, however now more and more individuals are turning to subliminal messaging. This is for a couple of principal reasons:

• You don't have to go into a hypnotic trance. You simply listen to the cd while you go about your regular day and steadily the subliminals will grow inside your subconscious mind to change your feelings and patterns of thinking.
• You can use the album as and when you need to for example when you feel the initial signs of panic and anxiety you can play the download and use it to calm yourself down straight away.

Over time, after using thealbum for a number of weeks or so you ought to observe an actual change in your levels of anxiety and instances of panic attacks and feel much more self-assured, eventually even treating your anxiety attacks completely - all naturally, from within.

Start today with subliminal audio with the anxiety disorder treatment album or their highly rated panic attacks album made by the leaders in subliminal messaging.

Different Types of Anxiety Disorders

By:
Author: fixstresscro

Anxiety are generally defined as emotions which are typically negative in nature. It'll typically consist of fear and worry, and some organisms may even experience physical signs such as nausea or chest pains. Anxiety is often a complicated emotion, and is composed of numerous numerous elments. Some of these elements are somatic or cognitive, and also the body will prepare itself to deal with an external threat. The heart rate speeds up, as well as the blood pressure is increased. The various muscles while in the system will also receive elevated levels of blood. At the same time, the functions of the digestive system will slow down.

People who have anxiety will commonly have a sense of dread. Several voluntary and involuntary processes will take place in the physique, plus the objective of these processes is to get the organism away from the source that may be causing it to possess anxiety. Anxiety is an very important emotion, and is designed to increase the survival rate of organisms. In humans it appears that anxiety comes from the hippocampus and amygdala, two regions from the brain. When an individual senses bad odors or tastes, there will be a large amount of blood flow which will probably be present inside the amygdala. The evidence also shows that medium levels of anxiety might be present in this situation as well.

Based on these studies, it appears that anxiety is designed to hold humans and other organisms from eating food or objects that may be harmful to their well being. Although anxiety is normal, somebody that has excessive amounts of it may have what is called an anxiety disorder. In extreme cases, people with anxiety disorders may have strong circumstances when these are terrorized. Anxiety disorders are broken down into phobias, panic disorders, generalized anxiety disorders, and obsessive compulsive disorders. A person who is suffering from a phobia will have an abnormal amount of fear of a precise object or situation. People who have phobias usually have extensive imaginations, and realize that their fear is often irrational.

When a person suffers from a panic disorder, they'll have extreme panic attacks, and may have dizziness or breathing problems. These attacks will typically accomplish their height in about 10 minutes. Generalized anxiety disorders are frequent, and effect a very much larger portion with the population. Its prevalent in both men and woman, and is characterized by long periods of anxiety that are not related to any precise object or situation. Using the obsessive compulsive disorder, the individual with have an obsession or compulsion when it comes to certain forms of behavior. People who suffer from this disorder will see the need to do anything obsessively in order to lessen their anxiety.

Lots of people who have this disorder have to be very clean, and are afraid of germs. To lessen their anxiety, they'll wash their hands numerous periods in the single evening. There are two key methods which have been used to help those that are suffering from anxiety, and this is either therapy or prescription medicaitons.

Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_1382094_17.html


To Get Help With Your Anxiety Please visit This site

How To Crush Fear Forever

How to Crush Fear Forever

Author: Brian Carson

It happens all too many times doesn't it? You set a goal, a target you wish to reach. In order to hit this target, you have to step outside your comfort zone and do something that you've never done. What happens when you go to make the attempt?

Well, nine times out of ten it never gets done. As soon as you convince yourself to try, resistance shows up in the form of fear, which leads to doubt and in turn leads to giving up or never attempting to reach your goal.

If that's your story, don't be upset. The statistics are true. Only 10 percent of the population keeps on keeping on. Only 10 percent fight the fear and reach their destination. The good news is if you're not in the 10-percent club, you can get there. You can crush fear, resistance and march on to a successful life.

How? By realizing once and for all that fear is learned. It's a product of the mind and whatever is held in mind can be reprogrammed and changed. We are born with only one fear at child birth - loud noises. Any other fears we've picked up have been developed by a lack of understanding, our self-talk and what others have said to us that we've incorporated into our minds as truth.

FEAR is an acronym for 'False Evidence Appearing Real.' It doesn't exist accept in our own minds. And since we have control of only one thing in life - our thoughts. Fear can be wiped out by changing our thoughts.

The most successful people, no matter what their calling, had fears to overcome. All of us have fears and doubts. But it doesn't have to be that way. Human beings are giants who choose to live like amoebas. The successful, influential and history-making individuals are the ones who crushed their fears and jumped out on the path to attainment.

How to Crush Fear

Success leaves clues. And the way to banish fear is the way all achievers have done. By facing the fear and moving forward anyway. Emerson once said, "do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain." Truer words were never spoken.

Do the thing you fear and the death of fear is certain. Face it, stare it down and it will shrink like a coward. Truthfully speaking, fears may never leave us but we can overcome them and in doing that - we diminish their hold and power over us.

Two keys to help in this battle are visualization and affirmation. Both principles are very effective in fighting fear and his twin brother, doubt.

If there is a goal you want to reach or a phobia (fear of snakes, heights, etc.) that needs to be banished - visualize the end result. See yourself overcoming the fear (phobia) and reaching the goal. If you do this enough and on a regular basis - results will show up in your life.

My personal favorite is affirmation. And the best is a simple three-word phrase that I've used every time I suffer fear and doubt going after my goals. That simple phrase is: Do It Now!

Trust me on this. I read 'Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude,' by W. Clement Stone and Napoleon Hill many, many years ago and that's where I learned the do it now technique. It works 100 percent of the time - if you try it.

Write the words in big block letters on an index card and keep them with you always. When you're going for your goals and fear and doubt show up, say over and over and over: Do it Now! Do It Now! You'll be amazed at how much you can accomplish. I guarantee it.

Fear is a learned response. Don't let it keep you from achieving your dreams. Use visualization and affirmations to change your belief system and crush fear forever. Demand the impossible, dream your destiny and go after your goals with a fearless heart.

DO IT NOW!


Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_58393_24.html

About the Author: Brian Carson is a writer, Internet marketer and a success and self-improvement coach. He has created a new website that gives advice on success philosophy, resume creation and cover letter tips for job seekers/career changers. Visit his site at: http://www.writepowerfulresumes.com/center/index.html or to read more great articles go to http://fourpillarsofsuccess.blogspot.com/

Anxiety Attacks - Are You Suffering?

Anxiety Attacks - Are You Suffering From Cumulative Stress?
by: Bertil Hjert

Stress can be a major contributor to an anxiety or panic condition or the trigger that will start anxiety disorders. For many people who have personalities that are predisposed to anxiety, stressful events or the accumulation of stressful events over a relatively short period of time can lead to anxiety symptoms.

As our economy becomes increasingly perilous, more and more people are struggling with anxiety. You are not alone! Millions of Americans are grappling with panic attacks, extreme anxiety and the negative effects of these conditions. The symptoms can be frightening and contribute to depression and more trouble with your job or family.

To determine whether your stress load has become too much, think back over the past year or two of your life. Think about the events or changes in your life that may have contributed to your stress level. Individual events or changes may not have been overwhelming by themselves but when they are coupled with other events, the cumulative effect may be major.

Here are some events that are high stress, medium stress and low stress:

HIGH STRESS EVENTS

• Death of spouse or child
• Divorce
• Marital / child separation
• Jail
• Victim of a violent attack or sexual assault
• Death in the family
• Major medical problems
• Marriage (a happy event but also one that brings about a lot of changes and stress)
• Losing a job

MEDIUM LEVEL STRESS EVENTS

• Problems in Your Marriage
• Retirement
• Family members or close friends with health problems
• Pregnancy
• Sexual dysfunction
• New addition to the family (baby, adoption etc.)
• Death of a friend
• Financial difficulties
• Changing jobs
• Foreclosure or acquiring new debt such as a mortgage
• Child going to college
• Problems with family members or in-laws
• A change in living situation (location, type of residence etc.)

LOW STRESS EVENTS

• Problems with boss
• Change in working hours or job responsibilities
• Changing schools
• Changing social activities or friends
• Starting or finishing school
• Trouble sleeping
• Gaining weight
• Vacations and Holidays
• Minor legal problems such as misdemeanors, speeding tickets etc.

If you have experienced 2 or 3 high stress events over the past couple of years you are probably dealing with an anxiety problem.

Most people will have problems coping with that many negative events and will likely see their stress manifested in an anxiety condition. If you have experienced one high stress event and multiple medium or low stress events you may also have a significant and detrimental problem with anxiety. You could also be struggling if you experienced a high number of medium or low stress events in succession.

When you experience these problems back to back, your mind and body don´t have a chance to recover before they have to go into overdrive to deal with the next problem. Recovering from the loss of a spouse, child or loved one can be a long process and any added or additional problems may simply be too overwhelming and trigger panic attacks even in people who never previously struggled with anxiety.

If you take a moment to consider, it is easy to see why anxiety problems and panic attacks are such an increasing problem in today´s world. The level of stress that must be managed on a daily basis seems to grow with each passing day. It´s important to consider what you have been through over the past couple of years and whether that is contributing to your current unrest.

For many people, finding an outlet where you are free from worry is a great way to find some respite from the stress. Find time in your day to do something you enjoy. Do you have a hobby you enjoy or an interest you would like to pursue but you haven´t devoted sufficient time to it?

Stop waiting and start finding the time to enjoy your garden, a game of softball with friends, your bowling league or walking on nature trails. There are so many ways to find avenues of enjoyment and spend time with friends and loved ones. You need this time to recover from the stress of daily life and build up reservoirs of strength to deal with new challenges.

****Please click on any of the panic relief banners or links and do someting today so you can live life tommorrow

Agoraphobia and Panic Attacks

There is phobia that is linked to the experience of panic attacks, and that is agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is the fear of open spaces or of being in crowded, public places such as shopping markets. It is a fear associated with leaving a safe zone, such as the home.

Because of a feeling of being vulnerable, people who experience this fear often suffer from panic attacks in these “open” situations. It is true to say many people who have regular panic attacks experience different degrees of agoraphobia. Some have a lingering background anxiety about being away from home should they experience a panic attack. Other people are so immobilized by this fear that they find it very difficult to leave their home for even a short period.

The thinking behind agoraphobia usually follows the line that were a panic attack to occur, who would look after the person, how would he or she get the assistance and reassurance they needed? The vulnerability grows from the feeling that once victims of agoraphobia are caught in the anxiety, they are suddenly unable to look after themselves and are therefore at the mercy of the place they find themselves in and the strangers around them. In its extreme form, agoraphobia and panic attacks can lead to a situation where people become housebound for numerous years. Please note, this is by no means a hopeless situation, and I always need to reinforce the fact that something only becomes hopeless once the person really believes that to be the case.

To begin with, the primary issue that needs to be addressed is the belief in the safe zone. To clarify, when I talk about safe zone, I am referring to the zone where the person believes panic attacks do not occur, or at least occur infrequently. As comfort is found there, it is where the person tends to spend more and more time. The safe zone of anxiety is a myth sustained by the mind. The mind has developed a habit of thinking that dictates that being inside the safe zone is the only place to feel secure and avoid agoraphobia and panic attacks. If agoraphobia is an issue for you, watch as your mind comes up with reasons why it believes only a certain area is safe and another is not. Those reasons range from being near the phone or people you trust to having familiar physical surroundings to reassure you.

The reality of anxiety is that there is no such thing as a safe zone. There is nothing life threatening about a panic attack, and therefore sitting at home is the same as sitting under the stars on a desert island. Of course, your mind will immediately rush to tell you that a desert island is a ridiculous place to be as there are no hospitals, no tranquillisers, no doctors, NO SAFETY.

You need to review your previous experiences of panic attacks. Aren’t you still here, alive and well, after all those attacks during which you were convinced you were going to die?

It may be that on occasions you have been driven to the hospital where they did medicate you to calm you down, but do you really believe that you would not have survived were it not for the drugs? You would have. If the same bout of anxiety had occurred on this desert island, it too would have passed, even if you were all alone. Yes, when it comes to conditions that need medical attention such as asthma, diabetes, and a whole litany or other conditions, then having medical aid nearby is a big asset, but no doctor in the world would tell someone with anxiety that there are only specific safe zones in which she or he can move.

As I know more than anyone how terrifying it can feel to move out of your safe zone as the feeling of fear is welling up inside, I do not wish to sound harsh. This course is not about chastising people for their behaviours. It is a way of looking together at solutions and seeing through the myths that form prison walls. The goal is to enable you to return to a richer and more meaningful life and ultimately defeat your agoraphobia and panic attacks. I also realize that people around you cannot understand why a trip to shops would cause you such discomfort. You will have to forgive them and try not to be upset by their lack of understanding of your problem.

If an individual such as a partner or family member has not had a similar anxiety issue, that person may often find it hard to understand and empathize with what you are going through. I am sure you have been dragged out of the house numerous times against your will, kicking and screaming. This can then lead to tensions and arguments and is upsetting as it can make you feel less understood by those around you. People around agoraphobics are often simply trying what they feel is best. If you can see that their intentions are well meaning (although often misguided), then you will be able to relate to them better and help sooth any potential conflicts.

There is one thing I am sure you will agree with, and that is that the only person who will get you out of agoraphobic thinking is yourself. These are your thoughts, and only you can begin to change that pattern. Dealing with long term agoraphobia and panic attacks is a slow process to begin with, but once the results start happening, it moves faster and faster until you reach a point where you will find it hard to believe that going out was such a difficult task.

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Learn "How To Handle Stress" By Clicking Above

How Uncertainty Leads to Stress

Author: Peter Gitundu

In our lives, we have found that when we are not sure of what is going to happen, we are more stressed. Uncertainty can lead to stress and there is no fact as true as this one. Many times when we have a prior knowledge of something, we tend to be more relaxed and this is easy for us so that we can be comfortable. As you walk along the road of life you will certainly discover that we have more questions than answers. This means that there are so many uncertainties that we have to form a coping mechanism which can help us go through the stress caused by an unknown tomorrow.

One of the coping mechanism that offers calm and peace to people is faith. This is a system with a different order organized to seek higher power intervention for the present and the future. Religion has therefore transformed many people who actually come with uncertainty to be told that the future can actually hold a lot to look forward to. The change of mind and attitude becomes evident and a positive outlook on life emerges. Despite the life challenges that we go through, you are promised something beyond you. It has been seen in many people who have overcome uncertainty and stress this way.

One thing we can learn from faith is that it takes a different view or perception of the world so that you can face the future without stress. Therefore, it has been seen that the answer can lie in the attitude of an individual when they decide to take each day as it comes. Sometimes, we might go through life with a lot of expectation just to be disappointed severally. When this person tries to make something out of themselves again, it will be difficult because they will associate their future with past failures. Uncertainty therefore plays a major role in causing frustration an discouragement.

A key word that is usually associated with uncertainty and stress is fear. No body has been able to conquer fear and in our daily lives, we have expressed fear and stress has been part of us because of this reason. The first thing that you can do if you want to get out of stress caused by fear is to identify what you might be fearing. Many have had fears of being fired, others fear that secrets do not come out, fear of failure is very common and this might be in business or at a personal level. Other people may fear snakes and other animals that are in their view fearful.

All these fears create a lot of uncertainty. Many experts have advised people to face their fears in order for them to overcome. Facing a fear is to recognize and identify your enemy or your problem and it is also to acknowledge that you will not allow the fear to rule your life. Many people have overcome this way. Make sure that you visit a specialist for guidance if you have stress from uncertainty. We cannot always be sure of the future but, we can take every challenge as it comes.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/how-uncertainty-leads-to-stress-483501.html

About the Author

Peter Gitundu is a Web Administrator and Has Been Researching and Reporting on Stress for Years. For More Information on Causes Of Stress, Visit His Site at CAUSES OF STRESS You Can Also Post Your Views About Causes Of Stress On My Blog Here CAUSES OF STRESS

Anxiety Disorder - Is It A Physical Or Mental Illness?

In short, no, anxiety disorder is neither a physical nor mental illness!

The word disorder suggests illness, but I can assure you that you are not ill. Anxiety is a behavioral condition regardless of how it makes you feel. Anxiety is a natural response to fear and, like other bodily systems that can falter, causing things like indigestion, palpitations or sensitive eyes for example, the anxiety response can become disrupted too. But, this isn't mental or physical illness... it's a temporary disruption which can be 'reset' very quickly indeed.

Anxiety disorder is the condition caused when stress or constant anxiety provoking situations cause the mind to become reset at a higher than normal benchmark anxiety level. Anxiety disorder is most noticeable by the vast range of unpleasant sensations and thoughts it creates... unpleasant but harmless!

Creation of an anxiety disorder can happen quickly and is usually the result of an event such as work stress, bereavement, divorce or other anxiety-provoking situations. When anxiety levels become raised due to such stressors, the mind can make a decision to re-set at this new level of anxiety; when this happens an anxiety disorder is formed. Anxiety causes a wide range of both physical and psychological symptoms, all directly caused by the anxiety reaction, all harmless, BUT all also feeling much worse than they actually are! They are the sensation of FEAR... BUT, they are NOT true fear!

Anxiety Conditions - what are they?
There are five main 'anxiety disorders', these are:

Generalized anxiety disorder
Panic disorder
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Phobia
Post traumatic stress disorder

Just because conventional medicine has decided to apply these names to specific features of anxiety conditions, doesn't mean that there aren't some 'fuzzy edges' during diagnosis. If you suffer from any of the above conditions, you have underlying high anxiety, without which none of these anxiety conditions would exist.

Often, anxiety will create a mixture of obsessions, high anxiety and panic, making it very difficult to categorize a sufferer's condition. But, it isn't important to categorize because all of these conditions are caused by elevated anxiety and require the exact same solution to remove them.

Often, anxiety disorder sufferers can be diagnosed as having 'depression' which is a common mistake made by medical practitioners world over; anxiety is a completely separate and very different condition to depression and confusing the two is akin to telling an Athlete's Foot sufferer that they have Eczema... they are both skin conditions but completely unrelated!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO DEAL WITH THIS HORRIBLE DISORDER CLICK HERE AND GET WITH THE PROGRAM

Stop the Stress Train. I Want to Get Off!

Author: Sharon Capehart

Stress is a significantly rampant and dangerous phenomenon throughout the world. Stress can cause illness and most people are not aware of that. You can relieve stress by performing deep breathing. If you have to take classes such as yoga, then it would be recommended. Yoga relaxes you. Meditation is also another method of relieving stress and yoga also provides some form of mediation. You can do deep breathing on your own by breathing in and out through the nose. Close your eyes when you are doing so and this will give you a sense of meditation and relaxation.

Do something different and change your routine. You might be surprised how walking up to a stranger and striking up a conversation might be a great stress reliever because there are no inhibitions. You can just be yourself. You can even talk to the person about any issues you are having and they will listen to you without judging you so you can be yourself

Appreciate the people in your life. Give them a hug and let them know how you love and appreciate them. Gratitude is the best stress reliever. You no longer think about what is going wrong, but what has been done right so far. Learning to be appreciative can be a great stress reliever.

Maintain clarity in your mind. Do not harbor any negative thoughts or negative people who burden you with their own stress. You can be a problem solver, but you don’t have to make it your life’s goal to solve everybody else’s problem.

Walking is a good stress reliever. When you go for a walk, you can get to clear your head and be more aware of what is going on around you. You get time to think about whatever is challenging you.

Listen to soothing music. This is a great way to relax you. You can put on a CD in your car when you are traveling so that it will relax you before you get to your destination. If you make that a habit, then you will always be in a relaxing mood.

Laughter is also a good way to relieve your stress. Laughter is good for the heart and also relaxes you. Find friends that share jokes with you and who also love to laugh a lot. You would be surprised what this can do for you. Try having more fun with your life. Go out with your friends and enjoy life. Don’t be serious all the time. There is a time and place for everything.

It is said that chamomile tea is good for relieving stress. Drink it at the end of the day and see if it works for you. Change your lifestyle, if you have a hectic life. Tone down a little. Drop some of the things that are not so important and simplify your life. Sometimes, it is our busy lives that cause us to be so stressed out all the time. You can change your own destiny by changing the things that you do.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/stop-the-stress-train-i-want-to-get-off-472879.html

About the Author

Whether from her home office in Dallas, Texas, or traveling around the country, SHARON CAPEHART, the Empress of Empowerment, makes it her mission to "wake up" women everywhere to the incredible potential they have long forgotten they possess. She is the author of "The Power 2 Be You!," creator of "A Woman's Path to Success" as well publisher of the FREE Power Up! ezine. Sharon's breakthrough "Path To Success" series helps women build a solid foundation for success as Sharon herself guides them on a journey to a life filled with excitement and personal power! "A Woman's Path To Success" is available now at www.positivelywomen.com.



Sharon Capehart, Empress of Empowerment, is an Author, Coach, Speaker and Entrepreneur. Sharon will help you build a solid foundation of confidence, cultivate a success-oriented mindset, and walk with you on your journey to a life filled with Passion, Excitement and Personal Power. For more information please visit www.positivelywomen.com.

Play With Consciousness

When all else fails and your riddled with anxiety and panic different approaches can be a good thing and laughter is good for the soul and so I wanted to pass this along to you today and perhaps it will help you. ALL of the programs are here to help you to find solutions to your anxiety and stress so be sure to check them out!


"Play is our brain's favorite way of learning.”
~ Diane Ackerman ~



Many of us take life so seriously yet fun and laughter bring so many gifts. Laughter releases endorphins and energizes us. It shifts our perspectives, lightens our load and lifts our spirits. Laughter is contagious and stimulates even more humor. Beware, though: it may bring on humorrhoids or truth decay!

Let's have more fun right now with two simple jokes:

Did you hear about the baker who went bankrupt?
He ran out of dough!

Did you hear about the butcher who got behind in his business?
He backed into the meat grinder!

What happens when we hear jokes like this? The questions prompt our minds to open and search for answers. Then when we hear the answer and reflect on it, we grasp the double meaning. The 'ah-ha' turns into a 'ha-ha.'

Humor always offers some kind of 'out of the box' ideas that break us out of our linear thinking. The new twist presented creates a new connection in our brains. This expands our perception.

By the same token, playfulness sets us up to expand consciousness. When we are playful, we are open, spontaneous and welcoming new possibilities. Because we are enjoying ourselves, fear is minimized. Life is full of potential and possibilities and the attitude of play helps us access these potentialities and new experiences of consciousness.

So give humor and playfulness a higher priority in your life. Allow your mind to open to the bigger picture and play with a new level of freedom. Build up more interconnections in your mind and life will reflect new dimensions back to you.

We invite you to have some fun with consciousness and take our ABC's to XYZ's of Consciousness. These light-hearted consciousness journey e-mails use each letter of the alphabet to explore pains, potentials and processes for making the most of life. Alliteration awakens awareness, allows answers and activates aspirations. To request this consciousness journey click here
"If life doesn't offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one."
~ Anthony J. D'Angelo ~
"It is essential to our well-being, and to our lives, that we play and enjoy life. Every single day do something that makes your heart sing."
~ Wieder Marcia ~
Seven days without laughter, makes one weak.

"How to understand anxiety symptoms and get your life back""

Author: Colin Gibson

At some stage in our life we are going to feel anxious. Whether this is the nervousness before an important interview or the apprehension before making a big personal commitment anxiety is impossible to ignore. While a bit of anxiety is fine and natural, too much can result in a state of mind that becomes debilitating. Anxiety is something a lot of people cope with by running away ; when the truth is that the opposite is more effective. Anxiety needs to be stood up to not run away from.

The only way to beat anxiety is to confront it head on. Anxiety is a type of fear and like any fear the best cure for it is to meet it and resolve it, The way to do this is to turn the right mental attitudes into habits. The way to do this begins with your thoughts because of the way your feelings are influenced by them. For instance, feeling anxious increases the probability of you of you experience anxiety inducing thoughts. A vicious circle develops between the relationship of anxious thoughts and feelings; one results in another.

If you tell yourself that things are ‘ awful’ ‘terrible’ or horrible then anxiety ratchets up a notch. Putting things in perspective is the first way to fend off anxiety. Rather than immediately jumping to a conclusion of something being ‘terrible’ rationalise it as ‘bad’ or ‘unpleasant’ . Remember that extreme thinking results in extreme reactions. Mislabelling an event is the easiest way to induce anxiety.

The problem sufferers of anxiety have is the low regard that society at large places it on the spectrum of mental health. Few non sufferers fully understand the life changing consequences of persistent anxiety. Anxiety can induce strong bodily and mental symptoms. Typically these symptoms become misinterpreted as something else. Anxiety can induce feelings of nausea that can be misconstrued as a sickness. Other times people think they are going crazy because they are unable to make sense of their feelings or the world around them.

Before tackling your anxiety you may wish to consider paying a visit to your doctor who can advise you on the physical sensations. The doctor can also recommend whether it is safe to begin confronting your anxieties. Talking things through with the doctor or taking a look at medical websites can help to familiarise yourself with the many common symptoms of anxiety. Not only is this useful in helping you deal with them , but also may actually help to reduce your anxiety. Why? Because when you get the symptoms you will know why you are having them. Remember much of the fear from anxiety is due to a fear of the unknown. Anxiety can be difficult to deal with but is not impossible.

Confronting anxiety may sound like a strange method in combating it. After all would it not be better to try and avoid it if we want it to go away? Well no this is not the case as clinical studies have proven. Aversion therapy is one of the most effective forms of fear therapy. If you have a fear of snakes then exposure to them on a gradual and sustained basis can help to overcome the fear? Why because we gradually become accustomed to them and develop appropriate rational responses to them.

When it comes to facing your fears be it standing in a public place or meeting new people you should aim to manage your exposure in a manageable way. So in the case of standing in a public place you would aim to do so for around twenty minutes a day to begin with. By managing your experience you are managing your fear without overwhelming yourself. Gradually you will begin to master your anxiety, and as a consequence, reduce it accordingly. What ever it is your are exposing yourself to you need to get the balance right between unpleasantness and exposure time. Too much time and you risk overwhelming yourself but too short a time and you run the risk of never fully confronting your fear.

This is just technique among many to deal with anxiety problems. If your problems are really severe you must see a doctor or mental health professional. Not only may they be able to provide you with additional treatments but they can also put you in touch with groups of people with similar problems. Remember to take your response to anxiety seriously ; just don’t let it boss you around.

“For a no cost video showing you step-by-step how to overcome negative

thinking patterns please visit www.developeselfesteem.com

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/how-to-understand-anxiety-symptoms-and-get-your-life-back-1368174.html

About the Author

My name is Colin Gibson and I retired on the 30 March 2009 at the age of 66.I have been married to Josie for 32 years with two daughters, Lisa and Karen. We also have a beautiful granddaughter Cara.
I play guitar and sing in a country music band in my spare time. I am good at what I do in my music, but found it hard to communicate with people in my normal life.I hope you find in what I have found will benifit you as well.

Enhance Self Esteem and Self Awareness
Overcome negativity with our self healing and awareness emotional development programs. Find the hope and courage to more fully enjoy life.

Too Much Worry, Too Much Stress

It's no wonder! Turn on your TV and what do you see, stress and panic! Better still (turn off your TV) It doesn't matter because it's in the newspaper, and your friends are talking about it all.

The best way to deal with how to handle panic attacks and anxiety attacks is to learn how to handle it and I myself have used Panic Away (banner at top of site).

But I have to tell you that this isn't the only solution that I use in order to gain perspectives. Today, we are surrounded by so much negatives in the world and if we aren't then we are surrounded by our own group of friends, family, and people who are negative that just add to the problem.

Not one program works for all and sometimes it's a combination of things that work. That's why it's so important to really REALLY read this entire site and explore ALl your options. There is quite a bit of information here to help you and a lot of suggestions. There are many articles, links, groups, and so on.

I personally like to focus on the positives in life and I love inspirational messages because they make me feel good. They also uplift me and change my mood and it's so important to feel accepted and loved when feeling like your entire world is caving in.

Today, I would like to share a wonderful place that I have just discovered where you can truly feel love and also many interesting groups, clubs, messages to help to grow your mind, body, and soul which then makes you stronger. Click Anywhere within this text to be taken there and joining is free

but come back here because there is another place!

Now here is a truly inspirational place to visit that will help you get in touch with the real you and will truly inspire. I believe it's very important in concoring stress and worry and fear is to be in the right mindset. So with that said....AN ADVENTURE IN SELF DISCOVERY!
Offering 18 powerful workbooks with daily email support.
Access your own inner wisdom.
Release stress, blocks and what holds you back.
Realize more of your potential!

5 Steps To Self-Actualization

Thought maybe you would like to have something inspirational to fall back on for a change and to help your spiritual growth and motivation


5 steps to self-actualization

"Every human action, whether it has become positive or negative, must depend on motivation."

-- Dalai Lama

Monitoring what motivates me has helped me see how I am growing. I do things for different reasons now than I did 10 years ago. As we pay ongoing attention to our motives, we can see how both our conscious and unconscious attitudes are changing.

Here are some ways that our motives can shift with rising consciousness:

- I desire
- I want to collect things
- I want to know
- I want to serve
- I want to be

What are your motives as you participate in life?

"There are three kinds of people and three kinds of richness:
- people who want to have, to collect
- people who want action, work and labor
- people who want to be
The real richness is in be-ness. People can take all that you have, all that you collected. People can stop your labor, or an accident can stop you. When you are, you never lose what you are."

-- Torkom Saraydarian

"You are what you think. You are what you go for. You are what you do!"

-- Bob Richards

"A good intention clothes itself with power."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

We don't change overnight. Personal growth requires persistence. At Higher Awareness, you are never left alone. Experience the power of our support emails to inspire your growth! Allow us to be your growth partners. Join us now!

End Panic and Anxiety NOW!

Hi Everyone!

To those who have used this site for help and come back many times; I say welcome back! I hope you find this site useful because that is what it is here for..to help people. For those of you who are brand new to this blog I say "Welcome" and it's great to have you here!

For those of you who do not know my circumstances, you can read my story in the "About Me" link to your right! It gives a very brief description of my circumstances.

Let me say that panic attacks and anxiety attacks are not fun! they can be very debilitating and worse they can really stop you from living your life affecting not only yourself but others who are in your life.

If you are a sufferer of this horrible disorder; we most certainly would like to hear your story and comments so please feel free to do so in the comment section after each article that is written. Perhaps you know of your own techniques that are not listed that people could benefit from. If so, we would like to hear from you. I'm also going to be installing a contact me button on this tool bar that you see but until I do you can just leave suggestions in comments.

If you do self help and how to (programs) I have to tell you that the best out there that I have tried is "Panic Away" you can get it as a download or you can just order the program and have it sent to you. Whichever is easiest. Panic and Anxiety just doesn't go away forever and there are really no permanent cures but you can treat it and live a normal life.

If you are interested in the program "Panic Away" you can click on the banner at the top of the screen or on any of the links through out the site. You can most certainly listen to the movie beforehand and I advise that you do so but if your in a hurry at any time you could just click the cart button.

In any case, PLEASE get help! Whatever program, or methods you decide to do, please do it! You absolutely do NOT have to suffer from anxiety.

Perhaps it's time to learn about yourself and find the answers within and to have some positive encouragement and inspiration in your life.

Free Personality Quiz
How well do you know yourself? What is your next growth step?


Have a Blessed Day!

Anxiety and Public Speaking

I’ve often observed that many people’s top-ranking fear is not death but having to speak in public. The joke is that these people would rather lie in a casket at their own funeral than give the eulogy.

Public speaking for people who suffer from panic attacks or general anxiety often becomes a major source of worry, possibly weeks or even months before the speaking event is to occur.

These speaking engagements don’t necessarily have to be the traditional “on a podium” events; they can be as simple as an office meeting where the individual is expected to express an opinion or give verbal feedback.

In this case, the fear centers on having a panic attack while speaking. The individuals fear being incapacitated by the anxiety and hence unable to complete what they’re saying. They imagine fleeing the spotlight and having to make all kinds of excuses later for their undignified departure -out the office window . . .

This differs slightly from the majority of people who fear public speaking. With others, their fear tends to revolve around going blank while speaking or feeling uncomfortable under the spotlight of their peers. The jitters or nerves are, of course, a problem for this group as well-but they’re unfamiliar with that debilitating threat, the panic attack, because they most likely haven’t experienced one before.

So how should a person with an anxiety issue tackle public speaking?

Stage 1 is accepting that all of these bizarre and, quite frankly, unnerving sensations aren’t going to go away overnight. In fact, you’re not even going to concern yourself with getting rid of them for your next talk. When they arrive during a speech or meeting, you’re going to approach them in a new manner.

We need to build your confidence back to where it used to be before any of these sensations ever occurred. This time, you’ll approach it in a unique, empowering manner, allowing you to feel your confidence again. Some say that most of the top speakers are riddled with anxiety before an event, but they somehow use this nervousness to enhance their speech.

I’m going to show you exactly how to do this.

My first point is this, and it’s important:

The average healthy person can experience an extreme array of anxiety and very uncomfortable sensations while giving a speech and is in no danger of ever losing control, or even appearing slightly anxious to the audience. No matter how tough it gets, you’ll always finish your piece-even if, at the outset, it feels very uncomfortable to go on.

You won’t become incapacitated in any way.

The real breakthrough happens when you fully believe that you’re not in danger and that the sensations will pass. By asking for more, you’re saying:

“I realize that you [the anxiety] hold no threat over me.”

What keeps a panic attack coming again and again is the fear of the fear-the fear that the next one will really knock your socks off and the feeling that you were lucky to have made it past the last one unscathed.

Because they were so unnerving and scary, it’s your confidence that’s been damaged by previous anxiety episodes. Once you fully understand that you’re not under any threat, then you can have a new response to the anxiety as it arises while speaking.

There’s always a turning point when a person moves from general anxiety into a panic attack, and that happens with public speaking when you think to yourself:

I won’t be able to handle this in front of these people.

That split second of self-doubt leads to a rush of adrenaline, and the extreme anxiety arrives in a wavelike format. If, however, you feel the initial anxiety and react with confidence that this isn’t a threat to you, you’ll process the anxiety rapidly.

Using this new approach is a powerful ally because it means it’s okay to feel scared and anxious when speaking. That’s fine-you’ll feel it, and you’ll move with and through the sensations in your body and out the other side.

Because people are often very anxious before the talk has begun, they may feel they’ve already let themselves down. Now you can relax on that point. It’s perfectly natural to feel the anxiety.

Take, for example, the worst of the sensations you’ve ever experienced in this situation-be it general unease or loss of breath. You’ll have an initial automatic reaction that says:

“Danger-I’m going to have an episode of anxiety here, and I really can’t afford for that to happen.”

At this point, most people react to that idea and confirm that it must be true because of all the unusual feelings they’re experiencing. This is where your train of thought creates a cycle of anxiety that produces a negative impact on your overall presenting skills.

So let that initial “Oh dear, not now” thought pass by, and immediately follow it up with the attitude of:

“There you are-I’ve been wondering when you would arrive. I’ve been expecting you to show up. By the way, I’m not in the least threatened by any of the strange sensations you’re creating. I’m completely safe here.”

Instead of pushing the emotional energy and excitement down into your stomach, you’re moving through it.

Your body is in a slightly excited state, exactly as it should be while giving a speech-so release that energy in your self-expression. Push it out through your presentation, not down into your stomach.

Push it out by expressing yourself more forcefully. In this way, you turn the anxiety to your advantage by using it to deliver a speech; you’ll come across as more alive, energetic, and in the present moment.

When you notice the anxiety drop, as it does when you willingly move into it, fire off a quick thought when you get a momentary break (as I’m sure you have between pieces), and ask it for “more.” You want more of its intense feelings because you’re interested in them and absolutely not threatened by them.

It seems like a lot of things to be thinking about while talking to a group of people, but it really isn’t. You’d be amazed at how many different, unrelated thoughts you can have while speaking. This approach is about adopting a new attitude of confidence about what you might have deemed a serious threat up until now.

If your predominant fear of speaking is driven by a feeling of being trapped, then I suggest factoring in some mental releases that can be prepared before the event. For example, some events allow you to turn the attention back to the room to get feedback, etc., from the audience. If possible, prepare such opportunities in your own mind before the engagements.

This isn’t to say that you have to use them, but people in this situation often remark that just having small opportunities where attention can be diverted for the briefest moment makes the task seem less daunting.

It may even be something as simple as having people introduce themselves or opening the floor to questions. I realize these diversions aren’t always possible and depend on the situation, but anything you can factor in that makes you feel less trapped or under the spotlight is worth the effort.

CLICK HERE FOR HELP!

Why Distraction Helps Ease Anxiety

In order to quickly move away from generalized anxiety you need to throw yourself 100% into life.

What is needed is to engage regularly in an activity that stimulates you, and holds your complete attention, something in which you can become completely absorbed.

Something that distracts you is a very valuable tool in taking your attention away from the uncomfortable sensation of anxiety that may be lingering in your body.

You see almost everyone with anxiety finds themselves getting a bit obsessed about how they feel at any given moment. The less preoccupied the person is, the more time there is to obsess over anxious sensations.

I am sure you have noticed that when you are doing something you enjoy or that really holds your attention, the less you ‘check in’ to measure your anxiety level.

Quite simply, the more you engage with life the less stagnant and anxious you will feel.

Some of the possible activities that interest you could be:

Gardening, playing a musical instrument, sport, or simply having a good conversation with a friend. The idea here is to find something that you can repeat on a regular basis that you enjoy doing or that at very least holds your attention.

If you find you have too much time on your hands and are having problems coming up with something you could do then I recommend you volunteer in a local voluntary scheme. It could be anything from helping the elderly, looking after animals or environmental conservation.

If you can spare even one or two hours a week for such work, not only will you feel your self-esteem improve, but it will help shake off any lingering feelings of isolation or loneliness which are so often accompanied by anxiety.

One thing you can be certain of is that there is some organization near you crying out for a volunteer just like you to assist them with their work.

The art of distraction has always been used to help people refocus and avoid concentrating on whatever physical or emotional discomfort the person is going through. It may just be the caring friend who invites their recently heart broken roommate out on the town to have some fun.

Dentists and doctors use distraction techniques frequently to distract the patient from a physical discomfort they may be experiencing, by giving them something else to focus on (usually the bill).

The purpose of using distraction, for people who want to live anxiety free, is to have new experiences that take the person’s mind off the anxious feelings they have been experiencing.

If you imagine that all the fearful anxious thoughts that go through your mind are like a roll of film being run through a film projector (your mind) and out into your life. Concentrating on some activity immediately cuts the film and brings you directly into the here and now.

When you are fully engaged with life there is no room for any anxiety disorder. This mental space you create enables both your body and mind time to become less sensitized to the anxiety.

By doing something you enjoy and feel you are good at, helps build new competencies. You are saying to yourself that the anxiety path is not one you want to travel down anymore and that you will put your focus elsewhere.

The more time you give to following these rewarding pursuits, the easier it is for your body to relax and return to a natural state of peace.

Combine this with my ONE MOVE technique and people often look back weeks later and wonder if it was really them who was so anxious all the time. Note, it normally takes a few weeks to reduce feelings of general anxiety. That is the standard amount of time to come back to feeling more yourself.

Let me remind you that I am here to work with you if you want to learn more about my course and the One Move technique which has turned so many peoples lives around.

I’m so confident that my program will help you conquer your anxiety, that I offer a 8 week trial. If you do not benefit from the course you can have your money refunded immediately.

My course Panic Away has proved highly successful with both long and short term sufferers of panic attacks.

To Learn More About Panic Away Click Here!

Causes of Panic Attacks

Causes of Panic Attacks

The short and obvious answer: panic attacks are caused by high anxiety. But, what exactly is anxiety? Understanding how anxiety crops up will help you defeat panic attacks.

One of the biggest myths surrounding anxiety is that it is harmful and can lead to a number of various life-threatening conditions.

Definition of Anxiety

Anxiety is defined as a state of apprehension or fear resulting from the anticipation of a real or imagined threat, event, or situation. It is one of the most common human emotions experienced by people at some point in their lives.

However, most people who have never experienced a panic attack, or extreme anxiety, fail to realize the terrifying nature of the experience. Extreme dizziness, blurred vision, tingling and feelings of breathlessness—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

When these sensations occur and people do not understand why, they feel they have contracted an illness, or a serious mental condition. The threat of losing complete control seems very real and naturally very terrifying.

Fight/Flight Response: One of the root causes of panic attacks?

I am sure most of you have heard of the fight/flight response as an explanation for one of the root causes of panic attacks. Have you made the connection between this response and the unusual sensations you experience during and after a panic attack episode?

Anxiety is a response to a danger or threat. It is so named because all of its effects are aimed toward either fighting or fleeing from the danger. Thus, the sole purpose of anxiety is to protect the individual from harm. This may seem ironic given that you no doubt feel your anxiety is actually causing you great harm…perhaps the most significant of all the causes of panic attacks.

However, the anxiety that the fight/flight response created was vital in the daily survival of our ancient ancestors—when faced with some danger, an automatic response would take over that propelled them to take immediate action such as attack or run. Even in today’s hectic world, this is still a necessary mechanism. It comes in useful when you must respond to a real threat within a split second.

Anxiety is a built-in mechanism to protect us from danger. Interestingly, it is a mechanism that protects but does not harm—an important point that will be elaborated upon later.

The Physical Manifestations of a Panic Attack: Other pieces of the puzzle to understand the causes of panic attacks. Nervousness and Chemical Effects…

When confronted with danger, the brain sends signals to a section of the nervous system. It is this system that is responsible for gearing the body up for action and also calms the body down and restores equilibrium. To carry out these two vital functions, the autonomic nervous system has two subsections, the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.

Although I don’t want to become too “scientific,” having a basic understanding of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system will help you understand the causes of panic attacks.

The sympathetic nervous system is the one we tend to know all too much about because it primes our body for action, readies us for the “fight or flight” response, while the parasympathetic nervous system is the one we love dearly as it serves as our restoring system, which returns the body to its normal state.

When either of these systems is activated, they stimulate the whole body, which has an “all or nothing” effect. This explains why when a panic attack occurs, the individual often feels a number of different sensations throughout the body.

The sympathetic system is responsible for releasing the adrenaline from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. These are small glands located just above the kidneys. Less known, however, is that the adrenal glands also release adrenaline, which functions as the body’s chemical messengers to keep the activity going. When a panic attack begins, it does not switch off as easily as it is turned on. There is always a period of what would seem increased or continued anxiety, as these messengers travel throughout the body. Think of them as one of the physiological causes of panic attacks, if you will.

After a period of time, the parasympathetic nervous system gets called into action. Its role is to return the body to normal functioning once the perceived danger is gone. The parasympathetic system is the system we all know and love, because it returns us to a calm relaxed state.

When we engage in a coping strategy that we have learned, for example, a relaxation technique, we are in fact willing the parasympathetic nervous system into action. A good thing to remember is that this system will be brought into action at some stage whether we will it or not. The body cannot continue in an ever-increasing spiral of anxiety. It reaches a point where it simply must kick in, relaxing the body. This is one of the many built-in protection systems our bodies have for survival.

You can do your best with worrying thoughts, keeping the sympathetic nervous system going, but eventually it stops. In time, it becomes a little smarter than us, and realizes that there really is no danger. Our bodies are incredibly intelligent—modern science is always discovering amazing patterns of intelligence that run throughout the cells of our body. Our body seems to have infinite ways of dealing with the most complicated array of functions we take for granted. Rest assured that your body’s primary goal is to keep you alive and well.

Not so convinced?

Try holding your breath for as long as you can. No matter how strong your mental will is, it can never override the will of the body. This is good news—no matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you are gong to die from a panic attack, you won’t. Your body will override that fear and search for a state of balance. There has never been a reported incident of someone dying from a panic attack.

Remember this next time you have a panic attack; he causes of panic attacks cannot do you any physical harm. Your mind may make the sensations continue longer than the body intended, but eventually everything will return to a state of balance. In fact, balance (homeostasis) is what our body continually strives for.

The interference for your body is nothing more than the sensations of doing rigorous exercise. Our body is not alarmed by these symptoms. Why should it be? It knows its own capability. It’s our thinking minds that panic, which overreact and scream in sheer terror! We tend to fear the worst and exaggerate our own sensations. A quickened heart beat becomes a heart attack. An overactive mind seems like a close shave with schizophrenia. Is it our fault? Not really—we are simply diagnosing from poor information.

Cardiovascular Effects Activity in the sympathetic nervous system increases our heartbeat rate, speeds up the blood flow throughout the body, ensures all areas are well supplied with oxygen and that waste products are removed. This happens in order to prime the body for action.

A fascinating feature of the “fight or flight” mechanism is that blood (which is channelled from areas where it is currently not needed by a tightening of the blood vessels) is brought to areas where it is urgently needed.

For example, should there be a physical attack, blood drains from the skin, fingers, and toes so that less blood is lost, and is moved to “active areas” such as the thighs and biceps to help the body prepare for action.

This is why many feel numbness and tingling during a panic attack-often misinterpreted as some serious health risk-such as the precursor to a heart attack. Interestingly, most people who suffer from anxiety often feel they have heart problems. If you are really worried that such is the case with your situation, visit your doctor and have it checked out. At least then you can put your mind at rest.

Respiratory Effects

One of the scariest effects of a panic attack is the fear of suffocating or smothering. It is very common during a panic attack to feel tightness in the chest and throat. I’m sure everyone can relate to some fear of losing control of your breathing. From personal experience, anxiety grows from the fear that your breathing itself would cease and you would be unable to recover. Can a panic attack stop our breathing? No.

A panic attack is associated with an increase in the speed and depth of breathing. This has obvious importance for the defense of the body since the tissues need to get more oxygen to prepare for action. The feelings produced by this increase in breathing, however, can include breathlessness, hyperventilation, sensations of choking or smothering, and even pains or tightness in the chest. The real problem is that these sensations are alien to us, and they feel unnatural.

Having experienced extreme panic attacks myself, I remember that on many occasions, I would have this feeling that I couldn’t trust my body to do the breathing for me, so I would have to manually take over and tell myself when to breathe in and when to breathe out. Of course, this didn’t suit my body’s requirement of oxygen and so the sensations would intensify—along with the anxiety. It was only when I employed the technique I will describe for you later, did I let the body continue doing what it does best—running the whole show.

Importantly, a side-effect of increased breathing, (especially if no actual activity occurs) is that the blood supply to the head is actually decreased. While such a decrease is only a small amount and is not at all dangerous, it produces a variety of unpleasant but harmless symptoms that include dizziness, blurred vision, confusion, sense of unreality, and hot flushes.

Other Physical Effects of Panic Attacks:

Now that we’ve discussed some of the primary physiological causes of panic attacks, there are a number of other effects that are produced by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, none of which are in any way harmful.

For example, the pupils widen to let in more light, which may result in blurred vision, or “seeing” stars, etc. There is a decrease in salivation, resulting in dry mouth. There is decreased activity in the digestive system, which often produces nausea, a heavy feeling in the stomach, and even constipation. Finally, many of the muscle groups tense up in preparation for “fight or flight” and this results in subjective feelings of tension, sometimes extending to actual aches and pains, as well as trembling and shaking.

Overall, the fight/flight response results in a general activation of the whole bodily metabolism. Thus, one often feels hot and flushed and, because this process takes a lot of energy, the person generally feels tired and drained.

Mental Manifestations: Are the causes of panic attacks all in my head? is a question many people wonder to themselves.

The goal of the fight/flight response is making the individual aware of the potential danger that may be present. Therefore, when activated, the mental priority is placed upon searching the surroundings for potential threats. In this state one is highly-strung, so to speak. It is very difficult to concentrate on any one activity, as the mind has been trained to seek all potential threats and not to give up until the threat has been identified. As soon as the panic hits, many people look for the quick and easiest exit from their current surroundings, such as by simply leaving the bank queue and walking outside. Sometimes the anxiety can heighten, if we perceive that leaving will cause some sort of social embarrassment.

If you have a panic attack while at the workplace but feel you must press on with whatever task it is you are doing, it is quite understandable that you would find it very hard to concentrate. It is quite common to become agitated and generally restless in such a situation. Many individuals I have worked with who have suffered from panic attacks over the years indicated that artificial light—such as that which comes from computer monitors and televisions screens—can can be one of the causes of panic attacks by triggering them or worsen a panic attack, particularly if the person is feeling tired or run down.

This is worth bearing in mind if you work for long periods of time on a computer. Regular break reminders should be set up on your computer to remind you to get up from the desk and get some fresh air when possible.

In other situations, when during a panic attack an outside threat cannot normally be found, the mind turns inwards and begins to contemplate the possible illness the body or mind could be suffering from. This ranges from thinking it might have been something you ate at lunch, to the possibility of an oncoming cardiac arrest.

The burning question is: Why is the fight/flight response activated during a panic attack even when there is apparently nothing to be frightened of?

Upon closer examination of the causes of panic attacks, it would appear that what we are afraid of are the sensations themselves—we are afraid of the body losing control. These unexpected physical symptoms create the fear or panic that something is terribly wrong. Why do you experience the physical symptoms of the fight/flight response if you are not frightened to begin with? There are many ways these symptoms can manifest themselves, not just through fear.

For example, it may be that you have become generally stressed for some reason in your life, and this stress results in an increase in the production of adrenaline and other chemicals, which from time to time, would produce symptoms….and which you perceive as the causes of panic attacks.

This increased adrenaline can be maintained chemically in the body, even after the stress has long gone. Another possibility is diet, which directly affects our level of stress. Excess caffeine, alcohol, or sugar is known for causing stress in the body, and is believed to be one of the contributing factors of the causes of panic attacks (Chapter 5 gives a full discussion on diet and its importance).

Unresolved emotions are often pointed to as possible trigger of panic attacks, but it is important to point out that eliminating panic attacks from your life does not necessarily mean analyzing your psyche and digging into your subconscious. The “One Move” technique will teach you to deal with the present moment and defuse the attack along with removing the underlying anxiety that sparks the initial anxiety.

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Anxious Thoughts And Broken Records

Have you ever noticed that anxious thoughts are like a broken record?

I know with Ipods etc. it’s a bit outdated to be using a record analogy here but it works well to illustrate a key point about anxious thoughts.

Remember when a record got scratched it made a very unpleasant sound and caused the needle to get stuck on the same groove.

The same one line would play over and over again ad nauseam until you picked up the needle and moved it past the scratch.

Anxious thoughts are bit like this. You might be happily going about your day and then something triggers an anxious thought.

The worry the thought creates sends an unpleasant shock wave through your nervous system. (The scratch on the record).

Then once you start reacting to the anxious thought it is hard to stop thinking about it over and over again. (The needle stuck in a groove)

The repetitive anxious thought can last minutes, hours , days depending on how upset you become by the thought.

I want to share with you a quick technique to jump out of this anxious groove. This technique is you learning how to pick up the record needle and move it past the scratch.

Here it is:

1, Observe 2, Trust 3, Move

Observe the anxious thought and label it. Say

“Oh there is fear X again, imagine that”

Try your very best to not get sucked into reacting emotionally to the thought.

Then

Trust that what you are worrying about will in all probability never come about. Almost all the anxious thoughts we have are a complete waste of our energy.

Trust that things will work out fine.

Joseph Cossman said “If you want to test your memory, try to recall what you were worrying about one year ago today.”

If you are religious/spiritual then hand your anxious thought over to a higher power. Trust that there is nothing to fear and you will be looked after.

Trust and let it go.

“Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He’s going to be up all night anyway. ” ~Mary C. Crowley

Lastly,

Move your attention elsewhere. Focus on something positive that takes your mind out of the anxious groove.

Replace the anxious thought with a positive thought. You are not trying to suppress the anxious thought, you are simply moving your attention elsewhere. To continue the record analogy, you pick the record needle up (your attention) and move it out of the groove it was caught in.

If you are engaged in an activity then move your attention fully there. Be 100% present in the moment.

If you are walking focus on the surroundings, if you are driving observe all the sights and sounds. If you are with someone focus all your attention on them.

By moving your attention into the present moment there is no room for anxious thoughts to dominate your mind.

Play around with both moving your attention to positive thoughts or into the present moment. Different people find one or the other is easier to accomplish. The key thing is to move your mind out of the anxious groove and put you back in your natural flow.

So to sum up remember O.T.M.

Observe, Trust, Move

It takes a bit of practice but as long as you remember the above 3 steps you will be able to dramatically eliminate anxious thoughts from your day.

To learn more about how to end panic attacks and general anxiety fast then click on this banner today so that you can live life again! (listen to message and get discount)

The Enemy of Our Imagination

The Enemy Of Our Imagination

People who experience panic attacks will often say that they feel out of control as soon as the panic is in full swing. Christian Nevell Bovee once wrote:

“Panic is a sudden desertion of us, and a going over to the enemy of our imagination.”

Doesn’t that sum it up well?

A confident self assured person can suddenly feel powerless and vulnerable as soon as the panic manifests. As the bodily sensations race, the mind jumps from logic and reason to wild fears fueled by the imagination.

The hardest part for most people to get their heads around is why they feel so suddenly powerless during a panic attack?

The automatic reaction for most to the sensations of a panic attack are to fight against it. To shut it down and end it as soon as possible. Coping techniques like deep breathing and distraction are mildly effective at best. When these techniques fail to get results, that is when the person really leaps over to ‘the enemy of their imagination’.

It goes something like this:

“I used all my coping techniques but I still feel very anxious, in fact it may be getting worse!

“What if this keeps getting worse and no help can get to me here?”

Where people run with this type of thinking their imagination will continue to escalate the fear, leaving them feeling more and more vulnerable and out of control.

The secret to regain control and come back to yourself, is to learn how to respond to the panic in an appropriate manner.

The solution is to work with the bodily sensations rather than against them.

Let me give you a small example. If you were sitting on a train and started to feel sensations that indicated the beginning of a panic attack, instead of trying to stop the experience do the opposite.

Acknowledge that you are safe, label the sensations and then tell the sensations that scare you, to get worse. If you are sweating tell your body to sweat more, if your heart is racing, tell it to race faster.

Move into the experience rather than against it.

The real panic only begins as soon as you hand over reason and control to your imagination. By moving into the experience voluntarily, you become the decision maker and therefore retain control. If you’re going to have a panic attack it is going to happen on your terms.

You empower yourself because you are directing the whole experience not handing “over to the enemy of our imagination.”

Learn more about this approach and how to apply it to various manifestations of panic and general anxiety.

Exhaustion and Anxiety

Why do some people have a problem with anxiety and others do not?

This is a question almost everyone who experiences anxiety asks themselves at some point or another. Why me?

My understanding of anxiety is that yes, some people seem more susceptible than others but that the key trigger tends to be exhaustion. By exhaustion I mean mental, physical, or emotional exhaustion. (Under physical exhaustion I also include things like diet or substance abuse)

For some it may be exhaustion caused by a hectic life and never taking time to release the stress. People like that often do not notice their stress levels are so high until they get blindsided by a spontaneous panic attack.

For others it may be an emotional exhaustion caused by the loss of a loved one or the break up of a long term relationship.

If the anxiety is caused by a traumatic life event it is interesting to note that the person frequently does not experience the anxiety until the event has passed.

You often see people dealing very well with a crisis but then several weeks later when the dust has settled they start to feel the anxiety. It is like they have been in shock and are only now starting to process the experience.

The most important thing to remember about panic attacks or general anxiety is that help is available and it is important to get help sooner rather than later.

I always recommend visiting your doctor first of all to really determine that it is just anxiety you are dealing with and not an underlying physical ailment. Once you are sure that it is anxiety that you dealing with, treat it.

Don’t wait

Burying your head in the sand hoping it will simply be gone next week is not an effective way to treat it. It is totally unnecessary to spend months if not years dealing with something that can be corrected now.

That help is available right here.

The Panic Away Program changes the way you process your anxiety enabling you to end panic attacks and general anxiety. It costs no more than a dinner for two but can change your life so much for the better. Invest in the right kind of information. Information that puts you back in control of your life. That is the best kind of investment you can make.

Click Here To learn more about Panic Away and begin to enjoy life again so you can be relieved tomorrow

Courage And Panic Attacks

Courage and Panic Attacks: Click Here! To Learn More About Panic Away

People who have never experienced a panic attack often judge the anxious person harshly.
The outsider has no real comprehension of what is happening to the person experiencing a panic attack and wonders why they fear to do the simplest things.
I know myself that I could not understand how overnight I went from being a confident young man to someone who became anxious of common everyday situations.
Going places took on a whole new dimension as I constantly evaluated if being there might trigger a panic attack.
I had to force myself to do very simple things like go to the cinema or drive in traffic. As a man that type of anxiety really erodes self confidence, as so much of male self esteem comes from being perceived as strong and brave.
…but here I was afraid to queue at the bank!


Today I know better. Through my own journey and all those I have worked with, I know now that anxiety disorders have nothing to do with a persons level of bravery.
I know this to be true because I have worked with many people from the ‘bravest’ professions around. Firemen, policemen, soldiers. All of them admired by others for their bravery.
Some of these individuals would actually prefer to run into a burning building than stay awake at night with a panic attack.
That sounds strange but it isn’t really. In a burning building they knew what to do and how to handle the situation. During a panic attack they felt powerless and out of control.
What you have to remember is that panic attacks and general anxiety have no relationship to the level of courage an individual has. In fact it has nothing to do with the world out there, -it is a problem born out of an internal crisis.
It is easy to feel brave and fearless in the world when your internal world feels safe but when you feel those internal walls have been breached by fear, then your confidence is rocked. The danger you fear becomes internal. Your psychic foundations feel vulnerable.
That is where the crisis originates. The doubting of your ability to handle the sensations shakes your inner confidence and that is what the fear feeds off.
It is a crisis of confidence in your body and mind’s ability to handle the stress. This crisis however does not stop the bravery.


People with anxiety actually do the bravest of things.
They get up each day and get on with life. Picking themselves up after each and every setback. It does not make headline news but it counts because it is real bravery, true courage.
To the untrained eye it does not seem like such a big deal to simply drive out of state, attend church, or go shopping. However for the person with anxiety, that experience can be a massive accomplishment, especially if they have tried and failed many times before.
The good news is:
This bravery does not go unrewarded.
Once the person has triumphed over their anxiety problem, they develop an inner strength that the average person never gets to develop.
You see, no matter how many brave things you do in the world, if you have not been challenged on an inner level, then you miss out on the opportunity to develop real inner strength.
That is the hidden opportunity anxiety presents to you. To become a bigger person than you already are. That is what you take from the challenge of anxiety.
It does not matter if you have not reached that point yet. The journey is unique to everyone so do not judge your progress against others.

The only thing that matters is that you persist.
Persistence will ensure your success.
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Do You Fear Panic Attacks Could Strike At Any Moment?

Do you fear a panic attack could strike at any moment? Click Here! To Learn More About Panic Away

Sometimes people have the impression that their experience of anxiety is like being hooked up to an electroshock machine and that it just takes a flick of the anxiety switch to cause a flood leading to a full blown panic attack.
People in this situation often feel that are lucky to make it through the day without that switch been flicked but in the back of their mind they fear that it could happen at any moment day or night. They remain on high alert anticipating it. Anticipating the big one!
In fact most people who experience panic attacks fear it in this manner. It is natural for people to think this way as often the panic attacks come forcefully out of the blue.
The truth of the situation is however different. A panic attack does not lurk in the background waiting to pounce, it can feel that way in your mind if you are anxious but that is not how it really works.

Panic attacks are actually something we decide to initiate when we feel out of control. It begins possibly with a skipped heart beat or tightness around the chest, it is then that your mind fires off a thought warning that these sensations are very unusual and signal a dangerous event that needs urgent medical attention or else…

The thought that triggers almost all panic attacks is :
“This is too much , I cannot handle this,” Then the adrenaline starts to really pump.
“Ah I was right look my body is going into a fit…
“I am terrified by what is about to happen…HELP,- PANIC… !”
The severity of the panic attack is directly related to how you are feeling at that time.
If you are exhausted physically, mentally or emotionally then you are more vulnerable to feeling anxious.

After the panic attack has run its course, it is followed by a prolonged period of general anxiety. During this time the person fears that the panic switch might go off again at any moment sending them into another tailspin of high anxiety.
When you feel this way it is very difficult to force a relaxed state of mind through will power (as some other methods would have you do).
So what can you do to stop the mind overreacting to these situations and not initiate the panic attack? Well most of this is about your mind reacting to false signals, so the trick is to train yourself to recognize these false signals for what they and thus shatter the illusion that there is a danger.

There is something very powerful in human psychology and that is the power of giving yourself totally to something. By that I mean, when we make a resolute decision to go for something results are immediate.
In this case you are going for the goal of an anxiety free life. You reach a point where you are completely fed up with this condition and that mindset can produce a real breakthrough. Remember anxiety holds us prisoner because we give it authority. We give it control because it threatens us with terror/death if we do not obey.
Turn this situation on its head. Really chase after the anxiety. It is the anticipation of having a panic attack that keeps you in a general state of anxiety, -so end the anticipation.
There is an element of throwing all caution to the wind to make this fully effective. You abandon yourself to the fear of a panic attack. Sometimes the best way is to get really mad at the terror and say:

“OK come on do your worst- and it better be very strong because I will not have this ruining the rest of my life”
“My life and the people in it are more important than this false fear could ever be, so do your worst because I have had enough.”
The minute you really throw yourself at a panic attack it disappears. It disappears because what was keeping it alive was your fear of having one.
Now you are not afraid in fact you are actually demanding to have a really Big Bad One NOW

DO that right now! Click Here! To Learn More About Panic Away


To make this really work you have to throw yourself at the anxiety 100%
-No coming back
Don’t worry about having an off the scale ‘gigantic’ panic attack. I bet you have already had the very worst panic attack you will ever experience again. That is because the worst panic attacks are generally always the first few as you have no idea at all what is happening to you.
Ignorance in those moments is not bliss.

What I am trying to say is that there is no ‘ultimate’ panic attack waiting in the background that will finally push you over the edge.
Trust and believe that you will always be able to handle the anxious sensations each and every time. You will.
What you get by following my advice is confidence that you can in fact easily handle the anxious sensations.
Confidence is so crucial to tackling this problem. Anxiety can be likened to a fog that we must travel through in order to move beyond the fear of what may be on the other side. When we fail to move through it, the fear will linger and limit us from achieving all the things we would like to accomplish with our lives. Get the help you need today Click Here! To Learn More About Panic Away