subject: Anxiety And Its Causes [print this page] Anxiety is described by the AMA as a general feeling of uneasiness, dread, uncertainty, and fear in response to or in anticipation of a real or imaged threat. The physical symptoms of anxiety are insomnia, fatigue, diarrhea, dry mouth, sexual difficulty, poor attention span, shakes, sweating, enlarged pupils, indecisiveness, appetite loss, hyperventilation, accelerated heart rate, heart palpitations, and urinary frequency.
Because of the anxieties and fears that a person has, he becomes vulnerable towards situations that feed on those very anxieties and fears. For example, if a person does not like his physical appearance and people comment about it negatively all the time, it is highly likely that this would cause him to have a very low self-confidence. And in order for him to avoid getting criticized for it, he would avoid talking to people.
Causes of Anxiety:
Ongoing stress
If we experience stress over a long period of time, and are unable to reduce it or work through it, it tends to accumulate and does not automatically go away. This cumulative stress can put so much pressure on the mind and body that your body will go into automatic protection mode, resulting in high levels of anxiety. If the anxiety causes are not addressed and the stress is not decreased or managed, people can then often develop an Anxiety Disorder.
When certain chemicals are elevated, it causes the nervous system to go into a state of panic, and you will be extremely anxious and frazzled as a result. Because of these occurrences, there are a wide variety of counterproductive chemicals that have been created, and are prescribed to people with chronic anxiety issues.
Since we often can trace the direct cause of our anxious behavior, the next step is to find ways to work through it. There is no point to going through life constantly feeling tense and worried. Over time, it will take its toll on you and you will find yourself feeling worn out and restless. Remember to take a step back, breathe, relax, and get plenty of rest.
A major cause of anxiety can be genetics. Biology determines a great deal of how we are, from eye color to nose shape, and right down to the main core of our personality. If one or both of your parents tend to worry about things frequently, then chances are you will have the same reactions to situations. It is possible for this type of trait to skip generations, but more than likely whatever does not trickle down from heredity will catch with you from the nervous environment in which you live.
These causes of anxiety attacks are either:
- While under the influence of an illicit drug, such as cocaine or amphetamines
- While withdrawing from either an illicit drug or from prescription drugs like Vicodin, benzodiazepines or barbiturates
It is known that a family history of anxiety increases the likelihood of developing the condition. That is, a genetic predisposition can increase the chances of anxiety attacks.
In order for a person to overcome anxiety attacks, he must be able to assess his anxieties and fears. He must verify if these are real or otherwise.
