subject: What Is It Like To Have Anxiety Disorder? [print this page] The word anxiety comes from the Latin, anxietas or anxius and is defined as the abnormal apprehension of some imaginary or real thing often accompanied by increased pulse, sweating and tremors. Obviously it is natural and healthy to have some momentary anxiety about some real dangers. However, when it gets out of hand, overblown or in any way that makes one's life miserable, it is no longer considered normal but rather as an unhealthy condition presently known as anxiety disorder and was originally termed anxiety neurosis.
Whatever it is called, the actual fear or dread itself can seem quite nameless or abstract. One with anxiety disorder can be scared out of one's wits yet of nothing in particular or it can be the forerunner of agoraphobia, which, unlike other phobias, is a more generalized fear that can spread to all sorts of different situations and circumstances most often associated with places and activities away from home.
There is also something called panic disorder which is an aspect of anxiety disorder but with more emphasis on the panic attacks that often accompany anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder can have many different aspects to it. One person can suffer one way and another in a completely different way.
Social anxiety (phobia) is quite common with those suffering from anxiety disorder. One could develop and excessive shyness or even go on to develop an overwhelming panic while being in the presence of others. I had many personal experience of this problem myself such as an absolute fear of talking in front of a group of people: the larger the group, the greater the fear! Too often, even with one person, I would get very self-conscious and lose my train of thought sometimes in mid sentence!
Anxiety disorder, which is often associated with depression and possibly even fatigue, can be one of the fastest ways by which the entire quality of one's life is destroyed. That means many of the forms of enjoyment so often taken for granted are often either completely ruined, interrupted or greatly diminished. One's ability to cope with stress, hold a conversation, follow through with an important appointment, stay focused, etc., can all be seriously threatened by the symptoms of excessive anxiety. That does not mean that it is impossible to enjoy pleasure or moments of happiness, etc., as it would be in the case of severe, chronic depression.
Anxiety disorder can be a serious illness, often needing emergency treatment right away. The suicide rate for those with anxiety disorder can actually be much higher than those suffering only from depression. Therefore, it is vital that this disorder be kept under control.
Those with anxiety disorder often have a strong tendency and/or history of addiction to alcohol and/or other drugs. This is a great concern, because such things may provide immediate, but temporary relief while making the overall situation much, much worse.
One very important way to battle unreasonable or unnecessary fear is to consume a balanced or synergistic combination of antioxidants, herbal nerviness and super foods that are especially good for the brain. Whatever the brain needs to function optimally also seems to increase its ability to handle stress. Of course there are all sorts of drugs and medications on the market that could be very helpful, however they do tend to have side-effects and only cover over the symptoms (often temporarily) rather than get at the real cause of the problem which may include an excess of free-radical activity in the brain. There are many different approaches possible that may help reduce anxiety. Nature has provided many ways to alleviate stressful tendencies, however, for extreme cases, a great many different herbs, vitamins, and super-food supplements in combination would have to be used. It is vital to get a qualified health practitioner to help one do this properly. I am in no way qualified to do this for you, I can only point the way.
I would often dream of how wonderful life would be without any such fears; how free I would be! Unfortunately, fear is such a deeply rooted part of the human psyche, it would take massive amounts of various therapies to get rid of it. One of the first things that would help greatly is to get rid of the fear of death by reading whatever sources of information on the near-death experience and spiritualism you can find, either over the internet, TV programs, videos, CD's or some really good books on the subject. Life seems so much less nerve-racking to the extent one can firmly believe that not only is there a continuation of life beyond death, but also it is quite pleasant, incredibly natural and fully meaningful. A strong faith in God and being able to tune into God(dess)'s love can be invaluable.
