Anxiety attacks are episodes in which people feel intense fear and panic. They tend to occur suddenly and without any real warning. While sometimes there is an obvious trigger, such as giving a speech in public or getting stuck while riding an elevator, at other times an anxiety attack occurs out of nowhere.
While sometimes anxiety allows people to stay focused and alert, severe anxiety symptoms can be overwhelming and constant. They interfere with daily activities and relationships.
There are many signs associated with severe anxiety:
• Constantly feeling on edge or worried
• Interference with school, work, and/or familial responsibilities
• Plagued by irrational fears
• Feeling of dread looming if something is not done in a specific way
• Avoidance of certain activities and situations because they bring up feelings of anxiety
• Sudden and unexpected panic attacks
• Feeling of danger around every corner
Anxiety is an emotion caused by the fight or flight response in the body and includes a wide array of physical symptoms. Common physical severe anxiety symptoms include:
• Twitches and tremors
• Pounding heart
• Muscle tension
• Sweating
• Headaches
• Upset stomach
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Insomnia
Aside from the primary physical symptoms, there are emotional symptoms as well:
• Excessive and irrational fear
• Extreme irritability
• Restlessness
• Trouble concentrating
• Feeling jumpy and tense
• Always anticipating the worst
Dealing With Severe Symptoms Of Anxiety
These severe anxiety symptoms can bring about the onset of an anxiety attack. Most anxiety attacks last between ten minutes and a few hours, but coupled with the physical symptoms, they can feel like they last forever and the individual is about to lose control. Some of the symptoms associated with a severe anxiety attack include:
• Feelings of loss of control
• Increase of overwhelming panic
• Hyperventilation
• Chills and/or hot flashes
• Heart palpitations and chest pain
• Shaking and trembling
• Stomach cramps and nausea
• Feeling detached
• Trouble breathing
When it comes to how to deal with such severe anxiety symptoms, the first thing to do is determine what kind of anxiety the person is suffering from. There are six main types of anxiety.
Generalized anxiety disorder is when constant fears and worries distract individuals from their daily activities. This constant feeling of something bad happening turns these individuals into “worrywarts” and they tend to be anxious all the time.
Obsessive compulsive disorder is defined as unwanted behaviors and/or thoughts that seem impossible to control or stop. Obsessions may be a recurring worry that the oven is not turned off, whereas a compulsion could be washing hands over and over again.
Panic disorder is when people suffer from sudden and frequent panic attacks, and the fear of having another panic attack causes individuals to actually suffer from panic attacks. One of the most common causes of panic disorders is agoraphobia – the fear of being in places or situations where finding assistance or escaping may be difficult so individuals avoid public locations.
Phobias are exaggerated or unrealistic fear of a certain activity, object or situation that really does not present any danger. Common phobias include flying, certain animals, heights, or public speaking. People with a phobia tend to avoid situations that would cause the phobia to occur.
Post-traumatic stress disorder is described as an anxiety disorder that occurs after an event that was life threatening or traumatic. Symptoms include nightmares and flashbacks, withdrawal from individuals, and situational avoidance.
There are three main ways to deal with severe anxiety symptoms – behavioral therapy, medications, and complementary treatments.
Behavioral Therapy
There are two types of behavioral therapies that assist individuals in how to deal with their anxiety symptoms: exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Exposure therapy recreates the scene so individuals are able to confront whatever they fear in a controlled, safe environment. By repeating this exposure, either in a real situation or in an imaginary one, individuals gain control over the feared person, thing, or situation, thereby diminishing the anxiety. With cognitive behavioral therapy, individuals focus on the thoughts and behaviors which cause the irrational beliefs and negative thinking patterns that cause the onset of the anxiety symptoms.
Medication
There are a number of medications used to treat severe anxiety symptoms, including antidepressants and benzodiazepines. Because these medications only mask symptoms but do not get to the underlying root of the cause of the anxiety, it is best to couple medication with behavioral therapy. Medication offers a short term solution and for some forms of severe anxiety, is only needed from time to time, like when confronted with the anxiety trigger.
Complementary Treatments
Because of the side effects of medications as well as their dependent nature, many people are looking to move away from medication, or at least not be quite so reliant on it. Therefore, a number of complementary treatments are available that can provide relief from severe anxiety symptoms.
Exercise is seen as a natural way to reduce stress and relieve anxiety. Clinical studies have demonstrated that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise between three and five times a week will provide relief from severe anxiety symptoms.
Biofeedback allows individuals to use sensors to measure physiological functions, including breathing and heart rate, and educates individuals on how to recognize the way in which the body responds to anxiety and how to control them to hinder the onset of an anxiety attack.
Relaxation techniques should be practiced regularly to reduce the symptoms of anxiety and elevate feelings of emotional well being and relaxation. These techniques include visualization, controlled breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and meditation.
Hypnosis is still being used by many people along with behavior therapy to inhibit the onset of severe anxiety symptoms. Hypnotherapists put individuals in a deeply relaxed state and then use a variety of therapeutic methods to assist individuals in facing all their fears and look at them in a new way that does not cause the onset of severe anxiety.
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