Anxieties and fears

What is anxiety?

A person who feels helpless in his coping and feels restlessness and mental stress, as a result of some danger, whether real or imaginary, is in a state of anxiety. There is usually a trigger for this situation in a particular event. The manifestation can be physiological (pain, illness, discomfort), can be emotional (nervousness, stress, crying) and will always be manifested in symptoms associated with an anxiety condition. Anxiety is, in fact, a natural and surviving mechanism of our body, in order to protect against dangers or threats, which allows us to act quickly. In the distant past, the mechanism was effective and vital, but today it is not used properly in most cases, and not least, may even develop into an anxiety disorder, which unfortunately, impairs the quality of life of many people.

Here are the symptoms that a person is likely to experience at least three of them during an attack:

• Sweating and unexplained tremor in the limbs.
• A feeling of suffocation and shortness of breath.
• An intense need to escape from the threatening place or situation in which he is trapped.
• A sense of existential threat, helplessness and crippling fear.
• Pressure or pain in the chest and “punctures” on the left side of the chest.
• Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Heat and cold waves (not related to menopause)
• A feeling of detachment and paralyzing fear that has no grip on reality:
• Fear of death (without the existence of a terminal illness)
• Loss of control.

How do you know if you have an anxiety attack?

Anxiety attack is an emotional state, which appears suddenly, as a result of exposure to various factors, such as fear, stress, panic or emotional discomfort, individually. The sensations will peak in a few seconds to a few minutes. During an attack, there are physiological (physical) symptoms, and these are usually the first to arrive, such as: sweating, accelerated heart rate, tremor, pallor, feeling suffocated, headache and dizziness. They may be followed by cognitive symptoms, such as thoughts and feelings that something bad is about to happen, up to the thought of insanity or even death. These symptoms may lead to behavioral changes, for example: paralysis and a feeling of stagnation and helplessness and future avoidance of a similar situation.

Diagnosis of anxiety attacks and fears

Anxieties and fears are a burden that you may live with throughout your life. Many people who have experienced an anxiety attack live in constant fear of another attack, as there are those who suffer from an anxiety attack suddenly and without prior signs or a clear trigger, such as a person who suffers from fear of enclosed spaces and may be indoors. If you notice any of the symptoms you have, you should find out if you are part of the population suffering from anxiety attacks and seek appropriate treatment. The initial diagnosis can be made by your family doctor, who will give you a referral, depending on his opinion and the symptoms you present.

Common types of anxiety attacks:

The human anxiety mechanism is activated when we perceive some factor as a threat to us. It is a survival mechanism, designed to protect the person from dangers and keep him alert for a quick response. Studies show that there is a genetic cause for the phenomenon and about half of those who experience anxiety attacks have a relative who has suffered or has suffered from them in the past. An anxiety attack occurs when a person perceives some factor as threatening and he feels in danger. His perception is often misguided, exaggerated or imaginary, but as a result, physiological symptoms develop, and these contribute to the intensification of fear and anxiety, so that a kind of nourishing cycle is formed, which culminates as an anxiety attack. It is important to note that the frequency of anxiety attacks varies from person to person, as does the intensity and intensity of the onset of symptoms.

There are 3 common types of anxiety attacks:

1. Sudden anxiety – an attack that appears without any warning and for no apparent reason.
2. Recurrent anxiety in certain situations – there is a trigger that activates the anxiety mechanism such as: A person with elevator anxiety, when he is in or near an elevator, will experience anxiety symptoms and get to the point of an attack. Other situations for example: flight anxiety, driving anxiety, test anxiety, audience anxiety and more.
3. Tendency to anxiety attacks in certain situations – a person may suffer from an anxiety attack in a certain situation, but sometimes he will not feel anxious and the attack will not come. For example: a boy who suffers from test anxiety: it is possible that in tests in certain professions he will experience an anxiety attack and in tests in other professions he will not feel anxious at all.