Understanding an Anxiety Attack


Modern urban populace is thriving under pressure. There is always some or the other tension. Work-home balance, corporate wars, meetings, deadlines, lure of substance abuse, high flying careers, these may sound awesome but they bring along huge burden on a person’s mind and body, and most often than not result in anxiety. It is one of the most common mental ailments that most people are found suffering from. All of us excessive worry about something, but when it reaches a level where it cannot be controlled, anxiety attacks occur.

How do anxiety attacks happen?

In most people suffering from anxiety disorder, there is a sense of acute depression, fear about some accident /personal loss in the near future. The fear extends to a level that people forget their surroundings and cannot concentrate on the job at hand. Acute fear leads to secretion of stress hormones in human body and brings about anxiety attack.

Symptoms of an anxiety attack

Most of the symptoms of an anxiety attack are not life threatening. Sometimes no physical implications can be noticed by the patient at all. The onlookers can understand if the person suddenly turns pale or whitish with blotches appearing on cheeks or red ears. A person suffering an attack can also experience burning skin and a tightening feeling in the throat akin to choking. Many times dizziness and light-headedness is also common. Ears may feel like plugged and there will be pain in chest. Some people also report having nausea and a sudden urge to run away from the place. All the symptoms and their manifestations depend on the severity of the anxiety attack.

Understanding and subsequent cure

So, the first step towards cure is understanding the above symptoms and accepting the same. Denying the fact that you may as well be a victim of panic attack or anxiety attack is not going to take you anywhere. Many people resolve to ignore it until and unless the situation worsens to a further attack. Remember that if you do not take adequate steps to win over anxiety, it will win you over. Also keep in mind that, in such case you can say goodbye to a life of normalcy.

Remind yourself that the feeling of being anxious is a common one and the fact that you are having a little trouble dealing with it will also pass away. Maintaining a positive attitude and start making lifestyle corrections are the first steps that you can take. Excessive alcohol or smoking, too many cups of coffee, irregular meals, chronic crash diets, compromising sleeping schedule all makes you very vulnerable to anxiety attacks. You need to tackle these first. Writing down your feelings just after the attack subsides could also lead you into understanding the cause of the attack. If nothing helps, see a specialist for a cure. With correct therapies, counseling and medications, if need be you will soon be like anyone else, happy, carefree and ready to take on life without anxiety.

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