Would you be surprised if I told you that anxiety is ranked no 1 among all the mental conditions in the USA? This is also a disease that can be very difficult to diagnose because people do not usually go to a medical practitioner to ask a remedy for worrying about the various things that plague them. These are real things, their worry is often not misplaced, though too intense – all of which makes it look rather “normal”. When they do go for a check up it is almost always for symptoms that is a by-product of anxiety such as heart palpitations, diarrhea, insomnia, asthma, diabetes and many such others.
Anxiety is often a condition brought on by stress. This is when the alarm in your body goes off saying ‘you are in mortal danger’. The human body like any other living being is designed to fight for its survival. When stress activates the fight-or-flight response the body triggers “a state of emergency” geared for ensuring its survival. What happens then? The brain shuts down or suspends all the systems that are not directly involved in the fight-or-flight response and activates the endocrine system which immediately releases loads of ‘stress hormones’ among which one is adrenaline, which raises the blood pressure, increases the viscosity of your blood and sets the body ready for “action”.
This means that your digestive system, reproductive system, and circulatory system among others are no longer functioning optimally and will remain in such a state until the brain is satisfied that the danger has passed and the body is safe. Unfortunately, prolonged stress, which is very common today does not allow the alarm to shut off; the result is that the body continues to function is a state of anxiety, which unless is checked in time would snowball into depression, eating disorders, heart problems, respiratory complications and infertility among others.
The General Reasons Of Anxiety
When you look at the above facts you would wonder how anxiety is so difficult to diagnose. It rather seems that it should be identified at the first glance, since it is a common knowledge that stress is an integral part of the 21st Century life. However, it is true that it takes many visits to the medical practitioner and persistent investigation to diagnose anxiety. This is because stress and worry had become so common that it is often accepted as “normal” by both the patient and the doctor; and do you treat yourself for anything that is normal?
Stress is the number one trigger for anxiety. Among other factors that can cause anxiety are:
Consumption Of Certain Drugs
The unmonitored consumption of certain drugs causes severe chemical imbalances in the body, which result in anxiety. Some such drugs are dieting pills, thyroid medication, decongestants and cold remedies, amphetamines, tricycle antidepressants and the like.
Withdrawal symptoms – sudden withdrawal of certain drugs would also cause acute feelings of anxiety. Some examples of such drugs are nicotine, (derived from smoking, tea, aerated beverages, etc…) alcohol and caffeine and so on.
Dietary Deficiencies
A poor diet is another possible cause for anxiety. When the body experiences deficiency of critical minerals, salts and vitamins anxiety sets in. This is why a supplement of vitamins, especially B complex and minerals are always advised by the doctors.
Trauma
When you are exposed to extreme stress induced by any type of trauma (rape, physical assault, natural calamity, and so on), anxiety often sets in for a long time. This is known as PTSD or post trauma stress disorder.
Daily Circumstances
The fear of losing your job during recession, worrying about topping the class, inability of managing within your financial resources, high performance demands and so on are also some of the important triggers for anxiety.
Adrenal Glands Malfunction
Although not very common, this too is a cause for anxiety feeling. In this case, the malfunction of the adrenal glands often caused by a tumor, results in releasing of excess hormones into the blood, which in turn cause acute chemical imbalance in the body. The result is anxiety.
This does not mean that there is no escape from anxiety, or that you would not be able to lead an anxiety-free life. To this end, you would have to stay alert and fight the earliest signs and symptoms of stress; only then you could win the battle and the war. You need to recognize and eliminate stress right from the beginning. For this, you need to learn how to identify positively whether you are a victim of anxiety or not.