Anxiety: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Prevention, Treatments and Home Remedies

OVERVIEW:

Anxiety is a mental disorder that results from overthinking about a thing or condition. Anxiety can disturb your sleep at night and can increase the risk of having various mental and physical disorders. Many individuals with anxiety disorder also resort to medicines to come out of this mental condition, but sometimes those oral medicines can also have a bad effect on the body. In this article, you will know in detail about the symptoms of anxiety, its causes and treatment of anxiety disorder.

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

Anxiety disorder is your body's natural response to stress. Anxiety is a fear or apprehension about what is to come or will happen next. The first day of school, a job interview, or a speech can leave most people feeling scared and nervous. But, if the feelings of anxiety are severe and lasting more than about six months, and interfering with your whole life, you may have an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders are of different types. It is a group of mental illnesses, the problems they cause can prevent you from living your happy and normal life. People suffering from anxiety disorder, have constant worry and fear, can be disabling but with the right treatment, many people can manage those feelings and live their lives normally.

Anxiety disorder is not a spontaneous or undiagnosed illness, which may be caused by family causes or exposure. It is caused by a certain type of behavior. Anxiety is a physical, psychological and emotional condition that results in apprehensive behavior.

TYPES OF ANXIETY DISORDER:

Types of anxiety disorders include:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): In generalized anxiety disorder, the individual suffering from the disease worries excessively without any obvious reason. Generalized anxiety disorder is diagnosed when extreme worries about certain things last for six months or more.

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD): Social Anxiety Disorder is a severe social phobia of fear takes to face social situations and scorned by others. In this mental condition, patient may feel lonely and embarrassed.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Post traumatic stress disorder occurs when you experience something traumatic. Its symptoms may appear immediately or may start appearing after some time. Causes of PTSD may include natural disasters, war or physical attacks.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): People with obsessive compulsive disorder are often overwhelmed by the urge to do certain types of tasks, such as washing hands, cleaning, calculating, etc.

Phobia: Phobia is also a type of anxiety, for example fear of tight closed spaces and fear of heights. In this condition, there is a strong desire to avoid the feared object or situation.

Panic Disorder: Panic disorder causes panic attacks that cause intense anxiety and fear. Its physical symptoms include nervousness, irregular heartbeat, chest pain and shortness of breath. This can happen at any time. People suffering from any type of anxiety can have panic attacks.

CAUSES OF ANXIETY:

Researchers do not know exactly what causes anxiety disorder. Similar to other forms of mental disorders, it is caused by a combination of things, including changes in your brain and environment, stress, and heredity.

Anxiety turns into a disorder when anxiety and worry interfere with a normal lifestyle. We don't need to be afraid of anxiety. It is normal to believe that something can harm us. Fear, in fact, is an important part of the body's survival mechanism. We get scared when we feel that we or someone or something we care about might be harmed.

The problem is that the people who are more anxious are at greater risk than those who are less anxious. Too much anxious behavior causes anxiety disorder in our life. There can be many causes of anxiety, which are as follows:

Genetic
To be away from loved ones
Domestic fight
Remembering a scary event
Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle in women

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY:

The symptoms of anxiety cannot be hidden. It is also visible to the people around. Some of its common symptoms include:

Weakness
Nausea
Dizziness
Loss of appetite
Sleeping disorders (insomnia)
Breathing problems
Irregular heartbeat
Cramped muscles
Sweating profusely
Dry mouth
Anxiety, fear or restlessness
Inattention
Inability to remain calm and still
Rapid breathing or hyperventilation
Sweating profusely
Weakness and lethargy
Cold hands or feet, sweating, numbness or tingling
Digestive or gastrointestinal problems
Difficulty concentrating or thinking clearly about anything other than what you're worried about

RISK FACTORS:

There can be many factors that may increase the risk of having an anxiety disorder; including:

Trauma: Children who have suffered trauma or any traumatic events are at a higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Similarly, adults can develop anxiety disorders after experiencing a traumatic event.
Stress: A major event or the creation of small stressful life situations can cause a lot of anxiety. For instance; work stress, a death in the family and worrying about a problem.
Stress due to illness: A disease, condition or serious illness can make you worry about your treatment and future issues.
Personality: People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than others.
Drugs or alcohol:Abusing drugs or alcohol can cause an anxiety disorder or worsen its symptoms.
Other mental health disorders: People with other mental health disorders, such as depression, cause anxiety disorders.

PREVENTION TIPS FOR ANXIETY

There are a number of ways to avoid anxiety; including:

Control your stress: If you have anxiety, it is important to reduce the stress in your life. Find ways to relax. Exercise is a great way to relieve stress. In addition to exercise, take a break from your regular work or plan a vacation. If you have a passion for something special, make time for it. Do things that make you feel happy.
Laugh openly: The reason for stress or anxiety can be anything, but to avoid it, you should always be happy. Laughing openly helps reduce anxiety to a great extent. It can also have a good effect on mental health.
Eat well: Eating a healthy diet will help you feel better both physically and mentally. Try to include fruits, vegetables and whole grains whenever possible. Do not consume sweet, high-fat and processed foods.
Exercise: Morning and evening walks, jogging and exercise can help keep you stress-free. Taking a short walk in the open air everyday helps in relieving stress.
Meditation: With the help of meditation, the mind is focused on an object or idea. It can bring peace mentally and emotionally. Yoga, meditation also triggers neurotransmitters, which help control symptoms of anxiety.
Adequate sleep: Getting good sleep keeps irritability and stress away from you. It also helps to eliminate anxiety. Therefore, take plenty of sleep.
Keep tracking: Track of your stress and anxious mood. By keeping track of these things, you will be able to remember what is the main cause of anxiety or stress.
Deep breathing: When we are under stress, we close our eyes and take deep breaths. This gives relief from stress. By taking deep breaths, energy starts flowing properly in the body, which also works to keep you stress-free.
Use of essential oil: Massage with oil to get rid of anxiety and stress has been going on for many years. Essential oils can be considered the best for this. Along with relieving you of anxiety, it also works to get you good sleep.
Healthy diet: A healthy diet not only has an effect on the body, but it also improves your mental health. It also works to remove anxiety. One study said that a high intake of raw fruits and vegetables benefits mental health.
Quit smoking: Smoking can cause cancer and can also create stress and anxiety for you. All this is due to the nicotine present in cigarette smoke, which can completely spoil your mental health.
Stay away from caffeine: Caffeinated drinks can also work to increase anxiety. Drinking caffeine may initially relieve anxiety for some time, but later it can cause long-term anxiety. Therefore, avoid it.
Avoid smoking, alcohol and substance Abuse: Tobacco, illicit drugs, smoking and alcohol are often thought of as stress relievers, but their use actually harms our bodies, making it difficult to cope with stress and anxiety. Caffeine can also cause or exacerbate an anxiety disorder. In general, the things that make you healthy also help you deal with stress and anxiety.

DIAGNOSIS OF ANXIETY:

If you have symptoms of an anxiety disorder, your doctor or health care provider will examine you and ask for medical history. Doctor can recommend some medical tests related to your mental disorder. However, there is no specific test to diagnose anxiety disorder.

If your doctor can't find a medical cause, he or she may recommend seeing a psychiatrist, psychologist or an another mental health specialist.
These doctors will ask you some questions and use equipment and tests to try to find out if you have an anxiety disorder.
Your doctor will consider the duration and intensity of your symptoms when diagnosing you.
He'll also see if you're having trouble carrying out your normal activities because of your symptoms.

ANXIETY TREATMENTS:

Anxiety disorder can be treated with medication, psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Often, the best course of treatment is a combination of one or two procedures. Anxiety disorders should be treated in the long term. In most cases, its treatment is successful. Anxiety treatments include:

Medication: Many antidepressant medications can be used to treat anxiety disorders. These medicines are used to treat depression and anxiety, so they are called antidepressants.

Psychotherapy: Psychotherapy is a type of counseling that addresses the emotional response to mental illness. A mental health specialist helps you through conversations about your anxiety disorder and how to deal with it.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Cognitive behavioral therapy is also known as CBT. This type of psychotherapy teaches you to identify changes in your thinking patterns and behaviors that lead to anxiety.

ANXIETY COMPLICATIONS:

If you have anxiety symptoms, it may lead to many complications; including:

Depression (which often accompanies an anxiety disorder) or other mental health disorder.
Desire to use drugs.
Having suicidal thoughts.
Social isolation.
Poor quality of life.
Trouble falling asleep (insomnia).
Digestive or bowel problems.
Headache and long lasting pain.

HOME REMEDIES FOR ANXIETY:

Home remedies can help to some extent. But, we just want to make it clear that these remedies can only help to remove anxiety symptoms. These are not the fully cure of anxiety. If you're feeling anxiety symptoms as described above, see a doctor right away. Remedies include:

1. Avocados:

Material:

How To Use:

Massage your scalp with avocado oil.
You can also consume avocado fruit.
You can consume it every morning and massage your scalp with its oil at night.

Benefits:

There are some properties found in avocado fruit, which can help in relieving anxiety. Vitamin B is found in avocado, which helps in relieving this mental condition. In addition, avocados also contain serotonin (a type of neurotransmitter) and dopamine (a type of hormone and neurotransmitter), which may work to improve your mood.

2. Oranges:

Material:

1 teaspoon of orange oil
1 teaspoon of lavender oil

How To Use:

Mix both the oils together and heat it slightly.
Then apply it on the head and massage it well.
Massage it before sleeping at night.

Benefits:

You must know the benefits of eating oranges, but do you know about the benefits of orange oil. Yes, you can get relief from anxiety and stress by using orange oil. Due to the medicinal properties found in this oil, it can be used as a home remedy for many diseases. Orange oil works as aromatherapy and its aroma works to freshen the mood, which can relieve anxiety.

3. Almonds:

Material:

Almond oil
Lavender oil
Michelia Alba leaf essential oil

How To Use:

Mix all the oils well together.
Now apply it on the head and massage it well.
You can apply it on the head before sleeping at night.

Benefits:

Oil massage is considered best for treating anxiety. Mixing almond oil, lavender oil and Michelia alba leaf oil can give you relief from anxiety. Its mixture produces anti-anxiety effects, which can help you with anxiety remedies.

4. Spinach:

Material:

How To Use:

Make juice by grinding spinach leaves in a mixer.
Now drink it. Spinach can also be eaten as a vegetable.
You can drink up to one glass of juice daily. Instead you can also eat a cup of vegetable made with spinach.

Benefits:

Consumption of spinach is considered useful for physical and mental health. It has anti-stress and anti-depressive effects, which prove to be helpful in keeping you stress-free. The calories present in it work to reduce the amount of corticosterone (a type of hormone) in the blood. This helps in relieving stress. Therefore, spinach should be consumed to get rid of anxiety.

5. Carrots:

Material :

How To Use:

Make juice by grinding carrots in a mixer.
Now drink this fresh juice.
Drinking it every morning keeps the mood good. Also it is beneficial for health.

Benefits:

Carrots contain many nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin K, as well as fiber and potassium, which help to overcome many diseases. The potassium found in carrots works to relieve anxiety and stress. Therefore, carrots can be used in the treatment of anxiety.

6. Strawberries:

Material:

How To Use:

Wash and eat fresh strawberries thoroughly.
Eat some strawberries every morning and evening.

Benefits:

Antioxidant deficiency can also be a cause for concern. Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants can help a lot in this regard. Strawberries have a good amount of antioxidant properties, which can be helpful in relieving anxiety.

7. Nutmeg:

Material:

1 teaspoon of nutmeg powder or oil

How To Use:

Nutmeg powder can be used as a spice in the diet.
Smelling nutmeg oil can also improve mood.
Use as a condiment in the food for lunch and dinner.

Benefits:

Nutmeg powder along with enhancing the taste of food also works to keep you healthy. It can be used to relieve the symptoms of anxiety disorder. Antioxidant properties are found in nutmeg, which can work to relieve anxiety.

8. Rosemary Oil:

Material:

1 teaspoon of rosemary oil
1 teaspoon of peppermint oil

How To Use:

Mix both oils and heat them.
Then massage it well on the head.

Benefits:

A study has proved that rosemary oil can be used to relieve anxiety. Rosemary and peppermint oils work like aromatherapy, which can work to relieve you from anxiety as well as provide restful sleep.

DIET FOR ANXIETY: WHAT TO EAT AND AVOID

What to Avoid While Having An Anxiety Disorder?

You should not consume following foods in this mental illness:

Coffee: Coffee increases the level of cortisol in the body which can make you feel more anxious. So you just need to avoid consuming coffee if you're having an anxiety disorder.

Alcoholism: While having an anxiety disorder, your doctor can give you some oral medications (antidepressants) and alcohol is also an antidepressant itself. When you consume alcohol while having oral medication, it can cause huge health side-effects and can make you feel more dizzy. It can make your symptoms worse.

What to Eat While Having An Anxiety Disorder?

Consumption of the following foods can be beneficial:

TAKE AWAY

After reading this article, you must have understood that what measures should be adopted to stay away from anxiety. Also, information about its home remedies can help in getting rid of anxiety. Foods mentioned to keep the mood good can be beneficial for you. Hope this article will help you to be worry free.

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