Anxiety

Anxiety related disorders can include generalized anxiety, specific phobias and panic disorders. Generalized anxiety can lead one to feel like they are in a constant state of fear, worry or dread. One can also feel physical sensations such as heart palpitations, pressure in the chest, GI upset, headaches, muscle tension and shortness of breath. In fact, anxiety can affect so many body systems, it may seem like there are other physical problems. It is always important to be evaluated for any of these physical symptoms, but if no physical cause is found, it is time to rule out anxiety. Anxiety can mimic the flight or fight response in the body, so it affects all body systems to enable you to outrun that tiger! Except we rarely have a need to outrun tigers these days.

Anxiety reduction techniques and certain types of meditation can help with lowering the body’s anxiety response and replace it with a sense of calmness. Sometimes anxiety is our body’s way of telling us there is something off in our world and we need to make changes. And sometimes anxiety is related to early experiences in our lives and understanding these connections and why we may feel anxious in certain situations will help us lower the anxiety.