Lifestyle

Looking at the way you live your life is a good place to start. Here are some things that may be affecting your anxiety...

Diet - It is important for your nervous system that you get plenty of vitamins in your diet and therefore junk food and refined foods should be avoided. Try to eat at regular times and many small meals may be better than one big meal for maintaining constant blood-sugar.

Drink - Alcohol is a depressant and should be avoided - it may also interfere with any anti-depressant medication you may be taking and, in severe cases, will inhibit your liver's ability to store B vitamins that are essential for a healthy nervous system. A larger number of anxiety sufferers report a marked increase in anxiety when they feel 'hung-over'. Other carbonated drinks may aggravate conditions like indigestion. Tea, coffee and some colas contain caffeine which can contribute towards irregular heart rate. Fruit juices and smoothies can provide essential vitamins and plain water is great for hydrating your body.

Sleep - It is important to adopt a regular sleeping pattern. Try to make sure you go to bed and get up at around the same time every day. If you can't get to sleep, get out of bed and do something else for a while. Don't just lie there getting frustrated and allowing your mind to dwell on negative thoughts.

Exercise - Exercise is effective in dissipating adrenalin and releasing endorphines that naturally make you feel happier and more motivated. Sometimes the increased heart rate that accompanies exercise can increase anxiety but it is important to remember that this is normal. If you have any worries about your heart, consult with your doctor and start with a very light regime.

Relaxation - It is important to allow time in your schedule for your own relaxation. Whether this is sitting in the garden or lying on your sofa watching television, relaxation is very beneficial. Try not to consciously "try to relax" because this very often leads to expectations that will stop you from relaxing.

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Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a system for changing the sufferer's thought processes and beliefs through a course of counselling sessions. The aim is to get you to recognise how you think about anxiety and its triggers and consequences and change your own reactions to avoid anxiety. The therapist may well get you to write down your thoughts and fears in a panic diary so that they can be rationalised and challenged more easily. This also allows the sufferer to review their fears after the event and come to realise that the dire consequences they were expecting never became reality.

CBT focuses on the 'here and now' and empowering the subject to manage issues one at a time.

The therapist will help you to break down anxious situations and examine each set of circumstances and how you think about it and react to it in an attempt to rationalise the thought process.

CBT is also intended to make you aware of your actions in response to fear and how these affect the habits you form and your reactions to future anxiety.

Unfortunately, CBT is hard work and can be daunting. It is sometimes difficult to grasp initially and this can lead to feelings of failure and overwhelming but a good therapist should recognise this and factor it in to your treatment.

Your doctor's surgery should be able to put you in touch with a therapist but, be warned, you may have to pay for this treatment yourself, even in the UK. A similar level of counselling may be available for free via the Community Psychiatric Nurse (CPN) but this will depend on the level of resources available in your area. It is always worth asking the doctor to refer you to the CPN before committing to any expensive therapy courses.

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Hypnosis/Hypnotherapy

The theory behind hypnosis is that the mind has two parts (conscious and subconscious) which are divided by a "critical factor". Things that are learnt via the conscious mind will only be accepted into the subconscious if they are approved by the critical factor, which applies your previous experiences and beliefs. Hypnosis is an attempt to by-pass the critical factor by altering your state of awareness, allowing instructions and new learning directly into the subconscious.

As with most therapies, the key to its success is the establishment of a good rapport between the therapist and the subject.

Most hypnotherapists will use some kind of guided progressive relaxation to induce a level of trance and then use positive suggestions to address your anxiety/phobia issues.

While hypnosis is accepted to be perfectly safe, it is worth noting that not all hypnotists/hypnotherapists are as good/effective as people like Paul Mckenna and that it a treatment/science that is hard to quantify.

There are several sites on the internet where you can purchase self-hypnosis CDs/MP3s but it is also worth browsing the net first to learn what to expect when you experience self-hypnosis.

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TFT/EFT

Thought Field Therapy works on the theory that your body is affected by fields of energy that can be interrupted by tapping on certain points around the body. It was developed by Dr Roger Callahan who came up with a system of algorithms for working out where and when to tap.

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is a variation of TFT but without the complicated algorithms. The theory is that if you tap on every acupressure point, you must cover the one that is "at fault".

The tapping points and sequences for both EFT and TFT can be widely found on the internet for free.

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EMDR

EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocess and works on a system of bilateral stimulations (eye movements or alternating left/right audio signals) in conjunction with appropriate counselling.

It is thought to be more effective in situations where there is a discernible traumatic event to concentrate on.

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Exposure Therapy

Exposure Therapy combines counselling with a graduated exposure to the object of fear. This may be more effective against objects of simple phobias such as spiders or snakes than against a complex phobia such as agoraphobia.

Similar to Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, the counsellor will explore the thoughts associated with the phobia and attempt to change your thoughts and/or behaviour associated with the object of your phobia.

It is important to note that exposure alone is rarely effective against phobias. The exposure should be regulated and accompanied by the appropriate counselling to attempt to create a new attitude.

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Medication

Medication seems to polarise anxiety sufferers into two groups: those who will take medication and those who won't even consider it. It is very often said that medication only hides the real problem but there are people who benefit greatly from taking it.

Anti-depressants - Although originally designed to treat depression , many anti-depressant medications have been found to be effective against anxiety disorders.

SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) such as Fluoxetine, Sertraline, Fluvoxamine, Paroxetine and Citalopram act on the levels of serotonin, a neuro-transmitter chemical in the brain. These drugs normally cause nausea and/or increased anxiety when first administered but these effects normally disappear within a few days. It can take up to two months for SSRIs to take effect so it is important that you stick to the doctor's recommendation and not stop the treatment just because it appears to be ineffective.

Tricyclic anti-depressants generally carry a greater risk of side-effects than SSRIs and are used in cases where anxiety and depression are both present.

MAOIs (Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors) are the oldest kind of anti-depressants and are usually prescribed for panic disorder or social phobia. Reactions between MAOIs and certain food ingredients and other drugs, including SSRIs, can be very dangerous. For this reason, patients are sometimes placed on a restricted diet while taking MAOIs.

Benzodiazepines - Benzodiazepines are much faster acting and are generally prescribed for shorter periods because people can develop a tolerance to them and even become dependant.

Beta Blockers - Beta Blockers are often prescribed in situations where anxiety can be anticipated (public speaking, flying, etc) and work by lessening the body's natural reactions to adrenalin.

 

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