Beverlee Brownlee Undergrad & Graduate students

 Anxiety is defined as painful uneasiness of mind or abnormal apprehension and fear accompanied by physiological signs of doubt about the nature and reality of a certain fear or self- doubt.  Stress and anxiety are not the same thing, however they reinforce each other.  Stress causes one to become anxious and anxiety causes stress levels to increase. It’s a never ending cycle.

 Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)  Social anxiety disorder  Panic disorder  Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)  Phobia

 Characterized by excessive and often time exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life for no obvious reason  Tend to always expect disaster  Can’t stop worrying about health, money, family. and work/school  Becomes constant state of fear, worry and dreadand worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for worry

 Also called social phobia; anxiety disorder in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations  afraid that he or she will make mistakes and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others  Lack of social skills and/or experience in social situations  See phobiaphobia

 Different from normal fear and anxiety reactions to stressors  Can strike without reason and warning  Usually do ton out of proportion response to a fear that has little or no danger  Develop a constant fear that can interfere with everyday life Trigger stimulus (Thoughts or feelings) Perceived threat Physical sensation Anxiety catastrophic (why me? It’s always me) Physiological sensations (sweating, palpitations)

 Potentially disabling illness that traps people in endless cycles of repetitive thoughts and behaviors  Plagued with recurring thoughts, images and fears that one cannot control  May make ritual go away temporarily but once the fear or thought comes back, the cycle begins all over again

 A lasting and unreasonable fear caused by the presence or thought of a specific object or situation  That usually poses little or no actual danger  Can significantly interfere with the person's ability to function

EmotionalPhysical  Trouble concentrating  Feeling tense & jumpy  Irritability  Restlessness  Anticipating the worst  Insomnia  Fatigue  Muscle tension  Sweating  Headaches  Shortness of breath

 Moderate exercise/dietary changes  Breathing techniques  Cognitive behavior therapy  Mindfulness meditation  Hypnosis  Progressive muscle relaxation

 The key to deep breathing is to breathe deeply from the abdomen getting as much fresh air into the lungs  This decreases shortness of breath and tension to subside  Steps used:  Sit comfortably, back straight, put one hand on chest while the other is resting on your stomach Take it easy and breathe

 Breathe in through your nose while your hand on the stomach is gently rising and other hand is slowly rising off chest  Exhale through your mouth, pushing out as much air as you can while contracting your abdominal muscles  Push out all negative thoughts when exhaling

 Widely used treatment amongst professionals  Addresses negative thoughts that attribute to anxiety and stress  Ultimate goal of CBT is to identify and correct negative thoughts and beliefs  Three steps used:  Identify negative thoughts: some situations are perceived more dangerous than in reality  Challenge those thoughts: question the evidence for your frightening thoughts; analyze unhelpful beliefs and test out the reality of negative predictions

 Replace negative thoughts with realistic ones: after identifying irrational predictions and negative distortions replace them with new thoughts that are more accurate and positive

 Exercise is a natural stress buster and anxiety reliever  30 minutes of exercise three to five times a week can provide significant anxiety relief  Along with exercising daily eating a well-balanced diet provides relief for both stress and anxiety

 Involves focusing mind on the present without judgment  Observe thoughts as they enter the mind and let go as quickly as they enter  Thoughts become temporary pulses in the mind  Reduces tendencies to automatically assume thoughts are facts Nice happy thoughts

 Tips to effectively use mindfulness  Take time to sit somewhere quiet & slowly relax breathing  Allow your self to accept the present: focus on the world around you  Release negative thoughts and replace with more positive ones

 Hypnosis is sometimes used in combination with cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety.  While you’re in a state of deep relaxation, the hypnotherapist uses different therapeutic techniques to help you face your fears and look at them in new ways.

 Technique for reducing anxiety by tensing and relaxing the muscles  Developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson  Entails both the physical and mental components  The physical part involves tensing and relaxing the muscle groups of legs, abdomen, chest, arms and face  done for approximately 10 seconds and then released for 20 seconds before continuing with the next muscle group.

 The mental part focuses on the difference between the feelings of tension and relaxation  one is forced to concentrate on the sensation of tension and relaxation

 For more info on medication and treatment options available go to: treatment options and info treatment options and info  anxiety disorders anxiety disorders  Now go relax