All people feel anxiety at a certain point of their everyday lives.
It is characterized by feelings of nervousness, apprehension, fear and dread.
A person who is anxious becomes jittery and tense.
But what happens if it hinders you from living your life normally? Stressful situations often evoke anxiety in all of us.
In fact, it is considered a normal reaction.
This way our body responds accordingly so it can prepare itself from danger.
However unpleasant the feeling may be, it actually helps an individual become more alert and focused.
But at times, the feeling of uneasiness and worry becomes so overwhelming that it begins to affect the person's life negatively.
The general symptoms shown by a person with anxiety disorder are restlessness, irritability, foreboding, worry and fear.
Aside from these, physical manifestations such as increased heart rate, excessive sweating, fatigue, insomnia, nausea and shortness of breath occurs.
Depression often follows anxiety because they were both found to be a result of the same biological vulnerability.
Anxiety attacks may also occur that is also termed as panic attacks.
It occurs without warning and lasts for about ten minutes, more or less.
The manifestations of anxiety attacks are extremely frightening because it feels as though one is dying.
It is characterized by hot flashes, hyperventilation, chest pains and heart palpitations, temporary mania, detachment and an overwhelming feeling of panic.
The treatments for the same often involves medication, therapy or a combination of both.
In terms of the previous, cognitive behavioral therapy is the most recommended treatment.
Here, the patient is assisted by a psychiatrist to recognize his or her disturbing thought patterns.
The patient then learns how to manage anxiety by segregating real and non-real thoughts.
He is also taught on how to gain control of situations that may trigger this disorder.
Another form of treatment is meditation.
The individual is taught relaxation techniques to minimize stress.
By doing so, he or she lessens the chances of triggering anxiety.
Examples are breathing exercises and yoga.
Many opt for medications to deal with this situation.
These drugs, however, only alleviate symptoms of anxiety but do not eliminate the root cause.
They range from beta blockers to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors to Benzodiazepines.
They all have different mechanisms of action but all help control manifestations of anxiety disorders.
One of the adverse effects of these medications is that prolonged use may lead to drug dependence which may eventually develop into drug addiction.
Changing an individual's lifestyle has also been found to be an effective anxiety disorder treatment.
Enough sleep, eating a balanced diet, and doing exercises improve overall body health.
Such activities can help lessen stress and promote normal functioning of organs which is a drastically minimizes the physical manifestations of anxiety disorders.
Often times, people with anxiety disorders feel incessant worry that can cause mental, emotional and physical fatigue.
In order to relieve themselves of the turmoil that accompanies anxiety disorders, they seek medications to alleviate them.
This is why the combination of anxiety medications and cognitive behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment for anxiety.