Hi Guys, a lot of you have been asking me why I haven’t been active on the net lately. I have a good reason. I have just finished writing my second book. I can’t share any more details about it yet because I’ve yet to publish it on Amazon. This book will also be available on paperback, and will happen sometime before the end of January 2017, so please keep an eye out for it. I promise you it will be very informative and easy to read and follow.
Taming Life _ Happiness Is Not a Myth will also be available on paperback later this month, or February some time.
Below is an excerpt from the Bonus Material section at the back of my new book. I hope you like it.
Anxiety is another little monster that sometimes decides to take up residence in our being. I say being because anxiety doesn’t only happen in our minds, it’s more than that. Anxiety affects our mind, our brain, our entire body, our organs and our very soul. Anxiety can be an extremely unpleasant experience, not to mention a costly and debilitating one.
Some of the signs of anxiety are as follows;
• A knotted feeling in the stomach, or in the throat.
• A tightness in the chest. Your mind races around in circles.
• Shortness of breath.
Anxiety shares a lot of symptoms with stress so if you remember what we have already discussed in the stress section of this book, then you’re half way there to understanding anxiety.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (1999), anxiety disorders (and associated illnesses) affect over forty million Americans over the age of 18. I find this alarming figure astounding.
Anxiety disorders can come about because of very complex risk factors. Some of these factors include genetics, brain chemistry, personality types, and of course, life events and experiences.
Anxiety is a bit like a bully in the sense that it normally doesn’t show up to play by itself. Usually anxiety brings some friends along. Not your friends – its friends. Some very nasty characters.
Often people that suffer from anxiety also suffer from depression, as well as a number of other related conditions. For example;
General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• GAD affects around 6.8 million American adults. Women are twice as likely to be affected as men.
Panic Disorder
• Panic disorder affects around 6 million Americans. This is also a condition that affects twice as many women as men.
• Panic disorder also has a very high comorbidity rate with major depression. This means that they show up to play together A LOT.
Social Anxiety Disorder
• A whopping 15 million Americans are affected by this condition. Men and women are affected by this in more or less equal measures. This condition can present itself as early as age 13.
• According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, a 2007 survey revealed that sufferers of this condition experience the symptoms for as long as ten years or more before seeking help.
Related illnesses
• A significant percentage of people who suffer from some anxiety disorder also have other illnesses or disorders. These additional conditions can make their symptoms much worse. Having one disorder is difficult enough. Having two or more can make recovery much more difficult, often compounding the individual’s mental, as well as physical health problems.
Below are some friends anxiety brings to the table;
• Bipolar disorder
• Headaches
• Sleep disorders
• Adult ADHD
• Chronic pain
• Stress
• Agoraphobia
• Eating disorders
• Irritably Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
• Substance abuse
• Fibromyalgia
• Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Some people that suffer from anxiety also experience panic attacks. These attacks are one of the most frightening experiences anyone can go through.
When you are in the midst of a panic attack you are experiencing an overwhelming, intense fear, or discomfort that reaches maximum intensity in just a couple of minutes. Sometimes in seconds. Sometimes you are awaken from a deep sleep by a panic attack.
Some of the symptoms of a panic attack may include palpitations, accelerated heart rate, sweating, shaking or trembling, a shortness of breath, or a feeling like you are being smothered.
Most (if not all) anxiety disorders are treatable. In the least of cases they are manageable with therapy, medication, or with complementary and alternative treatments.
The reason you are experiencing anxiety is because of fear. I realize that sounds simplistic, but it’s a reality. Anxiety equals fear. Anxiety manifests because we have no trust or confidence in ourselves. This creates an environment for ourselves whereby we are fearful of potentially negative, future events or outcomes.
It happens because we ask ourselves a simple question, well, we might not actually ask the question but we go through all the processes as if the question was asked. The question is very simple, “what if [outcome equals doom]?”
Of course, the reason you are suffering from anxiety is because the answer is almost always, “if that, then the world is going to come crumbling down around me, and I have no control over that.” Or something to that effect. I’m sure you get the gist.
By repeating this type of internal Q&A over and over, the same type of answer will permeate our every thought. An answer with a potentially negative outcome. At this point we begin to see almost everything in our life as the same type of outcome, a negative one. This scares the heck out of us.
The fear comes about because this future event is always a negative one. If it was positive it wouldn’t give us anxiety. Often people become anxious from thinking about a future event that concerns them, at least it can start that way. That event could be an exam. It could be a job interview, or it could be about finances, a fragile or difficult relationship etc.
Or it could just be a concern that the cat might not like the new cat food you just bought him. Don’t laugh. When in an anxious state, dropping a pencil can set you off.
Other times anxiety comes about because we are feeling bad about ourselves. About our lives. Perhaps we are thinking about something we regret, or are ashamed of. The catalysts are endless, but usually they are based on fear and frustration.
Because the reason we experience anxiety is that we may be thinking incessantly of a future event, and believing that it will turn out badly for us, we build up our internal stress juices until the situation becomes unbearable.
Prolonged anxiety can, and most probably will lead to high levels of stress, depression, and overall bad health. Now, based on the above, think about the worst anxiety you can imagine and multiply it a thousand fold. That is a panic attack.
Tony Jarrah
An excerpt from my new book about to hit Amazon any day now for Kindle as well as paperback
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