Don't let anyone tell you different – anxiety and stress are a part of everybody's life. It's actually normal to experience some amount of fear and anxiety – It's how our body reacts to "dangerous" situations. The "fight of flight" response kicks in and your body prepares to "attack the enemy", or run away from it.Extreme anxiety is not part of the original plan unfortunately.
What Happens to Your Body During Anxiety and Panic attacks?
Chemicals like Adrenaline are released into our bloodstream and our body goes through dramatic changes:
• The heart starts pounding faster to bring oxygen to organs to help them "fight" or "flight". Our blood pressure increases. Your breathing becomes faster to provide more oxygen. You can experience chest pain and dizziness because of that.
• Our awareness is stronger, the eye sight is also sharpened.
• Your legs and hands start shaking to prepare them for fast action. You may feel tingling – that's your blood rushing to get where it needs to go!
• Your hands can become sweaty to give you a better grip.
• The blood gets re-directed from your digestive system to your muscles for the same reason. That's why anxiety sufferers have problems with digesting.
• You can feel nausea or the need to vomit – also a protective mechanism – after vomiting you become "lighter" and a better runner…
But there is no enemy here – why do I get anxiety and panic attacks?
You feel like anxiety and panic attacks are "coming from nowhere" right? There is no "enemy" or any real danger but suddenly panic attacks you.
You have to remember that our body developed this response to real and dangerous situations in the ancient world – A wild animal attack, or an enemy tribe member approaching. The body "panics" fast and unconsciously. That's why you feel it's coming out of nowhere!
In short,we live in a modern world with ancient responses in our body.
How Does Extreme Anxiety Develop?
Extreme anxiety develops when you start fearing the next anxiety or panic attack. After a few panic attacks you start beingafraid of the next panic attack– which leads to more anxiety and panic. You start avoiding situations that may trigger your anxiety, you start hiding in your home more and more, avoiding social interaction until panic andanxiety take hold of your lifeand you become their hostage.
Can Extreme Anxiety Damage Your Health?
Prolonged and untreated extreme anxiety will have a negative affect on your health.The negative effectsare:
1. High blood pressure
2. Increased risk for heart disease.
3. Trouble sleeping, eating, and concentrating – all of these negatively affect your health.
4. Depression due to anxiety.
5. Problems with the digestive system will cause weight gain, lack of vitamins and minerals in your blood, headaches and migraines.
6. In the state of anxiety the body releases free radicals that may increase risk of cancer.
How to Stop Extreme Anxiety from Damaging Your Health
You probably know the answer to that. Getting rid of your anxiety and panic attacks are the only way to prevent them from putting your general health in danger.
The most common treatment for anxiety and panic are prescription drugs. Unfortunately, many times they are not helpful at all and only make you feel worse. Long time usage of them will damage your liver and kidneys.
The best way to get rid of extreme anxiety is through retraining your brain withcognitive behavioral therapy. This method has already helped hundreds of thousands of people that were fed up with the cycle of fear.
