Anxiety is a complex emotion . Within certain limits it is normal, especially when it takes over in particular life situations: an examination, work problems, a state of not optimal health ...
Manageable and non-paralyzing anxiety is part of life. But a real anxiety crisis is not a pleasant experience.
Anxiety attack or panic attack?
Before tackling the topic of prevention, let's be clear about it. What exactly is an anxiety attack and how does it differ from a panic attack?
These two conditions are often confused but, although they have common characteristics, they are not the same thing.
According to the DSM IV, the diagnostic manual that deals with disorders related to mental states, we can speak of a panic attack when there is a precise period of fear or discomfort in which one or more of one of a series of symptoms occur, and the peak is reached in 10 minutes .
The symptoms that are most commonly found in a panic attack are tachycardia, sweating, tremors, a sense of suffocation, abdominal pain, nausea, a feeling of faintness or unreality, fear of going crazy or dying, chills, flushing, tingling or numbness in different parts of the body.
On the other hand, there is talk of anxiety attacks when there is a crisis with milder symptoms and a shorter duration .
The causes of anxiety
Several theories on the causes of anxiety have been developed and there are mainly 2 schools of thought :
- according to the first, the main cause of anxiety lies in pre-existing psychic conflicts ;
- the second school of thought focuses above all on the biological component, that is on the modification of some chemical substances present in the brain: noradrenaline, serotonin and gaba.
What to do to prevent anxiety attacks?
Anxiety should not be fought ; it may seem a paradoxical statement but to learn how to manage anxiety you must first learn to give in.
Anxiety is often caused by inner conflicts, by the desire to always look perfect and by the desire to adhere as much as possible to stereotyped models; in order to prevent anxiety crises it would be necessary in this case to learn to accept one's own limits and imperfections, trying to understand what one's own path is, what makes us happy, not the world around us.
Breaking down creativity, desires and inclinations can cause anxiety attacks and panic attacks; identifying one's own path and following it helps to live more serenely. By giving proper weight to inner needs, much can be done to prevent and deal with anxiety disorders .
Sometimes, then, it can be very useful to shift one's point of view: it can happen, in fact, that the path of happiness is not even clear to us; you have to go looking for it, even in places where you wouldn't expect to be able to find it.
When anxiety becomes pathological and prevents one from living peacefully, one should contact a specialist, without pretending to face the problem alone.
Dealing with anxiety attacks with natural remedies
The first natural remedy to prevent anxiety consists, therefore, in acceptance and in that inner path mentioned in the previous paragraph.
However, when it comes to emotional journeys, the road can be very long and, while performing that wonderful journey that leads to self-discovery, it may be useful to resort to other natural remedies, which can act both emotionally and on the organic one .
- Herbal and herbal remedies. Chamomile and lemon balm calm irritability and nervous tension; passionflower is a natural anxiolytic because it has a sedative action on the central nervous system; magnesium stimulates nerve function and, in particular, the production of serotonin; Bach flowers act on different fronts to help prevent and manage different types of anxiety crisis.
- Physical exercise . Physical activity, in general, appears to be effective in preventing anxiety states. However, there are some more useful disciplines than others, for example dance-therapy and integral yoga.
- Control the breath . With the techniques that help to regulate the breath a lot can be done to manage anxiety crises. For example, autogenic respiratory training may be useful.
