General Anxiety Disorder

General Anxiety Disorder We all have the ability to be anxious. It is a normal emotion and can be useful to help us keep safe in some situations. General or chronic anxiety is a long term problem. I have worked with some people who have suffered this problem from early childhood. We all have the ability to be anxious. It is a normal emotion and can be useful to help us keep safe or prepare for some situations. General or chronic anxiety is a long term problem. I have worked with some people who have suffered this problem from early childhood. I have worked with people in their later years, 70s and 80s. This article, the 2nd in a series, explores the clinical definition of the condition and points to some ways to begin to over come it. It is a condition that responds well to various types of therapy. General Anxiety Disorder is classified by the medical professions as chronic anxiety which last for 6 months or more. Generally there are several focuses for the sufferer to worry about. The focus for the worries are usually real and can include finances, health, education and other personal problems. With this condition a great deal of time is spent worrying. It intrudes into all areas of life and can have debilitating effects upon day-to-day life, home, social and work. The whole process can be very stressful and in many cases depression is also associated. Between 2% and 5% of the population suffer from this problem. This is dependent upon the country of residence. A higher proportion are women. It seems to the sufferer as though they have no control over their thoughts. They worry. In fact I have heard on several occasions; 'I could worry and win the worry Olympics." The thoughts and related feelings are exaggerated beyond the usual chances of the bad events happening. For example the individual may focus on the chances of having an accident, when in a car, rather than the positive results of the journey. It could be the thought "will my husband / children return home?" Sadly for some people these types of thouhgts happens day after day month after month year upon year. As you can imagine living with this level of anxiety can be very debilitating. In my experience, many of the who people seek help, have causes of anxiety which relate directly to childhood. Some can relate the development of anxiety back to one event. Others seem to have a generalised discomfort with life around them. Often anxious parent or carers seem to have influenced the development of anxiety. Genetics links are possible but not really proven. The clinical definitions tend to be non-specific as to causes. Clinically the following symptoms are used to diagnose the condition,rnOver bearing worry / anxiety about 2 or more concerns over 6 months or more.rnWorries are difficult or impossible to control.rnThree or more of the following symptoms are apparent 1.Feeling on edgern2.Easily tiredrn3.Irritablern4.Tension in the musclesrn5.Difficulty sleeping or staying asleeprn6.Difficulty concentrating. The worries cause significant distress or impairment in social, work or other significant areas.rnThere is no relationship of the condition to a physiological condition such as thyroid problems. And it is not related to drug abuse or prescribed medication. Self help for the problem To all clients I would suggest the following in order to reduce the effects of the concern. Reduce the amount of caffeine you drink. Do not do this suddenly as this can have other effects, do it gradually. You can still have the occasional cup of good coffee once you have reduced your intake. Only drink coffee in the morning. Cut down on foods and drinks with high sugar content. These give you highs and lows of sugar energy. Remember Redbull and similar energy drinks contains both sugar and caffeine. Reduce recreational drugs and alcohol. Some drugs cause raised anxiety levels! Gradually introduce a new level of exercise into your life. It could be as simple as walking the dog an extra mile or swimming 3 or 4 times a week. If you already exercise maybe change your routine or include more aerobic exercise. Build gradually. Learn how to relax using diaphragm breathing or a progressive relaxation. Take charge of your self-talk (see later article). Share your concerns with someone else. Do it in a rational controlled way unless it is with a trained person. Seek professional help from someone who practices Hypnosis, NLP, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or counselling. Medical help from a Doctor can also set you on the right track. Please accept that your concern can be lifted, sometimes quite quickly. Be prepared to work at it. Changes are not miracles but the result of positive actions taken in a supported environment where your commitment is recognised and encouraged. Expect some set-backs. Just keep going and with commitment you will succeed. Copyright Ian Bracegirdle 2012. You may use this article with the following personal details and link included. Remember we all help each other.