WHAT IS ANXIETY? - Ballarat Health Services

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Anxiety : page 3see that we do not have any straightforward medical problems that might be making ournervous system extra-sensitive, and lead to anxiety or other disorders.PEOPLE WITH EXTRA-SENSITIVENERVOUS SYSTEMS HAVE FEAR REACTIONSIN EVERYDAY UNPLEASANT SITUATIONSWhat are the Usual Situations that Trigger Anxiety Attacksa) Unpleasant SituationsWe have noted that some unpleasant situations or things may trigger full-blown fearreactions in some people. Enclosed spaces, crowds, heights, flying in aeroplanes, injectionsand blood, spiders, aggressive animals or insects, dirty hands or kitchens are oftenconsidered unpleasant by most of us. However, the person who is prone to anxiety attacksmay find that one or more of these things almost always triggers a full anxiety attack forthem.b) Distressing MemoriesSome people have anxiety attacks in situations that remind them of extremely frighteningevents that they have experienced in the past. These may be such as being in a combat zonein a war, or being physically or sexually assaulted. Often the reminders of such events mayseem very trivial -- a noise, a comment, or a gesture.c) Odd Bodily SensationsOther people may notice every little change in the way their body works, such as a missedheart-beat or a feeling of light-headedness. These changes may set off worrying thoughts ofhaving a heart attack or a serious illness. The fact that their doctor tells them that there isnothing seriously wrong may not reassure them, particularly if the unpleasant sensationcontinues.In almost all cases some situations or thoughts can be found to trigger off full-blown attacksof fear or panic. Once it occurs the feeling is so terrifying that most of us want to escapefrom the situation as quickly as possible, and to avoid any possible chance of it happeningagain. The reactions of the body and mind cause us to think that we are about to die of aheart attack, or that we will lose control and go berserk. Neither is likely to occur. Inalmost every case the anxiety gradually goes away in a short while.MOST PEOPLE TRY TO ESCAPEFROM FRIGHTENING SITUATIONS& TO AVOID THEM IN FUTURE
Anxiety : page 4WHAT SITUATIONS SET OFF ANXIETY ATTACKS FOR US?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE HAVE AN ANXIETY ATTACK?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What is a Panic Attack?A severe attack of anxiety is called a “panic attack”. It may help to know a little bit aboutthe sensations that we may experience during a panic attack, so that we can see that theyare directly caused by our anxiety and not the other way around. It is usual that thesefeelings will pass quite quickly, depending on how frightened we feel, and as soon as we canget our body to react normally again. The main features of a panic attack are:a) the unusual bodily sensationsb) frightening thoughts about these sensations.Unusual Bodily SensationsHere is a list of some of the things we might feel:* light-headed* dizzy* confused* breathless* tightness or pains in our chest* fuzzy sight* feeling that things are not real* fast heart beat or skipping beats* numb or tingly feeling* cold hands and feet* sweating* stiff muscles* headaches* twitching musclesWHAT ODD SENSATIONS DO WE HAVE WHEN WE HAVE A PANIC ATTACK?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Page 2: WHAT IS ANXIETY?I: An OverviewBalla
Page 7 and 8: Anxiety : page 6I am having a heart
Page 9 and 10: Anxiety : page 8Keeping a record of
Page 11 and 12: Anxiety : Relaxing page 10In our la
Page 13 and 14: Anxiety : Relaxing page 121. Sit or
Page 15 and 16: Anxiety : Relaxing page 14If we hav
Page 17 and 18: Anxiety : Relaxing page 16WHAT MEDI
Page 19 and 20: Anxiety : Relaxing page 18slow cont
Page 21 and 22: Anxiety: Frightening Thoughts page
Page 31 and 32: Anxiety: Graded Practice page 30In
Page 33 and 34: Anxiety: Graded Practice page 32THE
Page 35 and 36: Anxiety: Graded Practice page 343.
Page 37 and 38: anxiety recordSeverity of Anxiety:
Page 39 and 40: anxiety recordSeverity of Anxiety:
Page 41: PROBLEM ANALYSISPROBLEM: What is th
Page 44: fighting fearwhat do I think about

WHAT IS ANXIETY? - Ballarat Health Services

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?