One of the more common of an anxiety attack symptom is a pounding heart. This symptom can be caused by a number of different anxiety attacks, from mild to severe. Many people who do have an attack tend to clutch at their chest in fear of a heart attack or other ailment, when in reality they are experiencing anxiety.

Shortness of breath is another anxiety attack symptom that is seen a lot because of someone feeling panicked due to other symptoms they are experiencing. The shortness of breath can seem like your world is caving in, but by being able to recognize the symptom as part of an anxiety attack, you can more easily control this.

Becoming lightheaded is one anxiety attack symptom that happens a lot in crowded areas. Many people have a phobia about being in crowds and becoming lightheaded or fainting is a common symptom that they experience. People will sometimes think they have a more serious issue, but it reality it’s only one of the symptoms that are associated with anxiety attacks.

Another anxiety attack symptom that is almost always present in an attack is the fear of losing control. This fear comes from the seemingly uncontrollable symptoms that precede like becoming light headed with a racing heart, and shortness of breath. It is a natural feeling for us to feel as if we are losing control of our own bodies.

Anxiety attack symptoms vary and are not isolated to just one group of people. Everybody is different and may experience varying symptoms based on what their fears may be. Anxiety is a treatable problem and many people live normal lives once they learn to control there attacks. In the end, by visiting a physician to talk about the anxiety attack symptoms that bother you, a plan can be put in place as to how you can effectively overcome the symptoms as they occur, making it possible to ensure anxiety attacks do not have precedence over your life.

As these may be some of the most common symptoms I always recommend that you see your doctor. Your doctor will make sure and confirm your symptoms. Once you have done that you can begin to find techniques and methods to eliminate your anxiety attacks.

Feel free to visit some of my sites Stop Anxiety Attacks and Stop Anxiety Now

Anxiety is one of the most common symptoms of Pre-Menstrual Syndrome (PMS), post-childbirth, and perimenopause (the period of time before the onset of menopause). It may take the form of panic attacks, nervousness, sweating, intense fear, anxiety combined with depression, or other overwhelming symptoms. 

Here are several periods of hormonal change that can intensify or trigger anxiety in women. 

Puberty — Developing girls experience hormonal changes as they prepare to begin their reproductive years. 

Monthly menstrual cycle — Often girls and women experience PMS the week before their period. 

Following childbirth — The severe drop in certain hormones following childbirth can cause dramatic physical symptoms and a temporary feeling of depression or anxiety; in some women, it is prolonged.

Perimenopause — Perimenopause is the period of time when the body is approaching menopause. It may last from two to ten years. During this time the menstrual cycle becomes irregular as the hormone levels keep fluctuating, causing some women to experience PMS-like symptoms.

Although many of us may use the term “going through menopause” to describe this period of time, it is actually called perimenopause. Many women experience panic attacks for the first time during perimenopause. Other symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, rapid heartbeat, and sweating are also common. 

With surgical menopause (hysterectomy), you’ll likely experience perimenopausal symptoms after the surgery, even if you did not experience symptoms prior to surgery. Symptoms can be prolonged and are due to the dramatic and sudden decrease of certain hormones as a result of the hysterectomy.  

In non-surgical circumstances, menopause occurs after a woman has no periods for twelve consecutive months. It lasts only one day. Many women report feeling better than ever mentally and physically after menopause, due to the fact that hormone levels stabilize.

Hormonal Change Triggers the Fight Or Flight Response

Due to the fact that hormonal change causes physical and psychological stress, it triggers our “fight or flight” response. The fight or flight response is the body’s inborn, self-protective response to perceived danger. 

When we perceive that we are under stress, our bodies send out a rush of cortisol, adrenaline, and other brain chemicals to prepare us to “fight” or “flee” the danger. 

The fight or flight response triggers the physiological changes that we associate with anxiety, such as rapid heartbeat, increased blood pressure, sweating, muscle tension, narrowed mental focus, heightened emotion, and many other symptoms. 

These are the same physical sensations that many women experience when their hormone levels fluctuate. In other words, most of the symptoms women experience during times of hormonal change are really fight or flight reactions. While these physical sensations are not dangerous, they can be very intense and overwhelming.

Our fight or flight response mechanism can become “hypersensitive” with the various hormonal changes in our bodies that take place from puberty to menopause. Many of us are in a constant state of stress due to our lifestyle and thought patterns, which also causes hypersensitivity.

In other words, our bodies may be stuck in the “on” switch of fight or flight. What normally wouldn’t trigger symptoms, now initiates symptoms and perpetuates an ongoing cycle. 

Fight or flight reactions in and of themselves are harmless. However, when our thoughts convince our rational minds that these symptoms are scary and dangerous, we create an anxiety cycle.

Anxiety consists of more than fight or flight reactions acting by themselves. Unproductive thoughts play a critical role in creating and perpetuating the anxiety we experience.

Our thoughts convert fight or flight reactions into anxiety, and a self-perpetuating cycle begins. Soon we find ourselves limiting our behaviors because of anxiety as well, which further entrenches the vicious cycle.

When a person is under stress, unresolved emotions and issues commonly come to the forefront. Because hormonal change is a major stressor, it can bring up internal conflicts and self-doubt in many areas of our lives. All of a sudden, we may find that the negative self-talk that we successfully pushed to the background of our lives during less stressful times is now playing center stage. 

During periods of hormonal change, we may also feel uncertain about our changing roles (e.g. maturing from girl to woman, becoming a mother, becoming a mature woman past childbearing years), which can add to our internal conflict. 

When we fail to successfully resolve internal conflicts and the unhelpful thought patterns that contribute to them, we create a breeding ground for anxiety. Combined with fight or flight symptoms, it’s no wonder that these unproductive thoughts create and perpetuate the anxiety cycle! 

What can you do if hormone-related anxiety affects you?

Here’s some great news! The same tools that you can use to overcome anxiety due to other reasons can help you to conquer anxiety related to hormonal changes too.

Research shows that cognitive-behavioral techniques that help you change unhelpful thoughts and behaviors, lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and nutritional strategies (all found in our Conquer Anxiety Success Program) can help women dealing with hormonal changes.

These types of strategies not only help women regain a sense of control over their lives, but actually achieve improved physical and emotional well being! Here are a few tips to get you started:

– Focus on reducing preventable stress in your life that triggers the fight or flight response — stop the yo-yo dieting; increase sleep to eight or nine hours a night; exercise regularly; don’t skip meals; cut back on your frantic schedule; and decrease stimulants, such as caffeine. 

The body isn’t designed for constant stress. When we are bombarded with stress, our ability to cope can become overwhelmed because the elevation in stress hormones makes the fight or flight switch remain “on.”

– Learn how to train your body to respond differently to stress so that you can automatically turn the false alarm “off” when the fight or flight response is triggered. Relaxation techniques such as deep breathing, yoga, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation can help you achieve this goal.  

– Most importantly, learn how to change how you think. Our thoughts are what convert the harmless fight or flight response into a vicious cycle of anxiety. Remember, just as our thoughts hold the key to creating anxiety, they also hold the key to eliminating it!

If you are a sufferer of anxiety yourself then I am sure you know that there is an abundance of information online for anxiety disorder treatments and finding something that actually works can be hard. The sad reality is that 90% of online products are scams; people looking to make a quick buck off of others. It’s especially sad when they are preying on the vulnerabilities of people with more serious problems such as anxiety disorders who are desperate to find anything that will make their lives better.

Currently there are many books and programs online that promise to cure your anxiety disorder with their magical secrets that only they can tell you. Of course being the skeptic that I am I do not have much trust in the value of most of these products out there; and that rings true for anxiety disorders as well. Now this is not to say that everything out there is a lie, but finding a good quality product that rings true to their word is like finding a needle in a haystack, so to speak.

Just last week I found an example of an anxiety disorder treatment that proves this. It’s called the Easy Calm system; and at first glance I thought ‘great another low quality product sucking people in’. Surprisingly, this couldn’t be further from the truth. The first thing that made this stand out was that it was not another crappy anxiety disorder e-book.

So what exactly is Easy Calm then?

Easy Calm is a series of one-on-one video coaching put together by a well known personal development coach named Jon Mercer. It actually is quite ingenious as it gives you the benefit of a personal therapist guiding you through a series of ‘steps’ that you must take without the hassle or expense of having to travel to their office. Not to mention the fact that most people feel extremely uncomfortable with the idea of sitting in an office exposing their fears and anxieties face to face with a stranger. This is what I think makes this program unique. His anxiety disorder video ‘sessions’ are very relaxed and laid back so that you feel comfortable and relaxed yourself. The more relaxed you are, the more you will be able to take in, process, and put to practice the information given. He also understands that videos alone may not be enough to guide you, and their will be times where you may have questions or need some more personal support. For this reason he actually gives you his e-mail, not an auto-responder or a call answer service. He wants to personally help you as much as possible to an anxiety free life. This alone shocked me as it is extremely rare to see someone offer such personal attention with an online product.

For most people who suffer from an anxiety disorder, a book alone is not enough without a support system behind it. Yet, having to go to someone face to face and spill your guts can actually cause more anxiety. I believe that this system actually strikes a great balance between the two. The fact is though, what works for one person may not in fact work for another which is why Jon Mercer offers his first session for free so that you can see for yourself if it is something you feel would benefit you. Although, honestly it is backed by a complete money back guarantee anyway so there really is no loss, and it is extremely cheap seeing as it costs the same as just one anxiety book alone.

I highly recommend that if you suffer from any form of an anxiety disorder or experience anxiety attacks that you should at the least give the free session a try because you will have nothing to lose and quite possibly an anxiety free, happier life to gain!

Generalized anxiety disorder often begins at an early age, and the symptoms may develop more slowly than in other anxiety disorders. Many people with generalized anxiety disorder can’t recall when they last felt relaxed or at ease. You may find it impossible to banish your fears and worries, even when you’re trying to relax or unwind. This anxiety can go on for months and months. You may feel you’ve lost control over managing it. And it may interfere with your ability to carry out daily routines. You may feel anxious and worried about things both large and small.

People who suffer from anxiety disorder seldom seek help as they either feel embarrassed about their problem, or they are unaware of even having a problem.  Safe to say, if you are reading this article then you probably have an idea that you need help, and that there is help available.  There are many symptoms that people who suffer from anxiety disorder experience, ranging from the physical to the psychological.

It is important to understand as much as you can about your problem, and the possible treatment and cure before you speak to your doctor or health care provider.  This will help you to ask the right questions and understand the treatment options that are at your disposal.  Anxiety disorder is a serious problem as it can affect your life.

Natural herbs are less costly than medication, and consist of herbs, vitamins and botanicals.

Below are some common herbs used in anxiety disorder treatment.

Recovery is a possibility if the combination of appropriate treatments is sought. With a great number of medication treatments available for the varying anxiety disorders, the doctors and psychiatrist are best able to diagnose your anxiety complaints to suggest and get you started on the most appropriate treatment for your specific medical condition. On a personal note, is it important that you appreciate the fact that if the effectiveness of a treatment course falls short of your expectation, there is other combination of treatments that would best control and alleviate your anxiety disorder permanently.

From the wide selection of available remedies and treatment options, you should evaluate the suitability of these alternatives and its effect in order to settle on the products or methods that best reflect your condition. Again, remember that it is always best to discuss and consult the with your doctor or psychiatric specialist to better understand the nature of these remedies and to gauge if the treatment selections are best fit for treating your anxiety and panic disorders.Traditionally, psychotherapy and prescriptive medication have been most commonly used and recently, complimentary and alternative medicines have gained popularity for its natural healing power. Although the effectiveness of alternative medicines in healing anxiety disorders have yet to be fully established but many trials have shed some lights on its use for such purposes.

Conventional treatment of anxiety disorder is no other than the traditional prescription of medications for lowering the chemical substances in the body that leads to constant anxiety. These medications, some of which can relieve the symptoms of anxiety quickly with few side effects, are also commonly used for treatment of depression. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) and Beta-blockers are few examples of these medicines. Generally, medication alone is not enough and the treatment normally has to involve some forms of psychotherapy simultaneously. The main reason is that while medications allow the patients to better deal with anxiety disorders and relieve those adverse effects felt by them, long term use may lead to over reliance on these drugs.

Introduction of earlier techniques of Acupuncture and Ayurveda in controlling anxiety disorders has gradually been accepted as an option of alternative anxiety treatment. These treatments can help to restore comfort and release tension and negative sensation by stimulating internal energy flows that relieve the imbalance of tension build-up in the specific organs. They use essential oils derived from flowers, herbs and plants as well as sterilized acupuncture needles to stimulate the effect of relaxation and energy through scent.

Another alternative anxiety treatment is Gemstone therapy. Here its believed that gemstones have properties that can correct imbalances within your body. Each gemstone that is used in this treatment has healing properties and colors. The right balance can be achieved by placing a gemstone at a specific point on your body.

The choices of alternative therapies and anxiety management techniques are not only numerous, they can be very diverse in nature which extends from exposure therapy, relaxation techniques and supplements, self esteem therapy, cognitive therapy to anxiety education, attention training, nutrition, exercise, assertion and so forth. As long as the core anxiety can be addressed in a structured and supportive anxiety treatment course, full recovery is a certainty.

Social Anxiety Disorder or in other word, social phobia can be described as a marked and persistent fear that arises due to triggering embarrassment or anxiety that a social event or situation ensues. An individual with social anxiety disorder typically anticipate poor performance or judgment by people that would result in his or her feeling of embarrassment or anxiety. In public places regardless of interviews, meetings, speech, work or just any other social activities, the person will inevitably suspect or feel himself or herself being watched or evaluated by other people in one way or another. When these anticipatory actions and its consequent symptoms become so severe that they interferes with the persons day-to-day ordinary routines and social activities, he or she would simply avoid all kinds of social gatherings to prevent himself or herself in a humiliating position.

With plenty of variety of medications available to treat social anxiety disorder, it is imperative that your complaints represent those of the disorder by critically evaluating the symptoms described below. It is useful to gain an understanding of the difference between anxiety that is normal and facilitative; and anxiety that is debilitative and counterproductive before you jump start on any treatment course.

The emotional apprehension of people suffering from social anxiety disorder is very distorting and significant to their lives in that it affects their ability to concentrate on daily routines or even stirs up a fear of madness or losing their minds, insomnia and excessive anxiety. It follows that these people will also experience physical symptoms that include shortness of breath, stomach ache, muscle twitches, excessive sweating and fast heartbeat. Due to the heightened feeling of fear and embarrassment that elicit anxiety and distress at the extreme end of the continuum, these symptoms greatly indicate that social anxiety disorder has resulted.

Should you discover your social anxiety symptoms at an initial phase of the disorder, medication treatments have demonstrated robust and dramatic improvement to relieving you of your symptoms. Among other possible alternative treatments for social anxiety disorder, psychological therapies have also proven to be helpful for many patients with the similar problems. Depending on the magnitude and severity of the condition, social anxiety responds different to different therapies and therefore, do not hesitate to consult with your doctor in discovering the right alternatives for your complaints. You deserve to enjoy social events and situations in a relaxed and stress-free experience. Help yourself by seeking attention and care to benefit from these treatments now!