Category: anxiety info
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THE BREATH OF ANXIETY
Research shows that at rest breathing patterns are influenced by auditory and visual stimuli as well as emotional affects. Termed “ventilation personality”, those breathing patterns vary from one person to the next and they are repeated over long periods of time. Notably, breathing patterns in anxiety present irregularities, especially when it concerns respiratory rates (i.e.,…
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IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGORAPHOBIA LINKED TO THE FIRST PANIC ATTACK?
Studies show that high avoiders are more likely to have had their first panic attack in what is called a classic agoraphobic situation. What is a classic agoraphobic situation? It is experiencing a panic attack while driving or in public transportation. In fact, having a first panic attack in public with a strong feeling of…
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IS AGORAPHOBIA A DISEASE OF URBAN LIVING?
Agoraphobia was originally described as a spatial disease that was borne out of the rise of the metropolis with its wide-open streets and dizzying public spaces. Patients’ fears are to a certain extent alleviated by companionship, but they are seriously exacerbated by the dimensions of the space, especially when there seems to be no boundary…
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IS THERE A PARTICULAR TYPE OF FOOD THAT HELPS REDUCE ANXIETY?
There is not a particular type of food that helps reduce anxiety, but maintaining an overall healthy diet is absolutely primordial. Staying away from alcohol and caffeine has been shown to help reduce anxiety symptoms. Similarly, eating more fruits, avoiding foods with high sodium content like fast foods and processed foods (e.g., chips) has also…
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DOES OXYTOCIN IMPROVE SYMPTOMS OF SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER?
Oxytocin, the love hormone, can help reduce fear-related symptoms in generalized social anxiety disorder.
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CAN YOGA HELP IMPROVE GAD SYMPTOMS?
Studies show that yoga is associated with more anxiety reduction than any other exercises; for example one study finds that in women with high levels of self-reported anxiety, two months of yoga reduced state (i.e., transitory) and trait (i.e., permanent, a personality characterisitc) anxiety compared to no treatment. Similarly, there is evidence in the literature…
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WHEN SHOULD I BE CONCERNED ABOUT MY ANXIETY?
If you are asking this question, it means that you should be concerned. If your anxiety is overwhelming, disrupts your normal functioning, and you feel depressed and unhappy, then you ought to take action. At MindRise, we offer many resources and info to help you overcome or manage your anxiety on your own. However, if…
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WHAT IS THE USE OF LEARNING ABOUT HOW CERTAIN BRAIN REGIONS ARE OVERACTIVE/UNDERACTIVE IN ANXIETY?
It is very helpful when you have anxiety to understand what is actually happening in the brain, because it provides us with an objective fact. Instead of letting our emotions run wild and start believing in catastrophic thoughts about the possibility that we might be losing our mind, we can calmly remind our self that…
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WHAT IS HYPERVENTILATION?
Hyperventilation refers to the act of breathing fast or increasing the respiratory rate. When we breathe normally, we take about 15 to 18 breaths per minute (one breath cycle includes one inhalation and one exhalation); however when we hyperventilate we take about 18 to 20 breaths per minute, and this rate can go up to…
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WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Anxiety is a feeling of dread and uneasiness about something real or imagined “Something real” refers to an event about which you predict a negative outcome. For example, you are uncomfortable with your child playing on a swing, because you are convinced that she will fall and hurt herself. “Something imagined” refers to a scenario…