Anxiety is merely the activation of the body’s natural ‘fight or flight’ response. The purpose of this response is actually to protect you, to activate your body for protection in a dangerous situation. However, an ‘over-response’ is a matter of great concern because it can lead to anxiety attacks and the aftermath called anxiety disorder.

Anxiety can be experienced in many ways. For some people, anxiety is accompanied by physical symptoms like–a racing heart, nausea, sweating, muscle tension and headache. For other people, anxiety is in the form of thoughts-either worry about the future or thinking excessively about the past.

Anxiety disorder
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem in America! Approximately 40 million Americans suffer from anxiety that is approximately 18% of the population. So, you are not the only one suffering from anxiety, there are hoards of others too.

However, one of the worst things about anxiety attacks is that the symptoms often mirror other health conditions, so you do not realize that your suffering is caused by anxiety and nervousness. Even if you have never suffered from such attacks before, it is important that you learn about the symptoms of an anxiety disorder. The most common, recurrent symptoms are:-

Chest pain
Dizziness
Feeling of intense fear
Feeling of embarrassment
Feeling of being lost
An impending feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

Anxiety medication
The choice to take medications for anxiety is your choice. Psychiatrists and many primary care physicians prescribe anti-anxiety medications. The particular medication that is prescribed depends on the nature of your symptoms. The major problem with taking medication for anxiety is that it is only a short-term fix; your anxiety will return when you stop taking the medication.

Moreover, the various medications that are used in anxiety treatment are antidepressants, anti anxiety medications and beta-blockers.

A great alternative to anxiety medication is to seek help from a mental health professional. The benefit of seeking psychotherapy with a mental health professional is that he/she can help you to learn ways to cope and to decrease your anxiety. This can lead to long-lasting benefits as you learn to understand your anxiety and have more control over it.

Anxiety therapy
Anxiety therapy can help tremendously in controlling anxiety attacks, and can even cure anxiety disorder in some cases. There are all different types of anxiety therapy, such as-: