Anxiety

Anxieties

Anxiety is a general term used to describe a number of symptoms that can include a feeling of ‘being on edge’, feeling overstimulated, irritable, nervous in the tummy, nauseous, tension headaches, sighing a lot, feeling confused, lacking concentration, restlessness, indecisiveness, and fatigue.

This list is by no means exhaustive but it does give a good indication of the kinds of symptoms that can point to anxiety.

Feeling anxious when confronted when a new challenge or situation is quite normal, but when the symptoms are excessive and stop you from functioning effectively in your daily life, you may be experiencing a more serious anxiety disorder.

There are many causes of anxiety but common causes include unchecked stress, traumatic life episodes, medications, hormonal fluctuations, and blood sugar irregularities.

There are also many types of anxiety disorders. These include conditions such as panic attacks, phobia attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and generalised anxiety disorder.

What Anxiety looks like?

In an acute sufferer of anxiety, anxiety responses are often triggered by what many people would not even consider being a real threat.

It could be speaking up during a work meeting, speaking to a colleague about a problem, or it could be even asking someone for directions when lost.

And often even when the perceived threat goes away, the feelings of anxiety remain.

An anxious person may also experience:

  • Getting easily fatigue
  • Trembling
  • Muscle tension, shortness of breath, rapid heart rate
  • Dry mouth, cold hands and/or feet
  • Dizziness
  • Feeling keyed up or on edge
  • Increased startling or an exaggerated startle response
  • foggy thinking

Types of Anxiety

There are distinct types of anxiety disorders. You may feel generally anxious, experience panic attacks, or feel particularly anxious in social situations.

Or maybe you’re living with post-traumatic stress following a harrowing life experience or perhaps you’re showing obsessive-compulsive tendencies or developing a specific phobia.

Acute episodes of anxiety may manifest in your body as a panic attack. Panic attacks are typically defined as discrete periods of intense fear.

Symptoms may include palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, hot flushes, feeling of losing control, going crazy, or dying.

Panic attacks often strike those who do not realize they have been under such acute stress for a prolonged period of time.

It is a physical sign your nervous system is overstimulated and requires support; if left unchecked panic attacks may become more frequent.

Effects and Treatment of Anxiety

Prolonged anxiety may start to impact your digestion, thyroid, reproductive function, and adrenal health.

If you suffer from anxiety disorders, our naturopaths will look at every aspect that may be contributing to the anxiety.

This includes how and what you eat, your exercise regimen, your relationships with others, your attitudes, and your life history.

A thorough assessment through questionnaires and relevant diagnostic tools will help us understand the effect anxiety is having on your health.

We will look at herbal and targeted natural vitamin and supplement treatments to help reduce and manage anxiety and panic attacks.

We will offer appropriate dietary and lifestyle modifications, encouraging exercise and a healthy, mindful approach to the stresses of daily living to help you best manage future stressors.

Your Wellness Centre Naturopathy Melbourne

Get in touch now

You will learn powerful techniques such as journaling, relaxation techniques, and visualisation exercises as well as biofeedback, which are all to be used in combination with other prescribed natural treatments.

To make an appointment phone (03) 9879 9596.