A few minutes before your big talk your heart starts pounding, your hands start to shake. These signs mean you are feeling anxious but that does not imply that it is wrong. In fact, luckily this is quite normal. Anxiety is a normal response to stressful or dangerous situations and almost all of us have experienced it before. However, a small portion of 18% of us has experienced what is known as an anxiety disorder. This is a mental illness in which the anxiety lasts for about at least six months and is characterized by distress that can interfere with the person’s normal life. There are various stimulants that activate anxious feelings. Someone with this disorder may have their anxiety triggered by specific things called phobias which lead to a person completely avoiding certain situations. Closely related to this is Social Anxiety Disorder which involve overwhelming worry about being judged by others or being embarrassed in public. Almost every person feels more or less self-conscious about their impression on other people and how they treat them. On the other hand, some people may have generalized anxiety disorder which involves persistent excessive worry and tension that may not have been obvious trigger and for people to get panic attacks the feeling of terror strikes suddenly without warning. So what is actually happening in the brain at such situation? Let us take a look, well a major player seems to be the amygdala, apparel almond shaped structures located deep in the brain. These guys are part of the Lymbic system and are responsible for fear and other emotional reactions. The amygdala then tells the Hypothalamus to initiate the fight-or-fight response. This results in the release of epinephrine increasing the body’s heart rate and blood pressure. The sympathetic nervous system them kicks into overdrive produces some other physical symptoms that we see in people with panic attacks. Some studies suggest that patients with generalized anxiety disorder, their amygdala is a lot less connected to the areas of their brains that determine the importance of certain stimuli. This means that it may be harder for the people to distinguish between something that is mildly annonying and something that is definitely worth worrying about. Like if you are going to be attacked by a giant snake for example. So, they easily let the fear and tension get to them. They will worry unnecessarily and no amount of consolation can stop this cycle of anxiety. People suffering from anxiety can be easily misunderstood as well. People might misunderstand them as negative or pretensious.
It is normal for people who are immune to this disorder to not grasp the depth of this problem. There are solutions too for this painful disorder. Treatment usually involve some type of psycho-therapy or different drugs. These conditions are very serious.
So if you or someone you know may have an anxiety disorder you should be well aware of the facts related to this. Exercsising and positive thinking can help you to some extenet also.
Transcripted By Benazir Elahee Munni