anxiety Archives » My Vibrant Vibes

What You Need to Know About the Physical Effects of Anxiety

Posted on Sunday 13th of October 2024 by Tania

Anxiety affects your body as well as your mind. In addition to worrying and feeling nervous, you may experience changes in your immune function, circulatory system, and other areas. Anxiety may also be caused by physical conditions and may increase your risk for certain disorders.

It’s an important issue, because anxiety is the most common mental illness in the United States, affecting an estimated 40 million adults each year. It can take many different forms, including generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, or phobias.

Whatever the cause, anxiety usually responds well to medical treatment and lifestyle modifications. If you or someone you know is being treated for anxiety, consider these physical changes that you may want to address.

Managing the Physical Symptoms of Anxiety

When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol, that prepare you for fight or flight. Since such physical responses are rarely required in modern life, those chemicals now wind up interfering with natural body functions.

Whilst you can’t eliminate stress, you can use strategies for dealing with it more constructively.

Try These Ideas to Relieve Anxiety

Breathe Deeply: When you’re tense, your breathing tends to become rapid and shallow. Remind yourself to slow down and breathe from your abdomen instead of your chest. You’ll feel calmer and increase the supply of oxygen and nutrients to your brain and other organs.
Avoid infections. Anxiety may hamper your immune system. Take extra precautions against catching colds and other bugs. Wash your hands and keep them away from your face.
Dress in layers. Blood vessels sometimes constrict as the result of chronic stress, making it more difficult to regulate your body temperature. Keep a sweater or wrap handy if you’re prone to sweats and chills.
Eat well. Anxiety has a major impact on your digestion. You may overeat or lose your appetite. You may experience irritable bowel syndrome or stomach churning. Plan out your meals and snacks to give your body the nutrients and calories it needs.
Limit caffeine. Does coffee give you the jitters? Try cutting back on caffeine to see if you feel more at ease. You may want to avoid coffee completely or limit yourself to one cup a day.
Exercise regularly. Physical activity is one of the most effective and constructive methods for dealing with stress. Find a variety of activities that you enjoy. Invite a friend or family member to work out with you so you’ll have more fun and increase your chances of being consistent.
Rest and Relax: Anxiety often interferes with sleep, so remove any obstacle you can. Go to bed at the same time each night and keep your bedroom dark and quiet. Relax during the day with meditation, instrumental music, or a warm bath.

Identifying the Physical Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety disorders usually develop in childhood or early adulthood. You may want to see your doctor if you begin to have excessive anxiety later in life, so you can rule out physical causes.

These are some of the issues to look for:

Overactive or under-active thyroid. Overactive and under active thyroids are among the most common physical causes of anxiety. Your doctor can perform simple tests to help you receive appropriate treatment.
Issues in the brain. Brain tumours are rare, but they can cause psychological changes. An early diagnosis increases your chances of recovery.
Chronic conditions. Struggling with a chronic condition can make you more vulnerable to anxiety.

Understanding the physical effects of anxiety can help you heal your mind and body. Talk with a doctor or therapist about your individual concerns and learn to manage stress so you can enjoy greater physical comfort and peace of mind.

At my vibrant vibes you can book a variety of treatments to help with anxiety may be an emotional freedom technique session or a Reiki these can both be done distant or in person usually with distance are you Skype or zoom so let’s get your anxiety issues gone with these powerful techniques that are used in my clinic in Darlington County Durham you can book at www.myvibrantvibes.com.

What is trauma and is it affecting me now?

Posted on Sunday 13th of October 2024 by Tania

Have you had unstable childhood, a car accident, a rape or violent assault, if these are in your past they may be affecting your present health right now. These are all incidents just a few examples, that made you believe that you are in danger of being seriously injured or losing your life. Research has shown that these events can trigger emotional and even physical reactions that can make a sprained her number of different health conditions including stroke, heart attack, obesity, diabetes and cancer.

Ways in which trauma can happen include:

Living in a traumatic atmosphere
Witnessing harm to somebody else
A one off or an ongoing event
Being directly harmed
Discrimination
Being affected by trauma in a family or community.

What happens when you’ve experienced a traumatic event?

During a traumatic event your body’s defences take affect and create a stress response which may make you feel a variety of physical symptoms. This is called a fight or flight response when your body produces chemicals which prepare your body for an emergency and it can lead to symptoms such as increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, reduce stomach activity causing loss of appetite, increased sweating. These are normal responses as it’s your body is incredible way of responding to an emergency making it easier for you to fight or run away.

It is very usual for people directly after the event to experience shock and denial and I see this in my clinic so many times when I’m working with emotional freedom technique or Reiki. There can be a range of other feelings such as anger guilt and sadness and if these persist they can lead to more serious mental health problems such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression.

It is important to turn to others for support and sometimes it is difficult to talk to friends or family after a traumatic event especially if it was involvement with family. Sometimes people need space to process it however it is important to be around other people when you feel able to as they can often help with your recovery and well-being. It is important to look after your health and well-being this may be including taking a break or some time away to deal with your experience. In my experience it is always vital to keep a healthy diet and stay away from alcohol or drugs which normally can make the situation worse.

It is important to seek professional help if you are experiencing symptoms that are affecting your day-to-day life as soon as possible so you can begin to get better. The first approach should be your family doctor or GP but if you want to try out a new therapy that you have never tried before then I highly recommend emotional freedom technique called EFT tapping. I am a qualified certified EFT practitioner and have worked with a wide range of clients via Skype or Zoom or in person in my Darlington based clinic in County Durham. I would love to help you release anything that’s blocking you from living your life as you deserve it, in Joy peace and abundance. My website to book for any emotional treatments is www.myvibrantvibes.com I’m so looking forward to seeing you all working with you let’s get your power back today!

13 Ways to Tame Anxiety

Posted on Sunday 13th of October 2024 by Tania

Anxiety is a common affliction, and that’s not surprising.

The modern world is much more demanding and complex than our brains were designed to handle. Pain is a symptom of a broken body. Anxiety is a symptom of a broken mind.

pedestrians representing a busy modern world — We all get caught up in the hustle & bustle of life

Consider all you ask you mind to do. You want everyone to like you. You don’t ever want to be embarrassed. You want everyone to like everything you say and do. You don’t want anyone to hurt you in any way. You don’t want anything to happen that you don’t like.

That’s a lot to ask of your mind. No wonder you feel anxious.

Reduce the intensity of your anxiety with these strategies:

Number One, Go for a Run: Actually, it doesn’t have to be a run. It could be a yoga class, tennis match, long walk, or some good old-fashioned calisthenics. Exercise is an effective way to burn off that extra stress.

Number Two, Declutter your life: Clutter adds to anxiety. Tidy up your environment and notice how much better you feel. Start with the rooms and areas in which you spend the most time. Include your personal space at work, too.

Number Three, Declutter your brain: Take care of the things that are on your mind. Procrastination creates mental clutter and stress. Trying to remember things is challenging for your brain too. Make lists and use a calendar and alarms to ease the load on your poor brain.

Number Four, Spend time with your pet: Pets are great for reducing anxiety. Play on the floor with your cat. Take the dog for a walk. Sit and watch your fish.

Number Five, Think about something positive: You’re only anxious because you’re thinking about something that makes you anxious. Give yourself a break and think about something else for a while.

beautiful day written on cup — Read some positive quotes

Number Six, Change your diet: Your diet can have a negative impact on your stress levels. Play around with your food choices and find out what works for you.

Number Seven, Give yourself something to look forward to: It can be a great relief to have something positive to look forward to. No matter how stressed you are about work, knowing that you’re heading out of town for a couple of days next weekend can take the edge off.

Number Eight, Distract yourself: This is what bad habits are, distractions. However, not all distractions are bad habits. Read a good book. Re-watch your favourite movie. Try a new restaurant.

Number Nine, Find a solution: Maybe you can solve the issue that’s creating your anxiety. If there’s something you can do to resolve the situation, get busy and do it!

Number Ten, Take slow, deep breaths: Your breathing naturally becomes shallow and faster when you’re stressed. You can counteract a lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety by just slowing down your breaths and increasing the depth.

Number Eleven, Play the name five things game: Bring your mind back to the present. Look around your environment and name five things you see. Now, name five things you feel. For example, “I feel the pencil in my hand. It feels smooth and warm.”

Number Twelve, Smell the air and describe what you smell: Smell nearby objects until you’ve described five smells.

leaves in the sky — Raise your head, close your eyes, take it all in

Number Thirteen, Dance. Or sing. Or jump around: Do something you don’t normally do. Anything out of the ordinary can break your pattern and relieve some of your anxiety.

Get help. It nothing seems to work, seek professional help.

Give you mind and body a break by minimizing your anxiety. Avoid the belief that you just have to suffer with the discomfort of anxiety. Do everything you can to find relief without making your challenges worse. If you’re unable to find a suitable solution, get help from a professional.