ANXIETY, PANIC, AND FEAR
- Poonam V
- Nov 13, 2020
- 10 min read
Updated: May 6, 2023
How to live a complete life where the mind is without fear.
Anxiety, panic, and fear are all feelings that can be hard to deal with, but they are normal responses to danger and stress. Here are some things that might help you understand these things and figure out how to deal with them:
Anxiety: Anxiety is a feeling of worry, unease, or dread that can be mild or very strong. Anxiety can be caused by many things, like stress at work or school, problems in relationships, worries about money, or health problems. Anxiety can cause physical symptoms like a fast heart rate, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath, as well as worry or fear that doesn't go away.
Panic: Panic is a sudden, strong feeling of fear or terror that can happen out of the blue. Anxiety attacks can be caused by a specific fear or phobia, or they can happen for no clear reason. Panic attacks can cause chest pain, trouble breathing, sweating, shakiness, and a feeling that you're not in control.
Fear: Fear is an emotional reaction to a real or imagined danger or threat. Fear is a normal and healthy reaction to something dangerous, but having too much fear or a phobia can get in the way of daily life and relationships. Fear can cause physical sensations like sweating, trembling, and a fast heart rate. It can also cause people to avoid situations or think about danger.
Here are some ways to deal with fear, panic, and anxiety:
Deep breathing: Taking slow, deep breaths can help control the body's stress response and reduce feelings of anxiety or panic.
Mindfulness: Using techniques like meditation or guided imagery to practise mindfulness can help you feel less stressed and more calm and relaxed.
Exercise: Regular exercise can help reduce feelings of anxiety, stress, and depression and improve your overall physical and mental health.
Support: Talking to a trusted friend or family member or going to a therapist or counsellor for help can give you emotional support and help you deal with hard feelings.
Lifestyle changes: Changes to your lifestyle, like eating well, getting enough sleep, and staying away from caffeine and alcohol, can help you deal with anxiety and feel better overall.
It's important to note that everyone goes through anxiety, panic, and fear at some point in their lives. By learning to recognise and deal with these feelings, you can stay emotionally healthy and live a full life where the mind is without fear.
What does it feel like to be overcome with anxiety?
When anxiety takes over, it can feel overwhelming and upsetting. Anxiety is different for each person, but here are some of the feelings and sensations that often come with it:
Intense Worry: You may feel a lot of worry or fear that you can't stop. Most of the time, this worry goes beyond what is reasonable or right for the situation.
Physical Symptoms: Anxiety can feel like a racing or pounding heart, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, trembling or shaking, sweating, dizziness, stomach pain, headaches, or tight muscles.
Thoughts that go too fast: Your mind may feel like it's full of thoughts that go too fast, making it hard to focus or concentrate on tasks. You might always think about the worst-case scenarios or get stuck on the bad things that could happen.
Restlessness or Irritability: Anxiety can make you feel restless, irritable, or on edge. You might find it hard to relax, get angry easily, or be less able to handle stress.
Heightened Sensitivity: You may become more sensitive to sounds, lights, or large groups of people. Everyday things that wouldn't normally be upsetting can feel overwhelming or triggers.
It's important to keep in mind that anxiety symptoms can vary in how bad they are and how long they last. If you have anxiety all the time and it gets in the way of your daily life or causes you a lot of stress, it might help to talk to a mental health professional who can give you an accurate diagnosis and advice on how to treat it.
Take a Break and Inhale Deeply
When you are feeling anxious, panicked, or scared, it can help to take a break and practise deep breathing. Here's a simple exercise for taking deep breaths:
Find a place to sit or lie down that is comfortable and quiet.
Close your eyes and pay attention to your breath for a few moments.
Slowly and deeply breathe in through your nose, letting your belly grow as your lungs fill with air.
Hold your breath for a moment, and then slowly and completely let it out through your mouth. This will help you get rid of any tension or stress.
Do this several times, focusing on how your breath feels as it enters and leaves your body each time.
As you breathe, try to let go of any worries or thoughts that are racing through your head. Instead, focus on the present moment and the rhythm of your breath.
Deep breathing helps turn on the body's relaxation response, which makes you feel calmer and lessens the physical signs of panic or anxiety. It can also help you focus on the present moment instead of worrying thoughts.
Remember that deep breathing is just one way to deal with panic, fear, and anxiety. It's important to get help from a mental health professional if your symptoms keep coming back or have a big effect on your daily life. They can give you the right advice and support.
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What are the main things that make people feel uneasy?
There are a number of basic things that can make people feel uneasy. These things can be different for each person, but some common ones are:
Stress: Feelings of unease can be caused by high levels of stress, which can come from work, relationships, money, or other things in life. Stress that lasts too long or is too much can hurt your body and mind, making you feel uneasy and uncomfortable.
Uncertainty: Not knowing what will happen in the future or about certain parts of your life can make you feel uneasy. Not knowing what to expect or feeling like you don't have any control can be scary and make you feel anxious or uneasy.
Traumatic Experiences: Bad things that happened to you in the past, like abuse, accidents, or other big events, can have a long-term effect on your health. They might make people feel uncomfortable by bringing up bad memories, making them overly alert, or causing ongoing emotional pain.
Negative Thought Patterns: Feelings of unease can be caused by negative thought patterns, such as too much worry, self-criticism, or ruminating. Often, these patterns involve thinking that isn't true and can keep a cycle of unease and anxiety going.
Lack of Social Support: Feeling alone or not having a network of people who care about you can make you feel uneasy. For emotional health, it's important to feel like you belong and have the support of others.
Physical Health Problems: Problems with your body, like chronic pain or illness, can make you feel uneasy. When your body hurts or you have health problems that keep coming back, it can affect your overall sense of well-being and make you feel uneasy.
Lifestyle Factors: Some things that people do in their daily lives, like not getting enough sleep, eating badly, not getting enough exercise, or abusing drugs, can make them feel uneasy. Taking care of your physical health by making healthy choices about how you live can be good for your mental health.
Each person's feeling of unease could be caused by a mix of these things. If you're always feeling uneasy and it's getting in the way of your daily life or causing you a lot of stress, it might help to talk to a mental health professional. They can give you advice and help you come up with ways to cope that work for you.
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How much longer would the feeling of anxiety be able to last?
The length of time someone has anxiety can vary a lot from person to person and depend on a number of things, such as what's causing it, how they deal with it, and if they have any other mental health problems. Some people have short bouts of anxiety that go away quickly, while others have anxiety that doesn't go away or is more persistent and lasts longer.
In general, anxiety can be either short-term (acute) or long-term (chronic):
Acute Anxiety: Acute anxiety is a short-term form of anxiety that usually lasts for a short amount of time, from a few minutes to a few hours. Certain events or situations can set off these episodes, and the anxiety usually goes away once the trigger is gone or the situation is over.
Chronic Anxiety: Chronic anxiety is a type of anxiety that lasts for a long time, usually weeks, months, or even years. Chronic anxiety can be caused by an anxiety disorder like generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety disorder, or panic disorder. It may need to be managed and treated on an ongoing basis to relieve symptoms.
It's important to remember that anxiety symptoms can come and go over the course of a person's life and that their severity and length can change. If your anxiety is getting worse or isn't going away and it's having a big effect on your daily life, you should talk to a mental health professional who can give you a proper diagnosis and treatment options.
Anxiety can be treated with therapy (like cognitive-behavioural therapy), medication, changes to your lifestyle, techniques for dealing with stress, and self-care practices. The goal of treatment is to reduce how often and how bad anxiety symptoms are and to make people feel better overall.
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Do you feel like crying when you're worried?
If you feel like crying because you're worried or upset, here are some things you can do to deal with your feelings:
Let Yourself Feel: It's okay to be aware of and feel your feelings, even if you want to cry. Allow yourself to feel and talk about your feelings in a safe and supportive place.
Find a Safe Space: If you can, try to find a quiet, private place where you feel safe letting your feelings out. This can be a place where you can cry without fear of being judged or stopped.
Deep Breathing: Doing deep breathing exercises can help you calm down and keep your emotions in check. Take slow, deep breaths in through your nose, hold for a moment, and slowly let them out through your mouth. Do this process more than once.
Reach Out for Help: Tell a trusted friend, family member, or other helpful person what's making you worry. Sometimes, talking about your worries and having someone listen can help you feel better and see things from a different angle.
Practise Self-Compassion: Be kind to yourself and work on self-compassion. Remind yourself that it's okay to be worried and that you're doing the best you can in the situation. Kindly and patiently take care of yourself.
Writing in a journal: Write down your worries and thoughts. This can help you work through your feelings, get clear, and maybe even find patterns or triggers.
Seek Professional Help: If your worry or stress becomes too much or starts to have a big effect on your daily life, you might want to talk to a mental health professional for help. They can give you advice, give you ways to deal with hard feelings, and help you get through tough times.
Everyone has different feelings and handles them in different ways. Find the things that help you the most and give you the support and relief you need.
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What is the source of fear?
Fear can come from many different places, and it can be changed by what a person has done, what they think, and what is going on around them. Here are a few common reasons to be afraid:
Threats to Safety: Fear can be caused by real or imagined threats to physical safety, such as danger, violence, accidents, or natural disasters. This natural response to fear helps us stay safe and out of harm's way.
Traumatic Experiences: Things like being abused, being in an accident, or seeing something upsetting can cause fear responses. These things can leave lasting memories and associations that make people afraid when similar things happen again.
Fear of the Unknown: Being afraid of what you don't know can be a very scary thing. Anxiety and fear can be caused by not knowing what will happen in the future, being in new situations, or leaving your comfort zone.
Conditioning and Learned Fear: We can learn to be afraid by associating certain things or situations with bad experiences or results. This is called conditioning. For example, if someone had a bad experience with a dog, they might become afraid of all dogs.
Social and Performance Anxiety: Anxiety about being judged, being rejected, or being embarrassed in social situations or when speaking in public can lead to social anxiety. Performance anxiety can be caused by the fear of failing or not living up to expectations.
Existential Fear: Existential fear can happen when you think about things like the meaning of life, death, or the fact that you don't know what the future holds. Most of the time, these deep-seated fears have to do with philosophy or the meaning of life.
Cultural and Media Influences: Our fears can be shaped by cultural beliefs, social norms, and what we see in the media. News stories, films, or other stories that show possible dangers can change how we see them and make us feel afraid.
It is important to realise that fear can keep us safe by helping us stay away from danger. But when fear gets out of hand, makes no sense, or gets in the way of daily life, it may be a sign of an anxiety disorder that needs professional help and treatment.
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How can we get rid of ANXIETY, PANIC, AND FEAR?
Anxiety, panic, and fear are normal human emotions that can help protect us. It may not be possible to get rid of them completely. There are, however, ways to deal with and lessen the effects of anxiety, panic, and fear. Here are some things you can do to help:
Deep Breathing and Relaxation: Do deep breathing exercises and ways to relax, like progressive muscle relaxation or mindfulness meditation. These techniques can help turn on the body's relaxation response and make anxiety and panic attacks less severe.
Transformation of your mind: Challenge and reframe negative or irrational thoughts that cause anxiety and fear. Replace them with thoughts that are more realistic and fair. CBT, or cognitive-behavioural therapy, can help people learn these skills.
Gradual Exposure: Try gradual exposure therapy if your fears are only about certain situations or things. Start by getting close to the thing or situation you're afraid of in a safe and controlled way. Then, as time goes on, get closer and closer to it.
Self-Care: Putting yourself first will help you take care of your physical and mental health. Get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, work out regularly, and do things that make you happy and help you relax.
Professional Help: If anxiety, panic, or fear are making your daily life hard or causing you a lot of stress, you might want to talk to a professional. A mental health professional can give you a full evaluation and, if necessary, suggest treatment options like therapy or medication.
It may take time and effort to get rid of anxiety, panic, and fear. It's important to give yourself time and help when you need it.
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