One of the most powerful sources of information in society today is the media. The media not only reflects society but also drives it. It guides and shapes every single one of us in believing what is right, good and successful. Media-driven ideals regarding success are worshipped: we aspire to the examples of successful living they create. If we cannot achieve similar success we are deemed a failure and, even worse, made to feel a failure.
Hand-in-hand with success and failure comes criticism. Today's society is also one of criticism. We love to criticise; to build people up then knock them down. Perhaps the negative feelings we all felt when criticised as a child find expression later in life by such means.
The media is extremely powerful; TV sits there in the corner of the room, day in and day out, bombarding us with messages, many of which are negative. (An interesting aside: many psychotic problems involve 'hearing strange voices' - well we all hear strange voices everyday, they travel through the air as radio waves and come out of small electronic boxes in our homes). Bad role models abound (their 'badness' often celebrated), ratings of the more base TV shows soar and sex and violence rules - perhaps reflecting the true human instincts rebelling against society's constraints?
Culturally defined ideals are often shaped by the media and one of the most insidious, negative influences in our lives comes from advertising. Here, human nature is often prayed upon: we are deliberately made to feel inadequate and that nothing we have is quite good enough. But we can feel better, indeed we can be perfect and have perfect lives, just like those attractive people we see in the adverts - if only we buy the product!
The effect of advertising can lead to every single one of us feeling constricted and pressurised by an invisble force constantly driving us to have more in order to be better, in order to feel better.
One of the most disasterous effects of media on people's lives (particularly women's lives) is the preoccupation with body image.
Society is now obsessed with body image. Most adverts play on our deep instincts relating to attraction and procreation. We all have instinctual concepts of beauty (even infants) for it is seen as an indicator of health and good genes and advertisers use this for profit. Combining winning and losing and possessing with attractiveness and beauty, the media and society forge a strong bond between body image and success in our minds. One study in 1999, by Anne Becker (an Anthropologist at Harvard Mecical School) reported a five-fold increase in the symptoms associated with eating disorders among Fijian girls (normally robust and happy about it) since the arrival of TV to Fiji in 1995.
In Western society today, 80% of women are unhappy with their bodies and girls of nine and ten are going on diets.
If we don't conform to these society-and-media-imposed standards of attractiveness, age and weight we feel different and are treated differently and may feel 'not good enough' - our inner feelings enhanced by manufactured images and ideals. And how we feel about ourselves, deep down, flows through all anxiety disorders and depression.
Friday 29 October 2010
Thursday 30 September 2010
How to Calm Down when Anxious
What can we do to control our nervous system and calm down when anxiety and panic strikes?
When we panic (or have anxiety attacks) a number of things happen to us. And we should know that in panic and high anxiety the symptoms that we experience are the same. The difference lies in the build up: anxiety usually builds up slowly, getting stronger and stronger until it becomes a full-blown attack; panic occurs instantly, usually in response to a clear and imminent threat or danger. An anxiety attack is, in effect, panic.
In both anxiety and panic we become jumpy and jittery, on-edge, charged with energy, ready for action. We feel 'in a rush', needing to do something. This can also be seen at times when we are not anxious or panicked, but actually in a rush, for example when we are late for something. In such situations we often feel anxious
and 'panicky'.
This charge of energy within our body comes from two main things: our breathing and heartbeat - they both become considerably faster. We breathe faster to get more oxygen into the bloodstream to feed the main muscles for action (arms, chest, legs) and the heart speeds up to get this oxygen around our body to these muscles more quickly.
This 'rush', this charge of energy for action lies at the heart of anxiety attacks and panic. And when there is no real danger or threat (one we need the 'rush' to escape from) in order to calm down, we need to slow down and slow our body down.
The one way that we can actually reverse this process is by slowing down our breathing. Here, we, ourselves, can positively influence our nervous system by the physical action we take. By learning to breathe more slowly and deeply we can calm down.
And it's not just the speed of our breathing that is important but also how deeply we breathe. Fast shallow breathing reduces the level of Carbon Dioxide in the blood and can lead to further panic inducing symptoms. (This is why some people breathe into paper bags).
By replacing the fast, shallow breathing of anxiety and panic with deep slow breathing, where we breathe from the diaphragm (the muscular wall separating the lungs from the stomach) we redress the oxygen-CO2 balance in the body and promote a feeling of calmness.
Try diaphragmatic breathing:-
1. Take a deep breath in through your nose for a slow count of four
(imagine the air filling your stomach, not lungs, and feel it expand)
2. Hold for a slow count of four
3. Breathe out through your mouth for a slow count of four
(imagine your stomach pushing the air out)
4. Hold for a slow count of four
5. Repeat 3 or 4 times, no more.
How do you feel?
With practice you can use this technique to calm down in those times you feel anxious or panicky where there is no real danger.
A very important thing to realise about the above is that knowing what is happening and why dramatically increases the power of the technique. Just telling someone who is panicking to breathe more slowly and deeply doesn't have the same effect.
With anxiety and panic we need to know what is happening and why to be able to take real control.
When we panic (or have anxiety attacks) a number of things happen to us. And we should know that in panic and high anxiety the symptoms that we experience are the same. The difference lies in the build up: anxiety usually builds up slowly, getting stronger and stronger until it becomes a full-blown attack; panic occurs instantly, usually in response to a clear and imminent threat or danger. An anxiety attack is, in effect, panic.
In both anxiety and panic we become jumpy and jittery, on-edge, charged with energy, ready for action. We feel 'in a rush', needing to do something. This can also be seen at times when we are not anxious or panicked, but actually in a rush, for example when we are late for something. In such situations we often feel anxious
and 'panicky'.
This charge of energy within our body comes from two main things: our breathing and heartbeat - they both become considerably faster. We breathe faster to get more oxygen into the bloodstream to feed the main muscles for action (arms, chest, legs) and the heart speeds up to get this oxygen around our body to these muscles more quickly.
This 'rush', this charge of energy for action lies at the heart of anxiety attacks and panic. And when there is no real danger or threat (one we need the 'rush' to escape from) in order to calm down, we need to slow down and slow our body down.
The one way that we can actually reverse this process is by slowing down our breathing. Here, we, ourselves, can positively influence our nervous system by the physical action we take. By learning to breathe more slowly and deeply we can calm down.
And it's not just the speed of our breathing that is important but also how deeply we breathe. Fast shallow breathing reduces the level of Carbon Dioxide in the blood and can lead to further panic inducing symptoms. (This is why some people breathe into paper bags).
By replacing the fast, shallow breathing of anxiety and panic with deep slow breathing, where we breathe from the diaphragm (the muscular wall separating the lungs from the stomach) we redress the oxygen-CO2 balance in the body and promote a feeling of calmness.
Try diaphragmatic breathing:-
1. Take a deep breath in through your nose for a slow count of four
(imagine the air filling your stomach, not lungs, and feel it expand)
2. Hold for a slow count of four
3. Breathe out through your mouth for a slow count of four
(imagine your stomach pushing the air out)
4. Hold for a slow count of four
5. Repeat 3 or 4 times, no more.
How do you feel?
With practice you can use this technique to calm down in those times you feel anxious or panicky where there is no real danger.
A very important thing to realise about the above is that knowing what is happening and why dramatically increases the power of the technique. Just telling someone who is panicking to breathe more slowly and deeply doesn't have the same effect.
With anxiety and panic we need to know what is happening and why to be able to take real control.
Wednesday 14 April 2010
What Causes Physical Anxiety Symptoms
Speeding heart, fast shallow breathing, dizziness, sweating etc. What causes these symptoms?
When we talk about the physical symptoms that we experience when we are anxious there is a whole range of sensations and feelings that can happen to our body. These may vary from person to person, but they all happen in the same way and for the same reason - the reason that we have the anxiety in the first place: to warn us of danger and help us deal with it or get away from it.
Physical anxiety symptoms include:-
All these symptoms happen for one reason: to energize us for action.
Here's how:-
This energizing of our body is responsible for all the anxiety and panic symptoms that we experience. Some of the symptoms may be enhanced by our thoughts, for example, a dry throat with subsequent perceived difficulty swallowing, may be built up into feeling we are choking, but in essence everything that is happening to our body is a result of it being prepared for action.
All physical anxiety and panic symptoms result from the body re-directing resources to the major muscle groups (legs/arms/chest) to provide them with an energy boost to prepare us for action, ultimately to stand and fight or flee. It is known as the fight-or-flight response. Much the same can happen with anger, for in anger we are also preparing for action.
After we have been angry, anxious or panic-stricken this charge of energy needs to be released and it is done so by such things as crying and shaking – often seen after anger and panic.
We need to realise that all the above symptoms are normal and natural. Indeed, when we experience these symptoms, there is nothing wrong with us; our body is, in fact, working perfectly. What is wrong, the core of anxiety disorders and depression, is the reason why we experience these symptoms. What in life are we
associating with danger and why?
When we talk about the physical symptoms that we experience when we are anxious there is a whole range of sensations and feelings that can happen to our body. These may vary from person to person, but they all happen in the same way and for the same reason - the reason that we have the anxiety in the first place: to warn us of danger and help us deal with it or get away from it.
Physical anxiety symptoms include:-
- Our breathing becomes more rapid
- Our heart beat speeds up
- We feel dizzy and light-headed
- We get 'butterflies' in our stomach
- We feel sick and/or need the toilet
- Our mouth becomes dry and it feels difficult to swallow
- We can experience profuse sweating
- We feel 'jittery' and 'jumpy' a feeling of being 'on-edge'
All these symptoms happen for one reason: to energize us for action.
Here's how:-
- Our breathing becomes more rapid to get more oxygen into the blood to supply the major body muscles (arms, legs, chest)
- Our heartbeat speeds up to get the blood to these muscles quicker.
- Blood is diverted from the brain (making us light-headed and dizzy and from the stomach (causing 'butterflies').
- Energy cannot be wasted processing any half-digested food in our system so we need to get rid of it quickly – either through the mouth (feelings of nausea) or the other end (wanting to go to the toilet).
- Other 'energy-wasting' systems (unnecessary in time of danger) are shut down eg. saliva production, giving us a dry mouth and difficulty swallowing.
- We sweat more to cool down all this energy production.
- The energy boost to the muscles makes them 'jumpy' / 'jittery' / 'jelly-like'/ on edge ready for action
This energizing of our body is responsible for all the anxiety and panic symptoms that we experience. Some of the symptoms may be enhanced by our thoughts, for example, a dry throat with subsequent perceived difficulty swallowing, may be built up into feeling we are choking, but in essence everything that is happening to our body is a result of it being prepared for action.
All physical anxiety and panic symptoms result from the body re-directing resources to the major muscle groups (legs/arms/chest) to provide them with an energy boost to prepare us for action, ultimately to stand and fight or flee. It is known as the fight-or-flight response. Much the same can happen with anger, for in anger we are also preparing for action.
After we have been angry, anxious or panic-stricken this charge of energy needs to be released and it is done so by such things as crying and shaking – often seen after anger and panic.
We need to realise that all the above symptoms are normal and natural. Indeed, when we experience these symptoms, there is nothing wrong with us; our body is, in fact, working perfectly. What is wrong, the core of anxiety disorders and depression, is the reason why we experience these symptoms. What in life are we
associating with danger and why?
Wednesday 3 March 2010
How to Overcome Anxiety and Fear
Extreme nervousness and apprehension, excessive worrying and obsessive thoughts, compulsive behaviours, anxiety attacks and panic attacks, irrational fears and phobias, even severe depression - are all based on anxiety and fear.
Millions of people spend a lifetime searching for the answer to these problems. Many undergo therapy or take medication for years, often with little success.
They can seem impossible to deal with and make us feel that we'll never be free ... but it doesn't have to be like this.
With the right knowledge it is possible to cure all these problems completely.
There is one way to truly overcome anxiety and fear, here it is:-
1. Grade things that cause you anxiety on a scale from 1-10 (more if you need to).
10 = situations / circumstances / compulsions / thoughts / tasks etc. that cause only very mild anxiety. 1 = the most terrifying.
2. Start with number 10.
Feel the anxiety, let it happen and control it by accepting it and relaxing. Note that here it is very important that you actually have anxiety, feel it and feel yourself control it. The goal is not to be anxiety free, everyone has anxiety but for some of us we have become more sensitive to it. The aim is to experience a small amount
of anxiety at the lowest level and learn that we can control it. To feel ourselves control it.
3. Move to level 9.
Do the same as before. Feel the anxiety and feel yourself controlling it.
4. Gradually move up through the levels.
Only move to the next level when you have mastered taking control at each level. Remember, nobody in this world has no anxiety - it is part of being human. Taking control is feeling scared but remaining calm, not letting it progress to panic.
Millions of people spend a lifetime searching for the answer to these problems. Many undergo therapy or take medication for years, often with little success.
They can seem impossible to deal with and make us feel that we'll never be free ... but it doesn't have to be like this.
With the right knowledge it is possible to cure all these problems completely.
There is one way to truly overcome anxiety and fear, here it is:-
1. Grade things that cause you anxiety on a scale from 1-10 (more if you need to).
10 = situations / circumstances / compulsions / thoughts / tasks etc. that cause only very mild anxiety. 1 = the most terrifying.
2. Start with number 10.
Feel the anxiety, let it happen and control it by accepting it and relaxing. Note that here it is very important that you actually have anxiety, feel it and feel yourself control it. The goal is not to be anxiety free, everyone has anxiety but for some of us we have become more sensitive to it. The aim is to experience a small amount
of anxiety at the lowest level and learn that we can control it. To feel ourselves control it.
3. Move to level 9.
Do the same as before. Feel the anxiety and feel yourself controlling it.
4. Gradually move up through the levels.
Only move to the next level when you have mastered taking control at each level. Remember, nobody in this world has no anxiety - it is part of being human. Taking control is feeling scared but remaining calm, not letting it progress to panic.
Saturday 6 February 2010
Nature versus Nurture
Anxiety is a part of human nature, a survival mechanism that has evolved to protect us, and the problems it can bring, in themselves, reflect what it means to be human:-
- worrying (planning ahead)
- physical symptoms (eg. increased heartrate/breathing to prepare us for action)
- even obsessive compulsive behaviour (the need for order and control)
All are deeply ingrained in human make-up to help us survive.
However, when we talk about nature versus nurture in regard to anxiety problems we are usually referring to the cause of the problem: is it due to nature (a faulty gene, brain structure, chemical imbalance or disease) or nurture (the environment we live in, our experiences, learning and conditioning)?
The answer, of course, is both - but what role does each actually play?
Genetic information passed from parent to child could contain much more than we are aware of today, possibly even passing on hopes, fears and desires - such things being an integral part of a person's make up. Without doubt a parent that has lived a life 'surviving' with OCD (or depression or high anxiety etc.) will pass
such 'survival' information to their offspring.
However, all such information can only be in the form of predispositions - ways to behave given the 'right' (although negative) conditions for the inherent information/potential behaviours to flourish. This must be the case, for adaption (survival) purposes - it would not be sensible to be born into an unknown environment with 'fixed' attitudes/behaviours. Eg. it would not be appropriate to be constantly fearful in an environment of love.
So - genetics is important in the form of predispositions: coded information from our ancestors to help us survive/ thrive in various environments ... but it is the environment in which we live that controls whether these predispostions flourish or wither and die.
- worrying (planning ahead)
- physical symptoms (eg. increased heartrate/breathing to prepare us for action)
- even obsessive compulsive behaviour (the need for order and control)
All are deeply ingrained in human make-up to help us survive.
However, when we talk about nature versus nurture in regard to anxiety problems we are usually referring to the cause of the problem: is it due to nature (a faulty gene, brain structure, chemical imbalance or disease) or nurture (the environment we live in, our experiences, learning and conditioning)?
The answer, of course, is both - but what role does each actually play?
Genetic information passed from parent to child could contain much more than we are aware of today, possibly even passing on hopes, fears and desires - such things being an integral part of a person's make up. Without doubt a parent that has lived a life 'surviving' with OCD (or depression or high anxiety etc.) will pass
such 'survival' information to their offspring.
However, all such information can only be in the form of predispositions - ways to behave given the 'right' (although negative) conditions for the inherent information/potential behaviours to flourish. This must be the case, for adaption (survival) purposes - it would not be sensible to be born into an unknown environment with 'fixed' attitudes/behaviours. Eg. it would not be appropriate to be constantly fearful in an environment of love.
So - genetics is important in the form of predispositions: coded information from our ancestors to help us survive/ thrive in various environments ... but it is the environment in which we live that controls whether these predispostions flourish or wither and die.
Monday 1 February 2010
What is Anxiety?
Imagine you're lying on a beach. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining and there is a gentle breeze wafting over your body. Sounds of nature fill the air as you chat and laugh with family and friends. You are surrounded by people you love and respect and who love and respect you. You feel warm, contented and happy, totally relaxed, anxiety-free.
Now imagine a very different scene. It's the dead of night, you are alone walking down a dimly-lit alley. There are doorways on either side - who knows what's hiding in them, waiting to pounce? You are scared, your senses are heightened - your sight and hearing have become more sensitive, able to pinpoint the slightest movement or sound. Your breathing and heartbeat have become more rapid, you feel light-headed and dizzy, want to go to the toilet or throw up, your limbs feel shaky and your whole body is now charged with energy, full of anxiety, ready to fight or flee, possibly for your life.
Now imagine a very different scene. It's the dead of night, you are alone walking down a dimly-lit alley. There are doorways on either side - who knows what's hiding in them, waiting to pounce? You are scared, your senses are heightened - your sight and hearing have become more sensitive, able to pinpoint the slightest movement or sound. Your breathing and heartbeat have become more rapid, you feel light-headed and dizzy, want to go to the toilet or throw up, your limbs feel shaky and your whole body is now charged with energy, full of anxiety, ready to fight or flee, possibly for your life.
Friday 29 January 2010
Are We Looking at Anxiety Disorders the Wrong Way?
Current explanations of the cause and cure of problems involving such things as: extreme nervousness, anxiety and panic; obsessive thinking and compulsive behaviour; phobias and depression have failed millions of people looking to understand and overcome these problems. Beliefs about illness / medical / genetic causes and treatments based upon these beliefs have not even come close to an answer.
Yet, when we look closely at these problems we can see that they are not:-
Yet, when we look closely at these problems we can see that they are not:-
- Diseases - They follow a logical psychological progression based on our life experiences and we can map exactly what happened and why, the effect it had on us and how this fits in with our problem.
- Mental illness - most people with these problems are actually above average intelligence and are fully aware of what is happening, yet feel powerless to stop it.
- Chemical imbalances - Synapses, those connections between the neurons in our brain (around 10,000 for each neuron), are tiny spaces that are occupied by chemical messengers called neurotransmitters that carry information between neurons. Serotonin and Dopamine are two neurotransmitters regularly mentioned with regard to anxiety and depression problems and chemical imbalance, usually referring to deficiencies of these neurotransmitters, is often proffered as a reason for anxiety disorders and depression. Well, anxiety and depression deplete our body of many resources, including: energy, vitamins and no doubt neurotransmitters. Surely, any chemical imbalance is the result of these problems not the cause. Balancing chemicals in the brain through the action of drugs may alleviate some symptoms to a degree but never touches the cause.
- Curable with drugs - medication works on a physical level. These problems are psychological and the answer is psychological. Whilst short-term medication may be beneficial for symptom relief, drugs never touch the underlying reason for these problems. Indeed, the mere act of taking medication can make the underlying cause worse.
- Due to genes - evolution and our genes provide us with predispositions not fixed behaviours. A way we are predisposed to behave given the right environment. That is, our life experiences. We cannot be programmed with fixed behaviours (eg. OCD or GAD) for we don't know the environment we will be born into ... it would not be adaptive to react with extreme anxiety to unconditional love.
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