Anxiety Question & Answers - Recent questions and answers in General

Answered: Self help books anxiety protocol

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 19:35:33 +0000

Hello, you can purchase The Anxiety Protocol from the following link:

https://anxietyboss.com/the-anxiety-protocol/

Answered: Barometric Pressure & Anxiety

Sun, 30 Dec 2018 00:09:29 +0000

I have also gone through this when I moved to Canada I started feeling very depressed and low. I try some exerciseslike meditation and yoga. It really helped me a lot.

Answered: Do heart problems cause anxiety or does anxiety cause heart problems?

Thu, 11 May 2017 02:56:02 +0000

We do know that anxiety causes heart problems: https://anxietyboss.com/worrying-about-health-increases-risk-for-heart-disease/. However, medical problems, such as heart problems, can cause anxiety (fear and excessive worry). Either way, anxiety needs to be treated and controlled.

Answered: I need help lowering adrenaline, norepinephrine and histamine

Sat, 06 May 2017 14:28:45 +0000

Here are some links to help you: https://anxietyboss.com/how-to-reduce-adrenaline-response/ https://anxietyboss.com/can-stress-or-anxiety-cause-itching/

Answered: I have had had depersonalization for a long time now. Is there any way I can recover or is it permanent?

Thu, 04 May 2017 03:43:21 +0000

Yes you can recover from it. But it depends on what disorder is associated with the depersonalization. The following article may be helpful: https://anxietyboss.com/derealization-a-defense-mechanism-for-anxiety/

Answered: How do you get over a fear of anxiety itself?

Fri, 31 Mar 2017 19:17:22 +0000

What you are describing is anticipatory anxiety, where you are worried and fearful about being anxious. This fear of anxiety itself then tends to make the anxiety worse, as you fear the anxiety, and you fear the bad things associated with it, such as physical symptoms of anxiety (chest pain, butterflies in the stomach, trembling, lump in the throat, etc.). In addition, you may be fearful of the social consequences of your fear of anxiety, such as avoiding situations or people that make you anxious. The best way to get over the fear of anxiety itself is to break the negative cycle of anxiety. You have to identify what makes you anxious, and you have to stop the maladaptive behaviors (such as avoidance) which only serves to continue your anxiety symptoms.

Answered: Is shaking your leg a sign of nervousness?

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 03:11:34 +0000

Yes, shaking your leg can be a sign of nervousness. When you have anxiety and are experiencing an anxiety attack, you may notice that your arms and legs will tremble, to the point where you may have trouble standing and have trouble using your hands. You may have so much trouble standing from the trembling that your legs feel like they will buckle.

Answered: How are depersonalization and anxiety related to each other?

Sat, 13 Aug 2016 02:22:09 +0000

Depersonalization is the experience that you are detached and things are unreal, such as perceptual changes, changes in the sense of time, and emotional/physical numbing. Depersonalization is a symptom of panic attacks, especially with severe panic attacks. So depersonalization and anxiety are related, as depersonalization is a symptom of panic attacks.

Depersonalization is also a symptom of depersonalization/derealization disorder, where you are detached and things feel unreal. However, your reality testing is intact, as outside of the episodes you are able to tell what is real and what is imagination.

Answered: Can anxiety cause hives?

Sat, 30 Jul 2016 23:15:36 +0000

Yes, hives can be induced by stress and anxiety, which is also called adrenergic urticaria. Adrenergic urticaria can be reproduced by injecting adrenaline into the bloodstream of affected individuals. Adrenergic urticaria is closely related to adrenergic pruritis, or stress-induced itching. I see you are on Lexapro, which may not be addressing your anxiety adequately. Please see your doctor to get your anxiety under control. Once your anxiety is under control, then you may see a decrease in the recurrence of hives.

Answered: How can I help a friend who has anxiety?

Sat, 18 Jun 2016 23:39:54 +0000

If your friend has anxiety, then there are ways you can help. If your friend is in high school, then you can help by directing them to their school counselor. If your friend is in college, then you can also direct them to their respective school counselor or campus counseling center. If your friend is an adult, then you can direct them to see their family doctor or a therapist.

While your friend is waiting to see a counselor or their doctor, they can start to see how much anxiety they have by taking the anxiety test. This anxiety test will also help them by suggesting initial treatments to start the process of eradicating their anxiety.

Answered: What is the difference between paranoia and anxiety?

Tue, 07 Jun 2016 02:37:20 +0000

I can see why you may confuse paranoia (paranoid delusions) and anxiety, as both can incite fear and cause one to avoid the feared stimulus. However, the difference is that paranoid delusions are fixed, false beliefs that are not based on reality, while anxiety is the fear and/or worry about some object or future event. The main difference is that paranoia is not based on reality, while people with anxiety have intact reality testing.

So if you think something bad will happen and that you may get hurt, then this sounds more like anxiety, rather than paranoid delusions. On the other hand, if you think you are under surveillance and that people are trying to kill you, then you may have paranoia.

Answered: Why does uncertainty cause anxiety?

Mon, 06 Jun 2016 04:03:38 +0000

Uncertainty causes anxiety as people want to know and to be certain of things. And not being able to stand uncertainty makes you anxious. So when your intolerance of uncertainty triggers anxiety, then you take steps to decrease the uncertainty, such as making lists, planning ahead, overeducating yourself, and overpreparing. However, your attempts to decrease the uncertainty only serve to maintain your intolerance of uncertainty, and thus, the negative cycle of uncertainty continues, as illustrated in the following flowchart:

Answered: I have physical symptoms of anxiety, but no anxious thoughts- is this possible?

Fri, 03 Jun 2016 00:51:34 +0000

You could be experiencing panic attacks. You seem to be focused on your heartbeat, which can be anxiety-provoking, as you are constant worried about it. So it could be that your trigger is the physical symptoms (ie pounding heartbeat) that you have, and this can in turn induce anxiety about that trigger. May I suggest you take the anxiety test. This will help you get started, and depending on your severity of anxiety and stress, this will guide you to reduce your distressing symptoms. If you have panic disorder, then antidepressant medications are an option. I can't diagnose over the internet, so please try to get a referral to a psychiatrist for a full evaluation. An increasingly popular and viable alternative to prescription medications for anxiety is natural anxiety supplements, such as KalmPro.

Answered: What are some medications for pain and anxiety?

Sat, 28 May 2016 02:29:44 +0000

In terms of treating anxiety and pain, there is a medication called gabapentin, brand name Neurontin, which can help to reduce pain and alleviate anxiety. A newer version of gabapentin is pregabalin (Lyrica), which is also effective for anxiety and pain. Other medications that can help anxiety and pain include serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine (Cymbalta) and tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) such as amitriptyline (Elavil). These medications are available worldwide, including Canada. I'm sorry to hear that you are not getting the care you need in your region. You may need to get a referral to a large university hospital outside of your region. If your specialist doctor is not able to treat you, then you should ask your doctor to refer you on to someone with more expertise. We should expect more from our doctors, rather than letting them off the hook by letting them not do anything while you suffer.

Answered: Medications and counseling not helping my anxiety and depression- please help

Thu, 26 May 2016 04:13:51 +0000

Let me suggest that you take a different route...the self-help route. First off, you are at the right website to get accurate and practical information on anxiety at AnxietyBoss.com. For more in-depth knowledge on anxiety, and to get a self-help tutorial to eradicate anxiety, I would recommend that you read my book, Anxiety Protocol. For a natural anxiety supplement, you may consider the supplement I formulated, KalmPro.

Answered: Can anxiety cause dizziness?

Sun, 22 May 2016 12:44:28 +0000

Yes, you can get dizziness from anxiety, as anxiety affects blood flow in your body, and the changes in blood flow can cause dizziness. You can also get dizziness from anxiety when you hyperventilate. When you have a panic attack, you can hyperventilate and this can make you light-headed due to low oxygenation of your blood due to the over-breathing. Either way, anxiety and stress reduction can help to alleviate this. You can start by taking the anxiety test, and this will give an an initial idea about what your stress levels are, and what you can do about them.

Answered: Vestibular disorder exacerbated by anxiety

Sun, 22 May 2016 12:22:14 +0000

To deal with stress and anxiety so that your vestibular disorder is not worsened, please start by taking the anxiety test. This will determine your level of stress, and will give you initial recommendations on how to proceed.

Answered: What is FOMO?

Thu, 21 Apr 2016 00:34:38 +0000

FOMO is the "fear of missing out," where you are worried that you might miss out on something that will be fun and rewarding, and others will be there instead of you. FOMO is basically a nice way of stating that you are envious and jealous of others who have such rewarding and enjoyable experiences, and that you are not involved. FOMO is made worse with social media like Facebook and Twitter, where people can post their fun pursuits and extravagant trips, while you are missing out by sitting at home, wearing pajamas, watching on your screen while everyone else seems to be having the time of their lives.

Answered: Can hormones cause nervousness?

Tue, 29 Mar 2016 12:44:32 +0000

Yes, hormones can cause nervousness and anxiety. In fact, hormones are an important component of the physical manifestations of anxiety and nervousness. When you are nervous, the fight or flight response is activated, and this leads to the release of the following hormones into the bloodstream: adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. These are called "stress hormones," and they cause various changes in the body when you are nervous, such as increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, trembling, and muscle tension.

The following flowchart details how hormones are released into the bloodstream when you are nervous and anxious:

Answered: Can anxiety cause medical problems?

Sat, 26 Mar 2016 15:03:13 +0000

Yes, chronic anxiety and stress can contribute to medical problems. When anxiety and stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, it results in increased heart rate, increased heart contractions, and contriction of blood vessels. This can lead to medical problems of high blood pressure (hypertension), heart attack (myocardial infarction or ischemia), constricted blood vessels (atherosclerosis), and sudden death.

Anxiety and stress also activates the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis), which leads to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol, which increases blood glucose and suppresses immune function. Chronic release of stress hormones from stress and anxiety can result in diabetes, stroke, and coronary artery disease.

Anxiety and stress also affects a part of the brain called the parabrachial nucleus, which controls the rate of breathing. With the prolonged activation of the parabrachial nucleus from anxiety and stress, it can lead to shortness of breath and can exacerbate asthma.

Other medical problems that can result from anxiety and stress include infertility and acceleration of the aging process.

Answered: Can anxiety give you diarrhea?

Fri, 25 Mar 2016 15:38:45 +0000

Yes, anxiety and stress can give you diarrhea. When you are stressed and anxious, you activate the fight or flight response. This activates both the sympathetic nervous system and the HPA axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis). This results in a cascade of physiological effects which are summarized in the following illustration:

So what happens with the fight or flight response is that it shunts blood away from the digestive system, and it affects the motility of your gastrointestinal system. So when you are stressed, anxious, and nervous, you may get gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and/or the feelings of have butterflies in the stomach.

If you have gastrointestinal problems with stress and anxiety, then the solution is getting help to eradicate anxiety and stress.

Answered: Can nervousness cause hives?

Mon, 21 Mar 2016 13:01:17 +0000

Yes, nervousness can cause hives, or skin rashes. It is known as adrenergic urticaria, or stress-induced hives. And adrenergic urticaria can be reproduced by injecting adrenaline into the bloodstream. So if you notice an association between stress and hives, then you may have adrenergic urticaria. The treatment for adrenergic urticaria is to reduce you stress and anxiety levels.

For more information and help on hives, stress, and anxiety, please visit the rest of AnxietyBoss.com.

Answered: Can nervousness lead to vomiting?

Sun, 13 Mar 2016 03:30:09 +0000

Yes, nervousness and anxiety can lead to vomiting. When you are nervous and anxious, the amygdala is triggered, which in turn activates another part of the brain called the area postrema, which is the vomiting center of the brain.

Answered: Is fidgeting a sign of nervousness?

Sun, 21 Feb 2016 19:10:06 +0000

Yes, fidgeting is a sign of nervousness. When you are nervous, like when you are in a crowd of people you don't know, or if you are about to give a speech, you may resort to safety behaviors which serve to help you through the anxiety of the situation or event. So when you nervous, and you are in a crowd of strangers, you may resort to fidgeting, or fiddling with your personal effects in your pockets, as it helps to distract yourself from the nervousness you feel. But when you resort to safety behaviors such as fidgeting, it decreases your concentration and focus, and hence will affect your performance in negative ways, such as not being able to respond to strangers who talk to you, or not being able to deliver your speech when called upon.

To help you reduce your safety behaviors such as fidgeting, you need to understand how performance anxiety develops, and what you can do to address it, and hence stop your fidgeting when nervous. The following video explains all this:

Answered: Can diarrhea be caused by nervousness?

Sun, 07 Feb 2016 20:29:16 +0000

Research studies show an association between anxiety, stress and nervousness with diarrhea (Lan et al., 2014). There is a relationship between IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) presenting with diarrhea, or IBS-diarrhea, with anxiety, stress, and nervousness. People with IBS-diarrhea usually suffer from anxiety (Lee et la., 2009).

So it can be ascertained that nervousness can cause diarrhea. So if you have diarrhea from anxiety, then you can treat both with treatments for anxiety, such as anxiety medications (Lan et la., 2014). Alternatively, you can try other treatments for anxiety.

References:

Efficacy of tandospirone in patients with irritable bowel syndrome-diarrhea and anxiety. Lan L, Chen YL, Zhang H, Jia BL, Chu YJ, Wang J, Tang SX, Xia GD. World J Gastroenterol. 2014 Aug 28;20(32):11422-8.

Irritable bowel syndrome is strongly associated with generalized anxiety disorder: a community study. Lee S, Wu J, Ma YL, Tsang A, Guo WJ, Sung J. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Sep 15;30(6):643-51.

Answered: Can vitamin deficiency cause nervousness?

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 12:50:42 +0000

Vitamin deficiency is not the cause of nervousness. Nervousness is based on your temperament, and the way you think and behave. Nervousness can also be part of an anxiety disorder, which is a mental disorder caused by brain dysfunction based on fear circuits. The anxiety disorder may be causing you to eat less healthy, so for your overall physical health, this is not good. Once your anxiety is treated, you may find that you eat better and are better nourished, further contributing to you overall good physical health. But taking vitamins is not a cure for nervousness or anxiety.

Answered: What is conditioned fear?

Sat, 12 Dec 2015 16:59:44 +0000

Conditioned fear is the process that occurs when a previously neutral stimulus (i.e. the ring of a bell) is paired with a stimulus that produces fear and anxiety (i.e. a growling dog). When the pairing of the neutral stimulus and anxiety-provoking stimulus are done repeatedly, then this strengthens the association between the neutral stimulus and fear. Eventually, the neutral stimulus alone can induce fear, thus becoming a conditioned fear.

Answered: What medical problems can cause anxiety?

Sat, 05 Dec 2015 19:32:35 +0000

Several medical problems can cause anxiety (Carandang, 2014), which include the following:

Endocrine disorders
- Endocrine disorders which may induce anxiety include hyperthyroidism, pheochromocytoma, hypoglycemia, and hyperadrenocorticism.
Cardiovascular disorders
- Cardiovascular disorders which may induce anxiety include congestive heart failure, pulmonary embolism, and arrhythmia.
Respiratory disorders
- Respiratory disorders which may induce anxiety include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and hyperventilation.
Metabolic disorders
- Metabolic disorders which may induce anxiety include vitamin B12 deficiency and porphyria.
Neurological disorders
- Neurological disorders which may induce anxiety include neoplasms, vestibular dysfunction, and encephalitis.

Reference:

“Chapter 9 - Anxiety Disorder Due to a General Medical Condition.” Anxiety Protocol. Carandang C. 2014. Healthy Mind Research Corporation.

Answered: Can hormone imbalance cause nervousness?

Thu, 03 Dec 2015 11:57:21 +0000

Yes, hormone imbalance can cause nervousness. A common hormonal cause of nervousness and anxiety is hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a condition where you have elevated blood levels of thyroid hormone.

Other hormonal and endocrine diseases that can cause nervousness and anxiety include hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), hyperadrenocortisolism (excessive cortisol), and pheochromocytoma (where an adrenal tumor produces excessive adrenaline).

If you have nervousness and anxiety, it is important to visit with your doctor to rule out any hormonal problems (endocrine diseases) and other medical problems that can cause anxiety.

Answered: Can anxiety cause nervousness?

Sat, 28 Nov 2015 12:33:12 +0000

Anxiety and nervousness are the same thing. Anxiety is nervousness. Anxiety and nervousness are emotional states characterized by fear, worry, rumination, nervous behaviors, and physical symptoms. The following video explains anxiety and gives a general overview:

Answered: What is the best cure for nervousness?

Sat, 21 Nov 2015 03:05:33 +0000

The best cure for nervousness is to learn coping skills and relaxation techniques to calm your nerves. Coping skills include CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), exercise, acupuncture, and massage. Relaxation techniques include diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, meditation, and visualization.

But the primary treatment with the most research studies showing effectiveness is CBT. You can be treated with CBT by a live therapist, or on your own with the CBT-guided self help book, Anxiety Protocol. The following video explains how Anxiety Protocol works for anxiety and nervousness:

You can also consider natural supplements to calm your nerves. KalmPro is an anxiety natural supplement, which has research studies showing its ingredients are effective for anxiety, stress, and nervousness. The following video explains how KalmPro works for anxiety and nervousness:

Answered: How does cannabis cause anxiety?

Wed, 18 Nov 2015 03:00:04 +0000

There is an association between cannabis and anxiety- the more you use cannabis, then the higher your risk of developing anxiety. It appears that the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, can adversely affect serotonin and GABA, and hence may increase the risk for anxiety, given these neurotransmitters are important for the development and treatment of anxiety (Crippa et al., 2009).

In addition, cannabis can cause cognitive problems and clouding of the consciousness, which can then lead to losing one's bearings, and hence anxiety develops.

Reference:

Cannabis and anxiety: a critical review of the evidence. Crippa JA, Zuardi AW, Martín-Santos R, Bhattacharyya S, Atakan Z, McGuire P, Fusar-Poli P. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2009 Oct;24(7):515-23.

Answered: How can anxiety affect someone's performance?

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:21:34 +0000

Anxiety can both positively or negatively affect your performance, depending on how much anxiety you have. If you have too much anxiety such as having panic attacks, then your performance is so impacted that you do not perform well at all. On the other hand, if you have too little anxiety, to the point where you barely have a pulse and your body is just idle, then you also will not perform well.

In order to have optimal performance, you need optimal levels of anxiety. Moderate levels of anxiety will get your heart pumping, get your brain working, get your attention and focus, and prepare your body for action just enough so that you can perform well. See the following inverted-U graph on how anxiety and stress affects performance:

So if you have too little anxiety (comatose) or if you have too much anxiety (panic attack), then you will not perform well. If you want optimal and excellent performance, you need moderate levels of anxiety.

Answered: Can separation anxiety occur in adults?

Tue, 17 Nov 2015 05:00:53 +0000

Yes, separation anxiety can occur in adults. In fact, it is a common anxiety disorder in adults, as there is a nearly 7% lifetime prevalence of separation anxiety in adults. So the adult with separation anxiety has extreme anxiety about leaving the comforts of home or separating from a loved one. So if your girlfriend, boyfriend, or partner is has difficulty and is anxious about you leaving, it may be a sign that they have separation anxiety.

Answered: Can anxiety cause impotence?

Wed, 11 Nov 2015 18:41:55 +0000

Yes, anxiety can cause impotence. Anxiety is associated with the activation of the fight or flight response. With this activation, it diverts resources away from non-essential systems (reproductive system and digestive system) to the essential systems for survival (muscles, heart, lungs, brain). So when you are anxious, your reproductive system shuts down, and you become impotent due to lack of sexual arousal and lack of desire.

Another way anxiety can cause impotence is if you have performance anxiety related to sex. So let's say you are going to be intimate with your partner. But you have thoughts that your partner will make fun of you, or that you will embarass yourself, or that your partner will not like you. With these thoughts, it makes you anxious. This anxiety then makes you impotent due to the activation of the fight or flight response as described above. The anxiety also makes you want to avoid having sex with your partner, which maintains your belief that your partner is making fun of you. Thus, the vicious, negative cycle of sexual perfomance anxiety continues.

For more information and help on performance anxiety, please visit the rest of AnxietyBoss.com.

Answered: What is the best treatment for anxiety and nervousness?

Tue, 10 Nov 2015 11:51:04 +0000

The answer to this question depends on multiple factors, such as type of anxiety present, severity of anxiety, presence of medical problems, presence of other mental problems, type of stressors, and style of coping, just to name a few. You can go to a doctor or therapist to get an assessment for anxiety.

To get started, you can take an anxiety test to determine if you have a problem with anxiety that needs to be explored further. Once you are able to determine what type of anxiety you have and the severity of symptoms, then you start to explore the various anxiety treatments that are available, such as CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), prescription medication treatment, self-help for anxiety, and natural supplements for anxiety.

If you want to learn how to reduce your anxiety on your own, then you can consider the CBT-guided self help book, Anxiety Protocol:

You can also consider anxiety natural supplements such as KalmPro:

Answered: What does anxiety in school look like?

Sat, 31 Oct 2015 19:22:57 +0000

It depends on the type of anxiety and the severity of your anxiety.

If you have separation anxiety, then you may not even attend school at all, as you are concerned about the safety of your parents when they are away from you. If you do go to school, then it becomes a problem with your parents dropping you off, as you cling to them and have meltdowns if they don't take you with them. Eventually, after much cajoling from teachers and other school staff, you resign to staying at school while your parents slip away. And while at school, you are distracted by your worries about your parents, hoping they don't get into an accident, and wondering if they will pick you up or not.

If you have social anxiety, then you have a fear that in crowds of classmates at school, they will make fun of you or scrutinize you. If your fear of being socially ostracized is severe enough, then you will likely avoid school. If you do go, then you resort to safety behaviors to protect yourself, like stand in a corner, not make eye contact, avoid conversations, fiddle with pockets, distract yourself with your cell phone, etc. And if you do attend school, you are so worried what people think of you that you can't focus and your school work suffers.

If you have test anxiety, then you have the extreme fear of test situations, as you do not want to embarrass yourself. So when you are about to take a test, you might experience a panic attack, as you work yourself up with anticipatory anxiety about how you will do on the test that you get severe anxiety symptoms. This then severely affects your ability to complete or do well on tests.

If you have health anxiety, then you either miss many days of school, as you are sick (but without physical causes), or if you do go to school, you spend much time in the bathroom or at the school nurse's office, as you are worried about having or developing a serious medical illness. Because of your multiple absences from class, you do not perform well academically and your grades decline.

If you have panic disorder, then you might have panic attacks that occur at school, and can be quite disruptive to your classroom. When you are not experiencing a panic attack, then you may spend much of your time anticipating when the next panic attack will occur. Suffice it to say that your school performance will suffer, as you are so wrought with anticipatory worry or may be experiencing panic attacks at school.

If you have OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder), then you will be distracted by your obsessions and compulsions. These can be quite disruptive to your classroom, and also cause you to be distracted by your anxiety symptoms. Hence, your school performance suffers.

And if you have PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder), then you will be distracted by your flashbacks about the trauma you experienced. You may also avoid certain situations or people (bullies) who remind you of the trauma. You may also have hypervigilance, where you are constantly on alert for any danger in the environment. If you have active PTSD, then your school performance will likely suffer, especially if your triggers for the traumatic event are present at school (ie the bullies are in your classes).

So as you see, having anxiety in school can be quite disruptive, and can cause you to have poor school performance. The good news is that there is help for any type of anxiety you may have. Please visit the rest of AnxietyBoss.com for more information and help on anxiety and stress.

Answered: What are the negative effects of anxiety on the body?

Mon, 26 Oct 2015 02:45:23 +0000

The answer to this question is located here.

Answered: Can anxiety cause bloating and gas?

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 22:58:58 +0000

Yes, anxiety can cause bloating and gas. Gastrointestinal symptoms, such as bloating and gas, are common in anxiety. (Mussell et al., 2008). When you have stress and anxiety, your amygdala senses this and triggers the fight or flight response, where the sympathetic nervous system is activated and culminates in the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. This results in your body becoming faster and stronger, so that you can either fight or flee from the danger.

So all of your body's resources are shifted from the reproductive system and gastrointestinal system to the essential systems for survival, such as the skeletal muscles and cardiovascular system. The changes in the gastrointestinal system cause multiple symptoms, including bloating/gas, belching, butterflies in the stomach (fluttery feeling), stomach pain, nausea/vomiting, lump in the throat, and nausea/vomiting.

Reference:

Gastrointestinal symptoms in primary care: prevalence and association with depression and anxiety. Mussell M, Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Herzog W, Löwe B. J Psychosom Res. 2008 Jun;64(6):605-12.

Answered: Can anxiety cause belching?

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 22:45:42 +0000

Yes, anxiety can cause belching. Anxiety is associated with multiple gastrointestinal symptoms, including belching (Mussell et al., 2008). Anxiety and stressors affect your body. In turn, your body reacts by triggering the fight or flight response, where the sympathetic nervous system is activated by the amygdala and there is subsequent release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. In this adrenaline response, your body becomes faster and stronger to fight or flee from any danger in the environment.

The fight or flight response shifts all of your body's energy and resources into the essential systems needed for survival, such as the skeletal muscles and the cardiovascular system, and away from non-essential systems for survival, such as the gastrointestinal system and the reproductive system.

With the gastrointestinal system getting less blood flow and less resources, gastrointestinal symptoms arise, including butterflies in the stomach (fluttery feeling), lump in the throat, belching, bloating, abdominal pain, and nausea/vomiting.

Reference:

Answered: What are some anxiety treatment resources?

Sat, 10 Oct 2015 17:54:18 +0000

The best anxiety treatment resource on the internet is AnxietyBoss.com. If you have anxiety, having accurate, effective, and safe knowledge is the most important factor in eradicating your anxiety. Most other anxiety websites are not accurate in their information, and their recommendations and treatments are not from psychiatrists who are the experts on anxiety.

AnxietyBoss.com was created by a psychiatrist, an MD, an anxiety expert, to help the millions of people worldwide who suffer from anxiety. AnxietyBoss.com is ambitious in its mission to include all of the information and help on anxiety you will need in a single website.

However, if you have an anxiety disorder and psychotherapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy- CBT) is not helpful, or if you have severe anxiety symptoms, then you may need to see your doctor for an assessment, and possibly a referral to a psychiatrist.

Answered: Can anxiety cause numbness?

Sun, 04 Oct 2015 00:56:55 +0000

Yes, anxiety can cause numbness. When you are experiencing a panic attack, you can get numbness and tingling of the arms and legs, which are also called paresthesias. The mechanism for getting numbness when you have anxiety can occur in two ways.

In the first way, you can get numbness in your body when you have stress and anxiety, and this in turn activates the fight or flight response. In the fight or flight response, there is a shunting of blood from the skin to the skeletal muscle, to prepare the body for fighting or fleeing. The shunting of blood from the skin can then be felt as numbness.

In the second way, you can get numbness in your arms and legs if you hyperventilate. When you have anxiety, you might breathe faster, and the faster you breathe, the more shallow your breaths. So as you breathe faster, you are not oxygenating your body, as your breaths are now shallow. At the same time, you are blowing off alot of carbon dioxide from your body with each rapid breath, which further worsens the hyperventilation. So with hyperventilation that you may get with anxiety, you can feel numbness and tingling of your extremities as you are not getting enough oxygen to your body.

Answered: Can anxiety cause nausea?

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 23:47:02 +0000

Yes, anxiety seems to cause nausea. Studies show that anxiety is significantly associated with gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea (Mussell et al., 2008). When you are experiencing stress and anxiety, your body reacts by activating the sympathetic nervous system and releasing adrenaline into the bloodstream, which is known as the fight or flight response. In the fight or flight response, your body is preparing to become faster and stronger to either fight or run away from the danger. So there is a shift in resources to the skeletal muscles, circulatory system, and brain, away from the non-essential systems for fighting or fleeing the danger, such as the digestive system and the reproductive system. The changes in the digestive system are manifested by many symptoms, including lump in the throat, butterflies in the stomach (fluttering feeling in the stomach), stomach pain, bloating, belching, and nausea and vomiting.

Reference:

Answered: Can anxiety cause headaches?

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 21:42:05 +0000

Yes, anxiety seems to cause headaches. There are multiple studies showing that anxiety and stress are associated with headaches (Senaratne et al., 2010; Jorge et al., 1999; Mercante et al., 2011). In addition, people with headaches have less problem-solving skills and higher levels of stress and depression (Eskin et al., 2013).

So if you have headaches and you also have anxiety, then engaging in CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) to reduce your anxiety symptoms and improve your coping skills to deal with stress may also reduce your headaches.

References:

The prevalence of migraine headaches in an anxiety disorders clinic sample. Senaratne R, Van Ameringen M, Mancini C, Patterson B, Bennett M. CNS Neurosci Ther. 2010 Apr;16(2):76-82.

Cluster headaches: association with anxiety disorders and memory deficits. Jorge RE, Leston JE, Arndt S, Robinson RG. Neurology. 1999 Aug 11;53(3):543-7.

Primary headaches in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. Mercante JP, Peres MF, Bernik MA. J Headache Pain. 2011 Jun;12(3):331-8.

Social problem-solving, perceived stress, depression and life-satisfaction in patients suffering fromtension type and migraine headaches. Eskin M, Akyol A, Çelik EY, Gültekin BK. Scand J Psychol. 2013 Aug;54(4):337-43.

Answered: Can anxiety cause fatigue?

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 20:39:51 +0000

Yes, anxiety can cause fatigue. When you are nervous or anxious, it sets off the fight or flight response, which culminates in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the release of adrenaline into the bloodstream. The fatigue from anxiety results from the depletion of energy, as the fight or flight response increases you energy expenditure to prepare your body to become faster, stronger, and more alert. The problem with anxiety is that is can be chronic, and this depletes the energy reserves you have with the chronic activation of the fight or flight response. With chronic anxiety, you wear yourself out due to the constant arousal and hypervigilance that accompanies anxiety.

Answered: What is worry?

Sat, 03 Oct 2015 02:57:32 +0000

Worry is repetitive thinking about past or future events. Hence, worry is the opposite of the here and now.

Depite all the negative press surrounding worry, it has an adaptive function to work through and solve problems. It’s like trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube- the more you twist and turn and look at it from different angles- as long as you persevere, you will eventually solve it.

So worry makes our concerns transportable, so that you can think about your problems at any time, which can be an advantage or disadvantage. But this depends if you are using your brain, rather than being run by it. But it is easy for this worrying to become a habit, and it can take on a life of its own- in this way, you are being run by your brain. But it does not have to be this way- you can find ways to use your brain, and therefore it can help you to solve problems.

On the upside, most things you worry about never happen. Worry also has an adaptive function in that it distracts you from more disturbing problems and emotions that you are not able to process right now.

On the downside, too much worry and too little worry leads to decreased problem solving and effectiveness (inverted-U). So for optimal problem solving and effectiveness, you need moderate amounts of worry.

With regards to origin, worry is from the thinking part of the brain, the cortex. Hence, worry is a cortical function.

Answered: What is anxiety?

Fri, 02 Oct 2015 03:00:16 +0000

Anxiety is an unpleasant emotion characterized by fear, apprehension, or dread. Anxiety is usually felt as an unpleasant feeling in the chest or abdomen. There is also a sense that something bad will happen. Anxiety is often accompanied by physical symptoms, which include rapid heart rate, muscle tension, and sweating.

Anxiety is from the emotional part of the brain called the limbic system, whereas worry is from the thinking part of your brain called the cortex. Stress is the physical response to a threat or stressor, and this is mediated by the activation of the fight or flight response, also known as the adrenaline response.

What are some physical symptoms of anxiety?

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 04:47:25 +0000

How can you use anxiety to improve performance?

Sat, 12 Sep 2015 01:21:52 +0000

Can anxiety kill you?

Sat, 12 Sep 2015 01:13:37 +0000