As a Holistic energy practitioner I have had an awareness of the many clients and friends I have seen with ‘anxiety’ in many forms and recently I have been working on a ‘free’ anxiety program’ to allow those with ‘anxiety to take back control of their lives. I will be offering a series of short ‘blog’ posts on the differing identified areas or types of anxieties prior to the release of this program called The 7 Steps to Freedom so that if you or someone you love suffers from this often debilitating condition then you know that help is at hand

Is it Anxiety? My family have always been excessive worriers; maybe that’s what’s wrong with me?

Anxiety can be either a short term or a long term state of being. It may present as a concern or a worry about a specific circumstance in your life for example, a job interview, a test or an exam, or simply doing something with which you are not familiar.

In the long term anxiety can have a much more profound effect on your body and the symptoms or the frequency of the symptoms that you experience may be much more profound, and in these instances it can literally take over a person’s life due to its frequency or the debilitating effects that it produces.

I am going to talk about the different types of anxieties in this series of short blog posts and share with you some of the symptoms that are associated with the differing forms of anxieties and related ‘phobias’.

Social Anxiety also called social phobia, is a form of anxiety in which a person may have an excessive and seemingly unreasonable fear of social situations. In these instances anxieties including intense nervousness and self-consciousness may arise from the fear of being closely observed or watched, judged, and perhaps criticized by others.

A person with a social anxiety disorder may be afraid that he or she will make mistakes, look bad and be embarrassed or humiliated in front of others. This fear may be exacerbated or made worse by a lack of that person’s social skills or experience in social situations.

The anxiety can build into what can be described as a panic attack and as a result of the fear; the person may endure certain social situations in extreme distress or avoid them altogether.

People with social anxiety disorder often suffer ‘anticipatory’ anxiety or the fear of a social situation before it even happens, often for days or weeks before the event.

In many cases, the person may be aware that their fear is unreasonable, yet is unable to overcome the resultant anxieties.

People with social anxiety may suffer from distorted thinking, including false beliefs about themselves and various social situations and have preconceived notions and ideas about the opinions of others about them. Social anxiety can have a negative impact and interfere with the person’s normal daily life, including attending school or work as well as social activities and relationships with other people.

People with social anxiety disorder may be afraid of a specific situation, such as speaking in public. However, most people with social anxiety disorder fear more than one social situation.

How Common Is Social Anxiety Disorder?

We are told that Social anxiety disorder is the second most common type of anxiety disorder and the third most commonly recognized disorder after depression nd alcohol dependence. Social anxiety generally surfaces in adolescence or early adulthood, however can occur at any time, including in early childhood, and it is recognized as being more common in women than in men.

People with social anxiety disorder may develop their fear from observing the behavior of others or seeing what happened to someone else as the result of their behavior (such as being laughed at or made fun of). Further, children who are sheltered or overprotected by their parents may not learn good social skills as part of their normal development.

Other situations that commonly provoke social anxiety for some people can include:

Some of the situations that can be identified as a social anxiety if you are uncomfortable or affected by them

 

• Eating or drinking in front of other people
• Writing or working in front of others.
• Being the center of attention.
• Interacting with people, includingone on one or in groups for example parties.
• Asking questions or giving reports in groups.
• Using public toilets or public transport
• Speaking on the telephone.
• Speaking to a stranger
• Giving a brief talk in front of other people
• Having your friends and family acknowledge you publically
• Talking to other students before your class begins if you are a student
• The professor or teacher calls on you and asks you questions during your class in front of the whole room
• Talking to some on who may not be a friend during a break
• Interrupting someone else to say something during a conversation
• Saying “Good morning” to a person you categorize as an authority figure
• Carrying on a ten minute conversation with an authority figure
• Answering your phone without looking at who’s calling
• Walking around your block by yourself
• Driving by yourself or driving with other people in the car with you
• Going out socially with a co-worker you do not know well
• Giving a presentation to your work team or to a group in school
• Telling your neighbors that their party was too loud last night and you would like them to be quieter
• Working as a cashier in a busy grocery store
• Going to a job interview and being interviewed by several people
• Being asked to reading out loud
• Shopping for something at a public place alone or going into a shop you haven’t been into before
• Asking a salesperson for help at any public store

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder can include:

For many people with social anxiety disorder they may feel that there is something not quite right with themselves however they do not recognize their feeling as a sign of an anxiety or a group of anxieties

• Mild to intense anxiety in social situations.
• Avoidance of social situations.
• Physical symptoms of anxiety, including issues such as mental confusion, poundingheart, tremors or  shaking, blushing, muscle tension, stomach upsets and diahorrea

Social anxieties can also affect children who may express their anxiety by crying, clinging to a parent, throwing a tantrum or selective mutism.

Anxiety can be classified as a disorder when the symptoms of anxiety become longstanding or ‘chronic’ and have an effect on our daily lives and our ability to function in our everyday life

Many anxiety sufferers will often report the following symptoms:

• Muscle tension especially in the head and shoulders and back
• Physical weaknesses as in feeling as if you have not got the energy to do something or that your legs do not want to hold you up for example
• Poor memory or poor short term memory
• Sweaty hands or breaking out into a sweat
• Fear or confusion, these can be either one or both and may fluctuate
• Inability to relax this can relate to being constantly tense or on edge
• Constant worrying even when you know that there is not anything to worry about
• Shortness of breath or feeling as if you cannot take a deep breath
• Palpitations or feelings of your heart fluttering which may be accompanied by shortness of breath
• Upset stomach as in feeling heavy or nauseous in the stomach, and may lead to reflux or vomiting
• Poor concentration or an inability to quieten the mind

These symptoms may range from mild to severe and  be upsetting enough to make the individual feel uncomfortable, out of control and helpless.

*If in doubt that your symptoms are more than ‘anxiety’ please seek the appropriate medical advice.

Anxieties and anxiety disorders fall into a series of separate categories or diagnoses depending on the individual symptoms and the severity of the levels of anxiety the person is experiencing. The broad overview of the types of anxiety disorders I will be discussing in this series on anxieties includes.

1 Anxieties

2 Worrying

3 OCD- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

4 Social Anxieties

5 Anxieties and phobias

6 Fear of flying’

7 Fears of things that walk crawl run or fly e.g. Birds, Moths, Spiders, and Cats.

8 Separation anxiety

9 Performance anxiety

10 Fear of Failure exams

11 Fear of Failure Business

12 Fear of death or dying

13 GAD general anxiety disorder

14 Post Natal Depression

15 Panic attacks

16 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

In support of the ‘Free ‘  7 Steps to Freedom program  I have started a FB Community called Anxiety Need Not Be A Life Sentence at the link below. If this resonates with you I would invite you to please join us and be a part of this supportive community or to share the information with those to whom it may be of assistance

Peace Love and Light

Sheila

http://www.the7stepstofreedom.com

https://www.facebook.com/groups/anxietyneednotbealifesentence/