What is separation anxiety disorder

Separation anxiety disorder becomes a problem when the psychological condition of an individual makes a turn for the worse. An individual experiences so much grief from separation that he develops excessive anxiety when the thought of being separated from another loved one occurs to him. Stronger emotional attachments tend to form when a separation has occurred. This is a common phenomenon observed among children of divorced families.

To a person suffering from separation anxiety disorder, the threat of an important person leaving him is always there. So much time is wasted on worrying over this threat. In the beginning, there seems to be no end to this kind of disorder, especially when the memories of being with the separated person are still fresh in the person’s mind.

Difficulty Sleeping

Sleeping becomes a chore you’d rather not do when you’re suffering from separation anxiety. Children from divorced families refuse to sleep on their own right after the separation. They also show signs of emotional fatigue like headaches and nausea. Separation anxiety disorder affects the main activities of a child, like those in school and at play.

Kids and Pets Are Most Vulnerable

All age groups show susceptibility to this disease, but kids are more or less more vulnerable. Separation anxiety is not limited to humans, as pets can also show the same disorder in a different way. Canines left behind by their owners can become destructive and noisy. Sometimes, the dogs have trouble interacting with others except the owner. If the owner is gone, the dogs become difficult to handle.

Recurring distress happens when the person is reminded of the person he is missing. The longing intensifies and depression could set in. Depressed people with separation anxiety are difficult to console. Most of the time, they snap out of it when taken to a new and more exciting environment. Sometimes, the separation anxiety deepens and clingy attitude develops.

Recurring Dreams

One of the most difficult to handle is the dreaming. Nightmares recur when the mind is troubled, as is the case with people suffering from separation anxiety disorder. Crying during the night for some unknown reason is also to be expected. It is said that some kids are likely to develop panic disorders, bipolar disorders and ADHD if they are suffering from separation anxiety.

Persistent Worry

It’s the persistent worrying that makes separation anxiety disorder hard to control. Therapy helps quite a bit, especially with kids. Most of the time, the kids develop a major attachment to another person or an inanimate object to cope with separation distress. Adults with separation anxiety become traumatized to attach themselves to someone again.

The Cure

Listening to a therapist, or getting a solid self help program for curing anxiety will do wonders for you and your child. Separation anxiety disorder should be treated naturally, and relaxing your mind is the best cure. To find out how to relax, there are so many self help programs out there like Linden that can give you clues on the best methods.

Have you ever felt your heart beating rapidly because something bad may happen? Do you blush or feel awkward every time you need to talk to a stranger? Many of these symptoms point to anxiety disorders. These disorders are common and you may never know who among the people you meet has this. Therefore, you are not alone. You may also be a candidate for treatment, and you can get rid of these symptoms.

There are so many literary sources for information on anxiety attacks. While some theories on what could be causing these attacks vary, a large number of the resources cite relaxation and stress relief as the quick fixes for anxiety problems.

To an individual suffering from various levels of anxiety, relaxation may be harder. But with the right information and tools, it can be done.

Here are some of the things you can do right now in order to relax.

1. Turn to Nature

Nature can be an evil entity, and it has been the cause of many fears. Typhoons and tornadoes are just some of the massive forces of nature that you may have worried about for a long time. But nature itself can also be the main provider of the cure for anxiety disorders. The varying shades of blue in the sky can bring about a sense of peace. Just lying on your hammock under the trees can be relaxing. If you want to learn how to relax, get to know the good side of nature.

2. Meditate

Your mind is something that can be influenced by a lot of things, including the root causes of your fears. Sometimes, the mere fact that you’re watching a movie about a fear of yours can bring about an intense panic attack. If you want to find out how to relax, you should learn about meditation practices. The more you know about calming your mind through meditation, the faster you can recover from anxiety disorders. Many people suffering from these disorders never go back to using antidepressants after a few weeks of daily meditation.

One form of meditation that you may want to try is prayer. Religious people will benefit from this. If you’re used to going to church to pray, you should make it a habit to incorporate the same thing in your private abode.

Even if you aren’t the religious type, you can always try some meditation methods created especially for relaxation. Meditation over medication is the mantra of many anxiety-ridden patients. Meditation gives you clarity over many chaotic elements festering inside your mind.

3. Stretching Exercises

Exercise is touted as one of the best stress relievers. But there are types of exercise that can directly increase stress. Intense cardio can make you more fit, but the fear that comes with trying out the more strenuous exercises may topple your efforts to succeed in eliminating anxiety.

Start slow. The best type of exercise would be stretching and light cardio. Stretching lets you relax your back, which is usually hunched over if your anxiety disorder is severe. Physical manifestations of anxiety are not just related with breathing and excretion. Most of the time, your whole body is affected, too. Cowering because of imaginary fears may be causing you a lot of physical pain.

When we talk about social anxiety, we almost always think about its application in dating and getting to know new people. Some people develop social anxiety when they reach the age of dating. Dating is stressful, as many already know. There is the pressure to be rejected, and there is also the possibility that you may not feel accepted in a group where your potential partner belongs. But there are people who develop social anxiety early on, even without the pressure of getting a date. The fear of interacting with people is so intense that they never try to go through the process of interaction again.

How Does Social Anxiety Hold You Back?

– Social anxiety prevents you from interacting fully with loved ones. Social anxiety disorder can go beyond the dating scene and into your family life. Don’t be the person who’s always in the corner during family gatherings. Interact with others and make them feel your presence. If it seems like you’re simply counting the hours until the family reunion is over, you miss the chance of connecting with the people who truly matter in your life.

Your family will understand. If they do not fully understand the nature of your anxiety disorder, they will still accept you anyway. That’s why it’s important to have your family’s support at this crucial time. They will be there for you no matter what.

– Social anxiety prevents you from getting the promotion you deserve. One thing that doesn’t get mentioned in any corporate book is the importance of socializing in getting a promotion. It’s not all about merit and how you can get the job done fast. Most of the time, promotions are based on personal feelings of trust and friendship. Sure, the company will always hire the best person for the job, but those who will be sending in recommendations are only human. Once they feel like you’re snubbing them, your chances of being promoted will diminish.

Attend social events where you can talk to your bosses on an equal level for a change. Although it’s not much, being pleasantly in conversation with others would make them feel like you’re the best person to be promoted. You don’t have to learn how to golf to impress your boss. A firm handshake and a smiling greeting during a company party will get you on his good side for good.

– If you have social anxiety, you tend to ostracize yourself from the rest of your community. Socializing is a part of any community, whether it’s the parent-teacher association, the community fire protection brigade or the homeowners club in your neighbourhood. If the people around you cannot connect with you on a personal level, you are regarded as the misfit, and this regard could extend to your children and your relatives. Don’t forget that you may need the help of these people sooner or later. It’s best to get over your social anxiety and start getting to know the people you are living with in your community.

General anxiety disorder is a kind of disease that is affecting more people than we know. Most of the time, these people don’t understand what is happening to them. The symptoms of general anxiety are too many, and they occur on seemingly random situations. On top of the fear that they may be going crazy, most people with general anxiety disorder panic about the thought of having an attack while in a public place.

What makes things worse is when people with this disorder don’t tell anyone. They get too wrapped up in their fears that they think no one would understand. People make their problems greater than they are. Worrying that they are under a bad situation, and going crazy about it could result in a pretty nasty panic attack. These panic attacks are no more than fainting, but to the person involved he feels like he is dying. Many people with serious medical conditions actually complicate their disease by having panic problems.

It helps if these people realize that they share the same symptoms as other people all over the globe. With research and understanding, they will realize that they have a condition that can be cured. Many people have developed their own quick fixes for anxiety disorders, particularly general anxiety disorder. Some have used music, and others have used therapy. There are more people using self help books than we know, because they probably wouldn’t reveal that they are using these books.

When you can no longer contain your fears and you think you’re going to die, stop yourself from doing something crazy.

Here’s the quickest way to calm your general anxiety disorder.

Do Breathing Exercises

There are so many tutorials on how to do breathing exercises like those mentioned in Linden, and here are some more

– If you feel like a panic attack is coming, expel your breath in one go. You can even condition yourself to use a word that you say every time you do this. You know how many soldiers say their lines a bit loud They’re expelling their breath and in turn making themselves lose the stress. This is the same principle behind the sounds that a karate master makes when he prepares for a fight. It’s a great stress reliever.

– Breathe in and out slowly. Don’t hurry the breathing process and hold your diaphragm area while you do this. Your diaphragm should expand when you take a deep breath. It should relax when you breathe out. This way is the right way to breathe, and you do this unconsciously when in deep sleep.

– Balloon your cheeks when you breathe out. Breathe in through your nose and expel the breath through your mouth. When you balloon your cheeks, you expel more air and you don’t hyperventilate.

There may be other breathing methods out there that work quite well. I’m simply describing my own method and what works for me. The important thing is that you try your best to find a method that works for you.

You might have heard about separation anxiety somewhere and have been wondering whether you have it. There are so many things to look at in order to find out if you have this disorder. Here are the fiver dirty secrets of separation anxiety, and what could be causing them.

1. Kids are more prone to separation anxiety.

Losing something important is very hard. To a child, this could mean the end of the world in some way. This is one of the main reasons why people go into depression when they separate from someone. Separation anxiety is not limited to kids that were left behind after their parents split up. Children are vulnerable to these things, especially when they felt incredibly attached to the parent that left. The extent of separation anxiety in children is directly related with his or her mental development level. This only means that children that know more can feel the loss more. Children with this disorder are quiet and would speak only when spoken to. Children of broken families may show apathy and sadness, along with difficulty focusing on studies.

2. Separation anxiety may lead to paranoia.

Depending on the mental state of the person experiencing separation anxiety, paranoia may develop. It could start from fearing the dark or always being anxious about car accidents. Some kids don’t want to leave home because they are afraid they may never come back. These fears tend to stick around until adulthood, which leads to adult anxiety disorder. Phobias develop more in anxious individuals. They may soon channel their fears on animate objects like animals or burglars.

3. A Good Night’s Sleep is Rare

Many sleepless nights could lead to more nightmares. The mind becomes too tired with the non-stop stimuli of daily lifestyle changes. When the mind is tired, the old fears, even those forgotten, re-surface. Phobias from childhood may come back. Some individuals even regressed to their stuttering speech after years of being free from the disability.

4. Mental Distress

Recurrent show of excessive anxiety when someone leaves for work may be a symptom of worsening separation anxiety. This kind of distress may occur to the individual wherever he or she is. The body remembers this kind of distress, which translates to being fretful and difficult. If the person tries to keep it in, he may experience nightmares. Children of divorcing couples experience many of these symptoms. The main treatment seems to be therapy, with emphasis on social exposure.

5. Adapting to the New Lifestyle is Difficult

Adapting to the new lifestyle with no regard for the past may seem impossible, but there are ways to buffer the debilitating effects of separation with enough knowledge of confidence boosting techniques and relaxation methods. Separation anxiety treatment should be done on the child and the parent. The baggage needs to go and life must go on for both the parent and child that were left behind.

I was under the spell of a horrible anxiety disorder in the past. I always felt that something is wrong with me, or that something bad will happen soon. I even entertained ideas that I was a psychic and that I may have predicted some things that happened already. I was constantly on alert, and I didn’t get enough sleep. I double checked the stove, the locks and even all the faucets around the house.

Someone who knew what I was thinking all the time would have called me a basket case. I would. But of course, it’s difficult to explain my anxiety disorder so they would have to simply tag me as a looney and that was that. Was I going crazy? I didn’t think so, but I still couldn’t explain the unrelenting fear of the unknown.

I even thought I was going crazy or that I was simply not up to living the life I am living. Things turned for the worse when I found out that my partner was seeing someone on the side. On top of the nervousness I was feeling, I was grieving. Maybe it’s me. Maybe I am the wrong thing around here. These depressing thoughts swirled around inside my head until I realized the truth about my anxiety disorder.

But the truth is that I was living with dread. And, that I can do something about it.

Anxiety disorder is an ugly thing, and no one really knows where it’s coming from. There are bad things that happen to people daily, but the thing is that we can choose to live life dreading these things, or we can choose to find a way to live with life despite the threat of something happening. For the first time in a long while, I looked forward to good things that could happen.

Self help is possible! I was looking for things to read when I came across several self help ebooks and CDs on anxiety attacks. While I didn’t show panic attacks just yet, the symptoms all refer to what I felt and how I’ve lived the past several years. Fortunately, I found out about all these things before my mind became too ragged to learn all this.

It helped that I had a few friends that suggested help. I talked to a psychologist once and expressed my willingness to get treated. It’s uphill from there, whether or not you continue to see a psychologist. Your mind can heal, and mine did, despite the messy separation and the upheaval in my emotions.

I found myself again, and I realized I didn’t have to live with all the fears. I’m not a special case. I am just like everybody else, and they are living their lives to the fullest. I can do that, too.

Find yourself amidst the chaos inside your head induced by anxiety disorder. Look for guidance where it’s available. Read self help books like Linden. And most of all, help yourself because everything starts with you.

When a person starts acting strange, there is a big chance that he may be suffering from mental instability. Mentally unstable people are not always those that should be led away in a straight jacket. Many anxiety-ridden individuals are like the rest of us, with jobs to keep them busy and with families that are constantly confused about the person’s behaviour. They’re not entirely incurable, either. These people need all the help they can get to ward off the panic. They may start to feel like there’s no one there for them if they keep struggling with anxiety alone.

It’s not enough to write it off as panic attacks. Panic attacks are just the penultimate representation of anxiety disorders. Not all people with anxiety disorders have panic attacks. In fact, a lot of people with anxiety problems keep to themselves and don’t ever show signs. But there are symptoms even when an individual tries to hide it. Some individuals don’t even know that they are showing these symptoms themselves.

5 Signs That You Have Anxiety Disorders

1. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders

There are some experts that link OC behaviour with anxiety disorders. Obsessive-compulsive individuals are at risk of developing extreme anxiety if they cannot control their impulse to make everything perfect. The need for chaos in a chaotic world would make a person with obsessive compulsive disorder feel like he’s frequently accosted by disorganized individuals. The chemical instability that may occur in the mind of a person with obsessive compulsive disorder may give way to anxiety attacks.

2. Paranoia

Like an obsessive compulsive individual, a paranoid person may have abnormal brain chemistry. He may end up thinking that something’s going to happen soon and no matter what he does, he cannot stop it from happening. Although he cannot exactly describe what kind of horrible event is going to take place, he just knows there will be something like it in the near future. This line of thinking may prevent him from really enjoying his time with his family. He is constantly on the alert and less able to function as a working member of society.

3. Nausea

If you know the feeling of queasiness right before a performance or a speech, then you understand what a person with generalized anxiety disorder feels. Unlike someone who feels some sort of anxiety on occasion, however, a person with anxiety disorders go beyond the normal apprehension and into something deeper. The fear itself can cause nausea at any time of the day. The person does not know the signs that he is going to throw up because of nervousness.

4. Jumpy

The brain’s fight-or-flight instinct is constantly activated in an anxiety-ridden person. This symptom of anxiety is an instinct that can make him do irrational things like hide when someone approaches, or drops his things whenever he feels threatened. This jumpiness can become chronic.

5. Isolated and Alone

Another symptom of anxiety is feeling the need to be alone. Needless to say, a person with anxiety disorders cannot face the possibility of having a panic attack in front of others, even if it’s just the next door neighbour. Having someone nearby may also be an issue because that person may be burdened when the sufferer starts acting up.

Relaxation is one of the greatest and most expensive things in the world. People would pay millions just to relax. Think of all the people who go on cruises and the like. They all want to experience what life is when freed from stress.

When you have an anxiety disorder, the pressure to relax is greater. After all, your dealing with anxiety can spell the difference between miserable for the rest of your life being happy. Relaxation ninjas are great at dealing with anxiety. Here are some of their methods

1. Live in the Present

Stress comes to a person with anxiety disorders when he starts thinking of the past mistakes and the future bad events. Staying in the current time is the best because you don’t have to worry about what happened in the past and what could happen in the future. You only have to worry about what’s in front of you at the moment.

2. No More Denial

Denial is the cause of stress. If you accept that you may have an anxiety disorder, you can write that off as something you can deal with and quit worrying about it. As long as there is no stress that comes from denial, you can always go out with a few friends and never have to worry about them freaking out when you do. Strangely enough, you don’t get anxious as often if you know about your problem, and there are people around you that accept you despite the fact that you have a problem with anxiety.

3. Give Up Caffeine and Nicotine

Smoking and drinking coffee may be contributing to your inability to handle stress. Stress and resistance to treatment could be caused by a clouded mind. If your mind is clear, you can focus all your mental energy into recovery. Being level-headed means being freed from the effects of substance that could hamper your progress. When you drink coffee, you tend to be more jittery. The same goes with smoking. You can feel a lot better if you can relax completely without the chemically induced jitters.

4. Organize in a Comfortable Way

While being organized is great, you should always remember that there is no military officer around to yell at you if your books are not in alphabetical order. Chaos, especially managed chaos, is a way of life. Don’t stress about being organized, but don’t let loose so that your room and your mind would stay cluttered.

5. Prioritize Your Activities

You don’t have to do everything you wished for and dreamed of. There are some things you can put off for another week. The main thing is that you know what’s important to you and you can focus on those things.

Anxiety is a state where you are constantly active and your mind is awake thinking of bad scenarios. Depression is related with low energy activities like inertia and lethargy. But while these two may seem unrelated, there is a link between anxiety and depression. When they occur together in one person, that person can’t function well. What happens is that he loses his job, his happy family life and everything he owns. There is now will to move on in life, and he tends to think that all his efforts are futile.

Anxious people that aren’t depressed may still show signs of wanting to become better. When depression sets in, there is a sense of hopelessness and letting go of what’s important. The lack of control shown by someone afflicted with anxiety disorders can be the main culprit that induces depression.

Anxiety and depression are similar in that they debilitate a person. The elements are not the same. Depression may bring about more anger than the person thinks he’s capable of. A really angry person may be depressed. Depression also lowers a person’s self esteem even more than anxiety disorders. With the lowering value of self comes despair and grief.

Anxiety disorders bring bout fears, panic and anxiety, often related with ideas and things that the person is despairing about. The main reason may be the lack of financial stability, which may be caused by a sacking on the job. An individual with anxiety disorder shows fear in a situation that seems normal to others. There is also that constant nagging worry about anything and everything. He can’t sit still and he cannot concentrate on anything because he is always worried about his life in general. On top of that, there is a fear that he might lose it, or break down one of these days.

Drugs prescribed to patients with anxiety and depression are alike, indicating further that these disorders are linked. Medication that can help a person sleep, for example, can be prescribed to depressed individuals as well as to those prone to panic attacks. This is another proof that depression and anxiety are correlated, or co-morbid. A psychologist may ask you if you have a history of depression when you show signs of anxiety.

There are studies that prove the link between depression and anxiety. Either a depressive person develops anxiety disorders or vice versa. The point is that negative feelings brought on by anxiety and depression fester and turn into a much worse disease. Mental instability promotes more disorders related with the mind, which is one of the main reasons why people with anxiety disorders should get treated fast.

If you’re wondering whether or not you have anxiety disorders, you should know that there are many types of anxiety disorders. Here are some of these types and some quick fix tips for when they attack.

1. Social anxiety disorder

Developing social anxiety disorder is like waving your social life goodbye. You’re too afraid to go to parties for fear of humiliation. You think everyone’s out to ridicule you if you so much as breathe in their presence. But as you may know by now, most of the fears are in your head. People in social gatherings are too busy to really pay attention to you. When you mingle, they mingle politely. Everyone’s at their best behaviour when with other people.

Starting a conversation and making a fool of yourself is often the main thoughts that come to you when you’re around people. When you conquer this fear, you can function normally socially.

Quick anxiety treatment: What you need to do is to shush that part of your brain that’s making you feel socially nervous. Breathe in and out quietly until your anxiety subsides. When you’re calm enough, you can start a conversation with another person. Make sure to pay attention to the exchange to get your mind off your anxiety. Once you’re having fun conversing and connecting with others, you will relax. Have a list of questions ready to make sure the conversation flows and you’re not back to square one (fighting off anxiety).

2. General Anxiety Disorder

Unlike social anxiety, general anxiety disorder does not require the presence of a crowd or other people for the panic to come. Once the thought that something bad could happen occurs to you, you’re bound to feel the same feeling you get when there is a present threat around. Many people are succumbing to this disorder, considering the many calamities and man-made disasters that have happened. Some people go as far as to prepare for the worst even when they know that they’ve already prepared a bug out bag long before.

Quick anxiety treatment: When something makes you feel anxious, breathe deeply and exhale loudly. Snap yourself back to reality and the nervous feeling will go away. The more you think about the nervousness, the more you will feel it. If you don’t push back the dark thoughts, the fear will always be switched on, preventing sleep and proper nourishment. Also, keep away from stressful activities and stimulants like coffee and nicotine.

3. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Compulsive people are always on alert thinking that they have to do everything right. Sometimes, they become obsessed with the idea of being perfect. They stress themselves out thinking of the things they did not do right. This disorder is also a type of anxiety disorder.

Quick anxiety treatment: To alleviate this, you can make a checklist of all the things you should do during the day and cross them out one by one. Being obsessive compulsive is difficult to control, but if you must control it, you should only go through your list once and that’s it. Relax and think that you have done your best. Also, if you feel anxious at all, you should still do the deep breathing exercises that self help books and CDs have taught you.