Jacqueline Tresl, R.N., gives tips on coping with stressIn this column: Chronic anxiety -- its causes and sources of relief. Plus, a test to measure your anxiety level.
Do you worry way more than you know you should? About your loved ones, your job, your health, your future, even whether or not the mechanic can squeeze your Jeep in for an oil change?
If so, you may suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, also known as GAD or chronic anxiety.
GAD keeps your mind and body in a state of constant stress. Your breathing and heart rate are sped up, your mind races, you have difficulty concentrating, and are always pondering, "what if?"
This ceaseless tension makes you perpetually tired, but you're too keyed up to get a good night's sleep.
Being a nervous wreck is detrimental to your physical and emotional health.
The stress caused by chronic anxiety makes you more prone to depression, panic attacks and self-destructive behaviors, like chain-smoking, screaming at your child, or binge eating.
Chronic worrying can be the result of factors around you, like a high-pressure job or having been abused as a child. But the primary reason why some of us are worry warts is found in our genes. This genetic trait, known as emotional sensitivity or behavioral inhibition, programs your brain to be naturally fretful, tense and apprehensive. Your body may be hard-wired to emotional sensitivity if noise, bright lights, crowds, and odors frequently bother you. Are you are overly sensitive to disapproval or perceived hostility by other people? Do you fret about your health and safety, and that of your loved ones? Do people accuse you of worrying too much, telling you to "Chill out?" If so, it will require a lot of effort to defuse your panic button. Breathe. Try inhaling through your nose to the count of five. Hold that breath for 10 to 15 seconds, then exhale slowly, through your open mouth, lips pursed, to the count of 10. Repeat this five times. Meditate. For a simple meditation technique, sit in a hard-backed chair, lights dimmed, room quiet. Shut your eyes and breath slowly and deeply several times. Then repeat one word (known as a mantra) over and over, concentrating on the sound and the feel of the word. Do not think about anything else. "Om" and "aing" are common meditation mantras, but you can use whatever word you like. Repeat your mantra for 10 minutes. At first your mind will wander off of your word, and other thoughts will try to distract you. As soon as you notice you have stopped concentrating on your mantra, immediately push your focus back on it. It may take three days or three weeks, but eventually you will begin to inhibit conscious thoughts, and your brain will feel the way it does in those twilight moments between wakefulness and sleep. Meditating on a mantra melts away mind and body tensions. And it's easy to do at work. You can meditate and deep breathe at your desk, during your coffee break or before a meeting. Rock it away. Consider Trager, which is a series of gently rocking and rhythmic movements that induce a state of relaxation. Trager claims to "help release deep-seated physical and mental patterns and facilitates deep relaxation, increased physical mobility, and mental clarity." Trager is performed by specially trained practitioners who have studied at the Trager Institute for a minimum of six months. Practitioners are available for consultation around the world. If you are naturally a nervous Nellie, commit yourself to one relaxation technique a day. It's time to liberate yourself from all that chronic worrying, and sail through life on cruise control. Further links: Next week: Using aerobic exercises to reduce chronic stress and anxiety --Jacqueline Tresl, R.N., a coronary intensive care nurse and nursing supervisor for over 20 years, has written about health and happiness for magazines and newspapers for three years. Now you know what we were talking about when we said her first book, "Whoever Heard of a Horse In The House?" is scheduled for release in March.
Escape Routes From Panic
It's extremely difficult to think your way out of anxiety. But you can make the attempt with some very simple methods: daily relaxation techniques.
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