Anxiety and fear are normal responses to a perceived threat.  They are in fact opposites, and part of a triad:

ANXIETY – is triggered by a vague or ill-defined threat.
FEAR – is triggered by a well-defined threat.
PANIC – is intense fear triggered by no apparent reason.

All three of these symptoms create a roft of unpleasant mental symptoms of body, mind and brain:

• Shortness of breath – feeling smothered – choking
• Dizziness, unsteadiness, faintness
• Palpitations or accelerated heart rate – chest pain and discomfort
• Trembling and shaking
• Numbness and tingling – muscle tension
• Hot flushes or cold chills
• Feeling ill – almost like you are going to die
• Fear of going crazy – sweating – nausea – intense worry
• Feelings of unreality – helplessness – confusion – apprehension
• Repeated negative thoughts, emotions and reactions

Tick the one’s which might apply to you and rate each one out of six:

This checklist can be useful if you are seeking diagnosis and treatment or reading about symptoms you may be experiencing.

Some of these symptoms can build very quickly and strike very suddenly, while others may built gradually over minutes or hours.  Symptoms may persist for a few minutes or last for several days.  On average, most do not last more than half an hour.

Symptoms are controlled by your brain and nervous system, and are a response triggered in the mind and in the brain and in the body.  The sympathetic nervous system activates the body preparing it for any of the following responses – Fight – Flight – Freeze – Fold – Faint.

When you experience anxiety provoking stimuli, memory of it is stored in the Amygdala, in your brain, and when you encounter this memory or situation again, another fear, anxiety or panic response may be triggered, refocusing the body for the five F’s.

In our practice we teach skills for reducing the symptoms of fear, anxiety and panic.  These skills take time to develop but mastery gives you knowledge, skills and power to manage these syndromes.  The main skills and knowledge are:

• Understanding, identifying and reducing the sources of stress and anxiety
• Overcoming cognitive disturbances and thinking positively
• Overcoming negative perfectionism
• Becoming a positive realist and escaping the victim, naming and blaming cycle
• Moving beyond the excessive need for approval
• Eliminating self defeating behaviours and becoming more assertive
• Going beyond learned helplessness and defensiveness.
• Learning to feel good about who you are and developing the Ten Areas of Health and Wellness
• Stay on track with proper sleep, exercise, diet and nutrition

Your goal is to become skilled at knowing when your buttons are being pushed and learning to respond in a way which manages your symptoms effectively and brings you what you want in life.