There are many different causes of anxiety, fear or panic and it's different for everyone. When you're feeling anxious or scared, your body releases stress hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. This can be helpful in some situations, but it might also cause physical symptoms such as an increased heart rate and increased sweating. In some people, it might cause a panic attack. Regular anxiety, fear or panic can also be the main symptom of several health conditions. Do not self-diagnose – speak to a gp if you're worried about how you're feeling.
Generalized anxiety disorder. You feel excessive, unrealistic worry and tension with little or no reason. Panic disorder. You feel sudden, intense fear that brings on a panic attack. During a panic attack you may break out in a sweat, have chest pain , and have a pounding heartbeat ( palpitations ). Sometimes you may feel like you’re choking or having a heart attack. Social anxiety disorder. Also called social phobia , this is when you feel overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You obsessively worry about others judging you or being embarrassed or ridiculed. Specific phobias. You feel intense fear of a specific object or situation, such as heights or flying.
Things you can try to help with anxiety, fear and panic
A standard way of treating anxiety is psychological counseling. This can include cognitive-behavioral therapy ( cbt ), psychotherapy, or a combination of therapies. This type of psychotherapy aims to recognize and change harmful thought patterns that form the foundation of anxious and troublesome feelings. In the process, practitioners of cbt hope to limit distorted thinking and change the way people react to objects or situations that trigger anxiety. For example, a psychotherapist providing cbt for panic disorder will try to reinforce the fact that panic attacks are not really heart attacks. Exposure to fears and triggers can be a part of cbt.
Trouble concentrating difficulty falling asleep you may feel anxious and nervous if you’re taking a test or starting a new job. However, anxiety can become extreme when it affects your day-to-day for an extended period of time. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may feel fear, anxiety, panic, or worry at all or most times. Anxiety disorders may also prevent you from doing things you enjoy. Some of the most common anxiety disorders are: panic disorder. This is when you experience recurring panic attacks at unexpected times. A person with panic disorder may constantly fear the next panic attack. Phobia. A phobia is a fear of a specific object, activity, or circumstance.
Social anxiety disorders can also lead to physical symptoms. “you might experience blushing, sweating, or a subjective sensation of feeling suddenly cold or warm,” says dr. Potter. “you might also have physical tension, which could cause aches and pains, like a stomachache. ”you can also experience symptoms associated with panic, even if you don’t have a full-blown panic attack. “panic symptoms are your heart beating fast, shortness of breath, a subjective feeling of losing control or a fear of sudden, impending doom,” says dr. Potter. “people with social anxiety will typically experience some of these symptoms, including at a lower threshold, too.
Cbt , particularly a type of cbt called exposure-based therapy, is highly effective for people who have panic disorder with agoraphobia. Exposure-based therapy involves being gradually and systematically exposed to different agoraphobic situations, from the least to the most anxiety provoking. You move through this hierarchy of activities at your own pace. Once you’ve successfully completed one level, you move on to the next one until you’ve successfully completed that one, and so on. Another critical aspect is reducing your use of safety behaviors, which may include checking for exits, bringing others with you, and carrying a full or empty medicine bottle.