Anxiety is the excessive and acute terror, fear or tension which arises due to everyday stressful situations. One can be extremely pressurized due to various reasons like family problems, work or study pressure, monetary issues and all these can turn a person to an anxious mess! You might be an anxious child who slowly turned to an anxious adult or you can also develop anxiety later on in your life.
The buildup of all the smaller stressful events or big fearful events where one can feel the imminent danger causes instant anxiety attacks.
If you are also suffering from anxiety and anxiety attacks then read to the end of this article for knowing some effective solutions which may help you during the stressful times.
What do anxiety attacks feel like?
The intense outpouring of anxiety, fear or tension due to some emergency situations gives rise to anxiety attacks. While getting anxiety attacks, you might be sweating heavily, you can also be facing some sort of obstruction in breathing. Your hands or legs can shake and you can also feel your heartbeat becoming faster to the level that it starts pounding.
What does recent studies say regarding the statistical analysis of anxiety attacks in women?
Don’t worry, as you are definitely not alone! The Anxiety and Depression Association of America says that the disorders caused due to anxiety are one of the most common mental issues which affects 40 million adults in the United States. The studies of the National Comorbidity Survey shows that women have 2.5 times more anxiety attacks than men. The rate of prevalence of anxiety attacks is more in the age group 15 to 24 which is 2.5 % as compared to the age group 35 to 44 which is 2.1 %. It has been studied that with age the rate of anxiety falls. Also 72% of the women experience shortness of breath during the anxiety attacks and 37% of them experience a difficulty in swallowing. The relevant studies show that the higher rates of anxiety attacks are present in women especially due to influence of hormones and physiological differences.
Causes of Anxiety for women
Reasons of stress for women are mainly psychosocial due to the different phases of their life and the relevant changes that occur at every particular stage along with hormonal imbalances. Let's identify some of them:
Puberty period: The hormonal fluctuations start during the puberty period and it plays an significant role in the etiology of all the anxiety disorders in women during this period.
The Menstrual cycle: The ovarian hormones tend to go low at the onset of menstruation and the hormones rise to their peak during the evolution time. During this period premenstrual dysphoric disorder which is a mood disorder is being experienced by 5 to 8% of women which includes a very strong symptom of anxiety.
Pregnancy period: The levels of estrogen and progesterone exponentially increases during the pregnancy and rapidly lowers down within a few hours of the delivery. That is why, there are severe anxiety cases in almost 48% of pregnant women. Depression or stress is very common during the pregnancy period. Although a very low impact of prenatal anxiety on the offsprings is being found.
Menopause transition period: With the approach of menopause there is a huge fluctuation of ovarian hormones and the levels of anxiety heightens during the menopausal transition. It is a time of increased stress because there are a lot of physical symptoms like insomnia and hot flushes. However, anxiety levels decrease post the menopause time span.
Instant actions needed to be taken while getting anxiety attacks
First you need to recognize that you are getting an anxiety attack and not a heart attack! So tell yourself that everything is okay and this will pass. Usually the anxiety attacks arise due to the situations which trigger your emotions. So, if your environment has several numbers of stimuli then it can give you anxiety attacks. After recognizing that you are having anxiety attacks you have to reduce the stimulus around you, so close your eyes and focus on breathing. Deep breathing helps in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.
Ways for cooling down yourself and fighting against anxiety attacks
Burst it out: We understand that sharing to your partner or a close friend helps to deal with anxiety but shouting it out is even better than it. But we are not asking you to do it in any public places, but in some controlled environment. You can release your emotions by screaming your lungs out, punching a pillow or stomping your feet. You can do anything which helps to get your emotions out and you will feel lighter.
Focus on some other object: Notice any object clearly and move your focus to that and start noting everything about the object which is possible. Like if you want to focus on a clock then focus on the hands notice it's jerks while ticking and this will help you in subsiding your anxiety symptoms.
Try practicing Yoga or meditation every day: Doing meditation helps to cool down your mind and practicing it daily will help you to face any tough situations in a calm way. Also practicing yoga or free hand exercises will help to let the endorphins to manage the blood pumping of your body in the correct way. The endorphins help in improving your mood and make you happy and stress free.
Relax your muscles: Just like deep breathing, relaxation of muscles is also a technique which helps in controlling the response of your body to cool you down. Start relaxing your muscles consciously one by one to get the symptoms off.
Keep lavender oil handy: Lavender is a great material for relieving the stress. So, always keep some Lavender oil handy if you often get anxiety attacks and by applying them on your forearms and breathing the scent will soothe you.
Think about things that make you happy: The thought of which place relaxes you the most? Is it the blue Ocean, snow capped mountains or a sunny beach? Be it anything, just picturize yourself to be present over there and enjoy the feeling. This will help you in forgetting the tensions of your real life.
Medication: No we’re not talking about having some anxiety pills on a regular basis for getting your nerves cooled down, because the pills have their own side effects. But if you are prone to anxiety or panic attacks, then it's high time that you should visit a doctor or a psychiatrist, as they might help you to control your nerves with some temporary medical assistance.
We know that anxiety may also arise while you are unable to maintain your everyday work and life balance. So, the next time you feel over pressurized due to any family or job issue, make sure to take out some time from t😣he weekend to spend a few moments with your loved ones. The ultimate goal is to produce happy hormones which will help you to control your anxiety attacks. Any short trips, hobby classes or day outs will give you the strength to manage the stress or anxiety for a week or two.
Reference List:
https://www.healthline.com/health/effective-ways-to-fight-anxiety-without-drugs
https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-stop-a-panic-attack
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5613977/
https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/gender-differences-panic-disorder