From occasional circumstantial anxiety — like the stomach butterflies you get before an important event, performance triggered nerves, or going-to-the-dentist jitters — to full-blown generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) with panic attacks and debilitating phobias, there are many different types of anxiety.
With a multitude of guises, it can present itself in your life as insomnia, depressions, fatigue, addiction self-medication, job or relationship paralysis, and more. In many cases, it can be fleeting; natural even, to feel anxious before, say, your wedding, or the birth of your child, or in the midst of a major life change. However, chronic anxiety is not meant to be a daily part of the human experience and can lead to stress which leads to cortisol dysregulation that can eventually impact not just your emotional well-being but your physical health as well.
If you have anxiety, you know it’s no joke to feel that something is constantly holding you back – or that the sky is going to fall in on you at any second. You know how much it can impact enjoying your life.
These points become particularly daunting when we consider the fact that anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric illnesses in the United States, with approximately 30% of the population experiencing anxiety symptoms in their lifetime. Even more daunting for the ladies, in particular, is that anxiety disorders are twice as common in women as in men.
The most prevailing “antidote?” Pharmaceuticals.
But here’s the thing: anti-anxiety medications, which include the all-too-commonly prescribed and highly addictive benzodiazepines (drugs like Ativan, Xanax, Klonopin, and Valium) and other medications, come with a multitude of side effects — including short and long-term potentially permanent impacts on cognitive function. While muting out anxious symptoms may help in the moment, it doesn’t stop them from coming back, and doesn’t address the root causes of why you feel the way you do.
What are your options? Read the full blog share from Aviva Romm here
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