Anxiety is a natural and rational reaction to stressful and dangerous situations. Anxiety has many names such as ‘stage fright’ but the majority of us are more likely to feel anxiety before an interview or when walking down a poorly lit street. Anxiety in these types of situations is nothing out of the ordinary and serves to make us more alert and careful. Anxiety should start to diminish once you are free of the situation or object that caused it. However, for the millions suffering from anxiety disorders, the anxiety does not go away, and might worsen over time.

What is a phobia?

A phobia is an anxiety disorder that produces a strong, irrational fear of a situation or an object that poses little or no actual danger. Most of us experience fear or mild anxiety at some time, before getting on an airplane, public speaking or even the sight of blood. However, if a fear becomes so intense that it impedes your day-to-day living and impacts your quality of life, you may have a phobia.

Even though someone with a phobia or anxiety disorder might understand their fear is irrational and excessive, this doesn’t make it easier to control. Those suffering anxiety disorders or panic attacks often adopt avoidance tactics in order to evade whatever triggers them. If they cannot, they may experience:

 

 

• Panic and fear

 

 

• Shortness of breath

 

 

• Trembling

 

 

• Rapid heartbeat

 

 

In most cases phobias can be successfully treated. Options may include medicines, therapy or both.

Panic attacks

When we experience fear, our sympathetic nervous system produces adrenalin which prepares the body to fight or to flee. Adrenalin raises the heart rate, increases blood flow to our large muscles, and increases blood sugar. With our bodies energised and minds alert we are able to respond quicker and better protect ourselves.

These changes to body chemistry can make some people feel even more anxious which releases more adrenalin into the body. This vicious circle can lead to a full-blown panic attack. Many people experience panic attacks during their lives, however, frequent attacks in everyday situations that are generally considered harmless are classic symptoms of panic disorder.

Panic disorder self-Test

If you suspect you may be suffering from panic disorder try this online Panic Disorder Self-Test, print out the test and show the results to your health care professional. You might also consider enrolling on an NLP Training Course where you can learn techniques that will help you cope, if not completely purge, irrational phobias that are holding you back and lowering the quality of life.

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