Why we ought to worry more about anxiety

26 June 2016 - 02:00 By LOUISE CHUNN

Everybody feels anxious at some point: starting a new job, trying to impress a date, sitting an exam - we expect to feel agitated and nervous. But for those suffering from anxiety or panic disorders, such feelings are much stronger and more frequent. There is usually a sense of danger or threat, of not being able to cope with what might happen.Or it could be more of an "irrational" fear - what some call "nameless dread", which can take in every catastrophe imaginable.story_article_left1Anxiety is more harmful than we may want to admit, according to a major University of Cambridge report, published recently in the medical journal Brain and Behavior. More than eight million people in the UK suffer some sort of anxiety disorder, and women and people under 35 are especially affected.I know this personally. I had a panic attack once when I was driving with my young children. I suddenly felt my heart rate accelerate and my feet and hands begin to sweat profusely. I thought I was about to die. For the next 10 years even the word "motorway" would trigger sweating palms.We respond to perceived threats, just as our ancestors did when hunting for food was a life-threatening activity.These days our brains will still default to "fight, flight or freeze" when faced with danger, which causes our cortisol levels to rise to unhealthy levels."These reactions are instinctive," said therapist Sue Cowan-Jenssen. "They aren't the result of conscious thought."The symptoms, though, feel very real.The Cambridge report , which was a review of 48 studies from across the world, suggested anxiety could be a much bigger problem than depression.The US scored the highest number of people affected by anxiety - eight in 100 - while in East Asia the figure was three in 100. It found that more than 60million people were affected by anxiety disorders every year in the EU .story_article_right2People with anxiety tend to be hyper-vigilant to negativity and worry excessively about the future, whereas those with depression tend to dwell on bad things about themselves. Many researchers now believe a lack of dopamine - linked to reward and pleasure - is related to depression, but not anxiety.So what can be done? Therapy is where I turned, seeing a hypnotherapist, then an integrative therapist. It wasn't always comfortable or easy, but it helped me to find a happier place.But if weekly therapy sessions are not for you, there are many small changes that can help. Take time out to relax, learn to breathe through your panic, try mindfulness meditation and don't try to be perfect.Also look at diet and exercise. Clinical psychologist Dr Lynette Roberts at the University of Technology Sydneysaid recently: "There is a lot to suggest that imbalances in gut bacteria are linked with changes in mood.Studies involving probiotics are already showing they can arrest the thought processes that make people more vulnerable to mood disorders."If you don't deal with it, anxiety can be seriously life-limiting, and that's no fun at all.- The Sunday Telegraph..

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