The Various Levels of Anxiety - Tips for Curing Severe Anxiety

As an ex-anxiety sufferer I'm often quite surprised at the way anxiety is rarely expressed in it's various forms, or at least, that the different levels often seem to get lumped together into one category. While I understand that anxiety occurs in various ways, and to some extent each variation requires similar treatment, they should NOT all be thought of as being the same thing. If you suffer from any kind of anxiety disorder then you don't really care that your symptoms fall under one category heading. Everything from agoraphobia to PTSD to OCD to panic attacks to just plain old everyday worrying all fall under the term Anxiety. If you are a medical professional then that's fine. If you are a sufferer then it isn't fine because when we are looking for information to help cope with our problem, all we see are the various levels of anxiety banded together as one, well let me tell you, they are not! Each one of them is very different indeed and this makes it very easy to misinterpret the advice given when trying to seek a cure or take preventative action for this condition. Sure, all levels of anxiety require us to take our minds off of it, I get that, I've proven it to myself. It does not matter how severe your anxiety is, it's pretty certain that all levels of it are caused by inappropriate thoughts and behavioural habits. However, the difference between severe anxiety and ordinary over-worrying are two very different things. Being told to try a few relaxation techniques and stop thinking about it can be good advice for mild anxiety sufferers, not the case however for severe anxiety. In fact I will go as far as saying that this kind of advice can be quite damaging, not helpful at all, why?... Because telling somebody with severe anxiety to stop thinking about it is like telling them to forget their own name. Yes, if you can take your mind off of the problem then it will go away, that's a fact but it's not that simple. At mild levels it is a lot easier to learn how to relax and divert your attention. When the problem is severe it's completely different. When the symptoms are so huge, the feelings so debilitating, it becomes very difficult to think about anything else, no matter what technique you use. Once you understand this you can learn to approach things differently. The generally advised methods won't often work. Distraction is the key to curing your severe anxiety but in all probability, basic relaxation techniques will not help you, you need something more. Just to be sure we're on the same page, what is severe anxiety? It is the level of anxiety that is one step away from panic disorder. It can leave you struggling to get on with everyday life. Typical symptoms could be difficulty breathing, heart racing, palpitations, tingling and pins and needles in various parts of the body, particularly the hands, arms and face, sometimes the legs and feet but possibly anywhere. You can also experience sickness and tightness in the chest. In fact the symptoms can often be confused with those of having a heart attack. These feelings come on out of nowhere for seemingly no reason. My biggest tip for curing severe anxiety is to do things that take your mind off of it, that's obvious but you have to choose those things carefully. It's better to choose physical distractions like changing the furniture around, doing the garden, build something, find as many things to do that are hands on and require your attention. The worst thing you can do are things like jigsaw puzzles and brain teasers, the kind of things that require little physical movement. They are distracting but not distracting enough. The hard part is to find something that can take up hours of your time everyday so obviously you need to find plenty of things to do, preferably find a hobby that requires concentration as well as physical activity. Do this everyday and after a few weeks you will notice a huge difference but take note, there is one very important element necessary to make any of this work ... You must choose a time to clear your diary of anything forthcoming that will make you worry about your anxiety. For instance if you dread the thought of being on a train or in the theatre or anything that you associate with panic or anxiety then you must not have any of them due in the near future. A clear mind starts with a clear diary. If there is anything that you need to do within a few days or weeks of starting your distraction programme then cancel them or wait until they have passed. Why is this so important? Because in order for this stuff to work you need to see some results or you will lose faith in it. Getting past this takes some time and if something you dread comes in the middle of it then it will take precedence. Forget what a psychiatrist may tell you, this is reality. You can change your thinking habits but pretending fear does not exist is a battle not worth fighting. Clear them all, make sure you have at least a few months clear diary and then start your distraction techniques.