HEALTH ANXIETY -SOMATIC SYMPTOMS

Dear Anon, in addition to what Diane P. posted, it is very important to understand the cause of your anxiety. Physical symptoms are very common when we experience anxiety, stress, panic attacks. Some are episodic occurances but if they become chronic your quality of life will suffer. Anticipating to anxiety attacks will be on way to address the physical symptoms. I suggest you search for possible causes within yourself and if this is not possible, talk to a heatlh professional or even a friend.

I love "self-talk", I have used this strategy for ever. Everyone experiences anxiety at some point in their lifes but learning to eliminate the paralizing fear, physical symptoms, etc that accompany these episodes is very important.

In addition to self-talk when I start to get the dryness of mouth, heart pounding, clammy feeling, I close my eyes and use EFT, it is a wonderful therapy that you can try on your own. You can learn more about it by visiting http://www.emofree.com/ Gary has a free manual you can download. I am telling you friend, it really works!!! I trained with Gary and I have seen incredible things happening with groups of people who have tried it.

Since I am not friend of prescription drugs, I also try GABA, Rhodiola and Ashwaghanda supplements. They work very well and naturally with no side effects. If you are taking precription drugs, make sure to consult your doctor prior to taking any herbal products. GABA is OK even if you are taking anti-anxiety drugs. Make sure to keep a healthy intake of magnesium in your diet. Magnesium relaxes your muscles (including your heart's) and helps you sleep well.

Deep breathing is another way of coping with anxiety, I like one that Dr Weil suggests called 4-7-8 You can do it for 3-5 minutes a couple of times a day. Here is how it works, you inhale slowly counting to 4 seconds. Hold your breathe for 7 seconds and then exhale slowly for 8 seconds to ensure all the air from your lower lung lobes have emptied out. Try it!

Hi, Anon,

The short answer to your question is yes, absolutely. Anxiety can manifest in all those symptoms and more.

I have dealt with an anxiety disorder for a few years. In an anxiety attack, the symptoms are both psychological and physical, and can be very frightening while they are happening.

Panic attacks can make you short of breath, make your heart pound, make you nauseated and dizzy. The problem is that since all of these are symptoms of other medical conditions, you really need to see a doctor to rule out something physical being the cause.

The Mayo Clinic's page on panic disorders lists the following symptoms (you might have all, or just some of them):

Rapid heart rate
Sweating
Trembling
Shortness of breath
Hyperventilation
Chills
Hot flashes
Nausea
Abdominal cramping
Chest pain
Headache
Dizziness
Faintness
Tightness in your throat
Trouble swallowing
A sense of impending death

Here's the Mayo Clinic page:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/panic-attacks/DS00338/DSECTION=symptoms

Here's a case study of a person having a panic attack, what it feels like and links to how it's treated:

http://www.anxietypanic.com/signs.html

Can you tell us any more about your symptoms? Have you been dealing with general anxiety or change in your life? Have you considered going to a doctor to rule out something else that might be going on?