The important thing to realize when it comes to reducing stress and anxiety is that you will actually need to take action. This is not something that will go away on its own, as much as we would all like it to. You may need to change your surroundings, your diet, your activity level, or the people with whom you interact. In fact, you may even need to change your job if it is causing you undue stress.

The bottom line is that you must act. If you do nothing, then no matter what is causing your stress and anxiety, it isn’t going anywhere. For example, if your anxiety is biochemical in nature, but you keep eating the same types of foods, engaging in the same types of habits, and moving (or not moving) your body in the exact same ways, then your biochemistry will stay exactly the same… and that’s if you’re lucky. Chances are, your stress and anxiety levels will actually go up the longer you go without tackling the problem.

If your job, your relationships, your neighborhood, or any type of external thing is bringing these feelings about, then the exact same rules apply. Some folks look to a vacation to alleviate their stress and anxiety, but once they return, they are just as unfulfilled and anxious as ever. This is important to note, because temporary solutions are really not solutions at all… they’re merely distractions. Let’s not turn to distractions. Let’s find solutions.

The most immediate and effective action step you can take if you’re stressed out of your mind is to start with your body. This is where it all begins. When your body radiates optimal health, your emotions in check. You feel wonderful more often than not, and you are far better equipped to resolve any other problems that may come your way. Nothing empowers you like good health.

And guess what good health all boils down to? Yep, those twin forces that we hear so much about, yet that too few of us ever actually take action on: diet and exercise. For your diet, the first and most important thing you want to do is to stop ingesting chemicals. No more sodas, energy drinks, coffee drinks, microwave meals, potato chips, fast food, etc. Stay away from drugs and alcohol, too. Your body sees all this stuff as poison, and it goes into a state of panic trying to prevent the poison from killing you!

Exercise, both aerobics and strength training, keeps the muscles and joints loose and stretched out (which keeps toxins from becoming trapped inside). It also raises your endorphin levels, oxygenates your body and your brain, and is very likely to lift your self-image to new heights. Reducing stress and anxiety will become a thing of the past, and you will be able to form newer, better, more inspiring goals moving forward.

Seeking out anxiety attacks treatment can be a real adventure for individuals with chronic anxiety. One reason for this is that, very often, people with severe anxiety have difficulty making decisions, scheduling doctor’s appointments, and things of this nature. Even if this isn’t the case for some, it can be difficult finding the right treatment option for the individual. The drugs may not work. The therapeutic process may be too slow going and not address the person’s very real, very extreme condition quickly enough. It can be a lot more difficult finding true relief than many people realize.

Of course, we all worry. That is to be expected in both a social sense as well as a mortal one. It is perfectly natural, normal, and healthy to worry. After all, it is fear and worry that keep us from jumping in front of moving vehicles or off cliffs! However, when these fears prevent you from living a normal life, then they are obviously problems which need to be addressed.

For this reason, it is important that we understand what actually causes debilitating anxiety. Once you know the cause, you can reverse engineer your panic attacks and anxiety away, or so we hope. While there are a handful of contributors to the condition, both physical and psychological in nature, there are only a handful of identifiable root causes.

One of these “root causes” is that for many people, anxiety has become a physiological habit. In other words, people who often complain of experiencing severe anxiety symptoms actually move their bodies and breathe in such a way where anxiety would occur by default. One way to test this out is to breathe fully, allow you face to hold a light and relatively happy expression, and then lean your body forward like you are really engaged with life.

Obviously, this is the kind of activity that takes some work, and not all anxiety sufferers are willing to put in this much work when they are smack dab in the middle of a panic attack. However, my next suggestion requires less conscious effort, but is more physically demanding. Are you ready? Exercise! There is absolutely nothing like exercise when it comes to fighting anxiety. Seriously. Nothing. No drugs or behavioral conditioning or cognitive therapy… nothing.

A healthy, mostly raw produce centered diet runs a close second. But seriously, I challenge you to, even right in the heat of a terrible panic attack, to jump on a treadmill and start sprinting your butt off. Lift weights. Work your body out like a maniac. When it’s all said and done, you will be so relaxed and feeling so good that you won’t know what to do with yourself. Turn exercise into a habit and you just may lick this whole anxiety thing altogether!

While not all people will respond to the same treatment methods in the exact same way, some treatments have proven themselves more effective for more individuals than all the rest. And while anxiety cures can come in the form of psychological counseling, physiology manipulation, medication, and various breathing techniques, it would seem that the people who have experienced the most profound success are those who have made total lifestyle changes.

Lets take a look at a few of the more commonly implemented methods for anxiety relief:

1. Exercise – There simply is no better way to combat anxiety. Exercise literally forces the anxiety out of your body, releasing endorphins, loosening the muscles and joints, radically decreasing tension, oxygenating the brain, and promoting sound relaxation. Additionally, there is a very strong correlation between sufficient exercise and positive self-image. Your exercise can come in the form of cardio, strength training, stretching, or any combination of these things.

2. Responsible Diet – If you have chronic anxiety, you may want to take a very serious look at the foods (and non-foods) that you consume on a daily basis. I think it goes without saying that caffeine is a tremendous offender, as is the case with alcohol, drugs, and nicotine. But what about that microwave dinner or drive-thru meal? Sugar? Salt? Excess meat and dairy? Truly, people who eat a diet consisting of mostly raw, organic veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, and whole grains are almost never afflicted with paralyzing anxiety.

3. Support – This comes a little further down on the list, but it’s still very important. We all need to have supportive people around us. Perhaps initially you would like to join up with a help group. Perhaps other anxiety sufferers sharing their experiences with you, and allowing you to do the same, can provide some really noticeable therapy for you. And you may even make a few really good friends.

4. Professional Counseling – Talking your feelings out with a trained therapist who knows how to help you deal with your anxiety may be a really great move for you. Sometimes we just need to have our minds directed for us for awhile to get us focused and addressing issues that we may have otherwise kept at an entirely subconscious level. At some point, you may even opt to give hypnotherapy a try.

5. Medication – I am personally not a huge advocate of the “better living through chemistry” mantra. I do think it has its place, and it is great to know that this option is there if all else fails. I would never start with medication, however, especially when you consider that regular exercise and a super healthy diet can transform you entire world in less time than it would take most meds to start “kicking in.”

You are certainly advised to take the anxiety cures that speak to you and run with them. The important thing is that you find as much relief as possible as soon as possible so that you can get back to living the life you were intended to live.

A few of the more common symptoms people who suffer from panic attacks include:

* A racing heartbeat. Sometimes your heart may beat so aggressively that you can actually hear it.
* Shortness of breath; hyperventilation
* Dry, constricted throat
* Racing thought; inability to focus
* Thoughts of constant doom. Always bracing yourself for something dreadful.
* Inability to make eye contact
* Muscle twitches
* Intense sweating coupled with any of the above
* Uncontrollable shaking; trembling
* Extreme chills
* Incredible anger and hostility, like you’re about to snap
* Silence; inability to talk
* Nausea; stomach cramps
* Dizziness; fainting

The problem with many of these symptoms is that they very strongly perpetuate other symptoms, and can lead to deeper and deeper states of panic. The most important thing to do if you are experiencing a panic attack is to take a huge drink of water and just lie down. Do not try to play mental games with yourself or try to use visualization, as your brain likely will be unable to focus and will probably just turn any thought into a negative anyway.

Nope, don’t try to solve a panic attack with brainpower. Instead, use your body. Even if you are at the peak of the attack and you feel nauseous and short of breath, take a big drink of water and start moving your body like you mean it. Do some pushups. Go for a run. This may sound really bizarre, but it is actually quite powerful. It takes the power away from the attack and puts you in the driver’s seat.

Once the panic attack has ended, it is a good idea to start seeking out treatment immediately. There are drugs your doctor can prescribe to you, such as Xanax or Effexor, that may be able to help you out. You can also engage in relaxation therapies, NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), and even hypnosis. Ultimately, however, I believe it comes down to the original suggestion: exercise. Exercising your cardiovascular system, along with your muscles, helps to keep you loose, strong, oxygenated, and biochemically balanced. If you throw a healthy diet full of raw, organic veggies and fruits into the mix, you should be able to kick this thing’s butt, no problem!

Unfortunately, even though this is a condition that can render people inactive, reclusive, and even suicidal, an alarmingly low percentage of men and women ever seek out treatment. There are a few theories of why this is. The two most common, and logical theories I’ve heard is that for one, the individual may be embarrassed about it. They don’t want to be looked at as though they’re crazy. But I am convinced that the most obvious reason is the anxiety itself.

Asking someone with severe anxiety to pick up the phone, make a doctor’s appointment, go outside, get in the car, drive to the doctor’s office, talk to people, and so forth is a lot like asking someone with a broken leg to walk to the hospital. For starters, the anxiety victim is likely too afraid to make phone calls and talk about him or herself and his or her problems. But beyond that, anxiety usually clouds up the thought process, robs a person of their confidence, and usually renders them unable to take a lot of basic actions that many “normal” people take for granted.

So let’s take a quick look at how “anxiety” is actually defined. Quite simply, it means worry. While this is something that we all do, and rightly so, people with general or social anxiety disorder can’t seem to turn off the switch. Individuals who do not suffer from this condition have a healthy amount of worry and skepticism that keeps them from getting hit by cars or eaten by alligators. If anyone were to come face-to-face with a hungry gator, for example, they’d probably be pretty scared, if not terrified.

An individual with severe anxiety disorder feels this same level of panic when they’re trying to sleep at night… or when they shower… or when they eat… or when they try to read a book. It never stops. As mentioned above, it gets worse in some situations. But it’s always there. And it can really cheat a person out of enjoying a happy, fruitful life. And this is a real shame, because the condition is not really fully understood by the public at large, and for this reason, folks with severe anxiety often feel outcast and even more afraid of other people.

Treatments will vary from person to person, and can include medical or psychological intervention, group therapy, self-help techniques, breathing and relaxation techniques, and various other popular options. Perhaps the one treatment that has been proven more effective than the rest on a more consistent basis is a dramatic lifestyle change. Regular, heart-pounding exercise, a diet consisting almost exclusively of raw produce and whole grains, and lots of sunshine have been shown to radically alter brain function, often times banishing anxiety once and for all!

Finding help for panic attacks is always a more fruitful endeavor if you do it before the situation gets out of control. Of course, no matter how severe the symptoms may be, there is no wrong time to seek out help for panic attacks. This can be a downright debilitating and hellish experience, and learning how to not only cope with it, but how to actually take the necessary steps to eradicate it altogether is very powerful, indeed.

The most frightful thing about panic attacks is their self-perpetuating nature. Extreme anxiety leads to physical symptoms which leads to greater anxiety which leads to more intense physical symptoms… and this cycle can continue until the afflicted individual hyperventilates, passes out, “rides it out,” or actually makes a trip to the ER, which is not rare by any means.

The good news is that there are many ways to handle panic attacks, and they have all been proven effective to some extent. The most obvious ways to find help for panic attacks is to seek medical or psychological assistance. There are numerous prescription anti-anxiety medications designed to balance out the activity of neurotransmitters in your brain. These drugs will usually have a therapeutic, calming effect on the individual.

There are also psychological therapies that which include gestalt therapy, group therapy, hypnotherapy, and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). These therapies are designed to not only help you cope with your own thought patterns and lessen your symptoms, but to also help you reprogram your mind so that the coping process becomes automatic and unconscious.

Perhaps the most effective treatment option of all is a lifestyle change. Aerobic exercise combined with strength training will allow you to work the tension out of your joints and muscles, oxygenate your body, and release endorphins and other natural, “feel good” chemicals throughout your body and mind. Likewise, a diet consisting of mostly raw, organic produce and whole grains will feed your brain, balance your hormones, and restore your body to optimal functioning.

One more note about diet: When you eat chemically processed, prepackaged, high-sodium, high-sugar, trans fat laden “foods,” you don’t do yourself any favors at all. This includes hormone-pumped meats, fast food, microwave meals, chips, candy, soda, caffeine, and anything else that our bodies don’t recognize as natural. Many of these foods mess up your hormones and give you a mild form of insanity, while others are viewed by the body as poisons. When your body feels like it’s being poisoned, it panics… and therefore, YOU panic!

There is nothing nice about experiencing a panic attack. This is due in large part to its self-perpetuating nature. What do I mean? Well, if you’ve got panic attack disorder, you will likely go through a vicious cycle of encountering the physical symptoms associated with extreme anxiety disorder, which can lead to a state of panic, which will in turn make the physical symptoms more intense, which will likely lead to greater panic, and so on. When this cycle starts, the two most common outcomes are that either the person detaches and sleeps, or they pay an immediate visit to the ER.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this condition is how widely misunderstood it is by the public at large. A lot of people will say that it’s just in your head. Some may think you’re just trying to get attention and that you’re making the whole thing up. Of course the truth is, this is a very real, biochemical and even physiological phenomenon that simply cannot be wished away. And most people who suffer from panic anxiety disorder really, truly wish they were just making it up. But they know otherwise.

The trouble with treating this condition is that it can strike at any moment and when it does, you can easily lose your ability to cope. For this reason, the most effective treatment options are rarely related to “learning new coping skills” or any other cognitive approach to getting a grip on the situation. Again, this is a biochemical condition which must be treated on a biochemical level.

For this reason, the treatments with the greatest success rate, as well as the most profound and immediate results, are usually either medical or lifestyle-related. Diet and exercise can have a radical impact on your daily biochemistry, and the higher your level of overall health and fitness, the less likely it will be for a disturbance to occur. Likewise, medical treatments such as anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications can have a powerful positive effect, though these may come with side effects, making a healthy lifestyle your very best bet.