One of the first steps in gaining control over a social anxiety disorder is to recognize the anxiety attack symptoms so that you can deal with them. Some anxiety attack symptoms are very subtle while others can be very prominent and truly terrifying for the affected individual.

Anxiety Attack Symptoms

If you experience a rapid increase in your heart rate this can often be the sign of an oncoming anxiety attack. Sometimes these anxiety attack symptoms can lead you to believe that you are actually having a heart attack due to the intensity of the pain and the suddenness with which it can come about. It is not uncommon for sufferers to be brought into hospital as a result of these symptoms.

Other common anxiety attack symptoms include sweating profusely and shaking. People often experience trembling hands and knees before facing an audience or whilst standing at the alter waiting to get married. Most people will tend to get a bit nervous in these situations which is quite understandable but those people with social anxiety disorders will experience these symptoms on a completely different level and can get nervous just being seen in public.

The feeling of choking and shortness of breath are also anxiety attack symptoms. Some people may start to hyperventilate when they feel anxious which can result in feeling lightheaded or dizzy. Anxiety sufferers can also experience a tingling sensation all over their face and body, blushing or going pale, hot and cold flashes as well as abdominal discomfort and sudden urges to urinate or defecate.

Although there are more anxiety attack symptoms than those mentioned above, these are the most common ones. The main thing to do in dealing with these symptoms is to try and control them and manage your anxiety attacks. Once the feeling of dread starts to creep up on you, try and self-talk and convince yourself that everything is fine and you are not having another anxiety attack. If the anxiety attack symptoms worsen, you should try to remain calm and breathe evenly without moving around to much, as this get agitate the situtation further.

If you are truly having a difficult time gaining control over your anxiety attack symptoms, you should consider the option of getting medication to treat the condition. This should be a last resort but can sometimes be the solution you need. Always make sure that you first speak to your doctor before going this route in order to get proper medical advice.

Anxiety that is severe enough that it becomes so prevalent in someone’s life that it actually causes serious difficulties in a daily routine is found in one out of every twelve people. These people tend to live in constant uneasiness, worry excessively, or become so frightened of situations that they literally cannot deal with them making it very problematic for them.

Techniques for Attacking Anxiety and Depression

One of the first and most important ways for attacking anxiety and depression is to be properly diagnosed to find out the exact type of anxiety condition you suffer from. Some of the more common anxieties that people suffer from are post-traumatic stress disorder, agoraphobia, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Once you have been diagnosed with a specific type of anxiety then you can really begin attacking anxiety and depression symptoms. The best course of action for you to take will greatly depend on which specific anxiety disorder you have been diagnosed with. For each type of anxiety you will find good options available to help you manage your anxiety properly.

Some of the best ways for attacking anxiety and depression can involve a variety of techniques. These can include educating yourself about your anxieties, breathing and relaxing techniques, behavioral or cognitive therapies, dietary changes, counseling, increase your daily exercising, self-esteem building, structured problem solving and assertiveness training. You may also be prescribed medication along with one or more of the previous mentioned techniques.

Many anxiety sufferers have found good result by attacking anxiety and depression through relaxation techniques. These techniques teach you how to get yourself to relax and get the tension out of your muscles. Some of the most effective relaxation methods are isometric relaxation, meditation, abdominal breathing, and progressive muscle relaxation.

Learning and implementing the correct breathing technique is crucial for anxiety sufferers as one physical symptom of anxiety is hyperventilation. This results in a raised oxygen level in the blood which in turn lowers the carbon dioxide levels in the blood. So that you can avoid hyperventilating you should learn how to breathe from your diaphragm instead of from the chest area.

To check to make sure you are breathing from you diaphragm correctly, take one hand and place it on your lower abdomen and take the other hand and place it on your chest. If you are breathing correctly the hand on your abdomen will raise higher than the hand on your chest. This is a great technique to slow your breathing and help you relax when feeling anxious.

Emotional Symptoms

Many people are aware of some of the main symptoms associated with anxiety disorders which are fear and worry, but there are other symptoms as well. These can include a feeling of uneasiness, dread or apprehension even over the littlest of things. You may also have problems concentrating or you may avoid things out of fear. You may also experience feelings of restlessness or edginess, irritability, self conscious and insecure as well as feelings of nervousness. People that are dealing with anxiety issues also fear that they are going to die or that they are crazy. Understand that it isn’t one of these feelings, but a combination of many of them.

Physical Symptoms

Anxiety has physical manifestations as well. You may be experiencing chest pain, palpitations, cold and clammy hands, shortness of breath, headaches, dizziness. These are the common physical symptoms of a person having an anxiety attack. The severity of your symptoms can and will vary. If you find that you are experiencing a number of the above mentioned signs and symptoms then call your doctor to discuss the possibility of having anxiety issues.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

You also need to know that there isn’t just one anxiety disorder, there are actually five main anxiety disorders. The first is a Generalized Anxiety Disorder and this disorder is characterized by chronic anxiety, exaggerated tension and worry. And these feelings can be provoked by nothing.

Obsessive-compulsive Disorder is another type of anxiety disorder and is characterized by recurrent, repetitive behaviors and unwanted thoughts. This can include hand washing, checking or counting in hopes that you are going to prevent something bad from happening.

Panic disorders are also anxiety disorders. A panic disorder is characterized by repeated and unexpected episodes of intense fear and this fear is then linked to many of the above mentioned physical manifestations.

Most everyone has heard of PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This anxiety disorder is most often developed after a person has under gone traumatic incidents in their life. These incidents include accidents, military combat, natural or human caused disasters and violent personal assaults.

The fifth main type of anxiety disorder is Social Anxiety Disorder. This disorder is characterized by overwhelming feelings of anxiety and extreme feelings of being self conscious in typical everyday social encounters.

When you consider that fact that 12 million people in America are dealing with anxiety disorders, it is worth making yourself aware of the signs and symptoms associated with the various anxiety disorders. The good news is that if you do suffer from an anxiety disorder there is treatment available to you and there are support groups to help you deal with your symptoms. Talk with your doctor.