Performance anxiety is a rather common problem (occurring more in men than in women) where the affected individual has anxiety about how well he/she can engage in sexual activity. The debilitating fear of not performing sexually has many consequences: avoidance of sexual encounters, lowered self-esteem, relationship discord and sexual dysfunction.

Once you’ve suffered through one instance of this type of anxiety, chances are that it will escalate because now it’s something that you’ll worry about happening again. This type of anxiety creates some physical conditions that then make things even more difficult. Anytime you become anxious about anything, your body releases chemical intermediaries into the bloodstream. These are called catecholamines and they include hormones like dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline. These hormones set off and automatic “fight-flght-or-freeze” response.

This then causes certain “less important” blood vessels to shrink, so that the blood flow to areas that are crucial to immediate survival (the heart, lungs and skeletal muscles) remain stable.

It helps that you know the biology behind what happens emotionally so that you can understand that what you are undergoing is a totally normal (and healthy) reflex that kicks in for survival. Obviously you realize that it’s a problem because it’s occurring at the wrong time.

So what can you do to combat performance anxiety? Well, first of all, the more you worry about combating it, the more you give power to the anxiety. So, what you need to do is concentrate on taking the pressure off of yourself. And, above all, remember there are two of you involved in this situation. Take the time to think of your partner and appreciate what you have. If you concentrate more on her/him and less on yourself, your nervousness is likely to fade away.

Another important fact to keep in mind is that this type of anxiety affects almost everyone at some time or another. It may be just one time or it could be often and in certain situations. But most people have gone through it at least once in their lives. There is nothing wrong with you. You are not a freak of nature and you are definitely not alone. So, try to stay positive and and know that your body is working the way it’s supposed to.

It’s also important to communicate with your significant other and discuss the situation. No need to go overboard but starting to talk about it can actually get you going on a sexual tangent that might bring you back into the right frame of mind.

Remember that when it comes down to it, the power of positive thinking can help you accomplish anything, and if you believe that you will have great sexual relationships, you will. Once you’ve mastered overcoming this anxiety, you will have the confidence to turn your self-fulfilling prophecy into something positive.

The above information about performance anxiety does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

Anti anxiety medications might offer one quick solution to your anxiety problems. These types of drugs include traditional anti-anxiety drugs (benzodiazepines), as well as newer options like antidepressants and beta-blockers. They can help reduce your anxiety while you undergo therapy to get to the cause of the problem. However, it’s important that you understand that these types of drugs don’t cure anxiety and they do come with side effects. Long-term reliance on these medications is not recommended.

Benzodiazepines can reduce anxiety quickly–usually within an hour–so they are a good option if you are having a panic or anxiety attack. Alprazolam (brand name Xanax), clonazepam (brand name Klonopin), diazepam (brand name Valium), and lorazepam (brand name Ativan) are in this category of anti anxiety drugs. Side effects of benzodiazepines include sleepiness, “fogginess”, and/or a feeling of being uncoordinated, all of which can cause problems if you need to be functional and alert. Benzodiazepines take a long time to get metabolized. For this reason, they can build up in your body if used for a long time. It you suffer from this build up, the side effects worsen and you may develop slurred speech, confusion, depression, dizziness, inability to think clearly and reason, memory loss and nausea, the inability to “feel” anything. Benzodiazepines decrease your anxiety but they also decrease feelings of pleasure and pain.

The advantage of antidepressants versus traditional anti anxiety medications is that the risk for dependency and abuse is less. However, the downside of antidepressants is that they can take from 4 to 6 weeks to give you relief from your anxiety–so, they are of no use to you if you are having a panic attack, for example.

Most commonly prescribed antidepressants are SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Lexapro, and Celexa and they are not without side effects: nausea, nervoursness, headaches, sleepiness, sexual dysfunction, dizziness, nausea, and weight gain.

Buspirone (brand name BuSpar) works only for generalized anxiety disorders (GAD). It relieves anxiety by increasing serotonin in the brain (like SSRIs) and decreasing dopamine. Buspirone takes about two weeks to kick into effect but it has its advantages: it’s not as sedating, doesn’t negatively affect memory and coordination and it’s minimally addictive. It also has less serious side effects: nasuea, headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, constipation, diarrhea and dry mouth.

Beta blockers are generally used to treat high blood pressure and heart problems. But they can work for anxiety too by blocking the effects of norepinephrine, a stress hormone involved in the fight-or-flight response. Beta blockers control the physical symptoms of anxiety like rapid heart rate, sweating, dizziness, and trembling voice and hands but not the emotional side of anxiety.

The above information about anti anxiety medications does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

Anxiety disorder is an umbrella term for various specific forms of fear and anxiety including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder and separation anxiety.

Generalized anxiety disorder commonly affects older adults and is characterized by enduring anxiety that really doesn’t seem to be about any certain subject, topic or concern. The anxiouisness in this case is continuous and makes daily life difficult.

Panic disorder is characteried by brief and intense bouts of fear or apprehension. Luckily, the feelings usually peak in fewer than ten minutes but can last as long as a few hours. Sometimes the cause of these attacks is easily identified but often, it is unclear.

Linked to panic disorder is agoraphobia, the anxiety about being in a place or situation that may be difficult to get out of. People who suffer from agoraphobia usually need to be near doors or openings at all times. In severe cases, this leads to the individual never wanting to leave his/her home for fear of not being able to leave wherever he/she is going.

Phobias represent the largest category of anxiety disorders. If you suffer from a phobia or several phobias, you know exactly what the object of your fear is. Social phobia (otherwise known as social anxiety disorder) is an abnormal fear of public embarrassment or humiliation which can occur, in severe cases, just when the person enters any social environment, or in specific cases such as when a presentation or speech must be made. Social anxiety often manifests specific physical symptoms, including blushing, sweating, and difficulty speaking.

Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is mainly characterized by repetitive obsessions with certain thoughts or images and compulsions to repeatedly perform certain actions or rituals. OCD thought pattern could be compared to superstitions, where the person who is affected thinks that if he performs a certain act, any sort of worry or perceived evil will be eliminated. In many cases, the compulsion is entirely inexplicable, just an urge, set off by nervousness, to complete a certain ritual.

Post-traumatic stress, as the name suggests, can result from just one traumatic experience such as combat, rape, a serious accident; or from long term (chronic) exposure to trauma like physical abuse or war. Common symptoms include flashbacks and depression.

Separation anxiety disorder is abnormal concern over being separated from a person or place. Although separation anxiety is a normal part of development in children, it becomes a disorder when it becomes excessive.

There are many treatment options for the above disorders/phobias: psychotherapy focuses on increasing the individual’s sense of their own well-being. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) aims to get at the root of the dysfunctional emotions, behaviors and cognitions and to treat them accordingly. And pharmaceutical therapy employs various medications to relieve symptoms but is rarely used just by itself as it doesn’t treat the core problem, only its symptoms.

This information does not substitute medical advice given by a health professional.

Anxiety and insomnia are often related. Each can be causes of the other which, in turn, leads to a vicious cycle that may seem impossible to break.

A study conducted by Dag Neckelmann, MD, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norwa, shows that chronic insomnia increases your odds of having anxiety disorders. So, treating chronic insomnia may be one way to alleviate feelings of anxiousness.

Although many people have suffered insomnia in certain periods of their lives, chronic insomnia is characterized by one month or more of having trouble falling asleep, waking up too early or overall poor quality of sleep. It affects 10 percent of adults in the US.

To fight chronic insomnia, first check with a doctor to ensure that certain conditions like heart disease, diabetes, epilepsy, pregnancy, menopause or arthritis aren’t the cause of the problem. Certain medications may also negatively affect healthy sleep.

Seek any psychological factors that are affecting your rest. For example, one major sign of depression is not being able to go back to sleep after waking up too early. So, in this case, treating your depression may also help with your insomnia.

One way to deter both anxiety and insomnia is to cut down on caffeine and alcohol. Coffee is the obvious culprit when it comes to too much caffeine but you also want to avoid tea, soft drinks, chocolate and certain medications. While you may fall asleep quickly after drinking alcohol, your sleep will be light and fragmented.

Calcium enhances sleep, as do B vitamins and magnesium.

And then there’s smoking. . .nicotine increases blood pressure, speeds up the heart rate and stimulates brain activity. . .not what you want when you’re trying to get a good night’s sleep.

Another way to kick the insomnia is by getting exercise. You don’t have to jump gung-ho into a gym or athletic club, though. Just a 20 minute walk every day (or even 3/4 times a week) can help. The best time to exercise is in the late afternoon. Do not exercise just before bed–that would be counter-productive as exercise stimulates your body.

The right environment and position is also condusive to sleep. Your room should be as dark as possible. Any kind of light, and especially blinking, flashing lights or lights from the TV, are disruptive to sleep. You can also try wearing a mask to block out light although some find this to be uncomfortable. A white noise maker is a way to block out bumps in the night or other sounds that could wake you up. Temperature is also important. Make sure that your thermostat is set at a comfortable position for you when you’re covered in blankets.

If you’ve tried everything and you still can’t sleep, try not to get stressed out about it. This just makes matters worse. Try to do something calming like reading or taking a warm bath and go back to bed as soon as you start feeling sleepy.

The above information about anxiety and insomnia does not substitute medial advice given by a health professional.

People are stressed all the time. Although, a lot of those stressful situations are felt by a teenager, proper management must be done to help the teenager cope up effectively. When stress enters the system and the mind can no longer handle the effects, mental health dysfunction can occur.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that the brain will stop working. However, it will not work as normal as it can be. There are a lot of stress factors that causes a person to feel discouraged and misunderstood. It might be a loss of a loved one, a massive surprising change in his life, being bullied or teased all the time, home problems and difficulties and school problems can bring so much stress to an adolescent.

What are the causes of stress?

It is a fact that most of the stressors in a child’s life are those which can’t be easily recognized by the guardian or the parent. These include:

?First time or new time events like shifting from primary to secondary schooling, moving to a room that makes the child uneasy, meeting a new teacher that makes the child pees his pants, or moving to another location are some examples.

?Homework that takes away playtime and requires a lot of time to do. Sometimes, teens also need attention and help with their homework but there’s no one around to lend a hand.

?Unrealistic expectations regarding her performance in school despite the fact that she has already done well. This will invoke fear of not being better.

?A loss in the family is one of the major factors that a teenager needs to cope up most. Loss also refers to losing a father or mother through divorce. This can raise an emotional fear that will bind him from the truth that it can happen to him when he has his own family.

?Low self-esteem.

?Watching stressful news, reading mindboggling articles like terrorists or natural disasters.

?A long-term medical problem like diabetes or something short-term like a fractured bone.

?A member of the family experiencing an acute or chronic medical problem.

?Accidents.

?Financial home problems which oftentimes becomes the reason to stop schooling.

Transitions like these can affect the entire mechanism of an individual. Even though your child seems to be very small to be stressed, they experience it too.

Dealing with stress can be difficult because it is the byproduct of everyday life and situations. One confusing thing regarding stress is that the symptoms connected to it don’t always follow immediately the cause of it. Another trouble about stress is that some may experience it and others do given the same kind of situation.

One ideal thing to do when faced with stress is to learn to cope. You have to teach your teens on how to cope with stress. These suggestions can also be useful with adults.

1. Letting your adolescent practice a healthy lifestyle which includes eating a healthy diet, having appropriate sleep and daily exercise.

2. Provide sufficient time to talk to your child about his or her day and how he feels about it. Communication is always the best outlet for negativity.

3. Set goals that are realistic and achievable for your child’s capability.

4. Talk to your child about decisions and options that can make certain changes in your family’s life.

Achieving mental health for your adolescent is possible only if you do your part as a parent.

Social anxiety disorder is also referred to as social phobia. This is an anxiety disorder in which a person is abnormally fearful of social situations. The anxiety and extreme self-consciousness come from the fear of being closely observed, judged, and/or criticized by others.

Anyone with this type of disorder is afraid that he or she will do something to embarrass or humiliate her/him in front of others. A lack of social skills or not being used to social settings can make matters worse. Sometimes anxiety progresses into a panic attack. For these reasons, the person who suffers from this disorder will either be extremely ill-at-ease in any kind of social situation or will simply avoid them altogther. It’s not uncommon for people who suffer from social anxiety disorder to also have what is called anticipatory anxiety. This is basically the fear that something will happen before it actually happens and it can start days or even weeks before a certain social situaion is to take place. Usually, the person who has these worries realizes that their fear is unreasonable, yet he/she is still unable to overcome it.

This particular type of anxiety disorder distorts your way of thinking to incorporate false or extremely exaggerated beliefs about social settings in general and the negative opinions of others. Without treatment, social anxiety disorder can negatively interfere with the individual’s normal daily routine, including school, work, social activities, and relationships.

With a mild case of this disorder, the person may be afraid of a specific public situation, like having to give a presentation or speech. But in the majority of cases, the fear regards mulitple types of situations: eating or drinking in front of others, Writing or working in front of others, being the center of attention, interacting with people (including dating or going to parties), asking questions or giving answers in groups, Using public toilets, and even talking on the phone.

Social anxiety disorder could be connected to other mental illnesses, such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and depression. In fact, many people with this condition first seek help with complaints related to these other disorders, not because of social anxiety symptoms.

Tackling your anxiety alone may be difficult. If your anxiety begins to have the upper hand in your life, affecting the quality of your personal relationships or your productivity, you should probably consider talking to your doctor about treatment.

He/She can discuss a variety of treatment options with you so that you can get your anxiety disorder under control and enjoy a higher quality of life overall. You may start with a medication that alters your brain chemistry to reduce many of the uncomfortable social anxiety disorder symptoms. In addition to this, doctors often prescribe blocks of psychotherapy with a professional who works with you to modify your thought processes that lead to the worry, stress and fear that often accompany anxiety.

The above information does not substitute for medical advice given by a health professional.