Anxiety–Depression

How to Reduce Your Symptoms

Life transitions, changes, and events create in all of us a level of anxiety.  All humans need a certain level of anxiety to function and operate in life. It is a moving force that pushes us to do things and move towards or away from people or things.  Birth, deaths, chronic illnesses, entry into adolescence, adulthood, mid-life and old age are periods where anxiety and stress levels can reach heights that are difficult for us to handle.

When the symptoms of anxiety and depression become apparent one can begin to use relaxation exercise to try to calm your insides, talk to friends and family about your concerns and do physical exercise.  If symptoms do not decrease, then you might need to look at the origins of anxiety and depression.

Origins:
The basic drives of every human being are hunger, sex and anger.  When any of these forces or energy sources is out of balance, the mind and body experience DIS-EASE.  Anxiety serves two functions: One, to warn of some impending problem or concern which is healthy anxiety.  We become aware of a problem, evaluate it and make a plan to solve it.  Two, anxiety masks depression.  Depression is anger turned inward or against the self.  As anger builds, an individual has one of three choices: to channel the energy assertively, by expressing the feelings attached to the situation; to dissipate energy through anger outbursts which can be destructive to self and others with very little productivity or to internalize the anger. As you internalize the anger you can become depressed and less able to function.  Anxiety and panic attacks can accompany internalization.  You can be left in a state of fear and physical discomfort. 

As you feel these symptoms of anxiety which are many times a cover for your feelings of sadness and depression, ask yourself, “Who or what are you angry at”?  If you can not identify what you are feeling, maybe you need to consult with a psychologist.

Remember, anxiety is your signal that something is going wrong and we need to listen to it and make appropriate changes.