Jay Jha Blog

Ayurvedic Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

Fear is a vital component of survival for everyone. When a person is exposed to risk in the environment, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream as a physiological response. Adrenaline is a fear-response hormone that induces various physical changes in the body, including increased heart rate, breathing rate, and pupil dilation. Additionally, blood flow from the digestive system and epidermis to the skeletal muscles is shunting, resulting in stomach "butterflies" or numbness and tingling in the limbs. These physical changes allow the person to prepare to fight or flee the danger, a response known as "fight-or-flight." Increased heart and breathing rates help the blood deliver more oxygen to the skeletal muscles needed to fight or run, and blood shunting to the skeletal muscles aids this process even more. The brain becomes more awake and hypervigilant for danger due to the dilated pupils, allowing one to scan their environment to deal with the external risk.

However, this fear reaction goes awry when one begins to anticipate danger or has ideas about situations that tend to overestimate the threat and underestimate one's coping capacities. The fear response is heightened in this situation by one's thoughts about the event or a future occurrence. The overestimation of risk and underestimation of one's coping abilities leads to worry. And the body registers both fear and anxiety in the same way, resulting in the same adrenaline reaction. When a person experiences stress, the fight-or-flight reaction is triggered, but it is ineffective because the danger is primarily in one's head, in the form of one's thoughts.

When anxiety symptoms hamper functioning in relationships, jobs, or school, and the person is distressed and unable to control the anxiety, the anxiety becomes an anxiety disorder. Generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, social phobia, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder are the most common anxiety disorders. Substance-induced anxiety disorder, anxiety caused by a general medical condition, acute stress disorder, adjustment disorder with anxiety, separation anxiety disorder, and selective mutism are other anxiety disorders. 

Each disorder is linked to a distinct symptom of anxiety:

  • Persistent anxieties characterize generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
  • A specific phobia is a dread of a specific object or situation.
  • Social phobia is the fear of being judged by others.
  • Panic episodes are a symptom of panic disorder.
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—trauma flashbacks and nightmares 

Intrusive thoughts and ritualistic actions characterize obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Psychotherapy alleviates anxiety, with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) having the best evidence of success. CBT is based on the idea that stress is caused by our ideas or the meaning we assign to events rather than by the events themselves. CBT works by addressing maladaptive thoughts, focusing on more adaptive studies, and repressing and separating oneself from maladaptive thoughts. Furthermore, CBT targets avoidant behaviors, which contribute to maintaining anxiety over time while providing anxiety relief in the near term. Depth of insight-oriented psychotherapy, which addresses anxiety's causes and proximal drivers, is another type of psychotherapy. After a psychiatric evaluation, pharmacotherapy with anxiety drugs can be explored if psychotherapy is ineffective or if the anxiety symptoms are severe.

Anxiety and tension are probably some of the most widespread sentiments these days, owing to the terrible times we are all experiencing due to the downturn in the economy. However, for some people, everyday worry can be the start of a far more unpleasant illness known as generalized anxiety disorder, which can lead to panic episodes.  But why do some of us tend to turn a stressful phase in our lives into a persistent generalized anxiety disorder? Some research points to a physiological cause in the brain, while others believe that anxiety issues stem from the inner workings of our thinking process; in other words, that we have learned to deal with stressful situations in a specific way that, over time and under the same stressful conditions, will cause us to sink into a swamp of anxious feelings that will not go away as they do for other people. Intrusive ideas will overwhelm us, and we may even acquire manias. 

As with any other health condition, the first step in the healing process is recognizing our needs and admitting that we are processing stressful situations incorrectly. Unfortunately, this is becoming a significant issue in our lives. Next, we must heal our thoughts and ways of thinking about the things that touch us the most. At first, we may need medication to deal with anxiety in our minds and begin processing stressful situations healthily. Still, the sooner we learn how to deal with stress in our minds and start processing stressful situations healthily, the sooner we can get off medication and live a more enjoyable and productive life.  You have the ability to alter how you react to stressful situations that cause anxiety episodes. This is a novel method for overcoming anxiety episodes in your life that will save you money and time.  Anxiety disorders, panic attacks, and phobias are the most common reasons people who seek help do not improve. Around 30–40% of patients who receive cutting-edge treatment for their anxiety problems only make partial recoveries. They don't get the sense of relief they were hoping for.

After some time, a considerable percentage of those who initially prospered from treatment experience a relapse. In some situations, the deterioration is a transitory reaction to heightened stress that you may handle; in others, it appears to be permanent. Why do some people, despite receiving excellent care, fail to improve? Why do some people relapse? Suppose you hadn't improved because you hadn't received adequate treatment, such as when your therapist just sat and talked with you instead of cognitive-behavioral therapy. In that case, you should keep looking until you find adequate support.  So bear in mind that the reasons follow are based on the assumption that you've already received proper therapy but haven't seen as much improvement as you'd like.  

1. You should continue to practice cognitive behavioral therapy's basic techniques and strategies.

Recovery from panic attacks, phobias, obsessions, compulsions, and general anxiety takes time and commitment. Make time each day to practice deep muscular relaxation and aerobic activity, confront and counter anxiety-provoking self-talk, address internal anxiety sensations, or slowly avoid external circumstances. If you're unable or unwilling to put forth such an effort during cognitive-behavioral treatment, you're unlikely to get many benefits from it. Moreover, you raise your chances of relapse if you don't maintain the essential habits of relaxation, exercise, and exposure once therapy is over.

Anxiety disorder recovery necessitates a permanent shift in lifestyle, with time set aside each day to practice techniques that prevent anxiety and phobias from reoccurring. However, you may do a few things if you have trouble sticking to the daily activities to ensure your long-term healing. First, when you've completed therapy, you might work out a plan with your therapist to have occasional "booster sessions" to help you keep on track with your recovery program. Second, you can attend an anxiety disorder support group if you live in a large metropolitan region. Such a group should focus on what everyone is doing to maintain or improve their recovery rather than rant about their issues. If you don't have access to a local support group, you can seek help online through message boards and chat rooms.

2. You should only take medication if necessary, and you should stop taking it before it has provided all of its benefits.

Prescription medication is frequently unnecessary. However, if your problem is particularly severe, you may need to mix the medication with cognitive-behavioral therapy to achieve the best outcomes. I use the term "severe" to describe a situation that fits at least one of the following criteria: 

A trial of medication prescribed by your doctor may be beneficial if you believe your anxiety problem matches one or more of these criteria. However, if your situation is complicated, refusing to attempt drugs because you are fearful or philosophically opposed to them may impede your recovery.

3. You should change your lifestyle to allow for more peace and ease in your life.

Even if you've had cognitive-behavioral therapy and taken the appropriate medication(s), your rehabilitation may be limited if your lifestyle is so hectic and busy that you're constantly stressed out. Three variables contribute to anxiety disorders: genes, childhood experience-based personality, and cumulative stress. You can't change your genetic composition or your upbringing, but you can take steps to reduce stress in your life. You will be less vulnerable to anxiety if you limit and manage your stress. That's all there is to it. Both external and internal factors contribute to stress. Work expectations, rush-hour commuters, smog, food additives, unpleasant relatives, and noise pollution are all examples of external stressors.

External solutions are frequently required for these types of stressors. Internal stress factors are caused by your attitudes, such as an overemphasis on success at the expense of all else or a predisposition to cram too much into too little time. They necessitate internal solutions, i.e., a shift in mindset and priorities.

Many people do not recover from panic or anxiety unless they are willing to value their mental and physical well-being as much as their professional success and material achievements. 

4. Personality and interpersonal issues that perpetuate anxiety must be addressed.

Cognitive therapy and exposure may help you confront your anxieties and change panic-inducing ideas. However, they may not be able to change the essential personality traits that make you worried in the first place. You're more likely to be perfectionistic if you grew up with perfectionist, overly controlling parents. As a result, nothing in yourself or your life ever entirely lives up to your lofty expectations, and as a result, you set yourself up for a lifetime of stress. If your parents were harsh with you as a child, you might have grown up with a strong need to please and gain favor. If you spend your life attempting to please others at the expense of your own needs, you're more likely to retain a lot of unspoken resentment and, as a result, be more anxious. 

Additional personality characteristics frequent in people with anxiety disorders include insecurity, over-dependency, over-cautiousness, and an obsessive demand for control. Such core personality qualities are frequently linked to interpersonal issues, such as expecting too much of your spouse (perfectionism) or not asking enough questions (excessive need to please). You may detest your parents' attempts to restrain you, but you don't speak up for yourself.

QUESTIONS OF EXISTENCE

Your anxiety could be caused by a condition unrelated to your personality. For example, anxiety may remain despite treatment and medication because you have a sense of emptiness or meaninglessness in your existence.

It's easy to feel adrift and bewildered in today's world, with so many conflicting ideas and the absence of established authorities such as the church or societal mores. Moreover, modern life's frenetic pace can cause feelings of befuddlement, if not downright anarchy. 

Existential anxiety is a form of anxiety that does not respond to cognitive-behavioral treatment and requires a different strategy. If your life feels useless or aimless, consider discovering your unique talents and creativity and then finding a way to use them to make a difference in the world. Each of us, I believe, has a special gift to give and a unique contribution to make.  

Related Blogs

Vata and Its Properties in Ayurvedic Medicine

In Ayurvedic medicine (Ayurveda), Vata is one of the three bodily senses of dosha, or Ayurveda doshas. Vata in Ayurveda has a distinct collection of traits that enable it to fulfill its specific function of keeping us well and controlling our diseases......

Ayurvedic Treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Fear is a vital component of survival for everyone. When a person is exposed to risk in the environment, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream as a physiological response....

An Ayurvedic Diagnosis Method Called "Nadi Pariksha"

The purpose of Nadi Pariksha is to assess and estimate the amount of Tridosha in the body. Vata, Pitta, and Kapha, the three primary doshas, are considered the most important......

Ayurvedic Panchakarma is a holistic approach to health care

Ayurveda is a well-known holistic medicinal system that originated in India and is currently rapidly spreading over the world. Ayurveda is made up of two 

Vedic Counselling

Ayurvedic Counselling offers a holistic approach towards transforming your life, on all levels. Moving deeper than just the story, we open the doors to greater consciousness, working......

Ayurvedic Cooking

Whether you want to loose weight or find the most suitable diet for your body type to bring you optimum health, understanding Ayurvedic Cooking is must for you..