Anxiety, anxiety disorder, panic attack (anxiety attack), social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety.

Anxiety is NOT a random, unknown, or uncontrollable illness!

Anxiety is a very controllable condition. However, results from a recent online poll indicates that 67% of respondents didn’t think or know that anxiety was fully resolvable.

The truth is: Anxiety IS reversible, and can be successfully treated naturally (without medication).

What is anxiety?

The Webster’s dictionary defines anxiety as:

• A state of uneasiness and apprehension, as about future uncertainties.
• A state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning.

Worry, is anxiety. The Webster’s dictionary defines worry as: a troubled state of mind, anxiety, distressed, persistent mental uneasiness.

Worry results from fearful thinking about a future event(s) or circumstances. 

An anxiety condition is NOT a random, unknown and uncontrollable illness (even though it FEELS like it). Anxiety conditions appear for specific reasons and have definite underlying reasons why they persist. Once these reasons and underlying factors are properly addressed, anxiety conditions can be eliminated, and for good. 

Anxiety conditions persist only because the underlying factors aren’t properly addressed. That’s why those who take medication as their only form of treatment often either remain on medication long term, or find themselves going on and coming off over and over again. Unless the underlying factors are properly addressed, anxiety will almost always persist or return.

Working with an experienced anxiety professional (an anxiety coach, psychologist, or counselor who has personally successfully beaten anxiety themselves) produces the most effective results.

Note: It’s our experience that anxiety professionals who are currently taking anxiety medication themselves, and psychiatrists, usually don’t produce the desired results. We’ve found that those who work with someone who has successfully beaten anxiety themselves, and has remained anxiety condition-free for an extended period of time—more than ten years--produces the best results. It will be their personal experience with anxiety, and their successful recovery, that can make a profound difference in your recovery.

We realize that this statement may irritate some anxiety professionals. However, it is our experience that this is true. Many of our clients have previously tried these options only to find that their condition remained, or for some, grew worse.

Anxiety conditions, for the most part, can be divided into two main categories:

• Circumstantial anxiety – this type of anxiety condition is characterized by symptoms that appear because of an acute stressful event(s), circumstance(s) or emotion(s). Examples include a relationship difficulty (fighting within or the break-up of an important relationship), career challenge (job loss or important job promotion), illness or death of a loved one, or educational stress (intense workload).

Because stress is often the precursor to an anxiety condition, most early stress conditions fall within this category. Once the event, circumstance or emotion has passed, with sufficient self-help materials, rest and time, most  anxiety conditions in this category will resolve on their own. 

• Chronic anxiety – this type of anxiety condition is characterized by symptoms that come and go over an extended period of time (from a few months to a year, or from a few months to many years). Examples include an individual who has symptoms come and go at different stages of their life (as early as 4 years of age), remain as an ongoing backdrop to their life, or have been on and off of medication throughout their life.

Chronic anxiety also has a deep-seated fear component. Many feel that they live in fear whenever their “episodes of illness” appear. Others may have it as a constant companion as they journey through life. Episodes can last a few weeks to many years. Some can remain constant throughout their life. Conditions that last for an extended period of time can also be referred to as “entrenched” anxiety.

Within these categories, there are four types of anxiety:

• Spontaneous anxiety or panic – anxiety or panic that occurs regardless of where a person is.
• Situational or Phobic anxiety or panic – anxiety or panic that occurs because of a particular situation or location.
• Anticipatory anxiety or panic – anxiety or panic that occurs because of a thought that something “might” happen or a situation that “might” occur.
• Involuntary anxiety or panic – anxiety or panic that occurs involuntarily, by itself, or “out of the blue” that hasn’t been preceded by spontaneous, situational, or anticipatory anxiety.

There are also degrees of anxiety conditions. They can be categorized as:

• Early-stage or onset anxiety – symptoms have just started to appear, and while they may be annoying and mildly distressing, they aren’t a reason for over concern. Often one trip to the doctor is reassuring enough that nothing more serious is going on.

This is the best stage to address stress or anxiety, since the more entrenched the condition becomes, the more complex it becomes and the longer it will take to resolve. However, properly addressing an anxiety condition at any stage can bring about full recovery. Bibliotherapy (reading self-help materials) is most often sufficient for full recovery.

• Mild severity – symptoms may be intermittent or persistent. However, their negative impact on an individual’s lifestyle is minimal. While the symptoms may be annoying and mildly distressing, they aren’t too restricting. Individuals at this stage may start to become fearful of their condition or their condition’s implications. The individual may make a few trips to the doctor in hopes of finding a solution.

Addressing a condition at this stage also produces expedient results. Bibliotherapy is most often sufficient for full recovery.

• Moderate severity – symptoms may be more complex, and may be more severe and impacting.   Often they will be more persistent, more concerning and worrisome. There is moderate lifestyle impairment. While the individual may be able to force themselves to do mandatory tasks, many activities are restricted. Fear of their condition is becoming more predominant. There may be repeated trips to the doctor in hopes of finding a resolution.

Doctors often prescribe medications at this stage to help reduce symptoms and the negative impact they have on the individual’s lifestyle. Unfortunately, medication alone at this stage often only masks the underlying condition. This masking effect often enables the condition and its effects to continue to resurface time after time unless the underlying condition is properly addressed. Fortunately, more and more doctors are now recognizing the value of a comprehensive approach such as personal coaching, counseling, cognitive therapy and bibliotherapy. While bibliotherapy can produce positive results, working with a personal anxiety coach (someone with extensive experience, and preferably, someone who has experienced anxiety themselves) can produce significantly more effective and lasting results.

• High anxiety – symptoms are dramatic, persistent and entrenched. Lifestyle is significantly impaired. Repeated trips to the doctor prove fruitless. Many at this stage are already on medication, yet their symptoms persist to varying degrees. They have a high level of fear about their condition and where it might lead. Many feel their condition is out of control.

Recommended treatment at this stage should involve personal coaching in conjunction with good self-help materials. Self-help materials alone will most likely not produce full recovery or lasting healing.

As mentioned earlier, recovery can be attained at any stage, however, the road to recovery may be longer and more complex the longer a condition remains entrenched. Nevertheless, successful and lasting results make the recovery journey more than worthwhile.

• Very high anxiety – intense and entrenched symptoms. Dramatic to full lifestyle impairment. This level of severity is more complex and often more difficult to address. It is highly recommend that the help of a personal anxiety coach, counsellor, or mental health professional be involved at this stage. While self-help materials will play an important role in the recovery process, one-on-one assistance is most often required before normal and lasting health can be attained when severity has reached this level.

Further, we highly recommend that you work with someone who has personally experienced anxiety at this degree of severity in their own life. Their personal experience and insight will be of great value and comfort to you during your recovery process.