| In a previous article, we discussed three different | | | | receive from enumerating their symptoms to the |
| ways anxiety may arise in when someone is in | | | | world? A person who continually focuses on |
| public or in front of people. We also covered fear | | | | every little sign of illness, such as numerous aches |
| of objects and fear of leaving home. Now let's | | | | and pains, a unexpected coughing or sneezing |
| explore some additional panic attack areas that | | | | spell, or a bump the suddenly appears on an arm |
| may cause a person to become anxious. Do any | | | | or leg, may be certain that they are suffering |
| of these seem familiar? | | | | from some life-threatening disease. These people |
| Fear of reliving a painful event - When traumatic | | | | are the bane of anyone who is trying to |
| events strike close to home, they are indelibly | | | | legitimately get an appointment at the doctor's |
| etched in our memories. There is a normal period | | | | office on a Monday morning! |
| of grieving we go through and in time, we should | | | | Fear of one's own thoughts - When you leave on |
| be able to move past the event. In some cases, | | | | vacation, do you have an uneasy that you have |
| the event remains in the forefront of our minds | | | | forgotten to do something? Perhaps you left on |
| and the details are relived, sometimes with vivid | | | | the iron or forgot to lock the back door. While |
| accuracy, both during waking hours and during | | | | these thoughts are not unusual, some people go |
| sleep. The possibility of coming in contact with | | | | overboard in worrying about such details. They |
| something that might serve as a reminder of the | | | | then develop some type of repetitive behavior |
| painful event is often enough to keep a person | | | | that they perform in order to cope with the |
| away from even routine events. | | | | repeated thought patterns. A good example is |
| Fear about one's appearance - There are people | | | | someone who continually washes their hands |
| who are absolutely convinced they are so homely | | | | because they are afraid of germs everywhere. |
| that no one wants to look at them. They obsess | | | | Fear of anything and everything - Some people |
| about the size or shape of their nose, their | | | | find a reason to worry about anything that |
| crooked teeth, their imperfect hair, skin, body | | | | comes to mind. The majority of their days are |
| shape, or size. They might even repeatedly visit | | | | filled with concerns about family, money, job, |
| cosmetic surgeons in hopes of finding a doctor | | | | health, politics, religion, weather, and whatever |
| who will agree with their opinion and do something | | | | else about which they are capable of pondering. |
| to fix it. Unfortunately, if the person actually does | | | | The fears are not necessarily about specific |
| go through with surgery, they will most likely | | | | details, but are usually more general in nature. |
| continue to be unhappy afterwards. The problem | | | | When life is filled with constant thoughts of |
| is not their appearance, but their manner of | | | | negative events, either real or imagined, a person |
| thinking about their appearance. | | | | is unable to find joy in day-to-day living. Trials and |
| Fear about one's health - Have you ever met | | | | tribulations are normal and expected, but not as a |
| someone who continually complains about one | | | | daily or hourly occurrence. Recognizing that |
| ailment or another? Are they really sick or do | | | | something is wrong is an important first step and |
| they just enjoy the feelings of attention they | | | | healing cannot begin until that first step is taken. |