Depressed—Sander van der Wel (Flickr.com)

The experts agree that anxiety and depression are related, and many believe that they are actually cousins to each other, linked at the hip.  It makes sense when you think about it because if you have anxiety about something, chances are excellent that you are also depressed about the very same thing.

The reverse is frequently true as well.  If you are depressed about something, the majority of the time you will also feel anxiety about the same topic.  From a mindset perspective, this occurs irrespective of the fact that you already know that there is nothing or very little you can do about the situation that you are depressed about or have anxiety about.

Let’s see what Jim Thatcher has to see about this in a recent published article:

The Connection Between Depression and Social Anxiety

by Jim Thatcher

Someone with social anxiety finds it very hard to come out of their house and walk down the street because he feels he’s being watched by his neighbors from their windows. Worse, he may meet someone as he steps out of the door and be forced to greet them “hello”, which he thinks will be very difficult to do.

As soon as he comes out of the house he is already feeling the pressure – and the pain. He can’t, or doesn’t want, to greet people because he’s afraid that they might feel his doubts and insecurities through the tone of his voice and look down on him – and he can’t let that happen.

He avoids eye contact and prays that he can make it back to his own comfort zone without having to utter a single word with anyone. He does not want anyone to find out that he is paranoid…

Social anxiety is the fear of interaction with other people or social situations that can easily spark feelings of self-consciousness, inferiority, judgment, criticism, among other negative emotions. In other words, social anxiety is the fear of being evaluated and judged by other people in a negative manner that can lead to feelings of depression, embarrassment, inadequacy and even shame.

If an individual does not feel comfortable or secure in social gatherings, but seems okay when he/she is alone, perhaps it may be the culprit. Affecting 16 million people on any given year, social anxiety is the third biggest psychological complication in America.

Unlike other psychological difficulties, social anxiety – commonly referred to as ” social phobia ” – is not clearly understood by many people or even medical or mental experts like psychologists, psychiatrists and surgeons. As a matter of fact, sufferers are misdiagnosed nearly 91 percent of the time.

People who suffer this type of psychological dilemma are often labelled as “clinically distressed”, “manic-depressive”, “mentally-challenged”, and “schizophrenic,” among other inaccurate and humiliating findings. But it can be treated with therapy and by learning to challenging the negative and unhelpful thoughts that are driving it in the first place. Thankfully there is now a much better understanding of social anxiety, what causes it and how it can be overcome.

Social anxiety is rooted in negative thought patterns and inaccurate, unhelpful ways of reacting to situations. However, through using cognitive behavioural therapy techniques it is possible to challenge and change these ways of thinking, so that the negative thoughts and accompanying anxiety diminish over time.

For more information on social anxiety and how it can be overcome visit http://www.socialanxietydisorder.org.uk.

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

The article above talks a great deal about social anxiety but social anxiety is not the only kind of anxiety that people commonly face.  People can have anxiety over just about anything, ranging from their children to their parents to financial issues to job issues to just about anything at all.  There is nothing wrong with a bit of anxiety about something, but when your anxiety and  depression gets to a point where it starts to impact your daily life and impede your abilities to interact with others, even family members, it is time to seek help to resolve that problem and start enjoying life again.

Anxiety problems can be a major problem for people. It prevents them from being able to focus on the task or activity at hand, it can severely hamper their attempts to have a meaningful relationship with anyone else, many times even including their spouse, and if left untreated or unaddressed, can lead to panic and also depression.

There are ways you can get treatment for anxiety, which is definitely something you should do if your anxiety is preventing you from leading a normal life with friends. The worst thing you can do is to ignore your anxiety attacks and panic attacks, hoping they will merely “go away” at some point, because these types of disorders rarely just “go away” on their own.

Rather, there are treatments and remedies that can help you cope with your anxieties, depression, and panic. That does not mean you should start taking pills or prescriptions, as that is not a good answer for the vast majority of people suffering from anxiety disorder, but many times it simply means understanding the underlying cause of your anxiety and having a professional help you to view it and understand what it really is and means to you.

Let’s take a look at what Joeden Dunne says about Anxiety Disorder:

Panic Anxiety Disorder In A Nutshell

by Joeden Dunne

Panic, anxiety and fear are all natural responses to panic anxiety disorder that people have evolved over time. Even up to a few hundred years ago a fight or flight response was needed if we were to survive. The fight or flight response gives the body even stimulation to be able to run or fight out of danger, whether the danger was a woolly mammoth or tiger. Nowadays of course, we do not encounter life or death situations on a very frequent basis if at all, with most life or death situations being due to disease or accidents. However, our bodies do not know this, and they respond in the same way to any situation that gives us stress. In many people, this has given rise to panic anxiety disorder.

It is thought that up to 1 in 10 people have suffered panic attacks at some point during their lives. Panic attack disorder is a part of the extreme stress response, and unfortunately are themselves distressing. People who suffer from panic anxiety disorder may complain that they feel faint, and that their heart starts beating notably faster and harder.

Their skin can become clammy as they start to sweat and blood gets diverted away. The panic causes them to breath faster which not only increases the amount of oxygen in the body, but blows off the carbon dioxide or waste gas. The change in the body’s gas composition can make them feel tingly and have pins and needles in their hands and feet.

The panic attacks may last a few minutes, or may even trigger off one after another resulting in waves of attacks lasting over an hour. It is not surprising that during these unpleasant attacks, the sufferer may feel that they are close to death.

It is not entirely known what makes one person suffer from panic attacks, and another not suffer when exposed to the same stimulus. Some professionals cite genetic conditions that result in neurotransmitter deficiencies, whereas other professionals say that there can be certain life events that resulted in a predisposition towards panic. Whatever the cause, it cannot be doubted that this causes significant upset in someone’s life.

There are several different strategies in coping with this panic. Some people choose to avoid any triggers that may start off panic attacks – thus they may avoid social situations and this can have detrimental effects on their relationships, their work, and their social life. Taken to extremes, this serves as a form of self-imposed agoraphobia, and can actually cause other psychological problems. Other people who suffer from panic may seek medication and achieve limited success. However, there are drug free alternatives that can help free sufferers from this debilitating disorder.

Panic anxiety disorder can be kept in check by focusing on psychological techniques that can return people back to when they were more carefree. These people have been able to turn their lives around, and instead of being inhibited and shy, they are now free to express themselves and do exactly what they dreamed. This article is about panic disorder and why panic attacks occur. It concludes with different strategies that people have employed to cope with their panic.

Resolve your panic anxiety disorder troubles in minutes with this powerful natural technique. Go to http://www.panicattackselfhelp.net Now!

Article Source: EzineArticles.com

Again, many times it is simply a matter of understanding the underlying cause of your anxiety, which may not be something that is easily determined, but CAN be determined with the help and assistance of a trained professional.  Think about it, would your life be better if 90% to 100% of the load of tremendous anxiety you feel on a daily basis were removed from your life and it didn’t bother you any more?  How much would a scenario like that be an improvement over where you are today?

I am sure you will see that is an improvement that you want to achieve, and the good news is that this is achievable if you are willing to understand your anxiety disorder, confront it, and have the ability to put it behind you.