Alleviating Anxiety

I hate flakes. Scaly, peeling, dry flakes. Recently, I noticed I had a case of dry scalp along my edges on the left side of my head. I quickly used some apple cider vinegar to wipe around that area but it was a little disconcerting because I thought I don’t apply that much product to my hair. Okay, on wash day I can be heavy-handed with my products but that is once a week. So this past weekend, I asked my son to put black castor oil on our shopping list.

Admittedly, I started worrying that my hair would fall out from my scalp being too dry. As a person with bipolar disease it is easy to work myself into a frenzy of anxiety over the smallest thing. Will I be able to earn a living? Did I say the right thing? Did I do something correctly for my son? My goal is always a sense of calm and I always feel it is fleeting.

An estimated 31.1 percent of U.S. adults experience any anxiety disorder at some time in their lives, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. An anxiety disorder is a mental condition that impairs your ability to function. In fact, among adults with any anxiety disorder, an estimated 22.8 percent had serious impairment, and 33.7 percent had moderate impairment. And anxiety doesn’t just affect adults, kids are being diagnosed or suffering from this condition as well. Among adolescents aged 13 to 18, an estimated 31.9 percent of adolescents had any anxiety disorder.

While it is normal to have some anxiety, some symptoms to look out for include:

·       Having a feeling of panic or dread

·       Increased heart rate

·       Trembling

·       Feeling lethargic

·       Concentrating on a particular worry to the exclusion of everything else

·       Sweating

·       Hyperventilation

You may be at risk for developing an anxiety disorder if you have a family history of anxiety or other mental conditions. Those with other physical conditions such as heart disease and thyroid illness may be vulnerable to anxiety disorders as well.

Some types of anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and phobias. Anxiety disorders are common but often go untreated and undiagnosed. I have always had issues of anxiety surrounding freelance jobs, my eczema, my marriage and my son. I honestly don’t know if it qualifies as a full-fledged anxiety disorder.

Treatment for anxiety disorders is psychotherapy (e.g. cognitive behavioral therapy) and medication (both of which I do anyway). But there are some noninvasive ways to monitor and calm your anxieties. Start by boosting your vitamin B. For instance, some studies link vitamin B supplementation with improved anxiety and depression symptoms. Also, antioxidants such as vitamin A, C, and E may be associated with decreased symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder and depression, according to one psychiatric study. And some research shows that meditation has been useful for patients with anxiety disorders. What’s more, several studies have shown that physical activity or exercise can be used towards the treatment of anxiety disorders and depression.

In the end, I talked myself through the whole dry scalp thing, crisis averted. There have been other times when I logically examined my rationalization for being panicky and squashed my anxiety. But for some of us, rationalizing fear doesn’t always work out and you still have overwhelming anxiety where your heart feels like its in your throat. If you feel this way consistently, please seek your doctor’s advice.

Let me know in the comments how you handle anxiety.