Chill Pills

Meditation, Yoga And Breathing Are The Buzzwords Du Jour, Imagined To Treat Stress And Anxiety In One Fell Omm, But How Do You Know When Your Panic Needs Serious Drugs?

- David Goding and Rebecca Long

Like most things, stress and anxiety exist on a continuum of severity. While they are often imagined as pariahs (much like personality traits such as narcissism), up to a point, they are useful.

“It’s natural to become fearful and anxious at times,” says Dr Ronald McCoy, from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. “When you’re in a dangerous situation your anxiousness focuses your attention. The problem starts when your anxiousness is disproportionate to the situation. That’s when it starts to interfere with your life. Your work, your social life, relationships can all be hugely affected.”

Restlessness can quickly morph into feeling shaky, sweaty and faint. Your heart rate shoots up and before you know it you’re having a full blown panic attack without any apparent reason.

While conditions related to trauma and structural dissociation are particularly vulnerable to triggers, hence often unexplained overreactions, healthy people can also be sent flying by a cue to remember old stuff.

Literally anything can cause anxiety. “Fear and anxiety are like a pair of overzealous bodyguards,” says Dr Susan Orsillo, Psychologist and co-author of The Mindful Way Through Anxiety. “Instead of issuing sensible warnings about potential danger, they scream alarms or nag incessantly. Rather than providing security so that you are free to move through your daily life without constantly looking over your shoulder, they lock you in your room. Rather than bringing you peace of mind, they commandeer your attention until everything seems like a potential threat, making it hard to pursue what matters most to you.”