Anxiety Disorders

Filed in archive Mind Games on February 10, 2007

If you suffer from an anxiety disorder or have panic attacks, you are not alone. According to iVillage.Wellness:

Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from anxiety disorders, including panic attacks, phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Women seem more inclined to worry, or, at least, to let worry get them down. Why is this true? Research suggests it might be because of fluctuations in hormones. Perhaps women have a finer tuned nervous system.

Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP tells us in her Women to Women blog:

Many women operate in an ever-present state of low anxiety, also called generalized anxiety, that may blossom into episodes of full-blown panic attacks, phobia or anxiety disorders during times of psychological stress or biological change - like menopause.

What can we do about it? Try to reduce any stress in your life, and improve your health in general by watching your diet, getting some exercise and allowing time for at least eight hours of sleep every night. Be sure, too, to take some time for yourself to do the things you like, just for you.