Anxiety

Man has been given a most remarkable memory.He can easily recall events that have happened many years ago,and thus foresee to some extent what is ahead.This often helps him to avoid serious trouble.But this ability to anticipate the future seems to get some people into serious trouble,particularly when they become overanxious and deeply concerned about the future.Many of these individuals enjoy excellent physical health.often they are well-built specimens of humanity,perfect in every way.Yet inwardly they may be desperately afraid of their own future.Their troubles are not due to any lack of vitamins,minerals,or proteins, important as these are,but to the fact that they have to make the normal adjustments of life.
A certain amount of fear is perfectly natural,particularly,if one is in danger of being run down by a speeding train or car!such concern is normal,healthy reaction,for without it we might be killed.But anxiety is quite different from this one experiencing the conflicts can give no valid reason for his strong feelings,so he worries about some physical weakness and wonders if he might have failing heart or some other serious condition.The same is true of patients with asthma.They seem to do fairly well until they have to face some distressing situations,then almost immediately they will begin wheezing.This is a psychosomatic response to an over-anxious mind.
Anxiety is a most unpleasant emotion.The person usually has deep feelings of apprehension,uneasiness,and even panic.suddenly he may feel his heart beating rapidly.Next he develops shortness of breath,sweating,or some other peculiar reaction.His blood pressure may begin to rise and his heart to palpitate,and soon he is troubled with real mental anguish and physical distress.It is easy for him to think his symptoms are due to some organic cause within the body,but anxiety or hidden fear is the true cause of his trouble.
There is no question that such people are sick,but their illness is usually due to some underlying emotional conflict which may have heart attack,this will increase his anxiety.Naturally he will ask how long it will last and whet er it is likely to be permanent.Will it shorten his life?Can he expect to recover with proper treatment?Such questions are quite natural and deserve a favourable answer.With good medical care or practising Yoga(pranayama, mudras,meditation,etc) he will recover from his heart attack and negative personality.
True cause of Anxiety
The true cause of anxiety is often obscure,for is seems from the patients early childhood when he may have been facing some very unhappy situation.This may have left him with a feeling of helplessness because of rejection by one or both of his parents.Naturally he tries to forget all such unpleasant memories,but they still lie deeply buried in some unconscious area of his mind.Then,so escape further unpleasant experiences,he begins to avoid any situations that reminds him of that first painful experience.Such a reaction may also occur in later life,as in cases of "shell shock"or complete forgetfulness after a battle.Amnesia is the medical term for this condition.The individual may not only repress all memories of the unpleasant,but he may even temporarily"forget" his own identity,including his name,age,family background,and any recollection of the past.
If the patient feels that he himself is responsible for the unhappy event,he will also have strong feeling of guilt along with the anxiety.He may then have an unconsciously desire for some form of punishment to relieve these feeling of guilt.Such peculiar reactions are often seen in young children who Will go out of their way to be punished for some secret misbehaviour.
These peculiar reactions are also seen in older people.Some will unconsciously transfer these strong guilt feeling to some organ or part of the body,and develop a more acceptable symptom,such as a bad headache,a rapid heart,or pains in abdomen.Eventually such a person may develop high blood pressure,or a peptic ulcer,and irritable colon,bronchial asthma,or some chronic skin condition.All of these conditions have been known to stem from strongly repressed feelings of jealousy or rivalry in the family during the early year of life.
How does this come about?From the moment a child is born,he has instinctive needs that can be met only by his mother.When he is hungry or disturbed he immediately begins to cry.The mother then quickly comes to his aid and relives his tension and feeling of helplessness.As long as she is present,he is again anxious and apprehensive,but with the mother's constant care,he soon learns not t be afraid.This develops a sense of security in him,so that he gradually loses his feelings of helplessness.
During his early years the comforting presence of his mother means more to him than anything else in the world.No one else can ever take her place .He may tolerate the presence of strangers,he feels more secure when his mother is near by.Under her careful training he will eventually be able to go anywhere and do anything he wishes,secure in the knowledge that he is an accepted part of the human family.Those early years are the most important in his whole life,for it is then that the foundations of good mental health are laid.
Now let us suppose that mother is tense and irritable and preoccupied with other things,so that her new-born baby does not receive the personal care he so much deserves.He is under a serious handicap right from the start,unless he has a sister or aunt who can supply this maternal affection.Even so,he may still develop a deep feeling of insecurity.But if he is not fear and anxiety and will no doubt feel that the whole world is against him.So much depends on the atmosphere in the home during the early years of life.