November 18, 2009

Causes of Anxiety
Freud encountered many women who became bedridden because they could not tolerate their marriages, but leaving the marriage would forever damn them in the eyes of society because the option in the 1800 and and early 1900’s was prostitution. The women encountered two equally unpleasant alternatives which manifested itself in paralysis.

Two opposing belief systems such as: an internalized cultural or religious belief that marriage is forever when it is no longer viable verses a belief nowadays that it is acceptable to get a divorce. The conflicting messages creates a paralyzing effect on decision making. The emotional fall out from the guilt that the conflict engenders causes stress and emotional duress. The person then can neither enjoy the marriage nor leave it. Voila! Anxiety attacks are born.

The conflict can be any opposing belief or emotional system. One can love another person deeply, but be unable to live with that person’s mannerisms or activities. Coercing oneself to remain with that individual-whether it be a parent, a spouse, or a relative can bring on tremendous emotional stress. When the logic that the situation is in itself conflictual does not result in separating from one another, it emotionally drains the individual. The resulting anxiety may cause physical reactions such as: digestive disturbances, headaches, dizziness, disorientation, arrhythmia (irregular heart beat), and hypertension.

In the workplace this can be a huge dilemma. Hating the work, or the co-workers, or the employment requirements that oppose your self esteem your belief systems of fairness, etc. and yet having to maintain the job because you have to support yourself and your family can lead to anxiety.

Years ago, there was a letter written to the first type of Ann Landers help column that a man‘s wife was extremely ill in the hospital, but if he did not go to work he could not pay for care. The agony of doing the right action over the emotional one can cause anxiety.

In other words discover the conflicting messages that are tearing you apart and you will find the cause of your anxiety and any attacks which result from the prolonged assault to your senses.

See http://www.fawcettcounseling.com for more columns on various subjects under “How to” articles.