Understanding Anxiety

What Are Anxiety Disorders?

According to the American Psychiatric Association anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can be beneficial in some situations. It can alert us to dangers and help us prepare and pay attention. Anxiety disorders differ from normal feelings of nervousness or anxiousness, and involve excessive fear or anxiety. Anxiety disorders are the most common of mental disorders and affect nearly 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives. . But anxiety disorders are treatable and a number of effective treatments are available. Treatment helps most people lead normal productive lives.

How Common Are Anxiety Disorders?

In any given year the estimated percent of U.S. adults with various anxiety disorders are:

7 to 9 percent: specific phobia
7 percent: social anxiety disorder
2 to 3 percent: panic disorder
2 percent: agoraphobia
2 percent: generalized anxiety disorder
1 to 2 percent: separation anxiety disorder

Women are more likely than men to experience anxiety disorders (American Psychiatric Association).

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Managing Anxiety

Binaural Beats

Binaural beats are claimed to induce the same mental state associated with a meditation practice, but much more quickly. In effect, binaural beats are said to:

reduce anxiety
increase focus and concentration
lower stress
increase relaxation
foster positive moods
promote creativity
help manage pain

Binaural beats between 1 and 30 Hz are alleged to create the same brainwave pattern that one would experience during meditation. When you listen to a sound with a certain frequency, your brain waves will synchronize with that frequency. The theory is that binaural beats can help create the frequency needed for your brain to create the same waves commonly experienced during a meditation practice. The use of binaural beats in this way is sometimes called brainwave entrainment technology (HealthLine). Learn more.

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Meditations

Meditation is the practice of calming the mind and tuning down the number of random thoughts that pass through it. A regular meditation practice has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, slow down the rate of brain aging and memory loss, promote emotional health, and lengthen attention span. Practicing meditation regularly can be quite difficult, so people have looked to technology for help (Heartfullness.org). Learn more.