“I am anxious about everything…if my husband is late, if my son has a fever, if nobody is attending the call… I can’t figure out why I worry so much”

Anxiety is normal but it becomes a disorder and a problem when the anxiety and worry become excessive, exaggerated and uncontrollable in normal everyday situations. Everything that comes across in life is seen with fear, worry and apprehension. Many of us do not need a reason to be worried. Even a small harmless traffic block can make a lot many of us anxious and worried for a while. Nevertheless, anxiety is necessary as it motivates and alerts one into action in times of danger. It is just a response to stress and you don’t have to be worried about being worried occasionally.

GAD

When your worry remains the same even after the situation and you cannot relax, you probably have a disorder. If you tend to anticipate about events which are unlike to happen and cannot find piece of mind you have GAD. People with GAD complain that they keep on worrying about something or another and that they cannot remember relaxing. They cannot wait for a loved one patiently who is probably late due to a traffic block without thinking of the worst. They are further stressed by simple real life situations and experience nervousness, edginess, sleep disturbances, headaches, trembling, twitching, irritability, frustration, and inability to concentrate. They also feel tired and restless. GAD is chronic and may persist for several months. It may co-exist with IBS and make matters worse for the sufferer. Having IBS would cause nausea, gas troubles, dizziness, lack of appetite and the like. In short, it highly reverses the normal life of an individual.

Your Options

Psychotherapy is generally recommended for GAD. They may also be backed up by medications like antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs. They control your worries and provide sedation. But they are soothing and hence addictive. Psychotherapy includes counseling, cognitive-behavioral therapy and other talk-therapies. Hence cognitive-behavioral therapy is a highly advised for GAD.

Cognitive therapy essentially deal with the thinking and believing process. With this, we train our mind to change the though process and pattern from what we have been doing. We condition our mind to think healthily, realistically and positively so that the symptoms of the disease vanish. Behavioral therapy focuses on what we do. It helps to reduce or stop the undesired behavior associated with the disorder. We learn to relax at the time of anxiety and agitation and use deep breathing techniques to counteract the symptoms. We learn to be calm and de-stressed.

Cope With It Positively

You can lead a normal and happy life with GAD. However, it is up to you to talk to a therapist or a counselor to learn some relaxation techniques to sooth yourself and your IBS. Stress reducing techniques like deep-breathing or visualization, music therapy can ease IBS and unnecessary worries.

• Regular exercise
• Tight sleep
• Healthy diet

A mental health professional may also suggest certain self help techniques to reduce your agony. You can try self-talk, jotting down your worries and so on. It is also important to prepare yourself for stressful events in life so that you do not panic or startle.

Baggy Eye care

The eyes are the most sensitive part of the body. Even the slightest scar or scratch can harm the eye permanently. That’s why not many fiddle with the eye. However as age advances and sometimes much before that, the eye may demonstrate symptoms of puffiness and swelling which are not fatal but depict ill health of the eye. In addition it reduces the sharpness of features in a person and hence affects the beauty. However still this is not a major cause to call for medication as medications may cause many other side effects. On the other hand natural care could be the best choice to alleviate the symptoms.

Lets start with the reasons or causes of development of baggy eyes as the management would arise out of the same.

Thyroid problems

People suffering from a thyroid problem (also referred to as a goiter) normally have very baggy eyes - if you have any qualms about your thyroid, or if you have any symptoms of an over - or under active thyroid please consult your doctor immediately.

Aging and nutrition

As we age the fragile skin around our eyes start to lose its elasticity, and here we can look at nutrition to assist us in our fight against aging, as poor nutrition contributes to aging as well.

In the absence of vitamin C, collagen cant be synthesized by the skin. To assist in collagen formation and re-vitalizing your fragile skin around the eyes - please consider taking an extra vitamin C (ascorbic acid) supplement.

Tiredness

Plain tiredness will also add to the problem of bags under your eyes, and especially to those ugly dark circles under the eyes.

Have a look at the amount of hours you sleep and also check on the amount of hours you work in front of a computer terminal or watch television – both these actions place a tremendous strain on your eyes.

Eye drops will relieve the blood shot look of your eyeball, but will do little to soothe the tired eyes as such.

To relieve strain, look at having a regular soothing treatment, which can easily, and inexpensively, be done at home.

Some people believe in placing sliced figs or slices of cucumber on their eyes – and although it does work, it may cause an allergic reaction in some individuals.

If you are looking at an alternative treatment to freshen your eyes, try the following:

1. Take two pieces of cotton wool, large enough to cover your eyes, and soak them in rose water (an inexpensive product that you can buy at the pharmacy / chemist / drug store) and place it over your closed eyelids while lying down.

If doing it during the day close your drapes / curtains and if doing it at night switch off your lights. You will find that doing it in the dark really gives your eyes and stressed out body a relaxing break. Switch off your television during this period of rest, and rather listen to your favorite soothing music. Relax for at least 20 – 30 minutes.

2. Sit, relax and while breathing normally but deeply, look at a spot between your eyes, above the bridge of your nose. Keep looking at this spot for a count of five, and then relax the eyes. Next look at the tip of your nose, also to the count of five and relax.

Fluid retention

Fluid retention can be a major cause of swollen eyes, and here you will have to look at your general health and any other underlying medical condition. Diuretic pills (to remove excess water from your body) can be helpful, but many people do have side effects from them.

Salt or sodium

If you are ingesting a lot of salt, either directly or indirectly, it could add to your problem with water retention. Try and cut down on eating raw salt, and check food labels as well, as processed food can contain large amounts of salt – check for sodium on the label

The way you sleep

If you find that your eyes are more swollen in the morning, have a look at increasing the height of your pillows, by adding another pillow when going to bed. The raising of your head could assist with draining excess fluids as well.

Headaches are quite common and are perhaps the first among the reactions elicited by the body in response to fever,