Anxiety symptoms, when they make their disconcerting and often disruptive appearance in our lives are sensations that people tend to associate with more menacing conditions, such as a sign of mental illness or physical sickness.

This is not the case.

Understanding the cause and effects of anxiety symptoms is crucial in the process of curing and overcoming anxiety itself.

Firstly, it is important to understand that anxiety symptoms are NOT harbingers of more serious conditions. In fact, everyone experiences these symptoms when afraid or when they are under the pressure of physical, mental or emotional stress.

As stress levels increase the chances are that the number, frequency and intensity of anxiety symptoms will also increase. It's a chain-reaction and the steel of those links is STRESS.

When we feel STRESSED, the body tends to react as if it were in danger.This is often called the "fight or flight" response. This is triggered when the body shifts its physical functioning in order to react and respond to this danger.

This response is natural. It's the level of STRESS that pushes this natural reaction into an abnormal one.When this response becomes a recurring one it tends to exacerbate anxiety symptoms because further stress is put on the body.

Consequently, symptoms of anxiety will then be displayed, whether physical, emotional or mental.These signs are not symptoms of a serious illness, but rather warning signals indicating to us that we need to lower stress levels in the body. It's an exaggerated act of self-preservation even though it feels like an attack.

As destructive as these sensations and anxiety symptoms might feel, they are the body's attempt at self-preservation. Ongoing stress manifests in anxiety symptoms and so long as the sufferer understands these signals there is no need to fear them.

However, action does need to be taken to eliminate the root of the stress rather than ignore the signals, which will lead to more lapses into anxiety attacks.By understanding anxiety symptoms for the signals that they are, it takes additional pressure off the sufferer. It then comes down to taking the appropriate corrective action.

This action should involve steps to overcome anxiety as well as correct the stressful patterns that generated it in the first place.

Restoring balance on a mental, physical and emotional level can be achieved by following proven strategies. This way, the 'fight or flight' response can be avoided and the anxiety symptoms overcome.