The other day, I came across a new study that produced some interesting results that can help people who suffer from anxiety and panic attacks.

British researchers conducted a test on two groups of people between the ages of 18 and 65. One group stuck to traditional treatments – therapy and medications. The other group added a change in lifestyle. The results were significant.

By removing or eliminating alcohol and caffeine from their diets and replacing them with healthy foods, by not smoking and adding exercise, the second group experienced only about half the number of anxiety attacks in one month than the first group.

Clearly, the evidence shows that by taking on a healthier lifestyle, you can reduce if not eliminate your anxiety attacks.

If you consider how much better you feel after eating a Sunday dinner with all the trimmings, you will get an idea of this evidence. This is especially true if you are very hungry by the time you sit down to eat.

When we are hungry, our body gets “worried” because it knows that food must be provided or it will die. If you’re like me, you will notice a sudden reduction in the tension and stress that builds up in the body when it feels “threatened” in this way and is then appeased by a good meal.

Several times in my hectic career I delayed or skipped meals, only to become shaky, unable to concentrate and somewhat panicked. Sometimes, I waited so long that I ran into the nearest restaurant grasping at any morsel until my meal arrived. This was more than hunger – it was panic in its sheerest form.

During times of depression, I’ve missed meals and have felt considerable improvement by eating a healthy meal. It’s easy to see how this can also relate to anxiety attacks.

It makes sense that stopping smoking and drinking less alcohol can also help in settling down the body’s natural tendency towards anxiety when it feels in danger.

I have experienced that relaxed state since I changed my lifestyle about 20 years ago. I stopped smoking, reduced my alcohol intake, began eating healthier meals, and more recently, have put exercise back into my daily routine.

These changes might have played a part in my recovery from anxiety and panic, but one thing I know for sure. Today, I feel much better than I did then, and if my improved lifestyle is the cause, there’s no reason such changes can’t help you, too.

For the most part, I enjoy my life as it is. I’m quite content to stay home, play with my dogs, work on the computer, read through my extensive mystery library and relax in my peaceful garden or at a local park.

It wasn’t always that way, and there are times of late when loneliness sets in. This surprises me because since my recovery from depression, I’m usually quite content to be alone – to have time for myself with no “responsibilities” and no one demanding to know my every move. Where in the past I dreaded being alone, today I truly enjoy being able to do what I want, when I want and in whatever way I want.

To some, this is seen as a selfish, perhaps even a self-centered, approach but that’s not necessarily true. Being in charge is a powerful feeling, but it doesn’t mean being isolated from others and not acknowledging them and enjoying time with them. The key is to find a happy medium and the secret to personal contentment.

I was married once, many years ago, and in general, I enjoyed being married. Differences in life goals led to an early divorce. Recently, I’ve caught myself thinking about my ex-husband – a very rare occurrence for the past 30 years. It just happened one day, out of the blue, that I wondered where he was, how he was doing and how my life might have been different had we stayed together. You can imagine how surprised I was to catch myself wishing we were together now.

Fortunately, this feeling is short lived as I get on with my life and “come to my senses”, you might say.

There was a time some 30 years ago when I would have become extremely depressed and overwhelmingly lonely to the point of wanting to end it all. It was because I was alone and feeling worthless. My psychiatrist saved me from what was looking like a dim future.

His comments led to a major turning point in my life. I’ll never forget those words of wisdom. He told me that I didn’t like myself much and that I relied far too heavily on others for my own happiness. Having never had many friends, I told him this was the problem, but he quickly assured me that having just one good friend is often more than many people enjoy. Suddenly, I felt fortunate rather than lacking.

After that exchange, I began taking a much closer look at what I needed to do to change and recover from my depression and loneliness. I looked at what would make me happy and what made me happy in the past.

The first step was to boost my own self esteem. At first, I was unsure how to do that because I didn’t know why I didn’t like myself. He put me on the right track by suggesting I get involved in things I enjoy.

I reevaluated what I was good at. Fortunately, I still have my public school records and a review soon brought instant realization. My best subjects were spelling and literature. Well, I’ve always enjoyed art, writing in particular, so I took a quick trip to the local high school. I knew what would make me happy, at least in the short term.

For the next 12 weeks, I took two writing courses that involved reading books on my favorite topics – archaeology and mythology. It was amazing to experience the inner uplifting when my lessons repeatedly came back with high marks and praise. This affected me immensely because I actually did very poorly in school overall.

Since that introduction into boosting my self-esteem, I’ve learned a great deal about myself and how talented I truly am. The more I realized, the farther I went. And the more I put myself into a learning state, the more skills I perfected, from computer literacy to photography.

Today, depression is rare, and loneliness rarer. I’ve learned to enjoy being with myself and what things give me instant satisfaction. Whenever depression sneaks in, I need only to busy myself with the activities that reenforce my abilities and the wonderful feeling of having accomplished them.

Loneliness and depression do not have to take over your life. If you can identify what made you happy in the past, what are your in born talents, and what will make you feel good about yourself and who you are, take immediate steps to build on those talents. You might surprise yourself when, one day, you realize how confident and self-assured you feel.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is often associated with major events in which people are exposed to tremendous amounts of fear and dread. This includes people caught in wars, major disasters, terrorist attacks, serious accidents, personal assaults and other situations in which they perceive that their lives are in mortal danger.

These are only some of the situations that can cause post traumatic stress disorder.

Wikipedia states:

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a term for certain psychological consequences of exposure to, or confrontation with, stressful experiences that the person experiences as highly traumatic. The experience must involve actual or threatened death, serious physical injury, or a threat to physical and/or psychological integrity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder

Researchers have discovered that there are signs to indicate that people who experience emotional abuse, especially as children, can be included in this group, along with people who learn they have a life-threatening illness, such as cancer.

Any such situation that individuals interpret as being a threat to their lives can trigger post traumatic stress disorder. This includes witnessing traumatic events such as the recent Asian Tsunami and seeing another person being abused.

It’s interesting to note that many people who suffer a major stressful event do not develop PTSD. According to the National Center for PTSD:

Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks following exposure. Available data suggest that about 8% of men and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout their lifetimes.
(http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/facts/general/fs_what_is_ptsd.html)