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Anxiety, stress and the resultant insomnia are therefore on the rise recently due to the economic problems, and other related issues. Uncontrolled stress could lead to Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) that leaves individuals worrying about ordinary events in their everyday lives that other normal people take for granted. They tend to fear unreasonably that something terrible is about to happen to their families, friends, their health, and money issues etc.

Many people are seeing doctors more frequently and have to resort to stress and anxiety medications. You could seek the advice of psychiatrists and psychologists who are trained to diagnose and treat all mental illnesses, including anxiety. The most common type of medication for anxiety is tranquillizers, which act to increase relaxation and allow you to feel calm while also reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety. The doctors would be able to advise you whether this is to be taken as a temporary measure or on a medium to long term treatment.

Although medications could help in many cases, it has its side effects that include liver damage. Hence the importance to know how to handle and control your stress without medication should not be ignored.

This leads to another treatment that you should check out. This is the so-called anxiety behaviour therapy whereby the therapist (i.e. the doctors) will discuss your anxiety, and the triggers that cause you to start feeling anxious. It is important to take note of the factors that cause your anxiety. It is advisable to carry a notebook with you wherever you go and write down everything that is going on around you whenever you feel anxiety is starting to hit you.

With this information the doctor would be able to offer you helpful techniques and guidance on how to control your anxiety in a better, more positive way so that it becomes gradually easier for you to deal with. You would learn to change your thought and behaviour patterns towards the things you worry about and therefore reduces the irrational feelings of fear.

Having said that, you should also look into using breathing technique, exercise and meditation. These have been known to be able to help overcome stress and anxiety and should be included in your regime to compliment your doctor’s treatment.

Whenever you feel anxious or nervous, stop what you are doing and take deep breathes and stop for 5 seconds before exhaling slowly. Repeat this until your feeling of anxiousness or panic passes.

Exercise daily and make sure you get plenty of physical activity at least three times a week whether you are having stress and anxiety or not. While exercising can help keep your body in shape it also produces the so-called “feel good” hormone, endorphin.

Meditate once or twice every day, 15 to 20 minutes each time. The benefits of meditation are manifold. When practicing meditation, your heart rate and breathing slow down, your blood pressure normalizes and your stress dissipates. People with physical limitations would find this easier to practice than strenuous physical exercise for stress relief. Further more, no special equipment is required.

It takes a lot of effort and commitment on the person’s part and also his family to make it work. Exercise, meditation, and breathing practices can help you get your stress and anxiety under control and even cure it in the long run. But the determination in continuing this programme is the key to your success.

by: John Woon

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The insular cortex (a.k.a. insula, insulary cortex) is a mass of neurons that lie in the midst of the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes. Even though there are actually two insula, as they’re contained in both brain hemispheres, I’ll be using the term “insula,” in the singular. Incidentally, the word “insula” comes from the Latin for island. Now, some authorities view the insula as a lobe of its own, and others see it as part of the temporal lobe. Yet others, who assign it to the limbic system, consider the insula and the other components of the limbic system, a separate limbic lobe. The insula is divided into two parts, an anterior and smaller posterior section. As you read this article, always remember the insula is all about subjective human experience. Indeed, it’s been said the insula is responsible for what it feels like to be human, as opposed to just another mammal.

To say the very least, the insula is very well connected. It receives input from the brain’s great sensory hub, the thalamus; as well as from the very headquarters of our fear and emotion circuitry, the amygdala. And the communication with the amygdala is actually two-way. There’s also a bilateral line of communication with the primary sensory cortex. Given these landmarks it’s obvious the insula is deeply involved with a wide variety of functioning linked to emotion and the maintenance of homeostasis, our body’s ability to maintain a relatively stable state of internal regulation and equilibrium. And, yes, it’s a frequent contributor to assorted psychopathology, particularly anxiety. Hey, I find it terribly interesting that scans have shown the right anterior insula is significantly thicker in people who meditate.

Well, since the insula is involved in such a wide variety of sensation and functioning, we’re going to take a look at things categorically. And though the information is certainly available, I’m going to consider the insula’s functioning as a whole, rather than specifying the anterior and posterior sections. One last note. The insula is very much in the mix with regard to motor control and, as I cited, homeostatis. However, I won’t be going into detail on either.

Interoception Interoception is the sensing of stimuli arising from within our bodies, especially from the major organs of the trunk. A great example is the ability to time your own heartbeat. The insula is also activated upon physical exertion and becomes involved with blood pressure control, especially after exercise. Other interoceptive dynamics involving the insula are: perceived intensity of pain, how we imagine pain would feel in our own bodies when we observe images of painful events involving others, the degree of the skin’s non-painful warmth or coldness, sensations of a distended stomach and full bladder, loss of balance, vertigo, and the sensations involved with passive listening to music, laughter, crying, and language.

Emotion The insula is receiving more and more attention as it applies to its role in body representation and subjective emotional experience (e.g.: feelings). The insula is thought to process a convergence of stimuli, formulating an emotionally relevant context for all the hub-bub. It’s also very much involved in sensing feelings of anger, fear, disgust, happiness, and sadness. And let’s not forget about conscious desires such as food and drug craving. Absolutely, the insula is a player in addiction and addictive behavior. Just one example is the insula’s ability to read body states like hunger and craving; ultimately pushing people to reach for that second sandwich, cigarette, or line of cocaine.

Believe me, giving the insula its due would require a book. And that’s why I had to make this particular presentation short and to the point. But, go ahead, do some research. No doubt, the insula is a fascinating and still mysterious accumulation of neurons. However, as I said earlier, it’s receiving more and more attention. I liken it to the development of interest in the amygdala. It actually began in earnest in the 1930′s, and with the invention and development of imaging instruments and techniques, the research continued. Of course, now we know the amygdala as the epicenter of our emotions and fears. And having this knowledge at hand opens all sorts of doors for creative and effective relief and curative measures for, as it applies to us, panic and anxiety.

by Bill Chandler

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