Believe it or not daydreaming is a symptom of anxiety disorder and depression.  So chances are if you’re an anxious person you spend much of your time in la la land, fantasizing about a very cool version of yourself doing extraordinary things.  But why?

Most shrinks think that daydreaming is a self defense mechanism.  Daydreaming is a form of escapism.  As you well know, when you have an anxiety disorder things can get negative and intense.  Not only that, but all that negativity can get strung out over weeks and even months at a time.

As result, the brain cries out for a break and so it becomes very easy to drift off into a dream state.  Daydreaming is like a time out for your tired mind.

There are two schools of thought on whether daydreaming and fantasy are a good or bad thing for those that suffer with mental ailments like anxiety disorder.

On the one hand, you have those that say that daydreaming is bad because it distracts you from dealing with your problems and hinders you from correcting whatever is stressing you out.  They think it will only prolong and maybe even intensify whatever is troubling you.

Then there are those that completely disagree with that view and find that daydreaming is actually healthy.  The thought is that daydreaming is a break from mental stress which can only be good.  And it’s also thought that daydreaming allows for creative thought and indirect productivity.

So then, is daydreaming good or bad?  I think in moderation it is a good thing.

When I was a kid I was sent home with notes pinned to my backpack that told my parents that I was constantly daydreaming.  I’ve had this love affair with daydreaming for as long as I can remember, but I was never less productive because of it.

Even at work I find that I space out quite a bit.  I usually dream about being somewhere else, like a resort or something goofy that gets me away from any difficulty I’m having.  I don’t however plan my space time, it just kind of happens on its own.  But I also use that time to think about things to write about, and about other projects I want to develop so it’s not always frivolous.

Did you know that they even have a personality type named for people that chronically fantasize?  Fantasy Prone Personality or FPP is a trait type describing people that experience their fantasies deeply and can sometimes cause them to get lost in their waking dreams to the point of having an out of body experience.  When I read that my first reaction was to think that the labeling of everything has gone a bit too far, but that’s just me I guess.

Anyway, if you find yourself daydreaming a lot you’re not a weirdo.  You are simply trying to give your mind a break.  And as long as you don’t neglect your responsibilities go ahead and dream away.

Most of this can be chalked up to stress.  Stress was not named the silent killer because it just sounds good.  Overtime stress can take a real serious toll on you psychologically and physically.  Now when stress and anxiety join forces is when you may encounter a problem with respect to your vision.

I want to keep this basic so I will simply say that if you are having vision problems because of your anxiety it is mainly tied to fatigue, muscle tension, and the excessive production of adrenaline.

Chronic stress (because of ongoing anxiety) leads to an over production of adrenaline.  This has several potentially nasty effects on the body but of importance to us is the fact that it can increase intraocular pressure.  And although the elevation of intraocular pressure may not be significant it can cause blurry vision.

Tunnel vision is also related to the excessive production of adrenaline.  One of the bodies mechanisms most clearly tied to anxiety is the fight or flight response.  Among other things, this bodily reaction pumps adrenaline into the blood stream which may temporarily cause tunnel vision.

In life or death situations tunnel vision can be a life saver (literally) because it brings focus to the task at hand.  However, if you’re sitting on your lazy boy and having a panic attack the benefit is lost.

In addition to blurred or tunneled vision you may have also experienced peripheral vision tricks.  That is, you thought you saw something from the corner of your eye when nothing was there.  This is one that can be related to lots of things, but in my view it happens to all people.

It may however happen more to anxious people because they are hypersensitive to their surroundings and also anticipate things all the time.  Being cranked up on adrenaline can also make you jumpy and super aware of gleams of light, shadows, and even slight variation in wind velocity.  In other words, don’t worry so much about this one.

In terms of seeing spots of light and wiggle worms (floaters), this is probably due to an actual vision problem.  Please remember that if you are experiencing new or different vision problems to speak with an optometrist so you can obtain a proper evaluation.  You know what happens when you assume things.

This is by far not an exhaustive list of things that can go wrong with your anxiety driven vision problem.  Indeed, you may have dealt with some very strange vision problems before as a result of being anxious.  And that is my main message to you.

Anxiety can do seemingly everything when it comes to our bodies.  It can strain muscles, temporarily raise blood pressure, create tension and many other things that can effect vision.  So once more let me be the one to verify for you that you’re not crazy.  This stuff does happen to anxiety sufferers.

We are all familiar with the more common anxiety symptoms like palpitations, racing thoughts, perfuse sweating, but now you can add sexual aversion, sexual dysfunction, and a lower libido to the already long list of things you already hate about having an anxiety disorder.

Sexual Aversion

Sexual aversion is very much like it sounds. The intense avoidance of sexual intimacy which is “characterized by disgust, fear, revulsion, or lack of desire in consensual relationships involving sexual contact”.

Sexual aversion can develop into a syndrome and effects men and women at similar rates. The avoidance of sexual contact researchers believe is related to performance anxiety, fear of over stimulation, or just plain not liking your partner.

Sexual Dysfunction

This type of sexual problem can also affect men and women equally since, “induced by different stressors, anxiety can distract from erotic stimuli… this may result in poor erection (erectile dysfunction) in males and cause a reduction in lubrication and clitoral tumescence in females”.

Although some may not categorize it as a sexual dysfunction, many male anxiety sufferers also suffer from premature ejaculation. It is thought that fears of not meeting a partners expectations or feelings of possible failure account for much of this phenomenon. Keep in mind however that these and other sexual conditions can also have a phyiscal basis as well.

Lower Libido

As anxiety sufferers get wrapped up in their daily fears and worry it can easily take away from ones interest in their partner. Anxiety in this way consumes a persons libido because of the stress and energy needed to worry excessively.

Stress can also cause fatigue and irritability, both of which do not aid in the fostering of a close intimate relationship. The phrase, “sorry honey I’m too tired” comes to the fore much more often in this case.

Simple Fear

This is very basic and has no fancy scientific label. The bottom line is that sex increases your heart rate, and anxiety inducing chemicals like adrenaline. As a result, having sex for some can cause feelings of panic and apprehension.

Heavy breathing, a fast heart rate, sweating and all the rest of it can trigger panic in some. It can even trigger panic and uneasiness well after you’ve stopped and are trying to go to sleep.

This is very similar to the fear that some anxiety sufferers have of exercise. Anything that resembles a panic attack is just avoided. But of course like exercise, sexual intimacy is an all around good thing.

What To Do

This is a tough cookie to crack even if you don’t have an anxiety disorder. Researchers simply don’t know the exact reason(s) why anxiety sufferers have high rates of sexual dysfunction and acknowledge that much more attention needs to be paid to this neglected topic.

That being said, if an anxiety sufferer is experiencing phyiscal dysfunction than the first place to start is the doctors office. Because sexual dysfunction can be a phyiscal problem, sometimes a physical solution is required. There are many new therapies that are now available and talking to your doctor is great way of finding out what they are and if they can work for you.

If your issue is more mental however, than of course the issue becomes more about anxiety and stress reduction. Moreover, sometimes we simply have to try harder. Despite the difficulty of getting started, it is a well documented fact that a healthy sex life can boost your immune system, fill you with endorphins, and create a stronger bond between you and your partner.

Sex is always a difficult topic to talk about for obvious reasons, however its always a good idea to have an open channel of communication with your partner about any possible sexual problems you may be facing. In the long run its better to get these issues out in the open and discuss ways to cope with them in a healthy way.

Reference

Archives of Sexual Behavior, August 2001, Vol 30, Number 4 pp. 369-379

Msnbc article “More Sex, Less Stress”

Psychiatric Times August 1, 2007 Vol. 24 No. 9

Click the image to see the list.

This lump causes us to think that we are headed for a medical disaster and may even cause us to swallow in quick succession so that we can make sure that we can still swallow – just in case.

This creates fear in us because the assumption is that sooner or later you won’t be able to breathe. We start jumping to conclusions about what could be causing it and go into extended versions of the what if game.

But let me assure you that when you get this lump in your throat you’re not dying. Like most of the other physical symptoms caused by anxiety having a lump in your throat is just another physiological fear response. So what’s going on in there and what is causing you all this worry?

Without getting into medical school style detail the cause of your lump is rooted in the bodies peripheral nervous system. This system is broken into two parts – the voluntary and the autonomic (automatic). The voluntary set of nerves allows us to do things with our bodies, like walking.

The other set of nerves, the autonomic nerves, control the functions of your body that you can’t control – like the beating of your heart, digesting food, etc. So now that we have identified the part of the nervous system causing all the trouble, let’s look at how it can effect the throat.

When we get nervous we enter the fight or flight mode. This in turn creates havoc in the body. During the early days of the human experience this was used to get our bodies prepared to take survival measures – like running from bears and the like.

The “havoc” comes in the form of increased blood flow, faster heart rate, faster breathing, and so on. The faster rate of respiration is what effects the muscle that controls the opening of the throat called the glottis (middle of the larynx). The glottis expands to allow more air in during the preparation for fight or flight.

The expansion and retraction of the glottis is the “lump” you feel in the throat. This of course is a watered down explanation but the basic mechanics of this lump production I hope is clear.

And although  this information is not terribly entertaining it is important to note that your anxiety symptoms are a normal reaction to fear and the subsequent fight or flight response that is initiated by all the nervous tension you endure.

So, in summary, you are not crazy. In fact it is your bodies natural reaction to anxiety and not some other thing that is creating lumps in your throat. Despite the fact that these lumps can feel large and like there is a foreign object that has been jammed down our throats – it is harmless.

Do all you can to reduce the stress in your life and you will, overtime, reduce your anxiety and the number of lumps in your throat. Moreover the lump in your throat is not a choking hazard, anxiety just makes you think it is.

Brief recap of what causes lump in the throat.

Anxiety + fight of flight response + effects on the throat muscle (glottis) = lump in the throat.