Anxiety symptoms come in many forms. The most obvious are heart palpitations, shortness of breath, fainting and excessive sweating. Less obvious symptoms include nausea, headaches, chest pain, constant fatigue and many more.

These symptoms often get worse if the problem is not looked at and can quickly spiral into a social anxiety disorder. At this point it is not uncommon for doctors to suggest medication to control the anxiety symptoms.

To help stop the symptoms breaking down into a serious illness it is important to understand the way in which anxiety disorder comes about. Once the triggers are recognised and reversed the symptoms start to slip away.

The first thing to realise is that anxiety comes from a negative expectation of something that is about to happen or of what other people think. Often, that negative situation will then actually come about purely because it was expected. often known as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The second thing is that anxiety becomes a habit. It is something that is learned and repeated until it becomes second nature. You have effectively programmed yourself to become anxious regardless of the situation. Like all habits they get worse if encouraged and not challenged.

To explain these two points, imagine going to a party and you start thinking of being embarrassed meeting new people and stuttering your words and shaking. As you enter the party people turn and look at you. They are just looking at you because you have entered the room.

Your anxious self has already decided that people will look at you because they are laughing at you and your embarrassment. When they do look at you, as expected, you become embarrassed, shaky and stutter. People see that and react in a way that confirms to you what you had expected all along. You have created a habit of being embarrassed.

So, the way to deal with anxiety symptoms is to break this negative habit and replace it with a positive habit. This is easier than it sounds if you know the right techniques. Then practice one or more of the techniques every day for a month until you have developed a new positive habit.

Most people have heard of the first technique called affirmations. This is very simple and quick to do daily. Standing in front of a mirror repeat positive comments about yourself. This may sound silly and useless at first but as the habit forms your subconscious mind begins to believe them.

A second technique is called visualisation. This is a little more difficult at first but gets easier with practice. Sit down, close your eyes and play your favourite song. Imagine yourself happy and confident at a party or walking down the street. Make it lively, exciting and full of colour. Repeat the same scene in your mind every day.

There are many, many easy mind techniques like this which through practice form a habit of positive thinking. The next step is to trigger these positive thoughts whenever you are showing symptoms of anxiety. This is where the real power comes in. By linking your positive thought exercises with a physical link, like squeezing your fingers together, you can tap into this thought in any situation simply by squeezing your fingers together again.

By developing a few of these simple positive thinking techniques and repeating them until they become second nature you will start to find your anxiety symptoms simply slipping away.