What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a common and natural response to potentially stressful or dangerous situations. What are some examples of situations that can cause anxiety, taking your SATs, finals week, having to speak in front of an audience, or hanging with a new group of friends. Anxiety can also creep up when you have to call a new doctor or when you are waiting for an important medical test to come back. So what does anxiety feel like? It can be characterized by feelings of dread, fear, or apprehension, often accompanied by physical symptoms like a rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, or difficulty breathing. When a person regularly feels disproportionate levels of anxiety and it impacts your daily life, seeking medical attention is very important. When you meet with a psychologist for the first time, that in itself might cause your anxiety to spike, but knowledge is key, so here is a list of Anxiety Disorders 1 they might discuss:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, often abbreviated as GAD, is characterized by chronic and excessive worry about various aspects of life. This could include health, work, social interactions, and more. The worry is often difficult to control and can significantly interfere with daily life. Individuals with GAD may find it hard to stop worrying about these things, even when they know their worries are more intense than the situation warrants. Remember, everyone has worries and anxiety, but when it takes over your life and steals your joy, it is time to get the help you deserve.
Panic Disorder
Panic Disorder is another type of anxiety disorder where individuals experience sudden and repeated episodes of intense fear. These episodes, also known as panic attacks, can include symptoms like palpitations, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Panic attacks can be very frightening and can occur without any warning or obvious cause. Learning what prompts your attacks and how to handle them once they start gives you back control.
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Social Anxiety Disorder, also known as Social Phobia, is a fear of social situations. People with this disorder are afraid of being humiliated, embarrassed, or judged by others. This fear can lead to avoidance of social situations and can severely affect a person’s quality of life. Learning how to function in a world that seems scary beyond measure is possible through therapy and medication.
Specific Phobias
Specific Phobias are intense fears of specific things or situations, such as spiders, heights, or flying. The fear is out of proportion to the actual danger caused by the object or situation. These phobias can lead to avoidance behaviors and can cause significant distress. Your writer is afraid of balloons, a lot of self talk and soothing occurs for them to function at children’s parties.
Separation Anxiety Disorder
Separation Anxiety Disorder is characterized by worry about being parted from people to whom the individual is attached. The individual fears that something unpleasant will happen to them if separated. This disorder is not just a normal part of childhood, it can also affect adults.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can develop after a terrifying event where extreme physical harm occurred or was threatened. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. PTSD is a serious condition that can cause significant distress and impairment.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD, is a condition where the individual has uncontrollable, recurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviors (compulsions) that they feel the urge to repeat over and over. These obsessions and compulsions can interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder is established within four weeks of a traumatic event. Individuals with this disorder will have experienced severe dissociative symptoms. They often find it difficult or impossible to experience pleasure in previously enjoyable activities.
Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder
Substance-Induced Anxiety Disorder is a type of anxiety disorder that is induced by the use of psychoactive substances. These substances may be medically prescribed or recreationally taken, leading to symptoms of prominent anxiety or panic.
Anxiety Disorder Due to a Medical Condition
This type of anxiety disorder is a direct physiological consequence of a general medical condition. The anxiety symptoms or panic are not transient and interfere with social, occupational, or other areas of functioning. This can make the medical condition even more difficult to manage.
Understanding the Negative Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety is scary and frankly it can take up a lot of our day, but it’s not just a mental or emotional issue – it can also lead to physical symptoms and social problems. Let’s delve a little deeper.
Understanding Anxiety Symptoms
One of the first ways anxiety can manifest is through physical symptoms. These can include headaches, a rapid heartbeat, fatigue, and stomachaches. These symptoms can be disruptive and uncomfortable, making it difficult for you to carry out your daily activities.
Sleep Disturbances
Anxiety often leads to sleep disturbances like insomnia, nightmares, and disturbing dreams. This can result in lower overall sleep quality, which can further exacerbate feelings of anxiety and lead to other health problems. Sleep is so important, so be sure to bring this issue up to your doctor and discuss natural and pharmaceutical sleep aids.
Difficulty Concentrating
Another common effect of anxiety is difficulty concentrating. This can impact productivity in your work or daily tasks, leading to feelings of frustration and inadequacy.
Social Isolation
Those of us with anxiety may choose to withdraw from activities we once enjoyed and isolate due to fear of judgement or perceived risks. This can dampen our overall quality of life.
Risk of Other Mental Health Disorders
Chronic anxiety increases the risk of developing other mental health disorders like depression. This can further complicate our mental health and make treatment more challenging.
Impact on Relationships
Anxiety can affect relationships, causing tension and conflicts that can strain personal connections. This can lead to feelings of loneliness and further isolation.
Managing Anxiety for Better Health and Well-being
So how can we be proactive about our anxiety and improve our quality of life, by doing the following:
- Boosting Physical Health: Managing anxiety can help reduce anxiety-induced symptoms like headaches or stomachaches, leading to improved physical health and comfort.
- Improving Mental Well-being: By lessening feelings of fear and constant worry, managing anxiety can improve focus, productivity, and overall mood. This can lead to a more positive outlook on life and a greater sense of mental well-being.
- Renewing Social Interests: Managing anxiety can also renew our interest and participation in social activities. This can help rebuild relationships, reduce feelings of isolation, and lead to a more fulfilling life.
- Ways to manage panic and anxiety: There are various methods to manage anxiety, including therapy, medication, self-care activities, and dietary changes. By exploring these options and finding what works best for you, anxiety can be managed for overall better health and well-being.
Identifying What Triggers our Anxiety
Identifying triggers is a crucial step in managing our anxiety and its near and dear sibling, depression. A trigger is anything that initiates a reaction, feeling, or symptom. It can be a specific situation, place, person, or even a memory that causes negative emotional responses. This blog will help you understand and identify your triggers, which is the first step towards managing them effectively.
Understanding Triggers
Triggers can be external or internal. External triggers are situations or people that you encounter in your daily life, while internal triggers are thoughts or feelings. Understanding what triggers you is the first step towards managing your reactions.
- External Triggers: These can include places, people, or specific situations that evoke negative feelings. For instance, a person who experienced a traumatic event in a specific location might feel anxious or stressed when visiting that place again.
- Internal Triggers: These are thoughts, memories, or physical sensations that trigger negative feelings. For example, a person with PTSD might be triggered by a particular smell, sound, or a specific thought.
Identifying Your Triggers
Identifying your triggers can be a challenging, but it is a really important piece towards managing your mental health. It involves a lot of introspection and self-awareness. Here are some steps to help you identify your triggers:
- Keep a Journal: Journaling can help you track your emotional responses and identify patterns. Write down what you were doing, who you were with, and where you were when you experienced a sudden shift in your mood or feelings. Pick out a cute journal that is small enough to fit into your bag so you can make notes on the go, or start a journal in Google Drive our your notes app.
- Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness involves staying present and aware of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. It can help you identify triggers by making you more aware of your internal responses. Set a mat by your bed and take a moment in the morning or evening to help your mind settle and reset.
- Seek Professional Help: If you’re finding it difficult to identify your triggers, consider seeking help from a mental health professional. They can guide you through the process and provide strategies to manage your triggers effectively. Even if you tried therapy in the past and not found it helpful, don’t discount its effectiveness. Try, try again, the great thing with online therapy, that is so prevalent today, is that you aren’t stuck with a therapist you don’t mesh well with. You can move on immediately and find your match.
Common Anxiety Triggers
There are countless scenarios that might spark anxiety, and what triggers one person may not affect you. It’s super important to identify your own personal triggers to help manage your anxiety better. Here are a few examples:
- Social Situations: Interactions involving crowds, new people, or public speaking
- Work Deadlines: Stressful work environments, particularly those involving heavy workload and strict deadlines
- Financial Worries: Financial instability or concerns about handling debt
- Health Concerns: Fears related to personal health, illness, or medical treatments
- Relationship Issues: Interpersonal conflicts, whether with a partner, family member, or friend
Managing Your Triggers
Once you’ve identified your triggers, the next step is to learn how to manage them. This involves developing coping strategies, such as deep breathing, grounding techniques, or distraction.
- Develop Coping Strategies: These are techniques that can help you deal with the emotional distress caused by your triggers. Some examples include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or using distraction techniques like listening to music or reading a book.
- Seek Support: Don’t hesitate to seek support from friends, family, or mental health professionals. They can provide emotional support, practical advice, and encouragement as you navigate your journey of managing your triggers.
Remember, it’s perfectly okay to have triggers. What’s important is to understand them and learn how to manage them effectively. This guide is a step in that direction.
Through self-observation, keeping a diary, or the guidance of a mental health professional, individuals can identify patterns or specific triggers that lead to anxious feelings. This understanding is crucial for devising coping strategies and seeking appropriate treatments.
Once triggers are identified, individuals can often take steps to prevent or lessen their impact. This could include avoiding certain triggers where possible, using techniques such as deep breathing exercises or meditation when exposed to triggers, or employing cognitive-behavioral techniques to challenge and change reactions to them.
Moving Forward
Just remember, that feeling of fear or dread you experience in certain situations, it’s anxiety and it’s something we all experience. Remembering that we are all in this together is empowering and freeing. When we learn to understand our anxiety and our specific triggers through self-observation, keeping a diary and seeking professional help, we are erasing the fear and the unknown and we are taking back the power anxiety has stolen from us for way too long.
