Have you ever felt this way? You have a big presentation at work. In the days leading up to the presentation, you start to feel nervous. Your thoughts start to spiral and you start to worry about everything that could go wrong. You start thinking up lots of “what ifs”, (What if I flop it? What if I forget my lines? What if I forget the prototype? What if I’m not able to communicate well with my listeners? What if they don’t like the presentation? What if my equipments and gadgets fail to work? What if……? What if…….? What if………?). You have trouble sleeping, and when you wake up in the morning, you feel tired and sluggish. As the day goes on, your anxiety increases. By the time the presentation starts, your heart is racing, your hands are trembling, and you feel like you can’t breathe. You start sweating profusely. That is typically what happens when we are experiencing anxiety.
WHAT IS ANXIETY?
Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stress. It’s a feeling of fear or apprehension about what’s to come. Anxiety is also the feeling of dread and uneasiness. For example, going to a job interview or giving a speech on the first day of school or going to a party where you know only 5% of the people there may cause some people to feel fearful and nervous.
It’s normal to feel anxious about moving to a new place, starting a new job, or taking a test. This type of anxiety is unpleasant, but it may motivate you to work harder and do a better job. Ordinary anxiety is a feeling that comes and goes but doesn’t interfere with your everyday life. However, if the feeling of fear stays with you for a long time, then you’re experiencing anxiety disorder.
WHAT ARE ANXIETY DISORDERS?
Anxiety disorders are conditions in which you have anxiety that does not go away and can get worse over time. The fear is not temporary but overwhelming and intense. This type of anxiety may cause you to stop doing things you enjoy. For example, it may prevent you from entering an elevator, crossing the street, or even leaving your home in extreme cases. It can also interfere with daily activities like job performances, schoolwork and relationships.
There are several types of Anxiety Disorders, including:
i) General Anxiety Disorder (GAD):
This chronic disorder involves excessive, long lasting worries and anxiety about nonspecific life events,o objects or situations. GAD is the most common anxiety disorder and people with it are not always able to identify the cause of their anxiety.
ii) Panic Disorder
If you have a panic disorder, you get intense, sudden panic attacks, more intense feelings than other types of anxiety disorders. The feelings of terror may start suddenly and unexpectedly or they may come from a trigger, like facing a situation you dread. Panic attacks resemble heart attacks.
iii) Phobias
Phobias are intense fear for certain situations or objects. Some of these fears make sense, such as fear of snakes. But often,the level of fear doesn’t match the situation.
Like other anxiety disorders,you may spend a lot of time trying to avoid situations that may trigger the phobia. Some specific phobias include fear of animals (spiders, dogs, snakes), blood, height, injections (shots).
iv) Social Anxiety Disorder
This is a fear of adverse judgement from others in social situations or of public embarrassment. Social anxiety disorder includes a range of feelings such as stage fright, a fear of intimacy and anxiety around humiliation and rejection.
v) Separation Anxiety Disorder
This high anxiety level occurs after separation from a person or place that provides feelings of security or safety. This condition mostly happens to children or teens, who may worry about being away from their parents. Children with separation anxiety disorder may fear that their parents will be hurt in some way or may not come back as promised.
CAUSES OF ANXIETY
Experts aren’t sure of the exact cause of anxiety. But it’s likely that a combination of factors play a role. These factors may include:
i) Stress
ii) other medical issues e.g depression, diabetes
iii) genetics
iv) substance use/withdrawal
v) trauma/abuse
In addition, researchers believe that it stems from the areas of the brain responsible for controlling fear and the storing and retrieval of emotional and fear-related memories.
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms vary depending on the type of anxiety disorder you have. General symptoms of an anxiety disorder include:
Physical symptoms – cold or sweaty hands, dry mouth, heart palpitations, nausea, numbness, muscle tension, shortness of breath.
Mental symptoms –
Feeling panic, fear and uneasiness, nightmares, repeated thoughts or flashbacks of traumatic experiences, uncontrollable thoughts.
Behavioral symptoms –
Inability to be still and calm, ritualistic behaviors e.g washing hands repeatedly, trouble sleeping.
TREATMENT
The treatment for anxiety disorder can vary depending on the severity and individual needs. Common approaches include psychotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), medication (such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors – SSRIs), and relaxation techniques. It’s essential to consult a qualified mental health professional for an accurate assessment and personalized treatment plan.
Also, certain lifestyle changes can effectively relieve some of the stress and anxiety you may cope with every day. They consist of caring for your body, participating in healthy activities and eliminating unhealthy ones. These include
i) getting enough sleep
ii) meditating
iii) staying active and exercising
iv) yoga
v) avoiding alcohol
vi) avoiding caffeine
vii) quit smoking cigarettes (if you do).
All Mental 