What is anxiety?
Anxiety is defined by the American Psychological Association as an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes. Other signs and symptoms of anxiety include:
Constant fear of impending danger, panic, or doom
Feeling nervous, irritable, or on edge
Shaking or trembling
Hyperventilating (breathing rapidly), sweating and/or trembling
Weakness and exhaustion
Increased heart rate and blood pressure
Gastrointestinal problems
Anyone can experience anxiety and although it does typically require treatment, execssive and uncontrollable anxiety can be impairing. If the anxiety is persistent, it may be an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders are a specific set of psychological symptoms that involve extreme fear or worry. There are several types of anxiety disorders, such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), panic disorder, panic attacks, and social anxiety disorder. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school, work, and relationships.
People with anxiety disorders usually have recurring intrusive thoughts or concerns. They may avoid certain situations out of worry. They may also have physical symptoms such as sweating, trembling, dizziness, or a rapid heartbeat.
Risk factors:
Life events that can cause anxiety include:
Stress builds up from life events and issues
Stress in a personal relationship such as marriage
Trauma
Stress due to an illness
Personality
Other mental health disorders
Genetics (hereditary)
Drugs or alcohol
Medication side effects
Symptoms of a medical illness (such as heart attack, heat stroke, hypoglycemia)
Lack of oxygen in circumstances as diverse as high altitude sickness, emphysema, or pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in the vessels of the lung)
Anxiety & Trauma:
Trauma isn’t just a distressing experience that results in you feeling depressed, anxious, or numb. Research shows that trauma can profoundly affect brain activity.
Almost everyone experiences disturbances after a trauma. It’s normal to feel more anxious or depressed in those initial days or weeks. It’s also reasonable to feel a sense of numbness or apathy. Trauma is defined as an emotional, psychological response to an event or an experience that is deeply distressing or disturbing. Emotional and psychological trauma can be caused by both one-time and an ongoing event.
Highly stressful and disturbing experiences, especially early on in life, increase the risk for anxiety by impairing one’s ability to successfully handle emotions throughout life. Trauma has the ability to alter the brain in such a way that it makes it more susceptible to anxiety.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD):
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a clinical anxiety disorder that results from experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event. Such events can include natural disasters, physical or sexual assault, car accidents, war, and medical diagnoses.
The recurring thoughts and feelings can impact how you feel about yourself and the world around you.
People with anxiety may be more predisposed to emotional complications resulting from trauma.
Traumatic experiences:
Anxiety can and may trigger traumatic situations. For example, you may experience a panic attack in a public space. Perhaps you felt like you were suffocating or dying, and nobody came to help you. That experience can be traumatic. It can result in you feeling scared of future panic attacks, which can trigger the panic disorder.
Panic Disorder and Panic Attacks:
Panic Disorder is an anxiety disorder that causes panic attacks, which are characterized as sudden feelings of terror when there is no immediate or real danger. A person may feel as though they are losing control as well as:
● Rapid heart rate
● Chest or stomach pain
● Sweating
● Weakness or dizziness
● Difficulty breathing
● Tingly or numb hands
● Feeling hot or a cold chill
Panic attacks can happen anywhere at any time and come without warning. People who suffer from panic attacks live in fear of another attack and tend to avoid places where they had previously had a panic attack. For some, fear takes over their lives and they cannot leave their homes.
The best thing you can do for yourself is ease your anxiety through a few quick calming exercises.
Reduce anxiety/ease anxiety:
You need comprehensive care that focuses on coping skills, stress management, and changing negative thoughts. However, if your anxiety often interferes with your daily life, happiness, and activities, consider seeing a mental health expert for further help.
Activities to reduce anxiety
Exercise
Meditation
Relaxation exercises, including deep breathing
Visualization
Good sleep habits
Healthy diet
Limit caffeine
Learn interpersonal skills for dealing with difficult people and situations or get parenting skills training for help dealing with your children
3 senses Mindfulness Trick:
Simply notice what you are experiencing right now through three senses – sound, sight, touch. Take a few slow breaths and ask yourself:
What are three things I can hear? (clock on the wall, car going by, music in the next room, my breath)
What are three things I can see? (this table, that sign, that person walking by)
What are three things I can feel? (the chair under me, the floor under my feet, my phone in my pocket)
Journaling Prompts
1. List three things that scare you the most, and the reasons why.
2. Reply to your inner critic’s opinions about your actions and decisions.
3. What was the most difficult experience you had before, and how were you able to overcome it?
4. Describe the thing or situation that you look forward to every day.