Anxiety is a common psychological illness in America today. Anxiety disorders account for nearly 18% of the population in the U.S. In general, anxiety is a reaction to stressful situations and often occurs without warning and reason. Anxiety is why many people experience panic attacks and irrational fears, while others experience the same feelings but manage them well.
Anxiety disorders are a series of conditions, each with different symptoms. All anxiety disorders share one thing in common: excessive, sometimes illogical worry, or fear. When an individual suffers from a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), they may worry excessively over the smallest events. They feel as though there are some “stakeholders” that they need to answer to, and if they fail to do so, there may be major consequences. For example, an individual who suffers from GAD will worry that their job, family, or finances may be in danger if they don’t get the job done quickly. A new parent, on the other hand, can experience overwhelming emotions when caring for a child.
If you’re currently dealing with anxiety symptoms, know that you’re not alone, and many people deal with anxiety at one time or another. If you want to manage your anxiety safely, you need to understand exactly what anxiety is and its causes.
In This Article
What You Need To Know About Anxiety
Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or nervousness, and normally occurs with mild to moderate intensity. Anxiety disorders involve extreme worry or fear, and are considered the number one mental disorder in the world. Anxiety disorders afflict over 30% of adults in some moment of their life and vary in severity.
What Are The Symptoms Of Anxiety?
Although there’s no proof that anxiety disorders are completely hereditary, some people may be predisposed to develop anxiety-related disorders. Anxiety may be caused by environmental factors or triggered by traumatic life events. So if a parent has an anxiety disorder, their child may be susceptible to the disease. However, a person can have an anxiety disorder even if both parents don’t suffer from it. This blogpost will attempt to explain what anxiety may feel like for different people.
- An anxiety attack is an intense and sudden worry, usually accompanied by feelings of dread or discomfort. There may be violent physical reactions such as trembling, chest pains, or difficulty breathing in severe cases. It can last for several minutes, a few hours, or a day or two.
- A panic disorder is another type of anxiety disorder characterized by a repeated and irrational fear of a panic attack. A person may experience an intense fear of dying or losing control, and also fear death itself. Panic disorders can be extremely disabling and are commonly treated by psychotherapy. In some cases, medications may also be prescribed to manage panic disorders.
- A person with agoraphobia, or social anxiety, is afraid of social situations because of their fear of failure or humiliation. Many times, this fear may manifest itself through physical symptoms such as sweating and shaking.
There are many causes of anxiety, but it is important to remember that they are all just symptoms of an underlying condition. To truly know what causes anxiety, you need to know what exactly the symptoms of anxiety are for you.
How Does Anxiety Feel?
Anxiety may feel different between two individuals. The common ground about anxiety, however, is the constant fear that something bad might happen. If this fear is enough to stop you from functioning, you may have an anxiety disorder. Most anxiety problems come from situations where there is a strong emotional reaction that the person experiencing it doesn’t understand.
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Managing Anxiety Properly And Safely
It may be disheartening when you’re plagued by anxiety symptoms, and you want to spend some time looking for cures for anxiety that work. Here are some ways you can properly and safely manage your anxiety:
Understand Your Anxiety
The first step to dealing with an anxiety disorder is understanding that anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful situations. Physical symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, nausea, or heart palpitations will often occur in response to stressful situations. Anxiety attacks are brought about when your body’s nervous system becomes overactive. It results in feelings of intense fear and concern. These feelings of worry or fear can be debilitating and interfere with your daily activities. It can significantly affect an individual’s life quality, making it difficult to function normally in social settings, work environments, and even relationships. You may want to learn to recognize your attacks before they occur so you can reduce the impact of your attacks and reduce your anxiety levels.
The causes of anxiety can often be traced to a person’s mind and thought processes. If a person is afraid of failure in social situations or cannot cope with rejection, the root of that fear may be negative beliefs that they harbor from the start. To manage anxiety, you will need to identify the real cause of the fear and change that belief. It will then allow you to learn how to overcome anxiety attacks, as well as learn new ways of coping with anxiety instead of dwelling on the negative thoughts that have resulted in previous attacks.
Medication
Panic attacks can be very scary, and you may find that your anxiety may interfere with your daily activities. You may find yourself getting dizzy and even feel nauseous or lightheaded. If you find that your anxiety keeps you from working, going to school, or attending social activities, there are medications available that can help you control your anxiety and panic. These medications should be prescribed to you by your physician,
Xanax (also known as Zanax) is an anti-anxiety drug also known as a benzodiazepine. The Food and Drug Administration approves it for short-term relief of anxiety symptoms and short-term treatment of panic disorders and generalized anxiety disorder. The drug is most effective when it is taken only for a short time. If you are taking Xanax for long periods or have a family history of alcohol or drug abuse, you should consult your doctor before taking the drug.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common type of therapy used to treat anxiety and panic. It may help the patient develop new, healthier ways to deal with their fears and worries. This therapy helps the person identify their fears and how they are thinking about those fears. When these fears are replaced with positive thoughts, they can positively deal with their anxiety, which often leads to fewer panic attacks.
Face Your Fears
Another type of therapy used with cognitive behavioral therapy is called exposure. In this type of therapy, the therapist helps the patient go through the situations they fear to confront their fear in a safe and controlled environment. They might be afraid to enter a crowded restaurant, but the therapist can help them overcome this fear by showing them how the situation can be controlled in a relaxed setting.
Lifestyle Changes
Most people who suffer from panic and anxiety know how hard it can be to cope. It can be achieved by learning new coping skills or finding a natural way to manage their stress. For example, meditation, yoga, or biofeedback can help you learn to manage your anxiety safely. You can also do this by understanding your panic attacks and what triggers them, as well as integrate new habits that will benefit your mental and physical health, such as:
- Follow a to-do list: List down the important tasks you need to do and cross them out as you go through the day. You’ll spend less time worrying that you forget something important to do if you have a routine or checklist to follow.
- Keep healthy: Eat a balanced diet, stay active, take plenty of rest—it’s important to take care of your body, which is also connected to your mind.
- Accept yourself: Stop being too hard on yourself; accept yourself for who you are. Acceptance is an important part of self-love.
- Stay away from toxicity: Toxic people can drain your energy and make you worry; cut out people who are not good for your mental health. Stop doing things that are not making you happy. If your job makes you miserable, leave, and find another one. Your mental health should be your top priority.
- Open up to others: Share your ordeals with people you trust. It may be a family member or trusted friends, but an ear that’s ready to listen is also where you can get comfort during times of need.
- Disconnect if you need to: Technology is great, but these modern innovations can sometimes cause or worsen anxiety. If you cannot disconnect from social media or using your smartphone, keep usage to a minimum.
Takeaway
Anxiety disorder is manageable, so the next step is to find an effective method for you. If you would like to manage your anxiety safely, you should first know what kind of anxiety disorder you have. A medical professional can provide helpful information about managing worry and anxiety, including the treatment options available. It’s important to learn coping techniques to manage panic attacks and anxiety safely, so you can be confident in living and enjoying a healthier, happier life. Remember that you can learn how to manage your panic and anxiety safely—it’s a matter of discovering what methods work for you.
