Anxiety

Anxiety doesn't take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace

What is Anxiety?

By Melissa Tijerino

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread and uneasiness which can cause you to feel restless, sweat, and feel tense. It can be a normal reaction to stressful situations

For example, you might feel a bit anxious when having a stressful conversation with your boss or spouse, before taking an exam or making a life changing decision

Occasionally anxiety is OK, but anxiety disorders are different, they’re a group of mental illnesses that is constantly overwhelmed by anxiety and fear that can lead to you avoiding, family, friends, work and other social situations that may trigger or worsen your symptoms

Types of Anxiety

There are several types of anxiety disorders such as:

• General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - People with GAD worry about ordinary issues such as health, money, work and family. But their worries are very excessive, and they can last everyday up to 6 months

• Panic Disorder - People with panic disorder have panic attacks. These can be sudden, repeated periods of intense fear when there is no present danger and can last several minutes or more

• Phobias - People with phobias have intense fear of something that possesses little or no actual danger. The fear may include, spiders, flying on a plane, going to crowded places or being in social situations (also known as social anxiety)

Symptoms of Anxiety

There are different types of symptoms for anxiety disorders, but they all have a combination of:

• Anxious thoughts or beliefs that are hard to keep under control. They make you feel restless, tense and interfere with your daily life. They do not go away and can worsen overtime

• Physical symptoms, such as pounding or rapid heartbeat, unexplained headaches, pains, dizziness and shortness of breath can occur

• Changes in behavior, such as avoiding everyday normal activities you’d usually take part in

Drinking caffeine, using certain substances and certain medicines can make your symptoms worse

Diagnosis

If you’re experiencing what you believe might be classified as having Anxiety, your doctor will examine you and ask questions about your medical history, they might also include some tests for you to take to rule out other possible health conditions that might be contributing to your symptoms

If your doctor does not find any physical indicators for how you’re feeling, they may refer you to a Therapist, Psychologist or another mental health professional, these individuals will use tools to find out if you have an anxiety disorder

It’s very important to be open and honest with both your Doctor and Therapist, if your anxiety makes it hard to enjoy or complete everyday tasks, whether that be at school, home or work.

Treatments

The main treatments for anxiety disorders are Psychotherapy (talk therapy), medications or both

Whether you’re suffering from panic attacks, obsessive thoughts, unrelenting worries, or an incapacitating phobia, therapy can help you cope with these feelings of anxiety by focusing on confronting your fears so you’ll be able to do the things you may have been avoiding

It’s important to know that you don’t have to live with anxiety and fear, Therapy can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at situations in new, less frightening ways and develop better coping and problem solving skills

Hesitation and reluctance to get started with therapy is a common barrier. There are an endless amount of ways to talk yourself out of it. Take a new step and find the purpose and meaning you've been looking for in your life.