Dealing with Anxiety

And, perhaps, more important – how can you deal with anxiety?

What is Anxiety?

If you’ve suffered from it, you’ll know what anxiety is. It’s defined as a feeling of uneasiness, apprehension or worry. Often, it’s a dread of something that’s going to happen soon but it may also be in the future.

If you suffer a bout of anxiety, your heart may race, you might feel sweaty or short of breath. You could also feel restless or even overly tired. And perhaps you can’t concentrate the way you want?

In reality, anxiety is a natural behaviour linked to beneficial hormones in our bodies. Standard anxiety helps us respond quickly to a threat and keeps us safe. The hormones affect our breathing, our muscles and other parts of our body so we can either fight or escape threats to our safety. This is also known as the fight or flight response.

In fact, everyone is likely to feel anxious at some point in their lives. It means your body is keeping you safe. These days, the danger is unlikely to be due to a bear in the woods. You are more likely to be anxious because of an upcoming exam, a job interview or a meeting. Something you are unfamiliar with and about which you are unsure how well you will cope.

You might consider anxiety as the cost humans pay for being able to imagine the future!

What about shaking afterwards? Again, that’s perfectly normal. It’s the effect of other hormones released after the threat has passed. These hormones help our muscles, heart and breathing to return to normal.

In normal circumstances, people have no problems dealing with anxiety.

Has Dealing with Anxiety become Difficult?

Although a normal reaction to threats, anxiety can become a problem under certain conditions. For example, when the anxious feeling doesn’t pass after the threat. Or if the anxiety starts to control our behaviour and interferes with our daily lives.

For some, the worry can become intense, even in relatively harmless situations. The level of anxiety grows out of proportion to the actual threat. And the anxiety may last well past when the threat has disappeared. A bigger problem is when the anxiety comes so quickly and is so overwhelming that everything else slips into the background. This is a panic attack.

It’s not unusual for those who suffer from anxiety problems to become anxious over the anxiety itself.

In addition, depression may accompany anxiety. Both share similar symptoms.

This high and constant level of anxiety is not normal and can damage normal life and even relationships. It means the person is not dealing with anxiety properly. Studies have shown that in the US, nearly one-third of adults will struggle at some point in their lives with out-of-control anxiety. So, if you have felt this way, you are not alone.

Signs of Anxiety Problems

As we have seen normal anxiety can manifest itself in simple physical ways designed to help you escape dangerous situations.

Anxiety problems can be similar to normal anxiety but the trouble starts when they begin to dominate a person’s life. The sufferer may start to avoid situations they fear might bring on anxiety. They might avoid contact with other people. The anxiety problem may develop into repeated bouts of intense fear, not related to an obvious immediate threat.

Physical side effects are often also evident. Although each person is different, these may include:

These lists are not exhaustive and not everyone experiences the same symptoms.

Anxiety is on the Increase

Anxiety is on the increase. Today, it is the leading mental health problem around the world. Increasingly, youths and children are being affected.

Why? We live in a world of intense uncertainty. There can be no doubt our parents and grandparents had many problems with which to contend. But today, constant change assaults us from all sides, whether economic, environmental or social. The impact of these changes, and the associated threats, are often global and feel outside of our control.

In itself, these changes might not cause anxiety but they create an environment where it can thrive.

Causes of Anxiety Disorders

So, what causes anxiety to become a problem?

Every person is an individual and, as such, everyone reacts differently to different situations.

Many things affect who we are and how we react to differing circumstances. For example, upbringing and childhood environment can have a lasting impact on some. But not on others.

Some people face problems of such enormity, it stretches their ability to cope too far. The problems may include difficulties with a relationship, work or family. Financial issues, chronic or serious health problems can also play a part. These and other stresses may be what pushes a normal level of anxiety to become an anxiety problem.

Genetics can also play a part if other family members have an anxiety disorder. But not always, so you shouldn’t assume that because one of your relatives has anxiety issues, you will have them automatically.

Studies have found that some anxiety disorders are the result of imbalances of hormones and brain chemistry.

From the above, we can see anxiety problems have various causes. Not all of them are fully understood. However, medical science knows enough that you can be confident that seeking help can help you give you peace of mind about your anxiety. And it will help you overcome the negative impact of anxiety on your daily life.

Dealing with Anxiety

As with any medical condition, the first step is to identify the underlying cause. Sometimes it is necessary to treat a medical issue before addressing the anxiety.

The good news is that you can learn to manage the anxiety so it does not affect your daily life. It can be successfully treated by therapy or medication. In some cases, it may be necessary to use a combination.

Between therapy sessions, the patient may be encouraged to enjoy regular exercise, if appropriate. This will often bring added health benefits.

Where to find help dealing with Anxiety

If you live in Prestwich or Salford (North Manchester) or Wilmslow, Cheadle or Hale (South Manchester) please contact me today. There is no obligation.

If you would like to learn more about CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy) please visit this page.