We all experience anxiety from time to time. It’s a reaction to stress and can be characterized by feelings of worry, unease, or fear. Some people experience normal anxiety and that is a feeling that comes and goes, a nervousness, which tends to be temporary and often situation specific.
These different levels of anxiety can either motivate us to get going, to get up or move out of the way if we are in danger. Some people may experience anxiety that come with physical symptoms likes a pounding or racing heart, rapid breathing, feeling restless, feeling on edge, or sweating. Anxiety can motivate us to study for that test or go to work when we don’t want to go and its about pushing through those fearful symptoms and self-soothing.
However, some people experience anxiety that is out of proportion to the situation, and the experience can be debilitating and intense, which may interfere with daily activities and can turn everyday situations into a source of distress. This may be an anxiety disorder, feeling so overwhelmed that it takes a toll on their health and that feeling of fear may be with them all the time.
When you are having difficulty managing your fears and worries and become so overwhelmed by your thoughts. That you think you’re powerless, you’re in danger or like something bad is going to happen.
What does anxiety feel like?
- Excessive worrying
- Rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness
- Avoidance behaviour
- Trembling and churning stomach or butterflies
- Fatigue
- Problems sleeping
- Constant agitation and nervousness
- Muscle tension
- Trouble concentrating
- Panic attacks
When to go seek professional help?
Understanding what type of anxiety, you may be experiencing is crucial because an anxiety disorder requires more support from a psychologist, a GP or both.
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Social Anxiety / Phobia
- Panic Disorder
- Agoraphobia
- Phobias
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
What can you do to manage or reduce your anxiety?
Look for the triggers and the factors that bring on the anxiety because it can vary from person to person, but there are common symptoms that can set off or worsen anxiety.
A Negative mindset – if your thoughts are negative on a day to day basis, you may find yourself sliding into anxious thinking.
Social engagements – an upcoming social events can be very triggering for some people.
Work environment – lack of support, pressure or if you feel your work environment is very challenging it my cause panic or trigger feelings of anxiousness.
Conflict – at work, with family or friends
Workload – overwhelming schedule – if your work schedule is overloaded and you have no work life balance, it can cause overwhelm.
Past trauma – memories from past trauma can sometimes trigger you without any warning.
Lack of maintaining a healthy lifestyle – not exercising, eating well or sleeping well can trigger your anxiety.
Stimulants or substance abuse – too much caffeine, alcohol and drugs can alter sleep or eating patterns.
Transitional life phases – positive or negative life changes, can lead to feeling uncertain, overwhelm or anxious.
Perfectionism – the pressure to be perfect all the time can leave you feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and uncertain.
How to handle these triggers?
- Be honest with yourself and recognize the feelings instead of suppressing them.
- Use a 4 Step strategy to process those feelings.
- Acknowledge the feelings.
- Sit with those feelings for a bit.
- Accept them.
- Then let the feelings go.
- This process often needs to be repeated a few times to work through and sometimes the same feelings are they repeated and come up – it not a quick fix but it’s a healthier process, instead of suppression.
- Use a 4 Step strategy to process those feelings.
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle!
- Mindfulness, breathing and grounding exercises.
- Go for walks in nature, try yoga, go to the gym.
- Eat well – healthy foods that make you feel good.
- Sleep well – switch off devices and keep a regular bedtime and do something calming before bed (sleep stories, music, sleep meditations)
- Learn emotional regulation skills!
- Deep breathing like box or square breathing
- Progressive muscle relaxation
- Guided visual imagery.
- Be clear with your Boundaries!
- Its important to set your limit’s – taking on work or invitations that you know you cannot manage or don’t want to go to will only increase your anxiety.
- Seek support!
- Talking to a trusted friend, colleague, family member or counsellor can help you cope with your anxiety.
- Stay present and practice self-care!
- Bring yourself back into the present rather than ruminating on the past or worrying about a future that has not happened yet and may never happen.
- Do regular activities that make you feel good. Make time for “me time.”
Anxiety may be treated using different therapies, various online tools or connecting with a counsellor. Find a solution that is be suitable for your mild to moderate anxiety.
If your symptoms are more severe connect with your doctor for a mental health assessment (they may use a questionnaire to do this) or your doctor may suggest some other tests to rule out other conditions. The doctor may recommend working with a psychologist or psychiatrist as well.
If you need some support, invest in yourself – here is my services and if you want to work with me book a session here.
Sources
https://psychology.org.au/for-the-public/psychology-topics/anxiety
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder