what is anxiety.
Anxiety is a health condition that causes feelings of worry, fear or stress. Moreover, it is our “reaction” to something we see as stressful or dangerous (if it is real or not). These feelings can range from having absolutely no impact to being significant enough they interfere with our everyday lives. Anxiety can have an impact on both our physical and mental well-being.
How common is anxiety? Extremely common. Anxiety is the most common mental challenge in the United States. Anxiety effects 40 million adults in the US (source: adaa.org).
How do you know if you have anxiety? Anxiety is often self-diagnosable because of the common signs and symptoms. A mental health professional can also evaluate your symptoms.
What are some common signs of anxiety?
Feeling nervous, stressed or restless
Excessive worrying
Panic attacks
Irritability
Increased heart rate & breathing
Tense muscles
Becoming fatigued easily
Breathing rapidly
Having trouble concentrating or thinking
Stomach pains
Trouble sleeping
Is anxiety treatable? Absolutely. There are numerous ways to support you on your journey with anxiety. They range from self-help options to professional therapy. Since everyone is unique, treatments should be tailored to your specific needs. One of the challenges is that only 36.9% of those suffering actually get support (source: adaa.org). This is troubling as there are many impactful and free ways people can get support.
Can you live a normal life with anxiety? Of course. Anxiety is a natural response to our often stressful lives. Can anxiety be an enormous challenge in our lives? Yes. Still, millions of people with anxiety live completely happy, healthy, and fulfilled lives. The secret is to learn about anxiety, find out how it impacts you, get support, and make the required life shifts.
anxiety is natural.
When homo sapiens first appeared, they faced many challenges for survival. For our earliest ancestors, anxiety was a critical tool. Anxiety helped solve immediate life-threatening challenges. Imagine waking up next to a hungry lion; our brain enters a stimulated state to make life or death decisions quickly. Anxiety was a superpower for survival.
Today, many years later, anxiety still plays a significant role. Most of us don't have to fight lions, but we still have to protect our families and make decisions that lead us towards a healthy life. Anxiety signals that something is important to us. When utilized correctly, anxiety is our internal alarm system. When we listen to our bodies, we can use it to our advantage.
anxiety treatments.
Self-help
There are many things you can implement into your life independently for relief. Lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on relieving stress and anxiety. The detail on most can be found online, and often for free (many are shared here).
Journaling
Stress management
Diet and Nutrition changes
Avoiding alcohol and drugs
Yoga
Therapy
If you require additional support consider mental health providers. Anxiety Center believes that everyone with access, should have a primary therapist. A excellent therapist is a life-hack. Therapists provide new prospectives on issues, help us think through underlying themes, and help rewire our brain. Therapy effects can also be long-lasting.
Types of options range from:
Anxiety retreats (example)
Therapy groups
School therapists
To find support options go here.
Medication
Medication is another layer of support, including supplements and medications prescribed by your primary care doctor or licensed psychologist.
The medications vary by your unique situation and doctors recommendation. Each option has its own benefits, risks and possible side affects. It’s important you have a trusting relationship with your provider and do your own research.
Here is one list of vitamins and supplements with effectiveness reviews for anxiety (source: WebMD).
To find support options go here.
Anxiety Center Tip (hyper-vigilance):
For many of us, when we begin to implement new changes, we might become hyper-vigilant. This means we become extremely sensitive to looking for signs of anxiety. This is challenging because our brain and body are constantly on high alert. For example, If you are working on getting better sleep, one bad night's sleep might trigger fear instead of thinking that everyone occasionally has a bad night. A shift is to understand that bad sleep often happens before an early flight, a big presentation, or when we’re stressed. We must be realistic and patient with ourselves on our journey. Change comes with time.
alcohol & anxiety.
Having a drink with friends and family is an important part of many cultures and lifestyles. For many people, having a drink is a way to relax and reduce stress (alcohol is a sedative). Having a drink can also be a big part of our social circle, how we spend time with friends, professional networking.
When consumed, alcohol changes the levels of serotonin in the brain that can worsen anxiety. Anxiety induced by a hangover can last several hours or a full day, which can create major setbacks for those working through their anxiety. Over drinking can also lead to panic attacks that have a large impact on our well-being. That’s why there is a clear correlation between anxiety and alcohol addiction (source: American Addiction Center).
This creates a challenging dilemma. If we use alcohol to reduce stress, and drinking socially is an important part of our life, but it leads to more anxiety issues, how do we change our behavior? The answer is by identifying and prioritizing our health. Being patient with ourselves and creating a plan that focuses on our well-being.
science of well-being.
Yale University’s most popular class ever is now available for free through Coursera. The Science of Well-being intends to increase our happiness and build more productive habits. Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think this way, and the research that can help us change.
stress & performance.
Stress & anxiety play a critical role in improving our performance. At healthy levels, when we become stressed, it’s a sign we are alert and care about something. Imagine giving the biggest presentation of your career, or playing in the Super Bowl, you’ll likely really care about performing great. Yet, the best players in business or sports, still manage to remain calm and execute.
According to “The Yerkes-Dodson law,” performance increases with mental arousal, i.e stress, but only up to a certain point. When the level of stress becomes too high and leads to a high level of anxiety, performance decreases. When we use the power of stress effectively, it can yield magical results.
