ANXIETY
“I can feel my heart beating fast. Am anxious
something will go wrong.”
“It is impossible to concentrate, I fear making a
mistake at work. Because I will make mistakes at work, I will be fired. Because
I will be fired, I will not be able to pay the rent.”
“I am feeling these butterflies in my stomach as
my turn for the interview is nearing.”
“Am well prepared for the workshop, but I keep
thinking what if I don’t deliver properly?”
“Am excited my child is traveling alone first time, but feeling jittery too what if something goes wrong?”
ANXIETY!! Anxiety is a feeling of
worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome and
strong desire to do something or wanting something to happen.
When faced with possible harmful or worrying triggers or situations on
which we may not have a control on; feelings of anxiety is the only normal but
necessary response that a body shows for survival. It is the ‘fight-or-flight’
reaction. While riding a bus to a new destination for the first time, even
though you have asked the personal to inform you of your desired station to get
down at; your constant checking out the names of each bus stop; is just one of
the examples. The thought could be, “What if the Bus Conductor forgets to
inform you when your station arrives?” “What if you are unable to hear the Bus
Conductor in the crowd of the bus?” “Precaution is better” – your mind is
telling you and so you continue to keep watch on each passing bus station.
While most times, Anxiety is a normal part of our day-to-day life, there happens to be a thin line between anxiety being normal and anxiety that needs medical attention. The moment you start noticing that the worry, the thoughts are constantly affecting your day-to-day life, it is time to get a check done.
This brings us to the obvious question then:- WHAT
ANXIETY IS?
Anxiety is your body's natural response to
stress. It's a feeling of fear or apprehension about what's to come. The first
day of school, going to a job interview, meeting new people in a function or
giving a speech may cause most people to feel fearful and nervous.
It becomes clear that anxiety in natural sense,
actually helps us to perform better like creating pressure in a positive way to
support achieve our goals. So we can say occasional anxiety is OKAY. However, anxiety disorders are different. They
are a group of mental illnesses that cause constant and overwhelming anxiety
and fear. The excessive anxiety makes you avoid work, school, family
get-togethers and any other social situations that might trigger or worsen the
symptoms.
ANXIETY DISORDERS:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) - A person
feels anxious on most days, worrying about lots of different things. This may
last for a period of six months or even more.
Social Anxiety - It is the fear of negative judgement
from others in social situations or of public embarrassment. It includes a
range of feelings, such as stage fright, fear of intimacy, dining sitting in
company of group of people, anxiety of being humiliated and rejected.
Specific Phobias - An irrational fear and
avoidance of a particular object or situation. Phobias are not like other
anxiety disorders, as they relate to a specific cause. Like feeling anxious
when in a group of people, fear to alight in a lift alone. Although the person
with a phobia might acknowledge a fear as illogical or extreme but still remains
unable to control feelings of anxiety around the trigger.
Panic Disorder - Shaking, confusion, dizziness,
nausea, and breathing difficulties. Panic attacks tend to occur and escalate
rapidly.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) - is
characterized by unwanted thoughts or behaviors that seem impossible to stop or
control. “Every time I see things scattered in a room, I cannot stop but start
cleaning.” “I get irritated if the order of the things placed is changed even a
little bit.”
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - is an
extreme anxiety disorder that can occur in the aftermath of a traumatic or
life-threatening event. Like in case if you have experienced a car accident,
speeding of a vehicle or even the possibility of another vehicle coming closer
to yours can trigger stress. Since the time she was first hospitalized for
asthma, she fears traveling to heighted places, fears eating anything cold,
fears being pricked with needles or the mere fact of visiting hospital makes
her stressed.
A big event or a gradual buildup of smaller
stressful life situations may trigger excessive anxiety. For example, a death
in the family, work stress or ongoing worry about finances. Personality. Genetics/
People with certain personality types are more prone to anxiety disorders than
others are. Other mental health disorders. Withdrawal from an illicit substance.
As we talk on various aspects of Anxiety, let’s
learn to identify the PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS of ANXIETY. Many of us have complained
some or the other time of -
- Stomach pain,
nausea or digestive trouble
- Headache
- Insomnia or
other sleep issues
- Weakness or
fatigue
- Rapid breathing
or shortness of breath
- Pounding heart
or increased heart rate
- Sweating
- Trembling
These feelings most times are associated with an
ongoing event or an event that is going to occur soon. Even when you decide to
go shopping or catching up with old friends, one feels goosebumps, sweet
feelings in the stomach.
Daily stressors like traffic jams or missing your
train can cause anxiety in anyone. But long-term or chronic stress can lead to
long-term anxiety and worsening symptoms, as well as other health problems.
Stress can also lead to behaviors like skipping meals or binge eating, drinking
alcohol, snapping or getting angry quickly or not getting enough sleep.
Another inquiry naturally arises that if Anxiety
happens to be a normal part of our day-to-day to life to an extent; then there
obviously should be means/methods available to calm my anxiety naturally too!
Let’s explore these.
WAYS TO NATURALLY REDUCE ANXIETY -
- Regular
exercise needs to be part of your daily routine for your physical and
emotional health.
- Stop consuming
Alcohol - Alcohol is a natural sedative. However, as the effect of alcohol
comes down one might crave for more alcohol, leading to developing alcohol
dependence.
- Stop smoking.
- Ditch caffeine
- Caffeine may cause or worsen anxiety disorders. It may also cause panic
attacks in people with panic disorder.
- Fix your daily sleep
time - Insomnia is a common symptom of anxiety. Avoid using phone while in
bed. Avoid caffeine, large meals and nicotine before bedtime.
- Meditate – Meditation
helps to remove chaotic thoughts from your mind and replace them with a
sense of calm and mindfulness of the present moment. Deep breathing
exercises as in Yoga also help reduce anxiety.
- Aromatherapy - Fragrant
essential oils help to promote health and well-being. The oils may be
inhaled directly or added to a warm bath or diffuser. They helps you relax,
get good sleep, boosts mood, reduces heart rate and blood pressure.
SEEKING PROFESSIONAL HELP -
Last but not the least Counseling is also an
effective important tool to opt for. A support system apart from all that one
is trying on his/her own to treat/manage Anxiety, a Counselor supports and
guides you to identify and manage Anxiety on a one-on-one basis. Counseling includes
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Psychotherapy or a combination of
therapies. Sometimes Medications too may be required. A person can support
anxiety management with several types of medication. The Therapist will work
with you to determine the cause and type of your anxiety disorder and devise a
course of treatment.
Exposure Therapy is one of the therapy method
used by Counselor that involves exposing the patient in a safe and controlled
environment to physical sensations they experience during an anxiety or panic
attack. The idea is that by repeating the things that may trigger a panic
attack; those triggers will eventually lose their power.
Focus on one single task at a time. You will
instantly feel less overwhelmed. If you arethe car, focus on staying in the
middle of the lane. If you are at work or school, take care of the most
important thing you need to do that day. Focusing on a single activity
distracts your mind from the anxiety it is producing.
And speaking of activity, find something, be it
coloring, doing a crossword puzzle, writing, knitting, cleaning cupboard,
washing clothes by hand or anything else that occupies your hands and your mind
will help keep anxiety at bay. Living with anxiety doesn’t have to feel like a
life sentence. Take a proactive role in your own mental health treatment and
find techniques that work for you to help manage your anxiety.
REMEMBER -- As you ongoingly try and deal with
Anxiety in your life with almost all the self-help that you can; do not at any
point deal with it singlehandedly alone only. A Therapist, a Counselor is one
of the much required and an essential Personal you need reach out to. The right
to living a life in a fulfilling, happy, peaceful way even in the chaos of
everyday routine, is just a step away.
