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I Suffer From Anxiety Issues- How Can I Solve That?
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| When Things Go Out of Our Control- "Anxiety" Arrives |
Have you bitten your nails at any time?
If not you, then at least many of us do so, UNKNOWINGLY, yes UNKNOWINGLY!!!
So what makes us do so?
It's nothing but "ANXIETY"- the one you have been suffering from. So when things go out of our control and we are not sure of the outcome of some event, anxiety takes place. And it doesn't matter how strong mentally you are, it will give you stress!
The more complex the matter is, the more stressed you get.
How to Control Anxiety?
The feeling of Anxiety circumscribes the feeling of worry, nervousness, or at times it may even be dreadful. In certain circumstances, unpleasant bouts of anxiety are productive as well as natural. The signal of approaching danger in the form of anxiety is often helpful for you to make necessary and meaningful changes. Yet there is another form of anxiety that is persistent and pervasive by nature and is capable of disrupting the daily life of an individual. Anxiety disorders are manifested in different ways and are often well-defined diagnostically. Generalized anxiety disorder can be considered as a chronic state of severe worry and tension, often without any provocation. Panic disorder refers to a sudden and repeated panic attack or episode where one experiences intense fear and discomfort that is at its peak within a few minutes. Anxiety may often be accompanied by depression.
Symptoms of Anxiety
Though anxiety may be considered as your normal response to any stressful or threatening situation. Yet when the symptom becomes even bigger than that of the event which triggered it and impairs one's daily functioning, this can be considered as a sign of anxiety disorder. Some common symptoms of anxiety disorder are as follows :1. Excessive Worry
This can be considered as one of the most common symptoms of anxiety disorder. This form of worry is much more intense than the event that triggered it. Therefore the worry persists as a response to your everyday life. The symptoms continue to persist until six months and are often difficult to control. The worry is severe and intrusive making it difficult to accomplish the goals of regular life. People with a lower socioeconomic status, undergoing a number of life stressors are mostly seen to suffer from this symptom.
2. Agitation
The moment you feel anxious, your partial sympathetic nervous system goes to overdrive this, in turn, arouses racing pulse, sweaty palms, shaky hands, and dry mouth. These arousals would only be helpful if your brain has sensed a true danger and it's preparing it for you while it would be enfeebling if the fear was just all into your head. According to research studies, people with anxiety disorders are not capable of controlling their arousal alike those who are not suffering from the same. Therefore they usually suffer the aftereffect for a longer period of time.
3. Feeling of Restlessness
Restlessness is a common symptom of anxiety that can mostly be seen among small children and teenagers. If you experience restlessness to a maximum number of days, say six months then it can be considered as one of the main anxiety symptoms in you.
4. Fatigue
Feeling tired very easily is one of the most probable symptoms of Generalised Anxiety disorder. You may feel surprised to a certain extent about this since mostly anxiety is associated with hyperactivity. The presence of fatigue may also be a symptom of depression along with Anxiety disorder. Therefore making note of other symptoms associated with it is also important.
5. Difficulty in Concentrating
People reporting anxiety often face difficulty in concentrating. Research studies show that more than 90% of the population suffering from anxiety had reported facing difficulty in paying attention. The more intense their anxiety the more trouble they faced. Research studies have proven the fact that anxiety has often played its role in distorting one's working memory which is responsible to retain short term information. This is why your performance graph might fall during higher levels of anxiety.
6. Tense Muscles
Symptoms of tense muscles on almost all the days of a week can be recognized as another common symptom of anxiety. Anxiety has often seen to be the cause of arousal for muscle tension and stiffness. Treatment of muscle tension by muscle relaxation therapy has often been seen to be useful and effective with the ones suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
7. Trouble Falling or Staying Asleep
Sleep disturbances are interconnected with anxiety disorders. If you tend to wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling asleep then it is one of the common symptoms of Generalised Anxiety Disorders. According to various research studies, Insomnia within children during their childhood are also considered to be connected with anxiety. Once the symptoms of anxiety disorders are treated, insomnia has been seen to improve automatically.
8. Avoiding Social Situations
You may be unknowingly exhibiting symptoms of social anxiety disorder if you have the symptomatologies as mentioned below -
- Feeling fearful when social events are approaching
- Fear of being judged or scrutinized by others
- Fear of being embarrassed in front of others
- Avoiding social events or gatherings
Social anxiety can be recognized in one's early life especially during the age of eleven. In a few cases, it may be seen to appear at the age of twenty. If you are shy and quiet in groups or when meeting new people for the first time. While you may not portray anything outwardly but deep down you undergo persistent anxiety.
Short Term Techniques to deal with Anxiety
If excessive anxiety is distorting your focus and hindering your performance in daily life then here are some tips to help you out. In case your anxiety is centered around a particular situation, you may often experience the symptoms of worry which may be short-lived and tend to subside once the anticipated situation has been faced. In order to control anxiety during such instances, we can make use of the following short term techniques -
1. Question Your Thought Pattern
The human mind works as a receptor. Therefore you need to understand that if negative thoughts take root in your mind it will distort your peace of mind. So here you need to challenge your thoughts as if it is true and check to what extent can you gain control over it.
2. Practice Focussed Breathing
Focussed deep breathing for a total duration of five minutes will allow your heart rate to slow down which would further help you to calm down your anxiety.
3. Aromatherapy
This can be in oil form, incense, or a candle, but scents like lavender, chamomile, and sandalwood are said to be very soothing. Aromatherapy is thought to assist in
the activation of certain receptors in your brain, potentially decreasing anxiety.
4. Practice Yoga
This is of intense help to bring you in tune with your mind and body. Yoga helps you to focus within and helps your mind and body to rejuvenate.
5. Diary Writing
Maintaining a record of what makes you anxious would be helpful in letting you identify your triggers. You may as well get another perspective to look at the situation. It would further help a mental health professional to recognize the triggers for further diagnosis.
Long Term Techniques to Deal with Anxiety
If anxiety is a regular part of your life, it is a priority to undertake treatment strategies to help you keep it under control. It might be a combination of treatment methods, like counseling and psychotherapy, meditation, or it might just be a matter of resolving your anxiety trigger.
1. Identification and Management of Triggers
A Mental Health Professional will guide you through the process of identification of your triggers. Long-term stressors or crisis situations may take some time to get figured out. Once the triggers are figured out you need to limit your exposure to them, if the same is not possible immediately, strategies need to be framed in order to reduce its impact.
2. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy
Cognitive behavior therapy is a part of Counselling therapies, where the mental health professional works on cutting off the triggers causing anxiety, and helps the individual to develop a positive outlook.
3. Meditation
Regular practice of mindfulness and meditation trains your brain to dismiss the triggers causing anxiety. it eventually helps one gain peace of mind and increases proper sleep.
Bottom Line
In the case of the severity of concern, you should not make a delay in visiting the Mental Health Professional. The timely intervention of the Mental Health professional would bring the situation under control thereby making the diagnosis faster.
