Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by worries and anxious thoughts? Anxiety can be a difficult emotion to manage and understand. If you’re wanting to better understand anxiety – its signs, causes, and coping strategies – then you’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about navigating anxiety and its potential challenges.
1. Exploring Anxiety: Recognizing the Signs
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone feels at times, but when it is excessive or long-lasting it becomes a disorder. It is important for those experiencing anxiety to be able to recognize the signs and take the necessary steps to address it.
Physical Symptoms
- Upset stomach
- Digestive issues
- Joint and muscle pain
- Headaches
When anxious, many people’s body reacts with physical symptoms. Feeling a bit queasy and off-balance is common, as well as tightness in the chest and clenched jaws. Muscle and joint pain can also be expected, made more intense by tension in the limbs. Small issues become bigger when anxiety takes its toll, and headaches may be triggered by tension.
Emotional Symptoms
- Fear and dread
- Irritability
- Trouble concentrating
- Hopelessness
The hallmark of anxiety is an overwhelming sense of fear and dread, often combined with feelings of uncertainty, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. Those suffering from anxiety will also experience moments of intense depression or hopelessness. Knowing the signs makes it easier to identify when anxiety is present and take action.
Behavioral Symptoms
- Panic attacks
- Avoiding social situations
- Relying on drugs or alcohol for comfort
- Sleep disturbances
When feeling anxious, some may experience panic attacks, while others try to avoid social situations. When the mind is in a state of anxiety, it can lead to turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms like excessive drugs or alcohol intake, or simply not being able to sleep. Unspotted anxiety can easily produce these symptoms without the person even knowing.
Take Action
Recognizing the signs and symptoms of anxiety is the first step in addressing it. It is important to remember that anxiety is treatable, and seeking help can lead to relief. Learning how to manage anxiety on a daily basis can lead to better mental and physical wellbeing. Taking action can be the difference between a happy and a troubled life.
2. The Origins of Anxiety: Pinpointing the Causes
Anxiety is an emotion experienced by all humans and is classified as a normal reaction to stress or fear. It is a mental health disorder that is estimated to affect over 40 million adults in the United States. Though its prevalence is not uncommon, understanding the origins and causes of anxiety remains a challenging task.
Genetics
Research has found a strong correlation between genetic risk factors and risk for developing anxiety disorders. Studies focusing on twins have shown that those who share both their environment and their genes are more likely to experience anxiety than those with different genetic makeup.
Brain Chemistry
Brain chemistry is also believed to play a role in the origins of anxiety. Scientists have observed that people with anxiety disorders tend to have higher levels of the neurotransmitters glutamate and serotonin, which are both implicated in feelings of fear and anxiety. Likewise, people with anxiety tend to have lower levels of other hormones such as dopamine, which can reduce stress and increase overall feelings of well-being.
Psychological Factors
Psychological factors can be influential in the origins of anxiety. Stressful life events can trigger feelings of fear and worry, as can traumatic experiences. Other psychological factors, such as low self-esteem, perfectionism, or negative thought patterns, can lead to an increased risk of developing anxiety disorders. These factors can also combine with physical changes to further contribute to the severity of anxiety.
Brain Structures
Recent studies have highlighted the importance of brain structure in the development of anxiety. Specifically, the amygdala and the hippocampus are two areas of the brain believed to be associated with feelings of fear and anxiety. The hippocampus is a structure within the brain that has been linked to memory and learning, while the amygdala is responsible for the generation of the fight or flight response.
In conclusion, while the exact cause of anxiety remains unknown, researchers believe it is related to a complex combination of factors. Genetics, brain chemistry, psychological and environmental factors, and brain structures all seem to contribute to the development of anxiety, and further research is needed to identify how they interact and influence one another.
3. Fighting Anxiety: Tips to Cope
1. Take deep breaths. Anxiety can lead to tightness in the chest, that feeling of being unable to fill your lungs with air. Taking some deep breaths can help to restore balance, while also allowing your body to relax and reduce tension.
2. Exercise regularly. A regular exercise routine is essential for anyone living with anxiety. Physical activity helps to reduce stress hormones, while producing endorphins, those feel-good chemicals in your brain that just make you feel happier and more relaxed.
3. Get Enough Sleep. Sleep is one of the best remedies for anxiety, and ensuring that you get enough restful sleep each night can pay dividends when it comes to keeping anxiety at bay.
4. Practice Meditation. Mindfulness-based practices like meditation can be useful tools in the fight against anxiety. Taking the time each day to focus on your breathing and stay in the present moment can help to reduce stress, and even prevent anxiety from taking over.
5. Avoid Unhelpful Habits. Unhelpful habits, such as drinking alcohol or unhealthy eating, can worsen anxiety symptoms. Try to avoid them as much as possible, and replace these activities with more positive ones that will promote wellbeing.
6. Talk it Out. Don’t keep your worries to yourself; speaking to someone about your anxiety can be helpful, whether it’s a friend, family member or professional. Talking it out allows you to offload your worries, gain perspective, and gain advice and understanding.
7. Try Journaling. Writing your thoughts down is a great way to process and understand them. It gives you the opportunity to reflect on your experiences and feelings, and can be incredibly empowering.
8. Remind Yourself of the Good Times. Try to counteract negative thoughts with positive ones. Find something positive you can focus on, such as your successes, positive comments you’ve heard, or even the good times in your past.
4. Taking Control: The Path Towards Balance
When life is out of balance and the future feels uncertain, many of us stumble through our days just hoping to make it to tomorrow without any major catastrophes. We forget to take the time to appreciate what we have and take steps to make meaningful progress on our goals. But what if we could take control of our lives and put our destiny back in our hands?
The first step to taking control is setting goals. Consider three areas in your life: career, relationships, and health. In each, identify an achievable and measurable outcome that you will work towards. Whether it’s writing a cover letter for a job you want, meeting up with friends more often, or creating a regular running schedule, determine your end goal.
Once your goals have been determined, break them down into smaller more manageable steps. Stack each smaller goal up and work your way to the end. For instance, if your goal is to get a job, one smaller step might be to create a LinkedIn account and start building your network. This way you can take a step-by-step approach to achieving your end goals.
It’s also important to remember to give yourself credit for each step you take towards achieving your goals. Acknowledge the good decisions you make, and the progress you are making. And most importantly, don’t be afraid to pivot if the tasks your taking don’t feel the same or the situation around your goals change. You are in control of your own journey.
The end goal is a sense of balance. Achieving balance doesn’t mean that you’re perfect and have all the answers, it means that you are in control of your life and are taking the steps needed to move forward and reach your goals. You are in the driver’s seat.
To ensure balance in your life and better control of your destiny, take the following steps:
- Set achievable goals in different areas of life: career, relationships, and health.
- Break down goals into smaller, more manageable steps.
- Acknowledge your progress and don’t be afraid to pivot when necessary.
- Take control and be in the driver’s seat.
Sometimes life throws us curveballs, but if you take the time to plan and manage your goals, you can take control of your destiny and find the balance you need. The path to balance may be long and winding, but the results will be worth it.
We hope this article has been helpful in providing you with an understanding of anxiety and all that it encompasses – the signs, causes, and clever ways to manage it. Anxiety can feel overwhelming at times, but know that you are not alone and that there are numerous strategies available to help you through. Remember, take it easy on yourself, don’t be afraid to reach out for help, and remember, you are stronger than you think.
