Anxiety
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It can be a useful emotion that increases your efficacy or in some cases be limiting to your daily functionality.
Anxiety can be caused by multiple factors including a stressful environment, some incorrect thoughts or beliefs, and our perception of our experiences and ourselves. Studying for an exam can be an example of a stressful experience. Additionally, there is a biological aspect where some might be genetically pre-disposed to developing anxiety disorders. Furthermore, anxiety can be learnt, if for example a child observes a parent displaying anxious behaviours, they are likely to mimic and develop similar behavioral patterns.
What are anxiety disorders? When is anxiety a problem?
Anxiety disorders are conditions in which you have a sense of worry that does not go away and can worsen over time. The symptoms can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, schoolwork, and relationships. In addition to interfering with your mood, sleep and appetite.
What are the symptoms of Anxiety?
Symptoms of anxiety can be divided into physical and emotional symptoms.
The physical symptoms include:
Fast heartbeat
Sweating
Feeling sick
Shaking
Feeling hot
And the emotional symptoms can include:
Fear
Tension
Uneasiness
Restlessness
Dread
*Those symptoms are sometimes misinterpreted as Panic Attacks, when they are symptoms of anxiety.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
Generalized anxiety disorder: People with GAD worry about ordinary issues such as health, money, work, and family. But their worries are excessive, and they have them almost every day for at least 6 months.
Panic disorder: People with panic disorder have panic attacks. These are sudden, repeated periods of intense fear when there is no danger. The attacks come on quickly and can last several minutes or more.
Phobias: People with phobias have an intense fear of something that poses little or no actual danger. Their fear may be about spiders, flying, going to crowded places, or being in social situations (known as social anxiety).
How can anxiety affect me?
506730068516500Anxiety can be a normal reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important decision. It can help you to cope. The anxiety may give you a boost of energy or help you focus.
On the other hand, anxiety can lead to what is called the cycle of anxiety. It’s characterized by a pattern of Anxiety, leading to avoidance of anxiety-inducing situations (like Skipping class to avoid giving a presentation, using drugs or alcohol to numb feelings). This avoidance in turn results in a temporary relief of anxiety on the short term but subsequently leads to long term anxiety growth, which keeps the circle going.
What do we do in Mind Clinic to help in dealing with anxiety disorders?
Every case of anxiety disorders has its own characteristics, and a comprehensive approach to treatment should be tailored to every person struggling it. That’s why we start with a clinical assessment and identification of the main complaints. Then a treatment plan would be set in place. Treatment options might include:
Medical treatment:
With Anxiolytic medications or/and Antidepressants.
Psychotherapy:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
Exposure Therapy.
Citations:
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (n.d.-a). Anxiety. MedlinePlus. https://medlineplus.gov/anxiety.html
Therapist Aid LLC. (2018). The cycle of anxiety. Can be accessed at https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/cycle-of-anxiety (accessed: 26th June, 2024).
Therapist Aid LLC. (2015). What is worry. Can be accessed at https://www.therapistaid.com/worksheets/what-is-worry (accessed: 26th June, 2024)