10 Things You Should Know About Anxiety
The last two years have shown us that anxiety affects us all. Between COVID-lockdowns, major political/social events, and nation-wide losses it is understandable that more and more people are feeling their anxiety levels rise. But many people misunderstand what anxiety means and what to do about it. Read below to see 10 things about anxiety that you may not know about.
1. Anxiety is more common than you think
Anxiety is a normal emotion that everyone experiences in their lives. Anxiety disorders, which are one of the most common mental illnesses in the US, affect over 40 million adults every year. Not only that, but about 32% of teens from the ages 13-18 are also diagnosed with some type of anxiety disorder (source).
2. Anxiety actually makes it hard for you to think rationally
When we experience anxiety, the emotional part of our brain called the amygdala gets fired up and sends out signals to the rest of our brain. As a result, the rational part of our brain, called the frontal lobe, goes offline which prevents us from thinking rationally when we feel anxious.
3. Anxiety can have physical effects, not just emotional
Many of us experience anxiety primarily as an emotional feeling. But anxiety can also show up in our bodies as physical symptoms. Some of these symptoms include: sweating, shaking, dizziness, a fast heartbeat, headaches or migraines, tension or pain, feeling keyed up or on edge, and not sleeping.
4. Your behavior is influenced by your anxiety
The experience of anxiety is often felt as mental or physical symptoms, but anxiety also affects your behavior. Anxiety is often telling us that we should be wary or afraid of certain things, so sometimes we listen to the anxiety and stop ourselves from doing those things. For example, anxiety might be stopping you from giving presentations, going to the store, or talking to the person you have a crush on. While giving in to our anxiety helps us feel better in the moment, doing what your anxiety tells you to do is not helpful in the long run.
5. Anxiety has a purpose – and can even be useful
There’s a reason why humans evolved to have anxiety – anxiety is meant to protect us and keep us safe. Anxiety told our cavemen ancestors to run away at the sight of a tiger or to steer clear from certain parts of the wild. Today, anxiety tells us to be careful when crossing a bridge, to avoid dark alleyways late at night, or to meet our deadlines at work and school. The trick is to learn the difference between helpful and unhelpful anxiety.
6. Anxiety can disrupt your life
On the flipside, having too much anxiety or an anxiety disorder can disrupt your life. In these cases, anxiety can limit your ability to function at home, work, or school. Anxiety can also get in the way of your relationships or personal goals. When left untreated, this type of anxiety can grow and severely take over your life.
7. There are different types of anxiety
If you have been feeling like anxiety is interfering with your ability to function, it’s possible you may meet criteria for an anxiety disorder. This group of disorders include: generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, and specific phobias. It’s best to meet with a qualified and licensed professional to determine whether one of these diagnoses fits you.
8. Depression and Anxiety can be connected
Depression and anxiety often go hand-in-hand. In fact, some studies show that nearly 50% of people with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. While the exact cause of this connection in unknown, both anxiety and depression have similar biological mechanisms in the brain, have overlapping symptoms, and can have the same triggers
9. Your lifestyle can make anxiety feel more intense
While anxiety is mostly caused by genetics, biology/brain chemistry, as well as life events, certain environmental or lifestyle factors can also play a role in making anxiety worse. Drinking substances like caffeine or alcohol, spending too much time on social media, or being around negative or critical people are all examples of things that can contribute to your anxiety.
10. Anxiety is manageable
The first thing you can do to begin managing your anxiety is to keep track of it on a daily basis. Being mindful of when and where you most experience anxiety can be helpful in deciding which anxiety management strategies are best for you. From there, you can begin practicing strategies such as challenging your worries, doing relaxation exercises, making lifestyle changes, or working with a therapist. Just remember, anxiety never truly goes away as it is a normal emotion, but you can definitely learn ways to stop it from impacting your life negatively.
Understanding anxiety and how it works can help us learn how to best fight against it. Hopefully you learned something new about anxiety from this list and feel more confident about taking steps to manage it. If you feel that anxiety is impacting your life more than you would like, it may be time to speak with a professional to get support and more specific strategies for anxiety management. If you would like to work with me on improving your anxiety management, you can reach out to me through this form.
