What is Anxiety

A little bit of anxiety is not a bad thing because it warns a person about an impending danger. Small amounts of anxiety can also aid us in getting away from a dangerous situation or thing. Anxiety can be manifested in three main ways, which include our thinking, our bodily sensations and our actions.

• Thoughts

We feel anxiety when we suspect something bad is about to happen to us. If, for example, you are planning to attend a party and you start thinking, “I am not going to attend the party because nobody is going to talk to me at the party”, and then this is a sign that you are feeling anxiety. A person anxiety problem may have worrying thoughts such as, “Something terrible is going to happen to me”, or “I can’t deal with the situation; I’ll mess it up”

• Bodily sensations

Anxiety also affects the body. It can make the heart race at breakneck speed and it also makes a person experience breathlessness. Other bodily sensations include feeling hot as well as sweaty. Some people experience peculiar feelings in their stomach, and also start to shake and tremble. Anxiety also makes a person urinate more, and it also causes numbness or tingling in the limbs. All these signs show that the body is getting ready to deal with an impending event.

• Actions

When a person feels threatened, he or she may feel anxiety, which leads to actions such as fighting back, feeling apprehensive, running away and freezing up. He or she may feel restless and unable to stay focused on a task or may appear perplexed, nervous or edgy at times.

Is anxiety good or bad for you?

Within limits, anxiety keeps you alert and helps you perform better. However, intense anxiety is not good for anyone and if it persists for a lengthy period of time, then it can and will adversely affect and cause interference in your daily life. Anxiety can also make you feel depressed and it can also adversely affect your physical well-being.

Are stress and anxiety the same?

When a person feels stressed, he or she always knows why they are feeling stressed. People who feel stressed are also aware about situations that cause stress, but stress itself does not force them to change the way that they act.

On the other hand, when a person feels anxiety he or she does not know why they are feeling the anxiety. Also, in a similar situation one person may feel anxious while another may not. Anxiety is different to Stress because it lingers on even after the stressor has gone away.

How does anxiety affect me?

A little bit of anxiety is normal. We have all felt a certain amount of anxiety at some point of time in our lives. However, when it gets in the way, then anxiety becomes a problem. Unfortunately, people feel anxiety even when there is no danger about. To deal with this, one needs to look closely at one’s thoughts and actions.

• Thoughts

When an anxious person believes that something bad is about to happen, he or she will react as though it has actually happened, even when nothing has happened. Anxiety makes a person experience negative thoughts. To deal with this kind of anxiety it is important to find out if there is anything to prove that these negative thoughts are, in fact, real.

• Actions

When a person feels anxiety he or she acts in a manner that worsens the situation. For example, people start avoiding doing things because those things are going to make them feel anxious. They may also start to duck solving a problem and not take action as these things as trying to do so can make them feel tense, apprehensive about doing it right. This leads to procrastination and feeling overwhelmed.

What kinds of symptoms does anxiety cause?

Anxiety can give rise to a number of feelings – both in the mind and physically. It can affect the mind in the following ways:

• Worrying constantly
• Tiredness
• Irritableness
• Impaired sleep
• Trembling
• Numbness
• Not being able to concentrate
• Restlessness
• Feelings of depression

Anxiety can affect a person physically in the following way:

• Quickened and even irregular heartbeats
• Perspiration
• Pale complexion
• Dryness of the mouth
• Tension and pain in the muscles
• Quaking
• Diarrhoea
• Pain in the head and back

What causes anxiety?

Anxiety is caused by various factors including:

• The environment. The environment in which a person lives can cause severe anxiety. The following environmental and outside factors give rise to various types of anxiety including:
• Distress because of abuse or discrimination 
• Stress at the school
• Stress at the workplace
• Stress in personal relationships
• Stress in marriage
• Stress in friendships
• Stress because of divorce
• Stress about finances
• Stress because of calamities or natural disasters

Anxiety could be caused by a combination of the above factors.

• Ill health or Medical issues

Certain chronic or recurring medical conditions can also cause anxiety  such as Anemia, Asthma, Infections, Heart ailments, Cancers etc.

The seriousness of a person’s medical condition causes both stress as well as anxiety. There are also certain medications that produce side effects that can in turn make a person suffer from anxiety.

• Chemistry of the brain. Researchers have found out that abnormally high level of particular neurotransmitters in a person’s brain causes anxiety. The same is the case when these neurotransmitters stop functioning in an appropriate manner.
• Substance abuse and substance use
  • Consuming illegal drugs like cocaine and amphetamines
  • Withdrawal symptoms after using drugs like heroin or prescription drugs like barbiturates and benzodiazepines.

How to treat anxiety?

There are several treatments available for anxiety including:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is a form of psychotherapy in which you get to manage your anxiety by making changes to your thinking and behaviour. It includes learning techniques of relaxation. However, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy does not by itself remove your anxiety. It helps you manage your problem and is based on your thinking, feelings and corporeal feelings – all of which are connected to each other. This form of therapy deals with your present problems and not with the problems you experienced in the past.

Pharmacological Therapies

There are several types of anti-anxiety medications that are used to treat anxiety. Some doctors prescribe traditional medications that are known as anti-anxiety medications while other doctors may recommend anti-depressants as well as beta-blockers. Though these medications are effective, they are not able to entirely cure the problem.

Herbal remedies

Certain herbal remedies are also effective in treating anxiety.

What to do if anxiety persists?

Anxiety can affect a person even when there is no danger. If anxiety persists, then talk to a doctor or mental health practitioner. Anxiety can also be caused by physical as well as mental ailments. The doctor will diagnose your condition and then offer a suitable treatment option

How to deal with anxiety?

There are simple things that one can do to deal with anxiety. These steps are easy to do and they can make a huge difference. Here is what you should do:

• Sleep well at night Try not to take worries to bed.
• Perform regular exercises as it is good for both the body as well as the mind.
• Discuss your worries with others. Try not to let the worries jam your thoughts. Speaking with someone about them helps.
• Try to relax. The body and mind must be relaxed. To help you relax you can think about performing certain activities like yoga, deep breathing, listening to music, or even enjoying a warm bath.

How to prevent anxiety?

• Cut down intake of caffeine, colas, tea and chocolates
• Check with a pharmacist or doctor before using OTC or herbal remedies
• Exercise often
• Eat nutritious and healthy foods
• Sleep regularly
• Get counselling if you are very stressed out.
• Do not drink alcohol use cannabis excessively or