Anxiety
Have you ever found yourself lying awake at night while your mind swirls around something again and again to the point where you feel paralyzed to do anything about it? Maybe your whole body tenses as you feel yourself go into defense mode or you find that you’ve started to avoid certain places that always seem to bring on powerful feelings of fear. And what if some of those places are actually a part of your weekly rhythm like school, your own home, or the church your parents make you attend?
We’re talking about anxiety.
Anxiety is not the same thing as being nervous, and it shouldn’t be confused with normal fears. There are multiple forms of diagnosable anxiety that include but aren’t limited to agoraphobia (fear and avoidance of certain places), panic disorder (panic attacks), separation anxiety disorder (most common in childhood and marked by intense fear of separation from a parent or parental figure), generalised anxiety disorder, and more (Mayo Clinic). These are real medical conditions that fall under the mental health umbrella but can also be linked to physical conditions as well.
Although anxiety is something we will all feel or encounter at some point in our lives, it should never reach a point where it is crippling you or feels like it has power over you. If that’s the case, then you may be dealing with one of these conditions and should consider talking to a professional about it like a counselor or a doctor.
Signs that you may be dealing with an underlying anxiety issue are a constant, general sense of restlessness, increased heart rate, sweating, trouble concentrating on anything other than what you’re worried about, trouble sleeping, digestive problems, and urges to avoid the things that trigger your worry (Mayo Clinic). Unlike anxiety, if you are dealing with panic attacks, these can come on without warning, and it can be difficult to nail down the cause. In a panic attack, your body’s fight or flight response kicks in whether you want it to or not. Anxiety tends to build slowly, but a panic attack happens quickly and is usually marked by more intense physical symptoms.
Remember, it isn’t your fault if you are dealing with one of these conditions, and there is no shame in it. Many factors can contribute to anxiety or panic attacks, including trauma you may have experienced, too much stress, your personality type, a family history of anxiety, or an illness you are experiencing (Mayo Clinic). We’ve provided a link below for tips to help you get through a panic attack if you experience one (Smith, 2020).
References:
Anxiety disorders. (2018). Mayo Clinic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961.
Smith, J. (2020). How can you stop a panic attack? Medical News Today. Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321510#methods.
Challenges/Points:
Regular, debilitating anxiety and panic attacks are a real medical problem and should be taken seriously.
Anxiety tends to creep up on us slowly and build over time, while panic attacks come on quickly without warning and you may not know what caused it.
Signs that you may be dealing with anxiety include general restlessness, digestive problems, sweating, and a tendency to avoid places or things that tend to make it worse.
Questions:
Have you experienced a panic attack?
Do you feel that the amount of stress in your life is normal or too high?
Are there places you avoid because they contribute to your anxiety?
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