yourbestisenough : What is Anxiety?

What is anxiety?

For this topic, I will be speaking mainly from my own personal experience as I am diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder. However, to make things clearer I will refer to the definition. The word anxiety itself is defined: “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease about something with an uncertain outcome.” I want to make it clear, that anyone can experience feelings of anxiety, but not everyone has an anxiety disorder. Feelings of anxiety around big life events are normal, for example. However, if you find that your anxiety is hugely impacting your life, that’s when you should consider reaching out for help.

Panic attacks

For many one of the most prominent features of anxiety is panic attacks. You may have also heard of the term anxiety attacks. A person with anxiety may experience, one of these, both or none, and all of their experiences as equally valid.

When we think of anxiety, we typically think of the brain, because of course it is a mental health problem. But what we also need to recognise is the physical impact that anxiety can have.

Harmful statements such as “it’s all in your head” do not help people with anxiety. It causes physical symptoms, and these are not any less valid because they are caused by your mental health rather than physical.

Some physical symptoms of anxiety include: Heart Palpitations

Pounding heart

Excessive Sweating / Perspiration

Uncontrollable Trembling / Shaking

Shortness of Breath

Choking Sensations / Difficulty Swallowing

Nausea / Vomiting

Dizziness / Lightheadedness

Hot and Cold Flashes

Not everyone will experience all of these symptoms, everyone has different experiences with anxiety and every individual experience should be validated.

Some things you can do to help your anxiety

· Reach out to your local doctor – I always say that this is the first step when it comes to mental health. Typically, your GP will know you well and will be able to make a decision on what advice/help will benefit you.

· Counselling/Therapy – from personal experience this helped me to better understand my anxiety and helped me to develop coping mechanisms.

· Recognise triggers – try and recognise what triggers anxiety for you. Once you do this you can take steps to avoid certain situations if possible, and to make the people around you aware so that they can support you.

· Routine – having a routine and setting small daily goals can help to make anxiety more manageable. Having a good routine will also help with your sleep.

· Mindfulness – anything like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, reflecting, is a good way to cope with anxiety.

· Sensory toys – having things like this can help with sensory overload!

Things you should know if you have anxiety