Anxiety is an emotion specified by an unpleasant situation of internal turmoil. It is a distressing feeling of uneasiness over anticipated events.
Anxiety, accompanied by nervousness, laziness, procrastination, a drop in bodily temperature, and fluctuating blood pressure, creates tension in our system.
While anxiety is a feeling of supposing everything to be a menace, it is, in fact, far more than that. It is a feeling of uneasiness or stress caused by overthinking a topic, regardless of how serious or lame it is. Anxiety is closely associated with fear, which happens in a real-time scenario. Fear is produced by the problem that already occurred, while anxiety is caused by overanalyzing a non-existent crisis.
How do we define anxiety disorder?
Anxiety disorder is a neurological condition that gets someone anxious over every decision they make. Having anxiety disorder may cause you to react to specific things and situations with fear or panic.
One may experience physical signs of anxiety such as excessive sweating, shaking, or pounding heart. Having seldom mild anxiety is normal. For instance, if you have an interview to go to, or a result coming out or making an important decision, you might feel a bit anxious or stressed. But, if this occurs frequently over the frivolous points, you may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety goes way beyond subtle nervousness and panic. It affects your body far more seriously than it resembles. Some of the adverse effects of anxiety disorder are:
- It manipulates your ability to function.
- You have no control over your response to certain situations.
- You tend to overreact when something triggers your emotions.
What are the types of anxiety disorders?
There are multiple anxiety disorders. Some of them are:
Existential crisis
While the term may often be used mockingly, this is, for a fact, a critical medical condition. Existential crisis or existential dread refers to moments when someone feels like questioning the meaning of life. A patient overthinks their life, existence in general and gets adversely affected.
Performance anxiety
Performance or test anxiety means the uneasiness, nervousness, and underconfident behavior a person shows when they are in a situation of performance and fear failing at the task. This situation is common in students who have frequent exams. Test anxiety is caused by embarrassment in front of a group, failure while expecting success, possible punishments, or time pressure.
Social anxiety
Foreboding of strangers judging you and probably making negative contemplations causes social anxiety. Social anxiety affects people to different degrees. People affected by this anxiety may find it awkward or difficult to maintain physical contact while greeting someone. For example, shaking hands or bowing down as a gesture makes them uncomfortable. Apart from this, some people may find it hard to communicate with a stranger altogether.
Decision anxiety
Making an important decision can be extremely triggering for individuals and groups of any age and field. Anxiety triggered by a situation of choosing between similar options is common. Decision anxiety can be divided into two parts. The first part indicates a choice where there are numerous potential outcomes and estimated or known reactions. The second part resembles choice, with multiple possible results and endless hypothetical responses.
What are the symptoms of anxiety disorder?
The symptom depends on the type of anxiety disorder that you have. Symptoms may also vary due to your physical and mental tolerance level. Some of the common symptoms are:
Physical symptoms:
- Nausea
- Muscle tension
- Shortness of breath
- Dry mouth
- Cold or sweaty hands
- Heart palpitation
- Numbness or tingling in hands or feet
Cognitive symptoms:
- Nightmares
- The feeling of fear or panic
- Uneasiness
- Uncontrollable, obsessive thoughts
- Repeated thoughts
- Flashbacks of past traumatic experiences
Behavioral symptoms:
- Finding it difficult to fall asleep
- Excessive sleep in some cases
- Inability to be calm and focused
- Not being able to sit or standstill
- Repetitive behavior
How to resolve anxiety disorder?
Although there may be multiple antidepressants or beta-blockers available in the market, medication never completely cures anxiety. The best way to resolve is through therapy. The two most common forms of them are:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy
CBT or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is the best-known way to relieve anxiety without direct medication. CBT helps you realize the pattern and triggering factors for your condition and then directs you to work on it.
Exposure therapy
Exposure therapy leads you to work on the fears behind your anxiety. It helps you face the situations or activities you avoid due to your anxious behavior.
Conclusion
Anxiety is an emotional disorder that needs proper therapy and guidance. You need to be aware of your symptoms and type of anxiety and receive treatments accordingly.
Chronic health should not be an unenlightened topic.
And if you want to learn more about cognitive and chronic health, or if you have any queries related to your cognitive health, contact me right away.
And remember that, “Nothing is permanent in this wicked world—not even our troubles.”
