Understanding Anxiety and How to Deal with It
Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time; it’s a normal emotional reaction in anticipation of an unpleasant occurrence. Overwhelming distress is the benchmark indicator of anxiety.
What Is Anxiety?
Constant worry can leave the patient incapable of responding appropriately in daily interactions, making handling stress even more challenging. “Persistent and excessive worry” causing individuals to shift from a healthy perception of their life to an irrational view where they “expect the worst even when there is no obvious reason to be concerned” is the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s definition for anxiety.
Although anxiety can bring fearful feelings, they are two different things. In psychological terms, fear rises from anticipating an actual future event, whereas anxiety is typically a nervous response to an irrational viewpoint of a potential occurrence.
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is an obstacle to daily function, engagement and a mental health condition. The various anxiety disorders each have particular indicators and challenges. Understanding the specific anxiety disorder plaguing you is essential to receive proper treatment and resolution.
The primary anxiety disorders are:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAC)
- Panic Disorder
- Phobias
- Separation Anxiety
- Agoraphobia
- Social Anxiety
Some mental health issues like PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) exhibit elements of anxiety disorders
The Symptoms 
Aside from excessive worrying, fatigue, irritability, problems with concentrating, difficulty falling or staying asleep, are among the many problematic symptoms of anxiety disorders. Patients suffering from these conditions often experience sweaty palms, shaky hands, a racing pulse, and dry mouth, to name just a few of the unpleasant symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.
These symptoms result from your brain readying your body to face a perceived danger or threat. The fight-or-flight reaction kicks in, and blood is diverted from your gastrointestinal system and other areas not critical to defending against this threat.
While this reaction is natural, healthy, and beneficial in the face of actual danger, it is debilitating when the threat is not real. The heightened level of hormones and the diversion of essential blood flow remain at high levels far longer than in an actual threatening environment which can result in serious health consequences.
What Can You Do?
You can do several things to alleviate and even free yourself from anxiety. Changing your outlook and adopting a more rational and less fearful perspective is the first step.
Lifestyle choices can be crucial for moving beyond the burden of anxiety. Common sense solutions such as a balanced and healthy diet, going for a walk and experiencing nature regularly, and establishing a regular exercise routine are all healthy strategies to reduce or eliminate anxiety.
Setting limits on your commitments and learning to say no when necessary can provide substantial relief and make your life more fulfilling. Overcommitting due to the inability to say no can quickly become overwhelming.
While beneficial in certain circumstances, procrastination can become a significant source of anxiety when we let things slide and suddenly have a mountain of incomplete chores and obligations. Writing down all of those neglected tasks and completing them one at a time can be rewarding and will indeed eliminate substantial stress and anxiety.
Summary
Anxiety and anxiety disorders are treatable mental health concerns. Different anxiety disorders present particular symptoms and challenges that need specific treatment.
The main challenge to resolving these issues is adjusting your viewpoint, the perspective you hold about your life. Anxiety results from irrational and fearful thoughts regarding a perceived future event. Fostering a more realistic vision is crucial to move past this debilitating issue.
If you suffer from anxiety in any form, there are well-established therapies to help you live a less fearful and more productive life.
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