What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a natural and often necessary response to stress. It’s a feeling of worry, fear, or unease that can be triggered by various situations, such as facing a challenge at work, taking a test, or making a significant decision.

It is often a response to a perceived threat or danger. It’s part of the body’s “fight-or-flight” response, a survival mechanism that prepares us to either confront or run away from danger.

In manageable amounts, anxiety can be helpful, can motivate us to stay alert and focused. However, when anxiety becomes overwhelming, persistent, excessive or irrational, it may impact our day-to-day life and lead to an anxiety disorder.

What are the most known Types of Anxiety Disorders?

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Characterized by chronic and exaggerated worry about everyday activities or events. People with GAD often expect the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for concern
• Panic Disorder: Involves recurrent panic attacks, which are sudden, intense episodes of fear that trigger severe physical reactions, such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and dizziness. Panic attacks can occur unexpectedly or be triggered by specific situations
• Social Anxiety Disorder: Also known as social phobia, this disorder involves intense fear of social situations where one might feel judged, embarrassed, or humiliated. This fear can lead to avoidance of social interactions and significant distress
• Specific Phobias: These are intense, irrational fears of specific objects or situations, such as heights, animals, or flying. The fear is out of proportion to the actual danger posed but can lead to avoidance behaviours
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Involves unwanted, persistent thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviours (compulsions) that the individual feels compelled to perform to reduce anxiety
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Develops after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. PTSD can cause flashbacks, nightmares, severe anxiety, and uncontrollable thoughts about the event

What are the possible causes of Anxiety?

Anxiety can be the result of various factors. Some common causes include:

• Genetics: A family history of anxiety disorders
• Brain Chemistry: Imbalances in neurotransmitters, the chemicals in the brain that transmit signals between nerve cells
• Life Experiences: Traumatic events, such as abuse, the death of a loved one, or significant life changes
• Personality: Certain personality traits, such as being overly cautious or having low self-esteem
• Medical Conditions: Chronic illnesses, pain, or other health issues can lead to anxiety

What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

Anxiety manifests in various ways, affecting both the mind and body. Common symptoms include:

• Physical Symptoms: Rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, and stomach issues such as nausea or diarrhoea
• Cognitive Symptoms: Excessive worry, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating, and a sense of a disaster always about to happen
• Behavioural Symptoms: Avoidance of feared situations, restlessness, and compulsive behaviours
• Emotional Symptoms: Feelings of nervousness, irritability, and an overwhelming sense of dread or panic

What strategies can help to manage Anxiety?

Managing anxiety involves a combination of self-care practices, therapy, and, in some cases, medication. Here some examples:

• Therapy: Therapy has proven to be extremely effective to manage anxiety. By helping individuals to better understand the roots of their behaviours, to identify and change negative thought patterns that contribute to anxiety, it can be an invaluable support and improve people’s life.

There are of course a variety of challenges behind anxiety and a qualifies therapist will be able to evaluate the situation and suggest to the client different options, according to their needs. For example, in cases where anxiety is severe or persistent and affecting the day-to-day life, they might suggest consulting a GP to assess if there is a potential physical condition that needs attention and, in some cases medications.

• Mindfulness and Meditation: Practicing mindfulness and meditation helps in staying grounded and reduces the impact of anxious thoughts. These practices encourage focusing on the present moment, which can alleviate anxiety
• Physical Activity: Regular exercise is a natural anxiety reliever. It helps reduce stress hormones like cortisol while releasing endorphins, which improve mood and promote relaxation
• Healthy Lifestyle: Maintaining a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and reducing caffeine and alcohol intake can significantly impact anxiety levels
• Breathing Exercises: Deep breathing techniques, such as diaphragmatic breathing, can activate the body’s relaxation response and help reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety
• Social Support: Connecting with friends, family, or support groups can provide emotional support and reduce feelings of isolation, which can exacerbate anxiety

Questions and Thoughts:

While I appreciate the complexity of the different types of anxiety disorders that sometimes require professional help, guidance and, in some cases, medication support, I also believe that a good starting point when dealing with the anxiety symptoms is to be curious and to question the following: Is what’s happening a potential physical condition or it is a physical reaction that presents itself in certain circumstances and somehow allows me to deal with what I’m experiencing in this moment of my life?

What I notice rather frequently in my practice is that often people dealing with anxiety become very worried because they don’t understand and can’t explain what they feel and how their body reacts in certain circumstances. It seems like these episodes take over and they cannot control how their body reacts.

Looking for answers:

It is only natural to feel afraid or worried when we don’t know how to handle a situation or can’t understand our reactions to it. In fact, the immediate response is wanting to find a solution to stop feeling the way we do, as fast as possible.

Why anxiety can be scary, and why we might want to run away from it?

Because the automatic response to the uncomfortable feeling of having to face things or emotions about us that we don’t recognize, is to try to ignore them, pretending they are not there.

Could it be that anxiety is trying to show us a part of ourselves that doesn’t match with our idea of us and the image, we created in our heads, of how our life should be?

If we assume that anxiety is our enemy, we just concentrate on and experience the uncomfortable feeling of fear, stress, panic, sadness, inadequacy and the immediate reaction is to push all this away in the attempt to recreate the peace and stability we feel more familiar with. In other words, with the best intentions, we try to sweep things under the carpet to re-establish an “apparent” balance.

However, if we consider anxiety, rather than our enemy, like one of our friends, one of those that, no matter what, tell us the truth, tell us something that we might not have thought about before… it could become easier to listen to what it has to say.

In summary:

1. Anxiety might be a signal that we are finding difficult to manage some of our emotions, fears or part of ourselves that we don’t understand, or we don’t like
2. The more we try to avoid these signals the more intense they become
3. If we are treating these signals like enemies rather than paying attention and understanding what they are trying to tell us, we might miss an opportunity to learn something …about us

Anxiety is manageable with the right tools and support, and seeking help is not only a sign of strength but also crucial for overcoming its challenges.

Does this resonate with you and would like to discuss further? Feel free to contact me @ mctherapylondon@gmail.com

For more articles, my perspective, and thoughts on a variety of subjects that you might find useful, please visit my website @ https://www.mariacau.com/blog/

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