Anxiety Overview: Understanding Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety

Anger. Upset. Fear. Anxiety. Stress.

We all know these words, and we use them on a regular basis. Some of these emotions, though, can be caused by a build-up of others.

Take anxiety for instance. It’s a feeling that many of us know but might simply relate it to something else.

Anxiety, though, can be gripping; it leaves you with a real mental mountain to climb when the going gets tough.

When that happens, you might wish to reach out and try to find some form of answer and relief.

If you want to do that, this article will hopefully help you to better understand anxiety so that, in the future, you can tackle the problem and overcome our issues.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a form of emotional change that is often wrought with negative thinking.

Most of the time, anxiety is a build-up of negative thinking, feelings of constant upset and tension.

It’s often also accompanied by changes physically, such as a change in your hair thickness to even issues like changes in your blood pleasure.

This is a problem that many people face but often do not understand. You are not ‘just going through a hard time’ – but without treatment is a dangerous problem.

It can be hard to come back from those feelings of constant pressure, stress and discord if you stay in an anxious mind for too long.

Anxiety comes in many forms and patterns. With over 40m people being affected, it’s not something to be ashamed of. You are not alone, because it’s among the most common mental illnesses in modern society.

Looking at the bright side, it can be treated. You don’t have to be in the minority of people who actually reach out for assistance. With the right changes to your lifestyle, any form of anxiety can be overcome.

Signs and Symptoms

Anxiety comes with many different signs and symptoms. Some of the most common symptoms to look out for, though, will include the following:

1. A constant feeling of being ‘on edge’ and unable to relax, settle or enjoy anything for a prolonged period of time.

2. Restlessness and an inability to tire and fall asleep with consistency, despite feeling mentally and physically fatigued.

3. A frequent ‘broken record’ train of thought that includes extensive worry and negative thinking, often about situations yet to take place.

4. Problems concentrating when dealing with everyday tasks, including finding yourself daydreaming about potential issues when you should be otherwise engaged.

5. A sense of vague, hard to grasp melancholy that becomes hard to shake and can produce a sense of irritability that is hard to ignore.

These symptoms are often associated with what is known as General Anxiety Disorder (GAD).

There are many forms of anxiety exist; from anxiety about specific phobias to issues such as agoraphobia to panic disorders, many more.

Therefore, you could also suffer from other symptoms related to your type of anxiety, not just the symptoms above.

The Causes of Anxiety

Anxiety can be brought on by all manner of issues, reasons and causes.

For many people, diagnosing the cause – and then tackling the issue – are among the hardest things to do. Often, though, causes can include, but are not limited to:

– Environmental issues at home, in the workplace, or in your general personal/professional life.

– Hormonal changes that could lead to a change in your mind-set, mood and demeanour.

– Genetics – those with regular anxiety in their family are more prone to anxiety also.

– Lifestyle changes such as a drop-off in usage, or stopping usage, of a substance.

– Habitual adjustments such as seeing certain people or carrying out certain tasks.

– A change in your day-to-day life or your finances can also play a role in anxiety, also.

In short, there are many causes of anxiety. Often, though, it is a build-up of numerous changes that are linked in some way to the above issues.

If you keep that in mind, you could more readily understand the causes of your anxiousness.

Stress VS Anxiety: Telling the Difference

Stress

Of course, one issue that a lot of people have is mixing up stress with anxiety. Although similar in many ways, there are some significant differences.

While both leave you feeling exhausted yet unable to sleep, easy to anger and prone to excessive worrying, you can often find there are some other issues. Often, it’s in how it manifests itself.

Stress, for example, can be a good thing. Anxiety is never a positive. Stress often leaves you feeling frustrated for a short-term period – a matter of minutes, perhaps hours.

It’s often in relation to a particular task, event or happening otherwise.

Many people feel stress, but stress can drive us to do good things – because stress can push us beyond the limits we would feel without any pressure on us.

Anxiety

Anxiety, though, is never likely to do this – It is a long-term issue that is very hard to shake off. We can often overcome stress with the end of an event or to find a conclusion to said short-term event, like finishing work after a hard day.

With anxiety, though, you can feel as if you have no hiding place. And it often manifests itself in many ways that are hard to stop thinking about, such as health, financial, or personal problems.

It’s a much more sustained process, and it can be triggered by a long period of stress. So, you feel anxious after go through life always feeling stressed out.

Your anxiety is likely not caused by consistent ‘stress spikes’, if you can overcome periods of stress.

Instead, the issue is likely to be something more serious, long-term and likely prolonged.

Keep that in mind, as it will likely determine how you go about tackling the issue.

If it’s a short-term stress issue, the solution is often self-explanatory. However, you need to be more decisive and aware on lifestyle changes if the long-term anxiety persists. 

Self-help tips

1. Take a step back

Sometimes, doing a little bit less can be enough to release those feelings of anxiety. To do that, we recommend that you spend a little more time saying “NO” instead of taking on everything you’re asked.

2. Always reflect on yourself.

Mediate and writing daily journal helps in reflecting on oneself. You might find yourself are being anxious over a situation that you’ve internally overblown!

3. Drop the attitude, get some attitude.

Be grateful and always look at all the good things you have in your life. You feel less anxious and frustrated when you look at all the good things you have in your life. 

4. Commit to a physical program.

A healthy mind needs to be powered by a healthy body. Make time for regular exercise and try to give yourself the chance to sweat out that frustration and anxiety. You feel much great after you have achieved something. 

5. Enjoy getting some more sun.

Spend time outside in the sun to improve your quality of life. Be active outdoor. A 10-20 minute walk can be a good way to soak up some sun, enjoy a bit of peace mentally and just feel satisfied with the world around you. You’d be surprised what some more Vitamin D can do for your mood!

6. Slow down the pace.

Going too fast in life in anything – work, relationships, hobbies – can be draining. Life is not a race, so take things a bit slower. When you take on too much in too small a time, you often start to feel the physical effects later on. Keep that in mind.

Getting help when you need it

Of course, you should never settle for dealing with anxiety alone.

We are here to help you at hanycheng.com, If you feel like the problem is getting out of hand and you would like to find a solution.

Over the years, Hany helped her client on working on a path to getting over the issues at hand. Often, the root cause of your anxiety can be located, targeted, confronted, and dealt with.

This allows you to find peace of mind and to simply move on with your life. We can help you to overcome assistance with anxiety through a self-assessment.

We also provide a free 15-minute phone call for anyone who would like to discuss potential counselling.

We are always here to help, and want to make sure you can overcome anxiety as and when the need arises.