Anxiety, we´ve all got it, or do we?
By: Eugenia Ibarra
Tags: Generalized Anxiety, Stress, Psycology, Anxiety, Therapy

We´ve all felt anxious in different points of our life, it is a common, natural emotion, it helps us survive and get through dangerous situations, we might not always like it, like for example the feeling of sweaty hands, insomnia or a huge nut in your stomach. Overall anxiety is good for you, when you feel it in a balanced way, when it does not cause distress or interrupts your daily activities. But for some people the anxiety they are feeling is constant, growing and interrupting their lives. Constant anxiety may lead to mental anxiety disorders like generalized anxiety, social anxiety, different phobias, OCD or PTSD.

How do I know when my anxiety is “not normal”?

It is important to clarify the difference between stress and anxiety, they can be commonly mistaken for each other since they share some common symptoms, like insomnia, headaches, elevated blood pressure and restlessness. The main difference, an important one, is that stress originates from external factors that affect your daily life: work, fights, presentations, or just life in general. When accumulated they can cause chronic stress, but as the factors that cause it are external ones, it is easier to reduce and balance than anxiety, that on the other hand is caused by internal factors. Anxiety is your body´s response from the inside to stress, and it lingers in you even after the stress has already gone away with the dangerous or exciting moment.

Anxiety becomes a problem or a disorder when it intrudes in your daily life and stops you from living. The worry is constant and overwhelming, and you might not even know where it is coming from and you have no control over it, so “relaxing” and “taking it easy” is not really a solution for you. This constant worry about how you want your life to be, what might happen or might not, or what happened, prevents you from actually living in the present, it might seem like your mind is a maze you can never get out of, and one worry leads to another and another and it just never ends.

Some of the symptoms to look for, especially when talking about generalized anxiety, are constant headaches, insomnia, irritability, muscle tension (and pain), chronic fatigue, restlessness and difficulty concentrating. According to the DSM-5, which psychologists and psychiatrists use to diagnose different mental disorders, in order to determine if a person has Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), a type of anxiety disorder which affects up to 3% of the world’s population, there are 5 things that must be present in the patient:

The “worry” or anxiety feeling must have been present more days than not in the past 6 months The anxiety the person experiences is hard to control In kids, one symptom must be present, in adults three. The symptoms are NOT explained by any medication or drug abuse The symptoms are NOT explained by other anxiety disorders (phobias, PTSD and OCD)

People that have severe anxiety tend to have anxiety attacks that last up to 10 minutes. During these periods people might experience chest pains, difficulty breathing, panic, sweating, trembling and increased nausea and headaches. People often confuse anxiety attacks with heart attacks or the feeling of dying.

What to do about it?

The problem with anxiety disorders is that less than 40% of the cases in the US only are diagnosed properly and treated. So the first step here is already taken: ask yourself do I have too much anxiety? And investigate further into it to answer that question.

If you have identified with a life increased anxiety, or even possibly GAD, you should look for a therapist to help diagnose, as you cannot and should not diagnose yourself. The therapist will also give you psychotherapy to help reduce your anxiety and will give you special activities in your day to day life to complement the treatment.

Some of the activities recommended by therapists might include exercising as it releases endorphins and reduces general stress that might trigger some of your anxiety, meditation or yoga, aromatherapy, creative hobbies, weighted blanket, between other ways to reduce stress. As people with severe anxiety can’t necessarily control it these activities might not solve the problem, though they will help, and even more if they are accompanied by psychotherapy.

It is crucial for someone that suspects of having anxiety to consult a specialist, most importantly if they are having suicidal thoughts (that may be triggered by the anxiety), the anxiety prevents them from doing daily activities and interrupts their lives, when it has been lingering for a long time and they can not control it or let it go, when it may lead to physical problems or when it may trigger depressión, drug or alcohol abuse.

The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, even if your own anxiety leads you to feel that way, as if you are the only one in the world experiencing those emotions and worries. There are a lot of people who have it, get diagnosed, treated and get their life back on track. It is possible to feel satisfied and happy with yourself, even when you have an anxiety disorder, you just need to accept there might be a problem, and get help.

Felman, A. (2020, January 11). What to know about anxiety. Medicalnewstoday.com; Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323454#types

MayoClinic. (2018). Anxiety disorders — Symptoms and causes. Mayo Clinic; https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anxiety/symptoms-causes/syc-20350961

Osmosis. (2016). Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — causes, symptoms & treatment [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mPwQTiMSj8&t=240s

Rozz, F. (2018, June 8). Stress vs. Anxiety — Knowing the Difference Is Critical to Your Health — Mental Health First Aid. Mental Health First Aid. https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2018/06/stress-vs-anxiety/