Anxiety – what is it, what does it feel like and how to deal with it

Wooden puzzles with anxiety

Let’s explain each other what does anxiety is. Anxiety is a feeling of fear actually each type of fear. Symptoms of anxiety disorder are very wide. Anxiety in its form isn’t anything out of normal. The problem with anxiety is this that sometimes the systems are underlying our anxiety responses get dysregulated, so that is the reason why we overreact or react to the way wrong to different situations.

Anxiety disorder – what is it?

Anxiety disorder is a condition which looks like your anxiety doesn’t go away with time or can even get worst. Anxiety symptoms can get in conflict with your normal live with all the task you are doing normally each day by this you can understand going to work, school and it can effect your relationships with family, friends and loved ones.

There are symptoms of anxiety like:

  • Feeling nervous,
  • Breathing rapidly,
  • Sweating,
  • Feeling weak or feeling tired,
  • Having trouble sleeping,
  • Difficulties with controling the feeling of worring.

There are many different symptoms of anxiety.

Types of anxiety disorders

Anxiety disorder has got few types. Here you will find out the classification of all types of anxiety disorders. To anxiety disorders types you can include:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder – shortly it is called GAD. People with this type of anxiety disorder worries about things like work, money, health or family which means that their worries are more of ordinary problems,
  • Panic disorder – People with this anxiety disorders has got panic attacks,
  • Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – This anxiety disorder in common around people who had traumatic situations like theyhad been on war (it is very common around soldiers), someone who had been assault, people who went through natural disaster or some kind of accidents. Traumatic stress disorder ptsd is often triggered by some traumatic event,
  • Phobias – people with phobias are scared of things that can even be just a little danger to them,
  • Specific phobias – This anxiety is a fear of specific things. When person with specific phobias meets with its phobia it can even couse panic attack,
  • Selective mutism – this is reapting situation of inability of a child to speak in certain situations like talking at school,
  • Agoraphobia – people with kind of anxiety disorder has got feeling of fear when it comes to specific places or situations. In those situations they feel embarrassed, trapped or even powerless. Those feelings can lead to well known panic attack,
  • Social anxiety disorder – it is known as social phobia. It is worry about social situations,
  • Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – OCD is a feeling of constant unwanted thoughts which couses anxiety. This anxiety relieve itself with ritulas behavior which often are hands washing or counting.

If you think that there is something specific that stands for anxiety disorder you are wrong. The case of anxiety still isn’t known.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is a mental illness that causes worries, fear and the feeling of constantly being overwhelmed. It is charactistical with this that people with this mental illness are going to be worried all the time about everyday life things.

This kind of anxiety disorders can be treated with help of specialist who is going to give you special medicaments. But only with meds you won’t be able to deal with this kind of disorder. To treat this you will also need psychoterapy or so called behavioral therapy.

There are two types of medicaments. Meds for short term and meds for long term treatment. Those for short term can be for example benzodiazepine. But if we are talking about long term we can speak of antidepressants.

Panic attacks

Panic attacks can show up even inthe most unexpected time. They are sudden feelings of fear and withing minutes are getting worse. Symptoms of panic attacks are:

  • Palpitations,
  • Sweating,
  • Shacking,
  • Sensation of choking,
  • Shortness of breath,
  • Chest pain,
  • Nausea,
  • Feeling like you gonna faint in any moment,
  • Feeling of hot or cold,
  • Fear of dying,
  • Feeling like you gonna lose control.

Those are only some of the symptoms which can happen to people with this mental health conditions. Symptoms of panic attacks are very often similar to those od heart attack or breathing disorders. This can lead to situations like people with panic attack would contact with emergency and think that this kind of physical symptoms are are life threatening for them.

Separation anxiety disorder

This anxiety disorder is common for infants and todlers. Young kids often experience separation anxiety but most of them grow out of it somewhere aroud 3. Sometimes separation anxiety can be something to be worried about and it starts somewhere early as preschool age.

If your child shows signs of intense separation anxiety and it is about school, other normal life activities or maybe you are noticing panic attacks he or she can have separation anxiety disorder. Mostly this separation anxiety is about child parents.

Symptoms of separation anxiety disorder

Separation anxiety is being diagnosted when symptoms are undue for the developmental age. Those symptoms can be:

  • Cyclical and undue distress about being away from home, parents or loved ones,
  • Mental symptoms can be constant feeling of being worried about losing your loved ones or parents. It even can be a anxiety feeling of an illness or some kind of dissaster,
  • Constant anxiety feeling of this that something bad gonna happen (that someone is gonna kidnapp you which gonna lead to this that you gonna be separated from the ones who you love),
  • Refusing to go away from house because you are scared of separation with family members,
  • Feeling that you doesn’t want to stay home alone while there is no one from your family there,
  • Refusing to sleep away from home while there is non of family member in near area,
  • Nightmares about separations which reapt over and over again,
  • Headaches, stomachaches and any other symptoms are occuing when you have this konwlage that the separation is going to happen,
  • One of physical symptoms can also be muscle tension.

This kind of disorder which is separatio anxiety disorder can experience panic attacks and panic disorder.

When should you visit a doctor?

Man laying on bed at his psychotherapy talking with his doctor

It is not always that easy to know when anxiety is getting out of hand. Anxiety may not go away without any treatmant. There are many signs when you should contact with doctor:

  • You are that much worried that it is effecting your daily life,
  • Your anxiety doesn’t want to let you to control,
  • When anxiety overcome to depression or maybe you are using alcohol to handle the situation or maybe you have got another mental health concerns,
  • When you are thinking of commiting suicide or maybe you tried to commite suicide. If this one is occuring you should contact your doc as fast as possible.

If you have these symptoms you should get in touch with doctor to get help to manage symptoms.

How does psyhoterapy helps in treating anxiety disorders?

Psychotherapy helps in dealing with this kind of disorder by working on techniques dealing with it as well as understanding this mental illness. Your mental health provider is there for you to help you fully get to know the illness you are dealing with everyday. There are approaches like:

  • Cognitive behavioral therapy – it is very common psyhoterapy. It helps in getting to know patterns of your thoughts and what comes with this you can be able to deal with them,
  • Exposure therapy – Teaches how to deal with this intense fear. Your mental health specialist can also teach you relaxation technoques.

How to cope with anxiety disorder symptoms at home

If you already are under doctor control and are doing treatment you can also help yourself a little bit by those coping strategies. When you feel anxious you can do things like:

  1. Get exercise,
  2. Avoid alcohol and drugs,
  3. Stop smoking and think of reducing coffein drinks,
  4. Try relaxction techniques,
  5. Get enough sleep,
  6. Healthly diet.

Handling the anxiety disorder can be very challenging. You can do things like this to help yourself to deal with it:

  1. Learn as much as it is possible about your mental illness,
  2. Be consistent with your treatment,
  3. Find out what does “wake up” your anxiety – get to know yourself a little bit more,
  4. You could also set up a jurnal to write down our feelings,
  5. Get some support. It is important to get support in this situation. There are support groups. So sing up to a support group,
  6. Manage your time,
  7. Don’t close yourself at others. Stay social,
  8. Don’t let your anxiety take over your life. If you feel like this is gonna take control break it by going for a walk for example.

Facts

  • There is an interesting fact which includes our brains. Human brain in respond to a for example danger is releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and those hormones are cousing physical symptoms of anxiety,
  • Depression makes anxiety worse so it is the best to treath both depression and anxiety disorder,
  • Anxiety attack is also commonly known as panick attack. Anxiety attacks are intense fear attacks,
  • There are soecial centeres for clinical interventions,
  • Mental health professionals like psychiatrist or psychologist takes care of mental health. So if you won’t have any physical illness your doc will tell you to see one of them.

Conclusion

Anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that should seek treatment. Those kinds of mental disorders are responds for specific situations which can trigger anxiety. Anxiety disorder symptoms may not only be mental symptoms but also physical signs can show up. So as you could notice anxiety disorders are wide and can also show some of physical health problems. There are few techniques which can help you manage stress so ask your doctor about them.

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One thought on “Anxiety – what is it, what does it feel like and how to deal with it

  1. Anxiety disorder is very common thing nowadays. This article is full of important and interesting informations. I didn’t know before that it can also give physical signs. Thanks for making me understanding more!

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