- Phone call anxiety: Simple ways to overcome your telephobia<\/a><\/li>\n
- Anxiety stopping you sleeping? Here\u2019s how to overcome bedtime worries, according to a psychologist<\/a><\/li>\n
- Overcoming anxiety: How new \u2018meta-cognition\u2019 techniques can calm your restless mind<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
What does it feel like?<\/h2>\n
Depending on the intensity of your anxiety, it usually feels unpleasant and uncomfortable, in large part due to the physical symptoms. These can include a racing heart, sweaty palms, dizziness, shakiness, stomach churn, nausea and more.<\/p>\n
Some people with chronic anxiety problems find the physical sensations associated with anxiety especially troubling and, of course, this can then feed their anxiety (imagine someone who is anxious about public speaking who gets freaked out by their shaky hands and tummy butterflies).<\/p>\n
On the mental side, anxiety can also trigger a flood of fear-related thoughts and out-of-control worries. Combine the physical symptoms with the runaway thoughts and a common end result is a strong urge to get out of \u2013 or avoid \u2013 the anxiety-inducing situation as quickly as possible. This is what makes avoidance as a strategy so tempting, even though it\u2019s counterproductive in the long run.<\/p>\n
![\""Anxious\"]( "\\"\"Anxious\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>People suffering from anxiety may have a tendency to catastrophise. Photo: Joe Waldron<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n When does anxiety become a problem?<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s completely normal to experience anxiety from time to time. In fact, in moderation in appropriate situations, anxiety can be helpful (as the boxing coach Cus D\u2019Amato put it, anxiety is like fire: it can kill you but, under control, it\u2019s an invaluable resource for warmth and cooking).<\/p>\n
For instance, if moderate anxiety about a job interview compels you to do some preparation, that\u2019s better than just showing up and winging it. And if your mild anxiety gave you a shot of adrenaline during the interview, it might help you to think fast.<\/p>\n
Anxiety becomes problematic when it gets out of control (you\u2019re so anxious during an exam that you can\u2019t concentrate, for example) and\/or it becomes chronic and overwhelming.<\/p>\n
A specific red flag is when anxiety starts to lead to a cycle of avoidance. For example, you might be so tied up in knots about flying that you never travel abroad. If your anxiety is so intense that you begin avoiding situations, not only is there a risk of your life becoming narrower, which might make you unhappy, but it also means you never get a chance to discover that you can cope better than you think with the situations you\u2019re worried about.<\/p>\n
Avoidance can also take the form of using unhelpful coping strategies to mask your anxious feelings \u2013 such as getting drunk to calm your nerves. The same unhelpful process applies to this masking form of avoidance. While it might bring short-term relief, it risks fuelling your anxiety. In contrast, confronting your anxieties can be challenging in the short term, but is often the best route to easing them.<\/p>\n
Is anxiety a psychiatric disorder?<\/h2>\n
If a person experiences significant anxiety on more days than not over a period of more than six months, about a range of different things, then they could be diagnosed with \u2018generalised anxiety disorder\u2019.<\/p>\n
There are also types of anxiety disorder with a more specific focus. For instance, if a person has a lot of anxiety that\u2019s specifically tied to social situations, they might be diagnosed with \u2018social anxiety disorder\u2019; and if a person is frequently anxious that they will have a panic attack<\/a>, this is diagnosed as \u2018panic disorder\u2019.<\/p>\n
The various phobias<\/a>, such as agoraphobia (a fear of places where escape is difficult), are also considered forms of anxiety disorder. Other psychiatric conditions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive compulsive disorder<\/a> (OCD), used to be considered forms of anxiety disorder, but psychiatrists now treat them as their own categories even though they do involve anxiety.<\/p>\n
In PTSD, the traumatised person is often left in a super-vigilant state, as if perpetually on the cusp of a fight or flight response. In the case of OCD, a person gets stuck performing checks or compulsive behaviours as an ultimately counterproductive way to reduce their feelings of anxiety.<\/p>\n
Are some people more prone to anxiety than others?<\/h2>\n
The genes we inherit and our experiences in life combine to shape our personality traits, and, in turn, these traits can affect our vulnerability to anxiety. Most of all, people who score highly on the personality trait of neuroticism tend to experience frequent ups and downs in mood, negative emotions such as shame and guilt, and they worry a lot \u2013 they\u2019re especially prone to severe anxiety.<\/p>\n
But there are other traits that are also relevant. For instance, people who are more trusting (a facet of the broader trait known as \u2018agreeableness\u2019, which is associated with less stress and fewer relationship problems) are often less prone to anxiety. There\u2019s also some evidence to suggest that extroverted people tend to be less anxiety-prone, especially in a social context.<\/p>\n
Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n
- What is high-functioning anxiety? How to spot it and what you can do about it<\/a><\/li>\n
- How deep breathing can soothe anxiety, help you sleep and more<\/a><\/li>\n
- Here\u2019s why drinking alcohol triggers your anxiety?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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- How deep breathing can soothe anxiety, help you sleep and more<\/a><\/li>\n
- Anxiety stopping you sleeping? Here\u2019s how to overcome bedtime worries, according to a psychologist<\/a><\/li>\n
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