All Things Anxiety
Feeling anxious is a regular part of life. Starting a new job or going out on a first date can warrant feelings of nervousness or anxiety. However, when those anxious feelings or emotions arise frequently, are overwhelming and/or negatively impact our daily life, it is important to speak to a health professional about a possible anxiety disorder.
What is Anxiety?
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition(DSM-5), anxiety may be defined as “apprehension, tension, or uneasiness that stems from the anticipation of danger, which may be internal or external”.
Anxiety is not only a mental reaction, but is also a physiological one. When someone experiences anxiety, it is likely that their fight-or-flight system has been activated.
What is fight-or-flight?
This is a type of bodily stress response that helps you to react to something you have deemed to be a threat or dangerous; it is a survival instinct that is meant to help you.
However, if your fight-or-flight response is activated in non-threatening situations it becomes dysfunctional and can affect your mental and physical health.
What happens during fight-or-flight?
It all starts in your amygdala which is the area of your brain that is mainly in charge of perceiving fear. From there, signals are sent to the autonomic nervous system, which drives your fight-or-flight response.
The two main hormones to be released during this time are adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenaline is a hormone released in stressful conditions. Adrenaline is responsible for increasing blood circulation, breathing, metabolism and preparing the body for exertion.
Cortisol is also a stress hormone that gets released to increase sugar in the bloodstream which increases the availability of substances that repair tissues. During fight-or-flight, cortisol is responsible for stopping non-essential functions.
Due to the release of these hormones, a physiological reaction occurs which can affect multiple functions in the body:
Heart rate: an increase in heart rate in order to provide more oxygen to your muscles
Lungs: breathing might speed up to fill your body with more oxygen
Eyes: pupils can dilate or peripheral vision can increase
Ears: become more alert or ‘perk up’
Blood: due to your body believing it is in danger, your blood prepares your body for injury by thickening which can help clotting
Skin: might become pale, sweat more or become cold
Hands and feet: major muscles are going to need more oxygen, therefore hands and feet might turn cold in order for the oxygen to focus on the main areas of the body for survival
Pain perception: due to the amount of adrenaline pumping through your body, you might not perceive yourself to be in pain or feel it the same as if you were not in fight-or-flight mode.
As you can see, fight-or-flight mode has a large impact on your body which can further cause exhaustion if your anxiety levels are consistently high.
Can my fight-or-flight response be overactive?
You might experience fight-or-flight more frequently than others due to trauma and anxiety.
Trauma: unresolved past traumatic experiences can trigger activation of fight-or-flight.
Anxiety: someone experiencing anxiety has a higher chance of feeling threatened by non-threatening stressors or situations.
If you experience trauma or anxiety, your body is preparing you for potential future traumatic situations even if they are not going to happen. When you experience an overactive fight-or-flight response, you can begin to feel exhausted more frequently due to the toll it takes on your body.
Types of Anxiety Disorders
The American Psychiatric Association lists six main areas of anxiety disorders:
Generalised Anxiety Disorder is excessive anxiety but for no logical reason. You experience excessive worrying about everyday situations, but you might not be able to locate the reason for such worry (Johns Hopkins Medicine & Healthline).
Panic Disorder is recurrent panic attacks. Symptoms can include:
Heart palpitations, chest pain/tightness
Sweating or shaking
Shortness of breath
Numbness or tingling
Feeling detached or fear of losing control
Specific Phobia is an excessive/persistent fear of a specific object, situation or activity that might not be harmful (i.e. spiders, flying or being in the ocean).
Agoraphobia is the fear of being in a situation that might be difficult or embarrassing or you might not be able to receive help in. This fear is out of proportion to the actual situation (i.e. being in open or enclosed spaces, being in a crowd or public transportation).
Social Anxiety Disorder is excessive anxiousness or discomfort when it comes to being embarrassed or rejected in social interactions. You might try to avoid public speaking or meeting new people.
Separation Anxiety Disorder is anxiousness or fearfulness about separation from those you are attached to (i.e. this can be seen in adult intimate relationships or even developed from childhood).
What kind of treatment is there?
Similar to other mental health disorders, the treatment plan can differ for each individual. Treatment can include therapy, medication or a combination of both. Each person’s treatment plan is unique to them based on their particular needs.
If you feel like you need symptom relief through medication, it is important to discuss your options with your doctor and/or a mental health professional.
Psychotherapy or talk therapy can be helpful to learn other ways of thinking, reacting and behaving to feel less anxious (AMA).
What can I do on my own?
According to the Mayo Clinic, they have listed 11 coping tips for anxiety and/or anxiety disorders:
Use stress management and relaxation techniques to ease anxiety. Some examples are meditation, yoga or visualisation techniques.
Identifying triggers will allow you to better practise strategies to deal with your anxiety.
Keeping a journal can be helpful to track your mental health journey.
Keep physically active and develop a routine that promotes being active most days of the week. Exercise can be helpful to reduce stress, improve your mood and overall health
Eating healthy foods and maintaining a balanced diet can be linked to reducing anxiety
Make sleep a priority to ensure you are starting each day feeling well-rested. A helpful tip is engaging in nightly meditation as part of your daily routine.
Socialising with your friends and family can be beneficial as they provide a support system.
Avoid alcohol and recreational drugs as these can worsen your anxiety, and may not be helpful to use during your treatment.
Quit smoking and reduce/quit caffeine as nicotine and caffeine can worsen your anxiety.
Learn about your disorder as it is important to stay educated on mental health, especially if it is affecting you directly. Understanding your disorder can be helpful in knowing how to support and advocate for yourself.
Stick to your treatment plan! Your mental health professional/therapist will create a treatment plan that is tailored to your needs. Consistency is key!
Conclusion
Whether you are experiencing everyday-life feelings of anxiety or an anxiety disorder, coping techniques learned in therapy can be very useful when experiencing anxious feelings. While you do not have to use all the techniques, implement what resonates with you and start small.
It is important to remember that anxiety affects everyone differently, therefore, you can expect your healing journey to also look differently. Whether you have generalized anxiety disorder or a phobia - there is a treatment plan for you!
