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Anxiety Disorders

"Just because I can't explain the feelings causing my anxiety doesn't make them less valid."

 

Everyone experiences anxiety from time to time.  Anxiety Disorders are the most common mental health conditions affecting nearly 40 million Americans.  It is completely normal to experience anxiety during stressful or overwhelming situations.  In fact, anxiety can help motivate us when facing challenges or threatening circumstances.  Anxiety has a time and a place.  However, when anxiety begins to interfere with daily functioning or increases in frequency and intensity it becomes problematic to the sufferer.

 

Anxiety manifests itself in many different shapes and forms.  Anxiety is a real feeling in every sense of the word.  It is something we experience in our body, mind, soul, and spirit. Anxiety can take over the body and progress to anxiety attacks and/or panic attacks relatively quickly.  Anxiety is a very confusing and frustrating disorder for those struggling. Anxiety activates our flight, fight, or freeze response system.  However, when we experience an anxiety disorder our response system becomes confused and activates in situations that should not cause activation. 

 

Anxiety and depression often come in waves.  This is largely due the fact that riding the anxiety wave is exhausting for the mind, body, and spirit and eventually the wave crashes. When the wave crashes, depression often takes over.  Depression allows the body to rest and regain energy that has been expelled during times of high anxiety.  Anxiety Disorders are treatable and sufferers often find relief from their symptoms becoming able to return to normal daily activities that have become difficult due to onset of anxiety.  

 

Types of anxiety disorders:

 Generalized Anxiety Disorder

 Panic Attacks

 Specific Phobias - Click here for an exhaustive list of phobias

 Agoraphobia

 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

 Social Anxiety Disorder

 Separation Anxiety Disorder

 Anxiety Disorder due to medical condition

 Selective Mutism

 Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

 Substance Induced Anxiety

 Adjustment/Situational Induced Anxiety

 

Symptoms of anxiety:

  • Racing thoughts/over thinking

  • Tightness in chest/difficulty breathing'

  • Blurred Vision

  • Overwhelmed

  • Nausea

  • Butterflies

  • Core revving

  • Shakiness/Trembling

  • Hot/Cold flashes

  • Sweaty or cold, clammy hands

  • Constipation

  • Diarrhea

  • Worry or Fear

  • Insomnia

  • Restlessness

  • Dizzy/Lightheaded

  • Irritability

  • Distractibility

  • Memory/concentration difficulties

  • Headaches

  • Hypervigilance

  • Fear of dying

  • Fear of losing control

  • Fear of going crazy

  • Avoidance of anxiety provoking situations

 

Most do not experience all symptoms of anxiety.  Anxiety symptoms are specific to the individual and the triggers that induce anxiety for the individual.  

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"Fear is the brains way of saying that there is something important for you to overcome."
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