Anxiety is a natural trigger that helps protect us from dangerous situations, but it can be triggered by many things that are not life threatening. Anxiety can be a frustrating emotion and can wear you down, but it can also help you accomplish your goals and produce effective results. Anxiety is usually a normal emotion that can be controlled, but if it begins to negatively affect your daily activities and relationships, you may need treatment.
Signs and Symptoms
Anxiety is a natural way of coping with daily stresses. When you feel anxious, you might experience fatigue, increased sweating, physical tension in your body, headaches, or a racing heart. These are just a few of the possible symptoms you might feel, as everyone experiences anxiety differently.
More serious symptoms of anxiety may include constant worry, restlessness, inability to concentrate, twitching, being easily startled, having trouble sleeping, becoming nauseous and being unable to explain your worry, reports the Mayo Clinic.com. The more serious symptoms will be prolonged in duration.
Common Causes
According to the Mayo Clinic.com, anxiety can be caused by any number of factors. You are more at risk for anxiety if you are female, have experienced childhood traumas or abuse, have a chronic health condition, experience significant stress, have a family history of anxiety, have a personality type prone to anxiety, or you abuse drugs or alcohol.
Managing Anxiety
Regular exercise and a healthy diet are important ways to manage your anxiety. According to Anxiety Disorders Association of America, or ADAA, exercise produces endorphins, a chemical that naturally makes you feel better, and eating healthy will give you overall health benefits and energy to combat anxieties.
Other ways to manage your anxiety include doing something you enjoy, socializing with friends, doing deep breathing, counting to 10 slowly, using humor, giving up your need to control everything, developing a positive attitude and making sleep a priority, reports the ADAA.
Anxiety Disorders
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the NIMH, there are five major types of anxiety disorders; these include: generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and social phobia. If you experience any of these disorders, the cause and the length of the anxiety varies for each disorder.
Getting Help
According to the NIMH, treatments for anxiety and anxiety disorders vary from person to person, based on the severity of your anxiety, but many times treatment includes both the use of medication and psychotherapy.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been found to be very successful in the treatment of anxiety-related disorders. NIMH reports that cognitive behavioral therapy helps you change your thoughts so they no longer support your fears and anxieties. It enables you to learn new ways of reacting to situations that produce anxiety.
Medications that have shown to be effective in anxiety treatment are antidepressants, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors and tricyclics, and anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines and buspirone, reports the NIMH.
