I was recently asked to submit some information to a magazine explaining the differences between worry and anxiety and when to seek help, so of coure I figured this topic would be a great for a blog article.
I’ve heard people say “everyone has anxiety” and actually that is not the case, I think they were confused with worry. Everyone has worry. Worry is a perfectly normal human emotion. As humans we can expect to feel all the emotions. It’s just part of life. Sure, maybe we would prefer the more pleasant ones like happiness and joy. We may try to avoid or ignore anger and fear or sadness because they can be uncomfortable. But, no matter how hard we try life will give us situations and opportunities to feel it all. The good news is that these feelings aren’t permanent. Emotions come and emotions go. In fact, without being afraid we wouldn’t even have the opportunity to practice being brave. As we grow up, it’s important to pay attention to our feelings because they give us helpful information and we can practice expressing our feelings in appropriate and direct ways.
Anxiety on the other hand does include worry and it also includes a whole lot more. Anxiety can take worry and makes it spiral out of control. Many people describe having anxious thoughts that just won’t stop. They become so distracted by worries that they can have trouble paying attention to what is going on in the present moment. Anxious thoughts tend to exaggerate our perception of threat and harm and doom and gloom. Anxiety tricks us into thinking we cannot handle certain situations and that we have to play it super safe to minimize any vulnerability or risk because catastrophies are bound to happen and there is nothing you can do. Of course, that is absolutely not true but you won’t even be able to test out these doom and gloom predictions because you can feel so absolutely certain that the “what ifs” will happen.
Anxiety also includes terrible physical symptoms. Various aches and pains are common as well as fatigue. When our brain and nervous system are on high alert to protect us from this exaggerated danger our muscles are tense and that can make us sore and feel exhausted, especially when our minds keep on worrying at bedtime and sleep gets compromised.
The statistics show that close to 20% of people will experience various forms of anxiety during their lifetime, although it is important to remember that it can look and feel different from person to person. It’s extremely important to remember that the very nature is irrational and many people are often embarrassed to share their anxious thoughts, because they know it is far fetched, but the intense discomfort of that doom and gloom is something to validate, while encouraging those suffering that they can face their fear and prove their anxiety wrong and as a result decrease it. When you don’t feed into it, the anxiety will get smaller.
So when do you know it’s time to seek professional help when experiencing anxiety?
We can simplify this by breaking it down into categories of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Ask yourself if you are worrying excessively? Are the worries of the “end of the world” variety and when you looks at the facts, they have low probability of occurring. Are your worries going after the things you care about most such as your health, family, grades, etc?
How do you feel? Is your sleep and appetite impacted? Are you tense, on edge, easily startled, and jumpy? Are you constantly scanning the environment and vigilant of any perceived threat? Do you cry easily and feel overly embarrassed and sensitive? In extreme instances you may feel chest pain, dizziness, racing heart rate, difficulty catching your breath and even think you are having a heart attack, going crazy, or about to lose control. You won’t. You are most likely having a panic attack.
And how is your behavior? Do you avoid what you worry about or are scared of? Do you check over and over or ask the same questions repeatedly or ask for reassurance over and over?
Are you starting to feel sad, frustrated, and hopeless that this anxiety is controlling your life and you are not doing the things you want to do or live your life the way you would like to?
If you answered yes to many of these questions, it’s probably time to talk to a professional and know that there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, it’s a sign of courage to ask for help and the good news is that anxiety is very treatable!
If you would like to schedule a free 10 minute phone consultation to see if cognitive behavioral therapy is right for you, please click on where it says “Book Online Now” and schedule an initial phone consultation.
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