Anxiety: What It Is And Everything About How To Cope !
Have you felt that jittery, worried, or afraid feeling called anxiety lately? Well, lean on, my friend. You are not alone! According to stats, around 40 million people in the USA suffer from an anxiety disorder, and guess what? These are pre-COVID stats. And as you might find obvious, these numbers would undoubtedly have increased by now.
Although anxiety can be helpful at times, making you work to your best potential. But prolonged anxiety is a disorder. Think of feeling worried or jittery for months on end. Indeed, nobody would want that. Thus, everybody needs to understand anxiety- Its definition, symptoms, causes, prevention, and treatment.
So, let's start!
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is pervasive. Almost all of us have either experienced or seen somebody deal with it. So, the big question is, what exactly do we call anxiety, and do you need to see a doctor?
Whenever you feel worried, tense, or afraid about anything that is about to happen or will happen in the future, it is anxiety. It is the feeling of apprehension, something like what will happen and what will not.
Situations like a presentation at work, or your first date, or even happy events like marriage can make you anxious. This does not mean that you need to see a doctor. But, when you have anxiety for days in the end, and it is impacting your regular life, it is time you visit your doc. Some signs that warn you of the danger level are:
You have been feeling anxious for a long time, and the feelings are intense.
Your feelings of anxiety are blown out of proportion.
You are avoiding situations that you suspect will cause you anxiety
Or you find it hard to tame your feelings
You notice symptoms like panic attacks
And even if you do not enjoy your 'fun things'
If any of the above signs strikes you, you should take things seriously and find help.
What Are The Various Anxiety Disorders?
Anxiety is a very broad term. No two people feel it the same way. Therefore anxiety disorders have been categorized under a few heads to make things a bit more organized. Let's see them one by one:
#1: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD):
With so much stress and ups and downs in our everyday life, we can grow anxious about many things. Since the causes and symptoms of GAD are so diverse, the way you feel it can vastly differ from how your friend feels it. You may be feeling anxious about your college project and your friend about his relationship with his parents.
#2: Social Anxiety Disorder:
Do you feel anxious about attending a party or even going to the office? This type of anxiety falls in the category of social anxiety disorder and is also called sociophobia.
#3: Panic Disorder:
Panic disorder is when you feel you have panic attacks but for no valid reason. This happens because you are so afraid of getting a panic attack that the fear itself triggers a panic attack.
#4: Situational Anxiety:
Quite similar to GAD, situational anxiety is anxiety triggered due to any specific situation. For example, let's take the school debate. Anxiety triggered due to this very situation in a person is termed situational anxiety.
#5: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
Many-a-times, life throws difficult situations at us that cause much stress and trauma. But the issue arises when this trauma causes nightmares and flashbacks even after the stressful situation has long gone. This kind of anxiety is called PSTD.
#6: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
OCD is a prevalent diagnosis and quite famous too. So, what is it? In a straightforward answer, when anxiety is coupled with thinking or doing something repetitively, it is called OCD.
So, these were some of the major anxiety disorders. There are lots more, but we hope these gave you a basic idea.