Anxiety is a part of life. For some people, it’s a manageable emotion that doesn’t interfere with their day-to-day lives. But for others, anxiety can be debilitating, making it difficult to go about their normal routine. In fact, anxiety is the most common reason to work with a counselor in the United States.
Although there are many different ways to help reduce anxiety levels, the first step is just being aware that the feelings are there. There are 4 things you should know-the symptoms, triggers, how it feels and what you can do about it-in order to understand why anxiety is such a big issue for some people these days!
Anxiety is a normal reaction.
Anxiety is a mental and physical reaction characterized by feelings of excessive worrying, a racing heartbeat, and an elevated body temperature. Anxiety can be healthy in some situations–think about the anxiety you experience before you take a test or go on a job interview. Anxiety is often associated with difficult experiences such as natural disasters or terrorist attacks but for many people it becomes chronic, robbing them of important everyday events like family vacations and birthdays.
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, worry or fear that can be mild or severe.
What are the symptoms of anxiety?
Anxiety can manifest in many different ways, including physical symptoms like headaches or nausea, emotional symptoms like feeling overwhelmed or hopeless, and behavioral symptoms like avoiding social situations or procrastinating.
What are common triggers of anxiety?
There are many different factors that can contribute to someone developing anxiety. Some of the most common triggers include stress, traumatic events, biochemical deficiencies and even genetics. In the end it all comes down to stimulus and response. Sometimes our brain and body get disconnected in a way and we overreact to stimuli that we shouldn’t to. Unfortunately the way our brain works, the more we overreact, the better we get at overreacting and a nasty anxiety loop begins.
Anxiety can be debilitating for some people.
Here’s how people describe what anxiety feels like. Anxiety can be a difficult feeling to describe, but many people compare it to waves in the ocean. Anxiety often starts out small and then increases in intensity until it reaches a breaking point. Anxiety is often accompanied by uncomfortable physical symptoms like hot flashes, cold sweats, nausea, dizziness or headaches
There are many different ways to help reduce anxiety levels.
- Meditation/Mindfulness
- Breathing exercises
- Working with an expert anxiety counselor/therapist (like ours here at Hanson Complete Wellness in Tampa, FL).
In the end the goal is to create a space so you have a chance to choose how you react to a stimulus and not just unconsciously go into an anxiety loop. It can be difficult to understand when and how to create this space and it takes practice. No one was born with these tools. They are learned.
Working with an expert counselor / therapist can help you to shortcut the process. They act as a guide and provide awareness so you can really see the picture of what you’re experiencing, why you’re experiencing it and then develop the toolkit necessary to actually deal with it.
Awareness is the first step in managing anxiety.
If you’re feeling stuck then maybe it’s time to consider getting some insight and help from a real professional. Our counselors in Tampa, FL specialize in anxiety counseling.