Anxiety… A Real Thing

UNDERSTANDING THAT ANXIETY IS A REAL THING

Let’s First Understand the Facts

ANXIETY

Let us first understand that it is “normal” for each individual to experience occasional anxiety at some point in their lives. However, other individuals tend to experience certain anxieties that are persistent, seems uncontrollable and overwhelming. In addition, if it seems to be excessive, and causes the individual to dread everyday situations, this can cause it to become disabling. As a result, this begins to interfere with our everyday lives and cause significant impairment to everyday life. This is when the cause of concern comes in, as these are symptoms that are congruent with that of having an anxiety disorder.  It is important to note that anxiety disorders are real mental health conditions, just as real as other health issues such as heart diseases etc. It is quite interesting to note that anxiety disorders are actually one of the most common and pervasive mental health disorder. It includes a multitude of different anxiety disorders that exist such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, agoraphobia and the list just goes on.

Some common anxiety symptoms include:

●      Feeling nervous, restless or tense

●      Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom

●      Having an increased heart rate and hyperventilating (breathing heavily)

●      Sweating and Trembling

●      Feeling weak or tired and trying to avoid whatever trigger your anxiety

●      Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry

●      Having trouble sleeping

●      Having difficulty controlling worry

We live in a world today in which the stigmatization behind seeking treatment for a mental health disorder is still so high, and this is why we have so many individuals in today’s society fail to seek treatment. Coming from someone who lived with anxiety growing up but had zero idea what it meant, seeking treatment is the best thing you can do. Stop feeling ashamed and stop judging yourself for wanting to talk to someone about your anxiety. Do not think of this as something “wrong” with you. Look at it as you simply seeking help to make your everyday living “better.” Remember to not feel as though you should not complain about what triggers your anxiety because other people see it as “small.” NEVER think about yourself as being weak and sensitive, or that your therapist would get tired of you talking about your anxiety and what triggers it. Remember a huge part of getting yourself better is accepting that this condition is part of your everyday lives and that you can and will get the help you need and deserve. When you tell yourself that the anxiety you experience every day is not a “real mental illness,” you are denying the presence of something that is very real. It will only keep spiraling if you don’t seek treatment causing your anxiety to become even stronger that it was before. Do not ever let this condition make you feel any less of a human than you are. For those that do not understand this illness, they may see you as weak for seeking treatment or say things like, “this is not real,” “you are not strong enough,” however it is these are statements that are not true. 

   You always want to find a therapist that would work through your self-invalidation with you and someone that you connect with. If you come to a point where you begin to believe in your insecurities, ask yourself “What evidence support this insecurity?” More often than not, we find that there is no evidence to support this. Self-acceptance is the first and most important aspect in understanding that anxiety is a real mental illness, that has affected us all, in many different ways. We are all human and we all have different experiences with things in life, anxiety is one such thing. We all experience it differently, what makes us different is what we do to help ourselves. Remember to constantly remind yourself that your feelings, your struggles and whatever you are going through, to experience this anxiety is valid. One key thing to remember that will also help you is to NOT tell yourself that you’re not “allowed” to feel bad for what you are going through because other people have it worse off than you. This is very similar to you telling yourself you are not allowed to be happy because some people are better off than you. Two very false statements, that often people find conflict with because this is what they have been told “this is not a real issue because other people have it so much worse.”

Everyday Anxiety                                        

·      Certain worries such as paying everyday bills, getting a job, or other important life events.

·      Being self-conscious in socially awkward situations or feeling embarrassed in an uncomfortable situation.

·      Sweating before a test, or maybe an important presentation, or some type of significant event.

·      Fear of an object, place or some type of situation that is typically realistic.

·      Sadness, difficulty sleeping, and experiencing anxiety after a traumatic situation.

Anxiety Disorder

·      You are experiencing constant and unsubstantiated worry about things that has been causing SIGNIFICANT impairment in your daily life.

Key word is significant.

·      Completely avoiding social situations for a fear of being negatively judged, humiliated or embarrassed in public or even in general.

·      Panic attacks that happen out-of-the blue with the preoccupation of a gear of having another one.

·      Fear and avoidance of a place object or situation that places little to no danger. As a result, these fears are typically irrational.

·      Nightmares or flashbacks that are recurring. Emotional numbness related to a traumatic event that has happened several months or years ago.

REMEMBER THAT ANXIETY IS A REAL THING AND SEEKING TREATMENT IS OKAY! IT WILL ONLY HELP TO MAKE YOU “OKAY” AGAIN!

Let us come together and help ourselves for a change before we start helping others.