Shallow breathing, racing heart, chest tightening, thoughts going one million miles per minute. Sometimes it stops there while for others it can lead to physically debilitating symptoms making life seem nearly impossible. You may think this is a physical medical condition being discussed, or maybe you understand too well that we are talking about anxiety.
Everyone faces a degree of anxiousness in their life. It might be that you are feeling anxious about finishing a task you started, or maybe going to work when you know you were late yesterday, and the boss is not going to be happy. It could be that you hate large crowds, and you have to be at your best friend’s wedding this weekend, or possibly that you just don’t like making phone calls and it’s time to schedule an appointment. Whatever the cause, anxiety is uncomfortable. It is important to understand that although there is a spectrum of anxiety, all anxiety can cause significant distress and despair in people’s lives. At times we may begin to even lose sight of what a life would be like without this constant level of worry. This is why it is important to understand what anxiety is, how it affects you, and what we can do about it.
All anxiety can cause significant distress and despair
So, what is anxiety? Anxiety is a thought process in which excess worry and tension fill your mind and body creating both mental and physical exhaustion. Anxiety can present as intrusive thoughts that create levels of paranoia-like worry and lead us to avoid situations we might not otherwise.
How does anxiety affect me? Anxiety can affect people in many ways. It is common to have physical side effects – including but not limited to – heart palpitations, shallow or short breathing, increased blood pressure, visual impairment, or sweating. These are often short-term effects but can become more substantial if anxiety begins to take over your life. Anxiety can also affect your day-to-day living. Many people who suffer from intense anxiety avoid things because they are easily worried or overwhelmed by them. This can make it difficult to build strong social and familial relationships, a happy work environment, and activities of self-care such as going to the doctor, getting a haircut, and eating at a restaurant. Active anxiousness often causes us to lose sleep and become increasingly concerned and stressed out about something bad happening. We lose a lot of time being consumed by this feeling.
Anxiety can be overcome
What to do about anxiety? Anxiety is individual to each person and there is not a one size fits all approach in how to deal with it. There are many things that can alleviate anxious symptoms and allow you to take back control of your life. Start first with giving yourself grace and understanding that you are not alone. There are many ways to find reprieve and it is likely that with some guidance you can overcome your anxiety.
If you feel like you’re not in the driver’s seat of your own life – reach out today.
