Nowadays, most of us have experienced anxiety. Anxiety is a normal emotion for us, human, as it is the brain’s way of reacting to stress and worry. Everyone feels anxious now and then, and I'm not excluded from experiencing this challenging feeling. Back then, I would always feel anxious whenever I'm around people that used to give me hard times/mistreated me. I always told myself that it's fine & tried to shake it off, but it never worked in my favor. At times, I would avoid meeting them or just run away from the meetings because it was unbearable & I felt like my breath was shortened. Even getting their messages or phone calls made me feel uncomfortable & wanted to throw my phone across the room. But eh those were some of the noticeable signs that I experienced.
Usually, people with anxiety experience symptoms of more than one type of anxiety condition, and may experience depression as well. It's important to seek support early if you're experiencing anxiety. Your symptoms may not go away on their own and if left untreated, they can start to take over your life. The most common type of anxiety is generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). GAD happens when a person feels anxious on most days & worrying about lots of different things for a period of six months or more. This anxiety is less intense than a panic attack, but much longer lasting, making normal life difficult and relaxation impossible. Generalized anxiety disorder is mentally and physically exhausting. It drains your energy, interferes with sleep, and wears your body out. If you have GAD you may worry about the same things that other people do, but you take these worries to a new level. These phenomenon explains why people with anxiety usually feel tired right after experiencing a situation that makes them feel anxious. You can’t turn off your anxious thoughts. They keep running through your head, on endless repeat. But no matter how overwhelming things seem now, you can break free from chronic worrying, learn to calm your anxious mind, and regain your sense of hope.
Emotional Symptoms of GAD include:
- Constant worries running through your head
- Feeling like your anxiety is uncontrollable; there is nothing you can do to stop the worrying
- Intrusive thoughts about things that make you anxious; you try to avoid thinking about them, but you can’t
- An inability to tolerate uncertainty; you need to know what’s going to happen in the future
- A pervasive feeling of apprehension or dread
Behavioral symptoms of GAD include:
- Inability to relax, enjoy quiet time, or be by yourself
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing on things
- Putting things off because you feel overwhelmed
- Avoiding situations that make you anxious
Physical symptoms of GAD include:
- Feeling tense; having muscle tightness or body aches
- Having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because your mind won’t quit
- Feeling edgy, restless, or jumpy
- Stomach problems, nausea, diarrhea
However, you're not guaranteed to be diagnosed with GAD if you're experiences most of the symptoms, as they need to reoccur for months throughout your life. So, if you experienced some of the symptoms, consider them as the early warnings, as we could manage to reduce & diminish this anxiety feeling of ours.
Now, let me share some self-help tips to reduce the anxiety feeling that are easy for us to execute. First off, build a strong support system. Human beings are social creatures. We’re not meant to live in isolation. A strong support system doesn’t necessarily mean a vast network of friends. It could be a few small circles of friends, or even family members that you trusted the most. Don’t underestimate the benefit of a few people you can trust and count on to be there for you. If you don't have one, then I guess now is the best time to work for it :)
Talk it out when your worries start spiraling. If you start to feel overwhelmed with anxiety, meet with a trusted family member or friend. Just talking face to face about your worries can make them seem less threatening. Plus, it would make you feel much better, too! You don't have to keep everything by yourself and be scared of what people has to say about the way you're thinking or feeling. Whatever you're feeling is real and normal, and you don't need to believe their self made validation to tell you otherwise.
Know who to avoid when you’re feeling anxious. Your anxious take on life may be something you learned when you were growing up. Eventhough that person is actually your family member or one of your closest friends, if they are not that kind of person that would make you feel much better after telling them something, or the responses that they often give are not helping you much, it's better for you to find others as your listening partner. When considering who to turn to, ask yourself whether you tend to feel better or worse after talking to that person about a problem.
Be aware that having anxiety can get in the way of your ability to connect with others. Anxiety and constant worrying can leave you feeling needy and insecure, and even causing problems in your relationships. Think about the ways you tend to act when you’re feeling anxious, especially anxious about a relationship. Once you’re aware of any anxiety-driven relationship patterns, you can look for better ways to deal with any fears or insecurities you’re feeling.
Practice some physical activities, aside from exercise regularly everyday, there are a few relaxing techniques that worth trying. The most common one would be deep breathing technique. Lose your eyes, inhale some fresh air for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds and exhale slowly in the count of 5. I often practice this technique whenever I feel anxious, and it definitely helped me out a lot. Light stretching also helps you to reduce the feeling of anxiety, as it relaxes some of your tense body muscles. Last but not least, try to avoid anxiety-inducing habits. Some of the anxiety-inducing habits include overconsumption of caffeine or alcohol, lacking quality sleep & unhealthy eating.
It can be challenging and frustrating to live with an anxiety disorder. The constant worry and fear can make you feel tired and scared. If you’ve talked to a doctor about your symptoms, then you’ve taken the first step toward letting go of the worry. It can take some time to find the right treatment that works for you. If you have more than one anxiety disorder, you may need several kinds of treatment. For most people with anxiety disorders, a combination of medicine and counseling is best. With proper care and treatment, you can learn how to manage your symptoms and thrive. But, if you're not planning on meeting doctor, I hope you could practice some of the tips that I shared here. Anxiety can make you feel so overwhelmed that you have trouble doing your daily activities. Take a deep breath and take one baby step at a time. You got this.
Stay strong!
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