Causes Of Anxiety And How To Treat It
If you’re feeling anxious, you’re not alone. Anxiety is the most common mental health disorder in the United States, affecting 40 million adults. But what exactly is anxiety, and what can you do to treat it?
In this blog post, we’ll explore the causes of anxiety and some treatment options that can help. By understanding more about anxiety and its triggers, you can take steps to manage your symptoms and feel better. Let’s get started!
Here we talk about the causes of anxiety and how to treat it. Anxiety is a general term for several disorders that cause nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worrying.
These disorders affect how we feel and behave, and they can manifest real physical symptoms.
Mild anxiety is vague and unsettling, while severe anxiety can be extremely debilitating, having a serious impact on daily life
People often experience a general state of worry or fear before confronting something challenging such as a test, examination, recital, or interview.
These feelings are easily justified and considered normal. Anxiety is considered a problem when symptoms interfere with a person’s ability to sleep or otherwise function.
Generally speaking, anxiety occurs when a reaction is out of proportion with what might be normally expected in a situation.
Three possible causes of anxiety
People who had a very anxious parent
This may be genetic but people simply learn behaviour from their parents. Because children learn a lot from observing their parent’s behaviour and emotional reactions, they may learn to be afraid of the same things as their parents.
People with a more sensitive emotional nature who tend to see the world as threatening
Some people are naturally more nervous than others. Others are more biased towards negative thinking and this increases their chances of developing anxiety.
People who have had a difficult childhood
For eg. Sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, over-strictness. The things that have caused them stress in the past can affect them throughout their lives.
Because some people may not have been able to deal with their emotions at the time may become anxious about current situations which may stir up feeling again.
How anxiety can affect an individual
It can affect an individual in ways such as Psychological effects, Physical effects and Behavioral effects. Here are the meanings:
Psychological effects
Unrealistic and/or excessive fear and worry (about past or future events), racing thoughts, pessimistic outlook, fearing the worst, decreased concentration and memory.
In addition, there is indecisiveness, irritability, impatience, anger and confusion, restlessness, feeling on edge and nervousness, tiredness, sleep disturbances, and vivid dreams.
Physical effects
Cardiovascular: palpitations, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, flushing.
Respiratory: hyperventilation, shortness of breath. Neurological: dizziness, headache, sweating, tingling, and numbness.
Gastrointestinal: choking, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, urgent need to use the toilet, diarrhoea, butterfly feelings in the stomach.
Musculoskeletal: muscle aches and pains (especially neck, shoulders, and lower back) restlessness, tremors, and shaking.
Behavioural effects
Obsessive or compulsive behaviour, distress in social situations, phobic behaviour, increased use of alcohol or other drugs to relax or deal with situations.
What is meant by a panic attack
These are sudden attacks of terror usually accompanied by a pounding heart, sweatiness, weakness, faintness or dizziness.
During these attacks, they may feel flushed or chilled. Panic attacks however usually produce a sense of unreality or fear of losing control.
People having the attack feel as though they are having a heart attack, losing their minds or on the verge of death. Some people have intense worry or dread of the next attack.
Moreover, panic attacks can occur at any time even when sleeping. An attack usually peaks within ten minutes but some symptoms last much longer.
When you have regular panic attacks the person may be diagnosed with panic disorder. These are full-blown repeated attacks.
For example, if a panic attack happened in a lift, someone with this disorder may develop a fear of lifts, which can affect the way they run their lives.
Some people’s lives become so restricted they avoid normal activities such as becoming housebound.
When it goes this far it is called panic disorder with agoraphobia. This is a fear that often relates to going out in the open or leaving a safe place.
How a person’s anxiety may affect their friends and family
Relatives and friends may experience a wide range of emotions as living with or around a person that suffers from an anxiety disorder can be difficult.
They can feel distressed at seeing the person overwhelmed by their condition. They are frustrated at not being able to help.
Subsequently, there’s resentment if having to take on the jobs that are usually done by the person and mental exhaustion due to all the worrying about the person.
If a person is avoiding certain situations they may become dependent on others to do errands for them or keep them company.
Likewise, when someone finds staying at home alone difficult they may keep their children at home with them. These restrictions affect family life and can lead to arguments.
What happens in a cycle of negative thinking
1. Negative interpretation of events, situations, objects and other frightening thoughts.
This begins with a negative reaction then intensifies over time.
For eg: a lady called Faiza sits on a bus and some men sit on the same deck that was boisterous with a strong smell of alcohol. The men tried to engage in conversation but she ignored them.
The men eventually got off the bus but her reaction was ‘ that was a close call, I was lucky, I might not be so lucky next time, it was a warning, something bad is bound to happen to me next time, etc.
2. Feelings of anxiety and fearfulness
The negative reaction in stage one leads to some emotional and psychological effects such as excessive worry and racing thoughts.
3. Physical symptoms triggered by anxiety and fearfulness
In the third stage feelings of fear and anxiety start to trigger physical effects, for example, feeling nauseous and faint, a pounding heart, sweating, and difficulty sleeping.
4. Avoidance of event, situation, object and so on that causes symptoms of anxiety
The example in number 1 is the initial reluctance to use public transport to complete avoidance. As a result, this behaviour may fuel further negative thoughts and so the cycle continues.
Three examples of self-help for anxiety
Talking about how one feels
Firstly, talking with a friend or family member about how one feels can often leave a person feeling calmer and more comfortable.
Relaxation techniques
Secondly, daily relaxation techniques have been found very useful in reducing tension for instance techniques such as meditation and deep breathing exercises.
Diary writing
Also writing, a diary can be helpful. Writing down what they are experiencing can be an effective way of gaining a new perspective on the problem, making it easier to deal with.
Three enjoyable activities which may help individual manage causes of anxiety
Going to a spa
These can help people relax, sleep better and cope with the symptoms of anxiety. Yoga, meditation, aromatherapy, massage, reflexology, are some methods that people found to be successful. Check out this post on massage tools if you can’t manage to get to a spa.
During our busy work schedule, my partner and I try to have a spa morning at least once a month. It makes such a difference to your mindset and it feels like you’ve had a mini holiday. I love it!
Going to the cinema
Having an evening out with friends or family to the cinema can help relax people and forget their worries.
Exercise
Going for a walk can burn off adrenalin and reduce physical symptoms of anxiety.
Medical treatments commonly used to treat anxiety problems
Antidepressant medication
To clarify these are usually to treat depression, but they are also used to treat anxiety, panic attacks, and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
The medication known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) are usually preferred in the treatment of anxiety.
Antihistamines
Although antihistamines are usually used to treat rashes and allergies they are also sometimes used to treat anxiety.
This is because they block the action of another neurotransmitter – histamine- that activates the brain causing arousal and anxiety.
Talking treatments commonly used to treat the causes of anxiety
Psychological therapy is a type of treatment that is based upon a person talking with a trained therapist about their experiences and difficulties.
This is usually done on a one-to-one basis but sometimes can be part of a group.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) – recommended for all different types of anxiety disorders. It is also effective for a wide range of other mental health conditions such as depression and eating problems.
CBT teaches people to change unhelpful aspects of how they and what they do. It also encourages positive thinking.
CBT is a shorter form of therapy and usually entails six to twelve sessions and each session lasting for about an hour.
MY TOP 5 ANXIETY BOOKS TO READ
- The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read
- Help with Anxiety: 150 Easy to Read Tips to Cope with and Overcome Anxiety, Worry & Panic
- The Worry Workbook: The Worry Warriors’ Activity Book
- Anxiety Relief for Teens: Essential CBT Skills and Mindfulness Practices to Overcome Anxiety and Stress
- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy