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What actually is Anxiety?

The feeling of anxiety, we have all felt it before. The feeling of nervousness, worry, unease. The squeezing inside your chest, tightening of your throat and sweaty palms. It's a normal feeling, built into the human mind after millions of years of evolution. Anxiety is there to make us stop and think about situations before we jump head first into them.

But what happens when you start to feel anxious about everything? When it's the first thing you feel when you wake up, and the last thing you feel at night? This is no longer just 'anxiety'. Finding it hard to control your anxiety? Does it disrupt your natural daily life? Then you probably have a type of Anxiety Disorder.

The following examples of anxiety disorders affect people differently, on different scales and severity. Just because someone you know may have it worse than you do, does not mean that your experience with it is any less valid or life altering.

I haven't been able to cover all of the types of Anxiety Disorders in this chapter, but I will be posting more information in the near future about PTSD and Phobia's. Both which are connected to anxiety but are very much conditions in their own right.

The main type of Anxiety Disorder that people have is called-

'Generalised anxiety disorder' or GAD.

GAD is a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event.

People with GAD feel anxious most days and often struggle to remember the last time they felt relaxed. As soon as one anxious thought is resolved, another may appear about a different issue.

The largest misconception people have about mental illnesses such as anxiety is that it is in fact always just 'mental'. There can be physical symptoms too. They vary from person to person, but often include poor sleep and concentration, dizziness and a racing heart.

Another common Anxiety Disorder is-

'Panic Disorder'

This is where you have recurring and regular panic attacks often for no apparent reason. Feelings of anxiety, stress and panic happen at any time.

A panic attack is when your body experiences a rush of intense psychological (mental) and physical symptoms. You may feel fear, apprehension, worry, anxiety along with physical symptoms such as nausea, sweating, trembling and feeling like your heart is beating irregularly (Heart palpitations).

Panic attacks can be very frightening to experience, but it isn't dangerous. You shouldn't have any harm come to your body, and hospital is an unlikely outcome. 

There are many possible causes of this condition, too many to list here. So if you experience panic attacks with anxiety and want to talk to me more about it, then please do!

It's important to be aware that some physical conditions and disorders can have similar symptoms to those of anxiety. For example:

mitral valve prolapse, postural orthostatic tachycardic syndrome (POTS), anemia, paroxysmal atrial tachycardia (episodes of rapid and regular heartbeats that begin and end abruptly), thyrotoxicosis (where large amounts of thyroid hormones are released into the bloodstream, causing rapid heartbeat, sweating, tremor and anxiety), poorly controlled diabetes and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome (causes overproduction of insulin and low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

It is important if you think you have Panic Disorder to see a doctor and get treatment as soon as possible. It is easier to treat if it is caught at an early stage.

The final Disorder is will be covering is-

'Social Anxiety'

Social anxiety disorder (social phobia) is a persistent and overwhelming fear of social situations. It's one of the most common anxiety disorders and it is much more than "shyness" in social situations. People who have social anxiety disorder get intense fear and anxiety over simple everyday activities, such as shopping or speaking on the phone.

Many people sometimes worry about certain social situations, but someone with social anxiety disorder will worry excessively about them before, during and afterwards. They fear doing or saying something they think will be embarrassing or humiliating, such as blushing, sweating or doing something wrong or that draws attention to them.

Social anxiety disorder is a type of complex phobia. This type of phobia has a disruptive or disabling impact on a person's life and can severely affect confidence and self-esteem, interfere with relationships and disrupt performance at work or school.

Social anxiety disorder often starts during childhood or adolescence and tends to be more common in women. It's a recognised disorder that can be effectively treated, so you should see your GP if you think you have it.

There are many signs of social anxiety disorder.

In children they may cry more than usual, freeze, have tantrums, fear going to school and taking part in classroom activities and school performances.

In teens and adults, social anxiety disorder may cause them to have a feeling of dread when thinking about everyday activities, such as- meeting strangers. talking in groups or starting conversations, speaking on the telephone talking to authority figures, working, eating or drinking with company and/ or shopping. They will usually have low self-esteem and feel insecure about their relationships. fear being criticized, avoid eye-to-eye contact, misuse drugs or alcohol to try to reduce their anxiety and suffer from panic attacks

There are also physical symptoms, such as feeling sick, sweating, trembling and heart palpitations. These symptoms often reach a peak before quickly passing. Although these type of symptoms can be alarming, they don't cause any physical harm.

Many people with social anxiety disorder will also have another mental health problem, such as- depression, generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder (as covered above) and post-traumatic stress disorder (which will be covered in a later chapter)

What causes Anxiety Disorders?

This is the big unknown, as every person is different. It could be down to over activity in areas of the brain involved in emotions and behavior. An imbalance of the brain chemicals serotonin and noradrenaline, which are involved in the control and regulation of mood. The genes you inherit from your parents – you're estimated to be five times more likely to develop GAD if you have a close blood relative with the condition.

People with social anxiety disorder often describe their parents as (though not always)- overprotective, not affectionate enough, constantly criticising them and worrying they may do something wrong, overemphasizing the importance of manners and grooming or/ and exaggerating the danger of approaching strangers

It can also be because of a stressful or traumatic experience, such as domestic violence, child abuse or bullying. It is also very common is people who have a long-term health condition.

There are different ways you can treat anxiety, and you should always consult your doctor first. These include a psychological therapy called CBT, which is a talking therapy which helps change the way you think and behave. It isn't as scary as it sounds- trust me on this one. And I would absolutely recommend this as a first stage for those seeking treatment.

If this doesn't work, then there is medication you can take. There is an anti-depressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which helps balance the chemicals in your brain that control how you feel. Taking this does not mean you are depressed! It just so happens that this tablet, originally made for depression, also helps some of those with anxiety.

If you, or someone you know has any of these conditions, please seek help! They can be helped, they can be treated, life can get better.