Human is a pack of various positive and negative emotions like happy, fear, excitement, worry and frustration etc. These are inborn and natural in all beings. But sometimes these emotions may go beyond their limit and may disturb our psychological equilibrium resulting in many mental ailments. Among many such problems, anxiety disorders are the most common particularly among the teens and youngsters.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an intense feeling of unease, fear and worry.
A small amount of it can be useful. Feeling anxious about a job interview can motivate you to recheck your resume, look up information about the company, and prepare yourself for the interview. Feeling anxious about the arrival of a new baby might motivate you to take parenting classes, build a support network of experienced parents, and stay alert once the baby arrives. Being anxious about your surroundings can keep you out of a dangerous situation.
But even feeling anxious even stress is removed, is a sign of anxiety disorder.
Anxiety Causes
Psychologists aren’t sure of the exact cause, it’s likely that a combination of factors like…
- stress
- environmental concerns, such as child abuse
- first degree relatives with generalized anxiety disorder
- substance use
- situations such as surgery or occupational hazard
- other medical issues such as depression and diabetes
It’s also believed that anxiety stems from the ares of the brain controlling storage and retrieval of emotional and fear-related memories.
Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety feels different depending on the person experiencing it. Feelings can range from butterflies in your stomach to a racing heart. You might feel out of control like there’s a disconnect between your mind and body.
Symptoms of anxiety can include:
- anxious thoughts or beliefs that are difficult to control
- restlessness
- trouble concentrating
- difficulty falling asleep
- fatigue
- irritability
- dizziness
- tiredness
- heart palpitations
- muscle aches and tensions
- shaking
- dry mouth
- excessive sweating
- stomachache
- headache
- insomnia (lack of sleep)
Anxiety Treatment
we can not treat within days unlike body related ailments as the anxiety is a complex psychological disequilibrium. Based on the signs and symptoms you experience, it can be treated as..
Self-treatment: Self- care steps that may be helpful in some less- serious cases:
- Exercise daily
- Maintain a positive attitude
- Get enough sleep
- Learn what triggers anxiety and alleviating it
- Eat well
- Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga
- Stop smoking and consumption of caffeinated drinks
See a doctor if you notice:
- If it is interfering with daily activities
- It after a previous history of anxiety
- The anxiety is accompanied by insomnia
- Depression is evident
See a doctor immediately if you notice:
- Suicidal thoughts
- That you are having a panic attack
How to prevent (Overcome) Anxiety?
Level of anxiety may vary based on the age of an individual, the preventive approach is tailored different for the children and adults.
Children and teens
It’s not known why anxiety develops in children and teenagers. But there are excellent public health approaches that work to prevent the disorder, and they include:
- suicide prevention
- domestic violence prevention
- youth violence prevention
- child abuse prevention
- mental health programs
As parents, you can communicate openly and honestly with your child while ensuring they’re making healthy decisions.
In addition, in cases of children and teens experiencing in response to something happening within their family or in their home, it’s a good idea to get family therapy. This is important especially because children and teens may not find it so easy to talk about their feelings or be aware of their anxiety.
Adults
There are many ways to prevent…
- Avoidance. Avoiding people, places, and situations can lessen your stress and anxiety. But this would be a short-term strategy. In the long term, it’s better if you get treatment so you no longer need to avoid a trigger.
- Stress management and mindfulness. Practicing stress management and mindfulness prevents strain.
- Restrict caffeine. Caffeine can worsen symptoms.
- Support groups. Speaking with others is an opportunity to share coping strategies and experiences.
- Therapy. Speaking with a therapist can help you develop more effective ways to cope with fears and stress that lead to anxiety.
- Speak with a doctor about your medications. Regularly speaking with a doctor about your medications’ dosing, effectiveness, and side effects ensures any health condition is treated adequately and monitored for any possible anxiety-related side effects.
Outlook
You can treat your it with medication, psychotherapy, or a combination of the two.
Although anxiety usually doesn’t go away, you can learn to manage it and live a happy, healthy life.