What you should know about Anxiety

Mental health is one of the most taboo topics in modern day society. Many people are yet to understand the concept of it, regardless of the millions of people suffering everyday from over 200 classified forms of mental illnesses. One of the more common of these illnesses is anxiety.

Anxiety

Anxiety is a general term for a number of disorders that cause nervousness, apprehension, fear and worry. Everyone gets anxious now and then, whether its because you have to make a class presentation, youre apprehensive about the weather and even afraid to fail or take examinations, but anxiety disorders are different and can prevent people from having a normal day to day life as it affects what they do daily with a constant overwhelming feeling of fear and worry, usually being irrational. These disorders can affect a persons emotional state which can manifest into physical symptoms such as :

Muscle tension

Nausea

Dry mouth

Uneasiness

Dizziness

Heart palpitations

Sleeping problems

Shortness of breath

Restlessness.

Researchers are yet to pinpoint the exact cause for anxiety, but like other forms of mental illness, they derive from a combination of things such as changes in the brain, environmental stress and in some cases, it is genetic. There are a few types of anxiety disorders, two common ones being Social Anxiety Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder (or social phobia) is the fear of interaction with other people that induces self-consciousness, being negatively judged, feeling inadequate or inferior compared to others and even fearing embarrassment and humiliation. These often results in avoidance.
Some causes of Social Anxiety Disorder may include :

Being introduced to other people

Being teased or criticized

Being the centre of attention

Being watched while doing something

Meeting people in authority

Social encounters with strangers

Interpersonal relationships

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (or GAD) is characterized by exaggerated anxiety and worry about everyday life events with no obvious or rational reasons. People with symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder tend to always anticipate disaster and worry about health, money, family, work, or school. Everyday life becomes a constant state of uneasiness and fear. Eventually, the anxiety can dominate the person's thinking which then interferes with daily functioning making normal life almost impossible. Environmental factors that contribute to generalized anxiety disorder can range from changing of work/school and death of a loved one to divorce and abuse.

Some symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder may include :

Excessive, exaggerated worry

Unrealistic view of problems

Irritability

Sweating

Difficulty concentrating

Frequent urination

Trembling

Easily startled

At the end of the day, we are all human, we deserve happiness and love as much as anyone else. We deserve to be treated fairly and not as if we are broken and need to be fixed. Anxiety does not make anyone less of a human being than anyone else. We are just beautiful people who cannot control our own thoughts.

Questions that can help someone with anxiety :

How do you deal with your anxiety?

Some people use grounding methods, if you do, what do you use as your grounding methods?

Do you have triggers, or are attacks random?

How does it affect your daily life at school/work?

How does this impact on romantic relationship / casual friendships?

Are you judged for having anxiety?

Do you hide your anxiety or embrace it?

Do you have support of family/friends?

If you can tell your anxiety one thing (one sentence or one word) what would it be?

What people with anxiety want you to know

https://www.realsimple.com/health/dealing-with-anxiety

Understanding Generalized Anxiety Disorder

https://adaa.org/understanding-anxiety/generalized-anxiety-disorder-gad

Understanding Social Anxiety

http://www.youper.co/understanding-social-anxiety-ultimate-guide

Some ways to cope with anxiety

https://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/emotional-health/ten-ways-to-cope-with-anxiety