Here’s a cold hard fact: more than 3.4 million Australians suffer from anxiety disorder, making it the most common form of mental disorder in the country. So if you feel like you’re experiencing anxiety, know that you are not alone, and there are ways to help you navigate your way through it—from going to anxiety therapy to getting the support of family and friends.
But while it seems like anxiety is already a well-known condition, a lot of us don’t actually understand it well yet. So if you’re one of the millions of Australians who suffer from anxiety, this is your guide to knowing this condition and navigating your way successfully through this journey.
Understanding Anxiety and Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety is part of being human. Whenever you’re put in new or uncomfortable situations like going on a job interview, being scared of something, or just feeling stressed, your body responds by letting you feel anxious. In fact, anxiety is good for you at a certain threshold. When you feel anxious, your body activates its “flight or fight” response, which allows you to respond to a certain situation. Anxiety even plays a role in people being able to lift heavy objects or do extraordinary things under stressful events.
But when anxiety gets out of hand, it begins to take over your daily life and even lead to worse complications. Anxiety disorder happens when you already feel excessive and intense anxiety that you find hard to control. If anxiety starts to affect your life, you need to make sure that you seek medical attention right away before things get worse.
Anxiety has several symptoms, and it’s very important to be aware of them to know exactly when you need help:
- A constant feeling of fear, worry, and dread even when there’s no real reason to feel this way.
- Difficulty in dealing with emotions, including restlessness, irritability, and even the inability to focus on important things.
- Behavioral changes that affect daily living, including isolating yourself, avoiding people, cutting off relationships with family and friends, and going to extreme measures to get rid of stressors that trigger anxiety.
- Physical symptoms like shortness of breath, constant palpitations, insomnia, nausea, dry mouth, cold hands, and numbness in certain parts of the body.
Anyone can be at risk for anxiety disorders, but some individuals are more predisposed to these conditions, including:
- A history of anxiety or any other mental health conditions in the family.
- A history of trauma due to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse during childhood or adulthood, especially those that have been unresolved or not addressed properly by professional help.
- The existence of other mental health conditions that increase the risk for developing anxiety disorder as a complication.
- Inherent behavioral traits like being an introvert or withdrawn, which put an individual at a higher risk for anxiety.
- Chronic stress due to different life circumstances such as heavy workload, family issues, or financial problems. It could also stem from significant life events such as major life changes or death that trigger anxiety.
- Long-term alcohol or substance abuse often leads to feelings of anxiety.
Coping with Anxiety
While anxiety can really become overwhelming at some point, it doesn’t have to define your life. In fact, there are many ways to cope with it and make sure that you get your normal life back:
- Seek therapy.
Whether you’re just starting to feel more anxious or have suffered from anxiety disorders for a long time, you can never go wrong with seeking professional help from a therapist. Going to therapy doesn’t only give you an avenue to communicate your feelings and experiences that might be triggering the anxiety, but it also gives you the opportunity to really pinpoint the root of the problem so it can be addressed more effectively.
- Make little changes to your lifestyle.
Sometimes, anxiety is triggered just because you forget to take good care of yourself. Whether it’s being overworked or living an unhealthy lifestyle, sometimes all it takes are little changes to feel more positive and less anxious about your life. For instance, you can start exercising or playing sports again to let those anxious feelings out and get the endorphins in your body. You can also practice better time management at work so you can keep yourself from being burned out.
- Build and strengthen relationships.
When you’re always anxious and stressed, it affects your social life so much that you tend to withdraw yourself from the people you love. It could be from family, friends, or colleagues. Having these relationships is vital to keeping your mental health well. So if it has been a long time since you really talked to your family, enjoyed a night out with friends, or just had fun with colleagues, go ahead and do that again. Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to and give you the support that you need as you navigate your way out of anxiety.
- Get medication if necessary.
When you work with a therapist, you’ll be assessed thoroughly and diagnosed according to your signs and symptoms. In some instances, medication may be required with therapy to ensure that you can stay in the right direction during your journey to healing and recovery. Antidepressants and anxiolytics, or anti-anxiety medications, are often prescribed by doctors to help deal with the symptoms of anxiety, such as extreme worry and panic attacks. In some cases, beta blockers may also be prescribed, especially if you’re experiencing physical symptoms related to anxiety, such as extreme shaking, blushing, and rapid palpitations. These medications should only be taken when prescribed by your doctor, however, which is why it’s very important to seek medical consultation right away.
Anxiety is a common mental health condition that affects millions of people around the world. Some people are even robbed of their futures because of it. But you don’t have to let it take over your life because you can always find ways to navigate your way through it successfully. Get in touch with us to start this journey today.
