Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety is a common condition that can be debilitating for those who experience it. Left unchecked, it can impact every area of your life and prevent you from enjoying the things you love most.
For those who struggle with mild to moderate anxiety, there are strategies you can implement that may help. Whether you’re dealing with everyday worries or something more severe, we are here to help!
Defining Anxiety and its Symptoms
For some, anxiety is an ever-present feeling that permeates everyday life. Feeling anxious when faced with situations that carry heavy emotional or physical stakes is perfectly normal. Sometimes, anxiety can become more consistent and pronounced in our daily lives, impacting everything we do.
Symptoms of anxiety can be physical, emotional, and behavioral. On a physical level, you might experience a racing heartbeat, excessive sweating, lightheadedness, chest pains, fatigue, or a loss of appetite.
Emotional symptoms include nervousness, excessive worrying, fearfulness, crying, trouble sleeping, intrusive or obsessive thoughts, and difficulty concentrating.
Behavioral anxiety symptoms might include an inability to maintain relationships, irritability, avoidance of people or places that trigger anxiety, or compulsive behavior.
The Different Types of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety manifests differently for everyone and could stem from any number of causes. Here are the main types of anxiety disorders:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Often described as chronic anxiety, characterized by excessive worry, even when there is no apparent cause.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Characterized by intrusive, persistent thoughts and obsessive, ritualistic, or repetitive behaviors, such as hand washing, cleaning, touching things, counting, or doing a series of things in a specific order. If the person does not accomplish the task, it causes more anxiety; but even if they do, the relief is only temporary.
Panic Disorder
People with panic disorder experience intense and often unexplained episodes of intense fear along with physical symptoms, which can be severe.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
When an individual is exposed to a highly traumatic incident, it can manifest as PTSD, causing them to relive the event or act out violently.
Social Anxiety
Some people experience overwhelming anxiety in everyday social situations. It could be limited to one type of behavior, such as eating in front of others, or it could be more generalized, coming on anytime they are around other people.
Coping With Anxiety
If you think you are experiencing any of the above conditions, do not hesitate to seek professional help from your doctor or therapist. Timely intervention can give you the answers and relief you need to get back to enjoying life again.
Anxiety can be overwhelming and exhausting, especially when you experience it daily. It’s important to remember that you’re not alone. The mental health team here at Sankofa Health in Laurel, Maryland, genuinely cares for your wellbeing, and we want to help.
It is important to get assessed so we can understand what type of anxiety you’re dealing with and how severely it’s impacting your life. From there, we can devise a care strategy that could include therapy, medication, and wellness activities. Recognizing what triggers your anxiety is critical and will inform your treatment plan.
Book an appointment today, and look forward to brighter days ahead.