Anxiety is a mental health condition, which can be pretty common but profoundly impacts life. With over 300 million people globally who have an anxiety disorder, the WHO puts it clearly, making it a world problem that requires some form of attention and understanding. In this article, how anxiety occurs and goes on to disturb our lives will be explained.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the normal emotional response to stress or perceived danger. When anxiety continues, becomes intense, and interferes with everyday life, it is then considered a disorder. Excessive and persistent worry, as in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Panic Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder, is severely impairing.
How Anxiety Interferes With Our Lives:
Anxiety can penetrate even the most personal parts of life, among them being:
1. Physical Health
Long-term anxiety causes anemia, headaches, digestive disorders, and sometimes even chronic conditions. The stress of anxiety often results in a fight-or-flight reaction that, when they are recurring, can damage the body.
2. Relationships
Anxiety may cause miscommunication and tension between personal and professional relationships. It can lead to retraction, avoidance, and irritability in response, creating a barrier to establishing quality relationships.
3. Working and Productivity
Generally, anxiety sufferers cannot concentrate and perform much. Fear of failure and negative judgment can cause procrastination
(delay). In extreme cases, this can also contribute to losing one’s job.
4. Psychological or Mental Health
People living with anxiety are constantly fighting against feelings of powerlessness, guilt, or shame. Such feelings can further worsen mental health issues and contribute to a condition such as depression.
Prevalence of Anxiety Disorders Throughout the World:
Recent surveys estimate that there are now nearly 4% sufferers globally, and with anxiety being a common mental condition, many areas are having to combat the factors affecting this high majority rate including cultural stigma, lack of access to mental health care, and socioeconomic pressures.
Managing Anxiety Properly
Well, anxiety does not have an easy management process. These are a few effective ones:
Therapy Counseling: Cognitive behavioral therapy is always the best therapy for negative thinking patterns.
Medication: In the worst cases of anxiety, antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications have been used.
Lifestyle Changes: Regular exercise and proper nutrition coupled with satisfactory rest can reduce anxiety attacks.
Mindfulness and relaxation techniques: meditation, yoga, deep breathing, which make the mind and body calm.
Community Support: Support groups or discussions of feelings with trusted individuals help the feeling of aloneness.
conclusion
Anxiety is more than “feeling stressed.” Its impact is much further reaching in what it can do to mess with people’s lives. Fortunately, though, there is increasing education and support that will enable those affected by anxiety to live healthy and happy lives. If you or someone you care for is struggling with anxiety, seek help-there is hope available to you.
