I really view anxiety as a silent cause of internal suffering.
And I don't take that lightly when I say that at all.
Some communities do not view anxiety as something that needs to be dealt with or treated... and some people forget that anxiety can be a BIG indicator that someone is suffering from a deeper mental health issue... this is why I feel it is important to firstly recognise anxiety and inform those how to identify and deal with it while it is at a mild level.
Someone reading this today could have lived their life thinking that the levels of stress and anxiety they live under is normal... when it may not be...
This is to help anyone who may feel they are showing signs of anxiety and are unsure whether they should seek help or carry out therapies at home.
In 2013 the mental health foundation determined that there were 8.2million cases of Anxiety in the UK. & it is predicted at least 10% of people in the UK will suffer from anxiety at one stage in their lives.
There are different levels to anxiety, and not all are directly connected to depression, even though anxiety & depression are two of the highest mental health disorders that people suffer with in the UK.
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe.
These are feelings that everybody experiences at one point in time, you may feel worried about a job interview, or anxious about a medical test or exam.
Anxiety becomes a problem when it no longer comes at times like this where it's normal, but instead presents itself during daily activities, becoming more frequent and therefore a person may feel uneasy more constantly throughout their day.
Anxiety can affect a persons way of thinking, & can slowly change their perception on their life and surroundings:
- Anxiety has an ability to literally alter your reality
- Anxiety makes you overthink, causing increased paranoia
We've done the broad talk, now lets get more specific...
Anxiety could be a main indicator of conditions such as PTSD (Post - dramatic stress disorder), Panic Disorder, Social anxiety disorder (Social phobia) or Generalised Anxiety disorder (GAD)
This Blog post is to help those who may feel they have GAD. However, above are links to information pages on these other types of conditions where anxiety is a main function.
Generalised Anxiety disorder is a long-term condition that causes you to feel constant feelings of anxiety about a large amount of issues.
A person with this disorder is never relaxed and is usually highly stressed. The person always feels anxious and situations never feel resolved.
Basically... someone who suffers from GAD can never seem to catch a break...
GAD causes someone to feel on edge all the time... even in situations that they once may not have worried about such as seeing family and friends or going to work, someone may start to avoid situations like this in order to avoid the feelings of anxiety...
GAD symptoms also includes:
Consistent tiredness
Issues with concentrating
Easily irritated
Increased aches and pains
Reduced sleeping (e.g. difficulty falling /staying asleep/ restless sleep)
If these feelings of worry prolongs for longer than 6 months... then you may have GAD.
GAD shows signs of moderate and severe anxiety which starts to affect your physical being, this may affect your confidence, your ability to think rationally, your emotional state, sleeping pattern, breathing pattern. All of which makes it harder it function in high stress/ high pressure situations.
This is part of the reason as to why I said that I view anxiety as a silent cause of internal suffering, As these are symptoms that not everyone will recognise to be anxiety... and therefore could result in social isolation instead of treatment.
If you feel like you are showing signs of Anxiety while reading through this post, I would advice you to read through the NHS website on Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD). where you can find out what the best help is suited to your needs and priorities.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/generalised-anxiety-disorder/treatment/
As well as this you can contact Anxiety UK (anxietyuk.org.uk):
03444 775 774Â 07537 416 905 (text)
Dealing with your Anxiety
RELAX, RELAX, RELAX.
If you do not meditate, start.
Find what makes you happy.
Go and see your GP to find out about relevant therapies to you (click the link to be redirected to the NHS psychological therapist service)
Healthy coping mechanisms... DO not depend on another person to ease your anxiety
Increase regular exercise
Cut down on smoking / alcohol consumption
I hope this blog post helped someone who may not really understand why they have been feeling increased levels of stress, overthinking and paranoia in their daily lives... The problems that this can bring can just be a gateway to further issues... so let's encourage each other to deal with overlooked mental health issues such as Anxiety, that is usually an indicator of something more serious.
By Shiroe Zita
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