Understanding and Dealing with Anxiety: From Symptoms to Coping

Anxiety may be defined as your body’s response to stress. We experience anxiety on a day-to-day basis. The intensity might vary from one person to another, and the feeling might be similar to that of some fear, constant worry, overthinking, etc.  Around 284 million people faced anxiety in the year 2017, among which the majority percentage was that of females. Females have a higher tendency to experience anxiety as compared to males.

Having feelings of nervousness or anxiousness is normal as everyone experiences them. Still, it becomes a problem when the intensity increases, and it starts to interfere with your normal routine functioning and physiological and psychological well-being.

Anxiety Disorder may be a result of genetic, environmental, psychological, or developmental factors. Life experiences and traumatic events also trigger anxiety. Medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, drug abuse/withdrawal, etc., can also lead to anxiety.

The most common symptoms are:

• Disturbed sleep cycle.
• Rapid Breathing.
• Difficulty in controlling negative thoughts and constant feelings of worry.
• Constant feeling of nervousness, tension, restlessness.
• Increased heart rate and sweating.
• Experiencing constant feelings of fear and doom.
• Increased irritability and difficulty in concentrating.
• Feeling of always being “on edge."

How to deal with it?

Relaxation Techniques: Exercise, yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc., can help in calming the body and mind and thus can alleviate the symptoms.

Support Groups: Interacting and meeting with people who have coped with the same problem and are supportive can also help deal with anxious thoughts. This can be done online as well as in person.

Healthy Lifestyle: Try and maintain a healthy lifestyle, including having a properly balanced diet, a proper sleep schedule, and avoiding substance use like smoking or alcohol.

Accept and Acknowledge: Accept your emotions and thoughts, don’t push them away. Acknowledge how you really feel, address the source, and stay open.

Learn about the Triggers: Make a note of what triggers your anxiety? Is it a person, your workplace, family, friends, or something else? Identify the source.

Journaling: Writing down your thoughts can soothe anxiety. Write down what bothers you if you can’t share it with someone. Make a timetable to avoid procrastination.

Seek Professional Help or Therapy: If you feel that the symptoms you are experiencing are severe, difficult to manage, and out of your control. Seek medical help.