Anxiety

Feelings of anxiety are common in response to a range of stressors in life, whether it be within our relationships, at home, school, work, or any other situation when under high pressure. Although we may all experience feelings of stress daily, people suffering from anxiety experience more intense feelings, physical sensations, emotions, behavioural changes and worry thoughts that last long periods of time. Sometimes these feelings result in a range of panic attack symptoms that feel frightening and out of control for people.

Although anxiety can be a natural reaction to stressful situations many people feel anxiety to such an extent that it interferes with everyday life. Anxiety can be a serious condition that makes it hard to cope with daily life and can contribute to other mental health issues.

Common symptoms of anxiety are:

Finding it hard not to worry
Feeling restless
Having trouble relaxing or sleeping
Having trouble concentrating
Getting frustrated
Feeling your heart racing

It’s common to have some of these symptoms from time to time, but if you’re feeling a lot of these symptoms and it’s making it hard for you to get on with your daily life, it might be time to find ways to deal with anxiety. There are many types of anxiety disorders such as acute stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive disorder and panic attacks.

Generalised Anxiety Disorder

Generalised anxiety is worry about everyday life events with no obvious cause, or the fear and worry experienced is out of proportion to the situation. People with generalized anxiety tend to expect the worst, have difficulty or preoccupied worry about things such as health, finances, family, relationships, work, and school. These negative feelings tend to take over, to the point where fear affect the daily functioning of the person and often leads to burnout or chronic avoidance, or procrastination.

Social Anxiety (also called Social Phobia)

Social anxiety is a form of anxiety where a person feels afraid of social situations. The person experiences intense nervousness and self-consciousness that stems from a fear of being judged as inadequate or criticized by others. A person with social anxiety might be afraid that he or she will look silly, appear not smart or interesting enough, make mistakes, look bad, be embarrassed, or humiliated in front of others. The intensity of the anxiety can build into a panic attack and the feeling like one needs to leave the social situation.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive compulsive disorder is when anxious thoughts have undue influence on behaviour. It is common to have thoughts occasionally that perhaps you left the front door unlocked which may lead you to check the door to ensure its locked . However, if a thought becomes obsessive it can influence unhealthy patterns of behaviour that are compulsive and cause significant difficulties in daily functioning. An intrusive or unwanted thought like ‘I’ve left the door unlocked’ can lead to repetitive checking that can interfere with daily life or stop someone from leaving the house. People with obsessive compulsive disorder often perform rituals and habits like cleaning checking or seeking reassurance.