Anxiety, the word itself can elicit a physical response. It can be described as an emotion, a physical sensation, a biological response, and simply a sense of being. Anxiety is a primal survival necessity, and has evolved with us throughout time. It can be a short-term state of mind, or a long-term state of being. For some people anxiety is what you feel before a big test or presentation, for others it’s a little more frequent and stays around longer, and then for some anxiety is a dirty word. It’s something that plagues their everyday life, changes the way they do things, and causes very real physical as well as emotional symptoms.
Although anxiety is a necessary part of survival, it can often become a horrible burden, altering all aspects of daily life. Of course, we all feel stressed out and worried at times for various reasons. But the primary component of the most common anxiety disorder (generalized anxiety disorder) is excessive anxiety and worry about a number of events or activities (APA, 2013).
Those who struggle with anxiety experience symptoms ranging from “butterflies” in the stomach or hands, to intrusive thoughts, and even heart palpitations.
When your worry and anxiety become out of proportion to the situation, and you find it interfering with daily tasks and your ability to concentrate, then it may be time to seek some support.
Some quick anxiety facts:
- Affects more women than men
- More prevalent in low-income populations
- Occurs throughout life
- Accounts for 110 million disability days/year in the US (APA, 2013)
Common symptoms include:
- Muscle tension
- Fatigue
- Disturbed sleep
- Difficulty concentrating
- Irritability
- Abdominal pain
The brain is an amazing organ that can process emotion, danger, and information in an instant. However, when there is an imbalance of any aspect of the brain and its function, it can alter an individual in countless ways for an entire lifetime. It is truly amazing that science has been able to discover how the brain processes and uses something as complex as anxiety. But at the same time, science is unable to tell us exactly how to prevent it from becoming uncontrollable. We are so close, yet so far away.
Does that make you anxious?
By Katherine Biggs, MSCP
References
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders
(5th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing.