Anxiety
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal emotion, you can feel anxiety when you are going for a job interview, and meeting know people or event meeting your girlfriend’s parents for the first time. This kind of anxiety is normal, and even can be good for you because it makes you preform to your best.
The problems come when you are an anxiety disorder. This is when you are feeling anxious more than normal and it overwhelms your life for example your school work/exams, your life at home and your work life. This kind of anxiety can last weeks, months and even years. This can stop you from having a normal life and cans top you from doing thing you want in life, and stop you from achieving your ambitions.
In Australia, anxiety disorders are common 1 in 25 teenagers from 13 to 17 year olds experience anxiety in any 12-month period, then there are those between 18 and 25 years, the numbers are even higher, at 1 in 10.
The problems come when you are an anxiety disorder. This is when you are feeling anxious more than normal and it overwhelms your life for example your school work/exams, your life at home and your work life. This kind of anxiety can last weeks, months and even years. This can stop you from having a normal life and cans top you from doing thing you want in life, and stop you from achieving your ambitions.
In Australia, anxiety disorders are common 1 in 25 teenagers from 13 to 17 year olds experience anxiety in any 12-month period, then there are those between 18 and 25 years, the numbers are even higher, at 1 in 10.
Types of Anxiety
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is one type of anxiety disorder that happens to about 40 percent of the world’s population about once or twice in a person’s lifetime. It is when you are experiencing a panic attack that is leading to distress and affects your life in a dramatic way, this may happen when there is fear, extreme anxiety, signs of danger etc. Some affects may include sweating, short of breath, pounding heart, dry month and thinking they’re going to collapse, but this will vary from each person. This may last a few minutes up to half an hour. Some people worry about the panic attacks, they have a fear of getting into these situations and not been able to get out of them and not be rescued. Panic attacks can also occur in other anxiety disorders.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is when you are feeling anxiety anything from one month after the distressing experience, like an accident, sexual assault, violence or a natural disaster like a bushfire or flood. You can also experience this when you are having trouble relaxing, having bad dreams of the event or even flashbacks, or avoid activities that remind you of the event.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) exists when you have unwanted thoughts or fears even obsessions that can cause anxiety and behaviours. Some examples of this is constantly washing your hands or washing your clothes, they thoughts these people are having are irrational but the obsessions can return at any time and are hard to resist.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised Anxiety disorder (GAD) is when there is unrealistic and uncontrolled worry about situation like at school, work, relationships or health. To be diagnosed with this disorder you have had to have it most days for at least six months.
Phobias
Specific phobias are excessive horrible feelings about an object or even a situation, like going to events, near animals, or even receiving an injection. You many also have the phobia if you go out of your way to avoid the situation, this can cause excessive distress.
Panic disorder is one type of anxiety disorder that happens to about 40 percent of the world’s population about once or twice in a person’s lifetime. It is when you are experiencing a panic attack that is leading to distress and affects your life in a dramatic way, this may happen when there is fear, extreme anxiety, signs of danger etc. Some affects may include sweating, short of breath, pounding heart, dry month and thinking they’re going to collapse, but this will vary from each person. This may last a few minutes up to half an hour. Some people worry about the panic attacks, they have a fear of getting into these situations and not been able to get out of them and not be rescued. Panic attacks can also occur in other anxiety disorders.
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is when you are feeling anxiety anything from one month after the distressing experience, like an accident, sexual assault, violence or a natural disaster like a bushfire or flood. You can also experience this when you are having trouble relaxing, having bad dreams of the event or even flashbacks, or avoid activities that remind you of the event.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) exists when you have unwanted thoughts or fears even obsessions that can cause anxiety and behaviours. Some examples of this is constantly washing your hands or washing your clothes, they thoughts these people are having are irrational but the obsessions can return at any time and are hard to resist.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder
Generalised Anxiety disorder (GAD) is when there is unrealistic and uncontrolled worry about situation like at school, work, relationships or health. To be diagnosed with this disorder you have had to have it most days for at least six months.
Phobias
Specific phobias are excessive horrible feelings about an object or even a situation, like going to events, near animals, or even receiving an injection. You many also have the phobia if you go out of your way to avoid the situation, this can cause excessive distress.
What to Do When you Feel Anxiety
Staying healthy: You can eat health and nutritious meals, also but staying active/ keeping fit and but getting enough sleep can help with reducing anxiety.
Relating: by relaxing your body you can also reduce anxiety by not being stressed, by calming down and slowing down your body down. You can do this by taking walks, playing a sport with friends, taking yoga or tai chi classes and also by meditation.
Talking: if you are bottling up your feelings it can cause very high levels of anxiety. It is good to talk to someone that you trust like a family or friend to help you sort out your problems. Also if you can talk to professional the person can help and give you some advice.
Alcohol and drugs: some people can turn to drugs and alcohol to make than feel better but in the long run it causes more problems than it helps.
Relating: by relaxing your body you can also reduce anxiety by not being stressed, by calming down and slowing down your body down. You can do this by taking walks, playing a sport with friends, taking yoga or tai chi classes and also by meditation.
Talking: if you are bottling up your feelings it can cause very high levels of anxiety. It is good to talk to someone that you trust like a family or friend to help you sort out your problems. Also if you can talk to professional the person can help and give you some advice.
Alcohol and drugs: some people can turn to drugs and alcohol to make than feel better but in the long run it causes more problems than it helps.
Key Things to Remember
If you are feeling so anxious that it is affecting your day-to-day life, you may have an anxiety disorder and need help to manage it.
It’s important to recognise and treat anxiety problems as early as possible as this can prevent a lifetime of experiencing both anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can be very successful in helping people to manage an anxiety disorder.
Managing your anxiety disorder may take time and there may be good days and not so good ones. Remember that dealing with your anxiety disorder is possible.
Anxiety is not the same as depression, but the two conditions often go together. If you have anxiety and depression, both need to be treated.
It’s important to recognise and treat anxiety problems as early as possible as this can prevent a lifetime of experiencing both anxiety and depression.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can be very successful in helping people to manage an anxiety disorder.
Managing your anxiety disorder may take time and there may be good days and not so good ones. Remember that dealing with your anxiety disorder is possible.
Anxiety is not the same as depression, but the two conditions often go together. If you have anxiety and depression, both need to be treated.
Getting Help
You anxiety can stop you from doing many things that you would have done and getting help is the first step to overcome you anxiety is to see a professional. A doctor is a good place to start to understand your anxiety and start to control it. Your doctor may refer you to a specialist that specializes into anxiety and they can help you. For some disorders your doctor may prescribe you with some medication to help control your anxiety, most common anxiety that medication is prescribed for is obsessive compulsory disorder (OCD).