The Cause of Anxiety:
Understanding Opens the Door to Recovery
Understanding the cause of anxiety will help you more than you
realize. It is through this understanding that you will be able to
personalize the skills to meet your own needs in your own recovery
journey.
What causes anxiety?
Believe it or not, too much stress is the cause of anxiety!
By keeping your stress in check, you will keep your anxiety at
bay!
According to
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, anxiety is defined as
:
"A painful or apprehensive uneasiness of mind usually over an
impending or anticipated ill : fearful concern or interest : an
abnormal and overwhelming sense of apprehension and fear often
marked by physiological signs (as sweating, tension, and increased
pulse), by doubt concerning the reality and nature of the threat,
and by self-doubt about one's capacity to cope with it"
Anxiety has physical and emotional symptoms that can be very
uncomfortable. Many times
anxiety symptoms are scary, especially if you don't understand
what is going on inside you, and this can be the trigger for the
Fight or Flight Response.
The cause of anxiety can also trigger the stress response
in the body. Also known as the stress response, this is when the
body gets ready to protect itself by either fighting or
fleeing. Fight or Flight is a normal and a very helpful
response to real external threats. However, this response is
not helpful when you are in situations that are not
dangerous or threatening. When we feel the effects of the
fight or flight response, we automatically assume there is a
real threat and when we realize that there is no actual
threat around us , we then fear that something is wrong
inside of us. This is when fear becomes internalized and we
began to fear there is something wrong with our bodies or
minds. It is important to learn the 3 different levels to
the
fight
or flight response.
At one time, fight or flight was a much needed survival
mechanism. It prepared individuals to fight or run from external
threats in order to survive. Today, there isn't as much a need for
this built in survival tool, but for many, fight or flight is still
triggered by false threats that are started in our imagination. No
matter how we look at it, the inappropriate activation of the stress
response can have negative physiological and psychological effects.
What is an anxiety disorder?
Although anxiety is a common emotion along with fear, anger,
sadness, and happiness; When anxiety is chronic and interferes with
the ability to cope with everyday life, it is considered to be a
disorder.
There are 5 major types of anxiety disorders and each one has
specific characteristics of their own.
1.
Panic Disorder with or without
Agoraphobia
2.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
3.
Social Anxiety Disorder
4.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
5.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Symptoms of Anxiety - This section goes over the
many different symptoms of anxiety. These are the
most common, however, you may experience something
different that is not listed here.
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