What Is Anxiety and How Does It Impact Your Quality of Life?
Anxiety is greatly misunderstood within the general population. Not only is it confused with panic disorders, but many people don’t take it seriously because they think people with anxiety are overreacting. However, it is a real mental health issue that should be taken seriously.
So here’s what you need to know about anxiety and how it affects a person’s way of life.
What Is Anxiety?
Before you consider admitting yourself to anxiety treatment los angeles, you should consider if you actually have anxiety. It is a persistent state of worry or excessive amounts of fear when there is no reason to. It has a debilitating impact on a person’s daily life, making it difficult for them to navigate through it. One in thirteen people actually deal with anxiety, so it’s pretty common and more people should be talking about it.
What Are The Symptoms Of Anxiety?
They can vary from person to person, but there are some commonalities. Some of the most common physical symptoms include increased heart rate, insomnia, nausea, feeling weak/tired, panic attacks, and hyperventilation. The most common mental symptoms include low mood, depression, feeling tense or irritable, constantly worrying about things, needing reassurance from other people, experiencing a sense of impending danger, and depersonalization (a form of disassociation where you don’t feel connected to yourself).
Types Of Anxiety
People can be fearful of things, which isn’t the same as anxiety. There are several different forms of anxiety that a person can experience. Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common, and involves feeling anxious or worried most of the time, involving not just one issue. Social anxiety is an intense fear related to social situations or performing in front of other people. Panic disorder involves recurring and unexpected panic attacks, resulting in hyperventilation, dizziness, shaking, and heart palpitations. Phobias are actually pretty common and are focused on a specific object or type of objects that cause fear.
Treatments For Anxiety
There are several great treatment options for anxiety that work for many people on a daily basis. The main two treatment options are therapy and medication, both of which are usually prescribed by a mental health professional.
The most common forms of therapy treatment for anxiety include cognitive behavioral therapy and applied relaxation therapy. CBT helps a person focus on changing their thoughts and behaviors by disrupting negative thinking patterns. Applied relaxation therapy focuses on identifying panic-inducing situations and using muscle relaxation techniques to calm the body down.
The most common medications used to treat anxiety include beta-blockers, anti-depressants, and benzodiazepines. It’s important to note that these medications do come with some side effects.
If you want to learn more about anxiety and mental health in general, or you fear that you might be experiencing anxiety on a basis that interferes with your normal daily life, then speak to a mental health professional as soon as possible. They can help you or a loved one find the right path to keeping your anxiety under control so that you can get back to your normal way of life.