Do You Suffer from Anxiety?

The Oxford Dictionary of Psychology defines anxiety as "a state of uneasiness, accompanied by dysphoria and somatic signs and symptoms of tension, focused on apprehension of possible failure, misfortune, or danger." 

​So now you may be thinking to yourself, "What does that all mean and how do I know if I'm suffering from anxiety?" Anxiety is basically the reaction one has to stressful events that can cause a person to feel nervous, tense and/or apprehensive. There is no denying that many of us suffer from some form of anxiety but how it affects our daily lives is what we need to look out for when determining whether or not to get help. 

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to determine whether you should be reaching out for help... 

• Am I losing sleep at night because I'm spending most of my time worrying about something? 
• Am I eating significantly less/more because I'm stressed and worried? 
• Is my social life slowing down due to feelings of fear/danger? 
• Are people around me expressing their worry about my health and well-being? 
• Do I find myself thinking about a particular person, event or thing in my life more often than usual? 
• Am I worried about things that never bothered me before?

​If you answered "Yes" to most of these questions, then you may be suffering from anxiety. One of the first steps you can take is to schedule an appointment with a physician to rule out any medical conditions. Medical conditions like thyroid problems, diabetes, etc., can cause physiological symptoms like heart palpitations, headaches, nausea, etc., thus causing you to feel like you are anxious. Appropriate treatment usually alleviates the anxious feeling.

If medical conditions are not the cause for the anxiety, you should then consider speaking with a therapist. By collaborating with a trained professional, you both can work together to get to the bottom of what is causing the anxiety. For example, are there life changing events that are causing additional stress? Events like a new job, a new relationship, caring for a loved one, etc. can each cause anxiety. The goal of therapy should be to learn strategies and techniques that you can incorporate into your daily routine so as to help reduce the anxiety and/or minimize it's impact on your your ability to function and feel good. 
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Do you have any questions about anxiety? Maybe you know of some strategies that have worked for you or someone you know? If so,  please share them below. 

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