Getting to Know Anxiety

Is Anxiety a Mental Illness?

Sweaty hands, racing heart, high breathing; in fact many of us face these while solving the paper, public speaking, choosing between the things, talking to strangers and dealing with other life challenges. In our journey of life, we are uncertain for many things i.e. we don’t know, what will happen next. Therefore, we get worry and scare for our happenings including future, wealth, abilities and decisions. Here comes anxiety which is a feeling of uneasiness and worrisome. There is nothing wrong in thinking and taking life’s matters seriously, in fact these give us a motivational drive to move ahead. However, if this state of apprehension retains for a longer time, does not go away with the problem, it is an anxiety disorder.

Human brain is a complex network of connected pathways. At its middle, adjacent to hippocampus (part of brain related to memory), two complex structures “amygdala” are primarily related to process emotions. Whenever, it feels a danger, it signals the brain to stimulate stress hormones(Adrenaline and Cortisol), to get “flight or fight response” from our body. This response actually plays a key role in our survival. Sometimes, feelings like stress, fear and aggression trigger the amygdala which awakes flight or fight response as a result. These conditions cause; high blood pressure, increased breathing rate as well as sugar levels, augmented heartbeat and sweating. This is a natural involuntary response of Amygdala as it activates automatically during said situations. However, in case of anxiety disorder, amygdala initiates this process without any real danger and logic for which the patient has to suffer.

Signs of anxiety:

As mentioned earlier, our body stimulates flight or fight response when it feels a threat or danger, however, this threat can be real or virtual. Whatever, may be the cause to the stimulation, our brain takes certain actions to prepare the body to respond against the danger. The hormonal release brings about these changes in the body. For instance, a student who has exam fear may face the described condition. The signs that you are having an anxiety attack are described as follows:-

Trouble Sleeping:

In the condition of anxiety, our mind remains in the state of alertness. It keeps on recalling the past memories and our brain is unable to relax. Do you find difficult to sleep at night?

Trembling and Sweating:

During anxious condition, the blood supply to muscles and arms is increased and they are stretched to become ready. In addition, sweat is body’s natural cooling system. During the stressed condition, the nervous system stimulates sweat glands. The sweat saves the body from exhaustion and overheating to be able to fight.

Hyperventilation:

It refers to a state of excessive breathing. This happens when “flight or fight” response is activated and our body allows larger amount of oxygen to enter our lungs in order to provide energy to cells for fighting or flying. But the sufferer thinks that he is getting short of oxygen.

Difficulty in Concentrating:

Excessive worries, fearful thoughts and negative assumptions inhibit us from thinking cognitively. We are unable to concentrate on the present situation which troubles our focusing ability. Short-term memory can also be affected by the stress hormones.

Gastrointestinal Problems:

These problems include diarrhea, indigestion, constipation, vomiting, nausea and stomachache. Due to hormones released during stress and anxiety, intestinal movements get affected. Moreover, the bacteria involved in digestion also gets disturb.

Rapid Heartbeat:

During intense anxious state, our nervous system causes the heart to pump the blood at higher rate. Moreover, fats and sugars are also being pumped through the blood. This causes the bronchi to open more widely, increasing the heart rate. However, during the condition it seems as if the person is getting a cardiac attack or he is going to die.

Do I need a psychiatrist for anxiety?

Usually, people don’t care to address the anxiety related symptoms as conditions settle down in a short while, however, they are not aware of its long term damages. Decision regarding consulting a psychiatrists not a complex matter as it is assumed, rather it can be concluded after just comparing it with the normal urge to any venture. For guidance, the casual one has a bit of nervousness in addition to agitation and it is short timed. It does not disturb us, in fact it helps us by keeping under a bit of stress to follow our deadlines, prepare well for exams and do our best.  On the other hand, disordered anxiety stays longer with more severity. The instability and uneasiness hinders us to live and perform normal functioning of daily life. The latter case needs to be addressed by a psychiatrist to stop intervention of anxiety in our life; keeping away from our goals.

Moreover, worrying too much for petty things can be much difficult to cope with. Fear is another factor which gets out of control in anxiety disorder due to which we start avoiding the triggers. For instance, people having phobias completely avoid heights, darkness, gatherings etc. Most importantly, if one has suicidal thoughts, he must consult the mental health physician immediately.

What is extreme anxiety?

A person is said to have extreme anxiety when it involves a constant worry, or a sense of fear which impact the quality of life. The severity of anxiety can be identified by the intensity and duration of the symptoms. During extreme anxiety, a person may have accelerated breathing and heart rate, chills, headache, excessive perspiration and jaw pain which seems uncontrollable. This state may be referred to as panic attacks when a person feels like dying. Extreme anxiety can be of different types such as; obsessive compulsive disorder, panic attack disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic disorder etc. Long-term anxiety can increase the frequency of these attacks and can cause depression, constant headache, and gastrointestinal issues. Along with these, heart and memory can also get effected.

How to get away with anxiety?

Anxiety disorder is a result of brain’s inability to differentiate between the fear and day. To treat this, we need to break the vicious cycle of anxiety by retraining our neurons in a new way. The main idea is to control the stimuli which is causing the anxiety attack. This can be done through some techniques such as mindfulness, cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure therapy in case of phobias. These strategies can help in overcoming the fear or stress by focusing on the present moment and by changing the approach to solve daily life problems. Moreover, a good sleep, healthy diet and exercise can keep our mind fresh.