Most of us will experience some level of anxiety and/or fear in the course of our lifetimes. If you have ever given a speech that you had to prepare for in front of an audience of your peers, or folks that are unknown for example, certainly you have experienced some nervous anxiety -especially as the time approaches to give the speech. Usually however, as one progresses thru the speech, and ultimately concludes it, the anxiety washes away. A sense of relief sets in: ‘whew! that is over!’
The anxiety I am discussing for the purposes of this blog entry, is unlike the above. This anxiety, which the DSM-5, terms Generalized Anxiety, is anxiety that is persistent, for at least 6 months, and consists of worry and fret over everyday tasks, activities, and thoughts. This anxiety can actually become debilitating, in the worst cases, and for many, can turn into panic attacks (a frightening experience if one has never had one, in which the anxiety turns into panic, shaking, feeling like one is having a heart attack, and incoherent thoughts).
For some, anxiety can be handled, by doing some self-assessment. Helpful questions to ask oneself when experiencing ongoing anxiety are:
‘Where in my body do I feel this anxiety?’ (once you have determined where in the body you feel it, often you can develop skills to help calm oneself).
‘Will worrying about (insert issue) help?’ (likely the answer to this, is no-it will not; it will only make it worse).
‘What is in my control in my life right now?’ (often, the things that one worries about are out of their control anyways).
‘To whom can I go to for help?’ (perhaps there is a trusted friend/family member that you can talk to, or a mental health therapist is already in place).
‘What is the best, worst, and most realistic scenerio in this instance that will happen?’ (Hint: chances are good, it will be somewhere in between-worrying about the worst case scenerio will inevitably always make it worse).
So, how do you know when the anxiety has reached a point, where the above questions are not enough?
If the anxiety you are experiencing is interfering with your activities of daily living, you are unable to focus, having struggles with sleeping (or eating), experiencing panic attacks (as explained prior), and/or isolating yourself, it may be time to speak to a mental health professional.