What is anxiety?
From a psychological perspective, anxiety is a feeling of fear, apprehension, and uneasiness.
Anxiety is an emotion that is an expression of internal unrest in the body that is expressed through an unpleasant situation. It involves the subjective unpleasant feeling of fear over normal events.
Anxiety is the feeling you experience when you are worried or afraid about something. It is a normal and human feeling of fear or apprehension. However, after such feelings, we usually calm down and feel better. A little worry and fear can help keep us safe and even protect us from danger.
We use the word anxiety to describe the unpleasant feelings we have when we are in a stressful, threatening, or difficult situation or when we face a problem. It is not a mental illness in itself.
Most of us will experience anxiety at some point in our lives for various reasons. It can be a normal reaction, and it usually goes away over time, when circumstances change, or when you leave the situation that is causing you anxiety.
When does anxiety cause problems?
Anxiety can cause problems when:
Your anxiety is very strong
You feel anxious all or most of the time
There is no clear reason why you feel anxious
It negatively affects your daily life
When this happens, anxiety can make you feel constantly uneasy, stop you from doing what you want to do, and make it difficult for you to enjoy life.
What does anxiety feel like?
Anxiety can make you feel a variety of things in your mind and body, including:
In your mind
Feeling worried all the time
Feeling tired or sleepy
Can't concentrate
Feeling irritable or depressed
Feeling restless or tense
Feeling hopeless
Fearing that something terrible is going to happen.
In the body
Fast or irregular heartbeat (palpitations)
Sweating
Dry mouth
Muscle tightness and pain
Headache
Trembling/confusion
Numbness or tingling in the fingers, toes, or lips
Rapid breathing
Dizziness or feeling like you're going to faint
Stomach problems, such as indigestion, stomach pain, or feeling sick
Frequent bathroom trips
Feeling a lot of anxiety related to physical sensations.
Sometimes, people with anxiety worry because they think their symptoms are signs of a physical illness. This can make their anxiety worse.
When anxiety lasts for a long time, it's easy to start feeling emotionally drained. Some people with anxiety will experience emotional exhaustion at the same time.
What causes anxiety?
Anxiety can be caused by many things, including:
Everyday events, such as receiving a stressful email at work or dealing with a difficult customer
Major life events, such as going through a divorce, a medical illness, or learning of someone's death.
Sometimes we feel anxious even when something good is happening. For example, when we're going on a date or going to a job interview. These aren't bad things, but they can create the physical and emotional effects of anxiety on our bodies.
Why does anxiety happen?
Although anxiety can feel unpleasant, it can be helpful in certain situations and for a limited time:
Psychologically – in difficult situations, anxiety tells us that something is wrong and alerts us so that we can respond appropriately.
Physically – the physical feeling of anxiety can prepare our body to flee from danger or protect ourselves. This is called the 'fight or flight' response.
What is Generalized Anxiety Disorder?
Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a type of anxiety disorder. There are many other anxiety disorders that are not covered here, such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) or panic disorder.
If you have GAD, you will:
Have many different worries at the same time
Have worries that are out of proportion to the situation
You will have difficulty controlling your worries.
GAD is quite common and affects 1 in 25 people in the UK.
What causes GAD?
There is no single cause of GAD. Your genes, social environment and life experiences all play a role and interact with each other.
You are four to six times more likely to develop an anxiety disorder if someone in your close family has GAD. However, no single gene causes anxiety disorders. Instead, multiple genes, each with a small effect, interact with each other to increase your risk.
When should I seek help?
If your anxiety is having a negative impact on your life, or you think you may be experiencing GAD, the sooner you ask for help, the sooner you can start to get better.
There are many reasons why people put off seeking help, and while not true, it is normal for them to have some of the following thoughts:
“This is just the way I am, I should try to control myself” – No one has to struggle alone, and everyone deserves help. Try to speak to yourself with kindness and compassion, just as you would to someone you love.
“I have more important things to focus on” – Many people struggle to prioritize their mental health. This can be especially difficult if
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