What is anxiety, how does it develop, & how to cope.

I’m sure most of us can relate to the idea of feeling really nervous, whether it be before a big meeting at work, before playing a competitive sport or going on a first date. That heart racing, sweaty palms, butterflies in our bellies, feeling.

Experiencing nervousness isn’t always comfortable but it also doesn’t mean you have an anxiety disorder either. Nerves, evolutionarily, are actually helpful in the way that it primes us to be ready for something new, and in small doses, can actually improve performance and motivate us to do better or try harder. However, when these nerves become more challenging and start impacting your daily life and prevent you from being able to do the things you need to do to function, is when nerves become anxiety.

Anxiety has become a buzzword in our society, and is often misused in conversation. I myself have said, “I’m really anxious today” or, “My anxiety is really high”. This is not to say I wasn’t experiencing symptoms of anxiety, but I am also not diagnosed with an anxiety disorder either. 

What is anxiety?

As with most mental health issues, anxiety lies on a spectrum where being nervous would be on one end and severe anxiety, experiencing panic attacks, and not being able to leave your home (to name a few), would be on the other end. 

How does someone develop anxiety?

Anxiety’s development is dependent on many factors. 

1. Genetically, some people are prone to experiencing a lower tolerance for stimulation, which makes these people more likely to feel anxiety. Meaning, that if you were to be in a crowd, or be put on the spot, you’d have a lower tolerance for the discomfort. Similarly, this lower tolerance could be related to the way you were raised and your family environment. Were your parents anxious? Were they controlling? Was there a lot of fighting happening at home? Did it seem like they were really stressed out?

2. Medically, some health problems can contribute to anxiety (i.e. diabetes, thyroid problems or respiratory problems)

   Certain personality traits could prime you to be a more “anxious” person, (i.e. You score high on the neuroticism scale of personality). 

3. Your lifestyle and choices may also affect you experience of anxiety. Are you a big caffeine drinker? Are you someone who is mindful of mind full? Are you taking care of yourself? Do you actively work on maintaining your stress levels?

What is anxiety? Continued…

Anxiety can present itself in different forms. Physically symptoms can present with things like a general tightness in your chest, rapid shallow breathing and rapid heart rate, stomach and bowel issues, sweating or feeling shaky. 

On the other hand, anxiety can present itself in our minds and the way we think. Things like struggling to concentrate, not being able to speak up in group settings, the feeling that you’re constantly being judged and also judging yourself, trying to be perfect so that you won’t get judged, worrying about how you come across to people. 

Other symptoms include troubles sleeping, and also feeling tired during the day, feeling like you can’t control the worry you feel, and also becoming avoidant to certain things or situations because it might trigger the anxiety. 

Anxiety, we’re seeing now, can begin in children as young as 5, but can also manifest at any time throughout the lifespan. For some, anxiety may develop circumstantially or be, in clinical terms, acute. You’re going through a divorce, moving into a new home and starting a new job and have been getting panic attacks. In this case, the anxiety would be related to all the changes occurring in your life and may resolve itself once things settle down. For others, anxiety is more chronic and doesn’t seem to have a pattern or trigger, the panic and sense of uneasiness is constant and doesn’t seem to respond to any of the typical coping strategies. 

5 Coping Strategies for Dealing with Anxiety:

Deep Breathing 

Stopping and taking a moment to take 3 big deep breathes can dramatically change how you’re feeling in the moment. Focus on how the breath feels coming in, and then focus on releasing all of your tension as it moves out of your body. 

Grounding exercises

Things like doing yoga or engaging your senses (ex. 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell and 1 thing you can taste).  Can really help bring you into the present and disconnect with the anxiety you’re having. 

Engaging in creative expression

Things likes drawing, making music, photography, cooking, sewing, painting, dancing etc.

Become aware of your thought patterns // What are you saying to yourself?

For example: if you are fearful of driving, your thoughts may present like this:

You worry if there is going to be a lot of traffic when you leave for work in the morning. What if you’re late for work? Or what if there is a roadblock? What if there is an accident? What if YOU get into an accident?

 There is a natural progression to our thoughts that can take us to an irrational state where we are trying to anticipate the worst-case scenario. While planning and anticipation can be adaptive in that it helps us to prepare for what we are going to do next, often it is maladaptive in that we start to worry about things we have absolutely no control over and are making ourselves sick because of it. 

Therapy

Lastly, if you’re feeling overwhelmed by your anxiety, or your thoughts, getting extra support from a professional is a great option to help you manage and cope with your mental health. Therapy can allow the space to express yourself in ways that might be difficult with friends or family, it can teach you practical tools to cope, and can help keep you accountable for sticking to the changes you’re trying to implement. 

If you feel you are struggling with anxiety, please reach out to EASTND, we have a variety of ways to help you manage these feelings and treat these symptoms through, herbal supplementation, acupuncture, massage and counselling services.

— Ashlee Hollinger,
Counselling & Art Therapist