What is Anxiety & What Can I Do About It?

Over the last few years, we've started to hear the word anxiety more and more frequently. Sometimes, people talk about the things that make them anxious. Other times, people talk about “their anxiety” like it's a pet or a possession.  

So, what exactly is anxiety? Does everyone suffer from it? Can it be avoided completely?   

Let's dive into a full explanation of anxiety, what it can feel like, and what you can do about it. 

What’s the Difference Between Stress & Anxiety? 

Stress and anxiety may feel somewhat similar. Both come with a stress response, which is your brain's way of telling you that you're in danger or facing some kind of conflict. This is when you go into“fight, flight, or freeze mode.”   

Fight, flight, or freeze mode puts your body on high alert, which may include symptoms like:  

• Elevated heart rate.  
• Elevated blood pressure.  
• Dilated pupils.  
• Body shakes.  

All these symptoms are designed to help you; your body is preparing you to defend yourself, run away, or wait for the right moment to act.  This is a protective way to respond to danger.

This stress response is normal to some extent. But when this response is persistent, interfering, or seems unrelated to what’s happening around you, we may classify it as anxiety. 

When Does Anxiety Become a Disorder?

It's unpleasant but feeling anxiety now and then is not abnormal. In fact, it is generally adaptive - like all other emotions that we experience. It's common for us to feel anxiety over things that we might not want to engage in. For example,  an upcoming difficult conversation. The confrontation may not be happening right now, but we know we're going to be in that situation and that knowledge can trigger that stress response. Still, that feeling should be temporary.  

Anxiety may be classified as a disorder when these anxious feelings begin to interfere in terms of daily functioning, relationships and possibly your work or school life. . The feelings of anxiety may become excessive and distressing.  

Only a licensed professional can diagnose you with an anxiety disorder. If your anxiety levels impact your ability to live a normal life, we highly recommend seeing a licensed psychologist as soon as possible.  

5 Major Anxiety Disorders 

Generalized Anxiety Disorder 

Generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, is when an individual experiences ongoing pervasive worry or anxiety about a number of different situations. .Individuals will often experience difficulty in terms of tolerating uncertainty in many different areas of their life. This may include ongoing worry regarding the health of people they love, being on time for appointments or finances. Importantly, the extent to which they are worried about these different areas are usually out of proportion to the situation at hand.  

This unrelenting anxiety can often impair someone's ability to focus on work, schooling, and other important day-to-day tasks. 

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder, or OCD, is when individuals experience unwanted and distressing thoughts that often prompt them to engage in specific behaviours in response to these thoughts.  

For example, someone with OCD may believe something bad will happen to their family if they don't fully lock their doors and they would be responsible for it. An individual might also believe that saying a “bad thought” out loud could somehow impact that way certain life events occur.  This is often referred to as magical thinking OCD). The individual with OCD may logically understand that nothing will happen to their family if they have “bad thoughts”, however, the anxiety and distress is very overwhelming.

When individuals engage in compulsive behaviours or rituals, their anxiety temporarily subsides. Even so, the unwanted thoughts and fears eventually come back, which compels the person with OCD to engage in their ritualistic behaviours again.  

The ritualistic behaviors can be relatively simple or painstakingly detailed and complex. In severe cases of OCD, these compulsive activities used to alleviate the anxiety can interfere with day-to-day life and take up many hours of their day.  

Panic Disorder 

It's not uncommon for people with anxiety disorders to experience panic attacks and anxiety attacks (which,although similar, aren’t quite the same). Having occasional panic attacks does not necessarily mean you have panic disorder.  

Panic disorder is a condition where you experience multiple panic attacks. These attacks usually come on unexpectedly and without warning.   

Because panic attacks are quite distressing and uncomfortable, people with panic disorders often grow to fear these attacks, which often come on without any particular trigger. This fear may keep people from doing things they want, like going out and attending events.  

In some cases, medical conditions like thyroid disorders can cause panic attacks. Before anyone is diagnosed with a panic disorder, other medical diagnoses have to be ruled out.  

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 

Post-traumatic stress syndrome or PTSD is a condition that develops when someone sees or experiences a highly stressful or life-threatening event. The event could be anything from a natural disaster to a toxic or abusive relationship. 

PTSD can be difficult to detect because it doesn’t always manifest when you expect. Some people see symptoms shortly after the traumatic event. On the other hand, some people don't experience symptoms for years.  

When symptoms do start to develop, they can make you feel as though you are reliving the experience over and over again through unwanted memories, flashbacks, nightmares, or even physical reactions that take you back to the event itself. 

Post-traumatic stress disorder can cause changes in the way someone thinks, feels, relates to the people around them, and behaves daily. 

Social Anxiety  

Everyone feels a little bit shy or apprehensive from time to time when meeting new people. 

However, when that apprehension feels excessive and stops you from going out or doing things you want to do, it may indicate social anxiety disorder.  

People suffering from social anxiety disorder may spend a significant amount of time worrying about embarrassing themselves in front of people or being judged poorly by people.   

When someone with social anxiety does spend time with other people, they may experience physical symptoms like excessive sweating, shaking, or blushing. Unfortunately, these symptoms may just increase that person's fear and embarrassment.

It's not uncommon for someone with social anxiety to go out of their way to avoid social situations or endure them with distress. 

You Don’t Have to Face Anxiety Without Support 

Although anxiety can be overwhelming, there are strategies and tools to help you overcome your symptoms. The key is to work with a professional to understand your triggers and develop strategies for them.

Find the right psychologist to help you manage your anxiety.