How to Tell if You Suffer From Anxiety

Anxiety is a type of fear usually associated with the thought of a threat or something going wrong in the future, but can also arise from something happening right now.

Anxiety can be so bad that an individual suffering from it can find it hard to enjoy life. If it really gets out of hand, anxiety can interfere with the way we relate with loved ones thus isolating ourselves.

Around 1 in 6 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem like anxiety each year, which has steadily increased over the past 20 years. It is also likely that individuals do not seek help for significant levels of anxiety, meaning many remain without diagnosis or treatment.

Below are Signs and Symptoms

Life is full of potential stressful events and it is normal to feel anxious about everyday things. There can be a single trigger or event that raises anxiety levels, but generally there will be a number of things that increase anxiety levels, including knife crime, superbugs, terrorism, exams, work deadlines, how we think we look, going on a first date or whether we feel safe travelling home late at night.

The daily round of bad economic news and uncertainty about the future makes us all feel more fearful and insecure.

Anxiety has a strong effect on us because it's one of our natural survival responses. It causes our mind and body to speed up to prepare us to respond to an emergency.

The following are some of the physical things that may indicate anxiety:

·         Rapid and / or irregular heartbeat

·         Fast breathing

·         Weakened / tense muscles

·         Sweating

·         Churning stomach / loose bowels

·         Dizziness

·         Dry mouth

Anxiety also has a psychological impact, which can include:

·         Trouble sleeping

·         Lack of concentration

·         Feeling irritable

·         Feeling depressed

·         Loss of self-confidence

It can be hard to break this cycle, but you can learn to feel less worried and to cope with your anxiety so it doesn’t stop you enjoying life.

Causes of anxiety

Feelings of anxiety can be caused by lots of things and vary according to what you’re worried about and how you act when you feel apprehensive. They depend on lots of things such as:

·         your genes

·         how you were brought up

·         what’s happened to you in your life

·         the way you learn and cope with things.

Just knowing what makes you anxious and why can be the first steps to managing anxiety.

Written by Hannington Mutungi