I’m a therapist – here’s the signs you’re suffering anxiety and how to tackle it
IS it just a feeling of uncertainty? Or has anxiety started to become a real issue for you?
Cases of anxiety have risen and according to the charity , six in 100 people will be diagnosed with General Anxiety Disorder in the UK, in any given week.
And, while anxiety is of course an emotion that we all experience from time to time, for some, it does become a real problem.
Rachel Rowe, Regional Lead Occupational Therapist at , says anxiety is a “normal emotion”.
In fact, much like feelings of sadness, joy, fear or worry, anxiety is an emotion we will experience on and off throughout life.
Normal anxiety helps us cope with feelings of uncertainty, and it tends to pass when that uncertain moment is over.
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But some people will find that anxiety can linger.
So how do you know it’s become a problem, and how can you deal with it?
When anxiety is more than just a feeling
“Our bodies use anxiety to react to stress and inform us that there is potential danger around us or upcoming,” explains Rachel.
“Because of this, we can feel anxious from time to time without this being a problem.
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“During highly stressful life events like starting a new job, getting married or moving home, it is normal to feel anxious.”
She adds that when we start to feel anxiety on a regular basis, in everyday life, that’s when it has become a problem.
“This can be when our worries are out of proportion with relatively harmless situations.
“This can lead to situations feeling more intense or overwhelming and can interact negatively with our day to day lives and relationships,” says Rachel.
Do keep in mind though that it is normal to feel anxious before big life events, during stressful situations or during difficult periods of time.
“It becomes a problem when your feelings of anxiety begin to affect your daily life on a regular basis over a prolonged period of time,” adds Rachel.
Anxiety and worry - what’s the difference?
“The biggest difference between anxiety and worry is that worry is a temporary feeling,” says Rachel.
“We worry about concerning situations and we use our problem solving skills to address this.
“For example, we could worry about a loved one who is going through a hard time and to address this we would speak to them and offer support.”
She explains that anxiety is persistent and we are unable to reduce it even when our concerns are unrealistic.
“Anxiety also generally leads to us having a reduced ability to function in our daily lives.
“Anxiety can last for different periods of time, from a few minutes to a few days.
“For someone who is struggling with anxiety these feelings may not go away for weeks, months or years.”
The signs that anxiety has become a problem
Dr Gbolagade Akintomide, Consultant Psychiatrist at Cygnet Health Care, explains that anxiety symptoms can be categorised into four components.
“Each individual will have a mix of symptoms from each component, depending on the types of anxiety or the cause of the anxiety,” he says.
- Emotional
“The first is the emotional (feeling) component, which includes having a sense of dread or imminent danger, poor concentration, feeling judged or observed, feeling like the world is speeding up or slow down, feeling you can’t stop worrying or that bad things will happen if you stop worrying, being easily annoyed and being sensitive to noise,” says Dr Akintomide.
- Cognitive
He explains that the second component is the cognitive (thought) component.
“This can involve worrying about nothing specific, fearful anticipation or fearing the worst, worrying about losing control and worrying about being embarrassed.”
- Physical
The third component covers the physical symptoms which can include dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, feeling choked, tightness of the chest, chest discomfort, pounding hearts beats, being aware of missed heartbeats, butterfly feelings in the upper abdomen, frequent passing of urine or stool or winds, shaking of hands or the whole body, headache and aching muscles.
- Behaviour
The fourth component is the behaviour component, which Dr Akintomide says includes hyperventilating, feeling dizzy, tingling in the fingers, toes or lips as well as poor sleep and nightmares.
Is it a panic attack?
“Panic attacks are scary experiences and people do not always identify when they are having one or have had one,” says Rachel.
She says that the symptoms of a panic attack can include: increased heart rate, feeling faint, dizzy or light headed, feeling that you are losing control, excessive sweating, trembling or shaking, breathing quickly or feeling short of breath, feeling a tingling in your fingers or lips or feeling sick.
How to deal with anxiety
If you feel like anxiety has become an issue, there are things you can do to help yourself.
Rachel says your GP may encourage you to complete talking therapies, free of charge.
“These are also sometimes called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services (IAPT).
“Your GP may also prescribe you medications which will help to suppress your feelings of anxiety,” says Rachel.
Plus, charities like and Mind provide information and support for people struggling with anxiety.
Rachel recommends heading to your local library too as there may be a section of books devoted to helpful information and support for managing common mental health conditions.
The daily habits to lower your risk of anxiety
It’s a good idea to keep track of the times when you feel waves of anxiety.
“Keeping a diary of what you are doing and how you feel at different times can also help you identify what is causing your anxiety and then take steps to tackle this.
“By avoiding difficult situations we will keep our anxieties going over a longer period of time.
“By tackling these as soon as we can, we can reduce our overall anxiety and gradually see that these situations are ok and we can deal with them,” says Rachel.
You could also try addressing your anxieties from a different view point.
Rachel says to ask yourself: ‘What advice would you give to your best friend if they were having this problem?’
Mindfulness or breathing exercises can also be helpful to reduce tension and move our focus on the present moment, as can cognitive behaviour techniques, available on the .
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“Last but not least, sharing your concerns with family members, friends and colleagues can help.
“You never know if they have been dealing with something similar and they may be able to provide you with advice and support going forward,” adds Rachel.