Anxiety
Introduction to Anxiety
Below information is taken from Medicine.net - Coping with Anxiety - article written for the site of an interview with Jerilyn Ross, MA, LICSW, director of The Ross Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, Inc., and Linda Andrews, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
Anxiety is that "fight, flight, or freeze" response that kept our early relatives safe from danger. That adrenaline rush still serves us well under certain circumstances. Anxiety is a natural reaction to those very real stresses.
Today that reaction helps motivate us, prepares us for things we have to face, and sometimes give us energy to take action when we need. It can also get in the way of us doing what we want or need.
When our anxiety response is too big for what we face, we need to try to find ways to tone it down. It's important to realize that anxiety is/can be helpful, so we don't want to completely do away with it, nor could we. We want to learn how to recognize it for what it is, and learn how to work with it instead of it working against us.
Anxiety and the Toll it Takes
Whenever we experience anxiety, it takes a toll on our bodies. Some things we may experience when we are feeling anxious are headaches, upset stomach, feeling hot, difficulty catching breath, difficulty sleeping, difficulty focusing, feeling lightheaded, or like we need to leave wherever we are and it can feel like we are depressed (sad, tearful, unmotivated). Anxiety can also take a toll on our relationships, our work, and our day to day living by making it feel impossible to interact with others, accomplish tasks that we need to accomplish or even take care of our daily routines.
Anxiety ultimately can make us feel unrecognizable to ourselves. We may make poor decisions like avoiding things, procrastinating or deciding to not do things that we would normally do. If anxiety is doing this, it may be time to talk to someone.
The Isolating Effects of Anxiety - From Scientific American on-line. By Daniel Yudkin posted June 16, 2015.
Anxiety and Physical Illness - From health.harvard.edu.
How to Cope
Some of the best ways to cope with anxiety are:
1. Don't try to avoid it. Try to be open to the feeling and observe it and how it affects your mind and your body. Know that it is a feeling that passes if we can accept that it's happening. When we try to avoid it or pretend it's not happening, it typically gets worse.
2. Challenge the thoughts that come with anxiety, the what ifs, the negative generalizations, the negative scenarios that come from our rapid fire thoughts. Try to challenge that negativity with reality checking.
3. Learn to relax, be open and notice the signs and signals of anxiety so you are more prepared and better able to catch it before it is too overwhelming. When it is overwhelming, use breathing and other relaxation methods to help you calm down.
4. Get Support - This can be from friends, family, teachers, a counselor, a chaplain, anyone that you feel is safe for you to share what you're going through and learn different ways to manage it.
For more assistance with anxiety go to our Audio Files tab.
Helpful Links and Info
This is what a Panic Attack Physically Feels Like - Huffington Post Article
How to deal with anxiety when learning - Blog article about new ways to deal with anxiety specifically as it relates to learning.
Navigating Mental Health Issues in College: A Comprehensive Guide
https://www.premiernursingacademy.org/resources/navigating-mental-health-issues
10 Minute Gentle Yoga Relaxation
Video that gives instruction for relaxation. All you need is a pillow and a floor. If you have a yoga mat, even better!
Deepak Chopra Meditation
Fifteen minute video for stress relief.
Half of Us - Personal Story about Anxiety - Vinny Guadagnino from the Jersey Shore talks about how he has dealt with his anxiety.
8.5 minutes to help you calm anxiety and stress.
Mara Wilson shares what works for her anxiety.