For many, anxiety can be a small or large part of daily life. Regardless of how disruptive anxiety is in your life, many who feel it wonder why it even happens in the first place. In order to understand why anxiety occurs, it’s important to understand what anxiety is.
According to the American Psychological Society, anxiety is defined as “an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.” It is also the single most diagnosed mental illness.
Physical, Mental, and Emotional Signs of Anxiety
The effects of anxiety are threefold: physical, mental, and emotional. Each person will experience anxiety differently, but these are the common signs most people experience.
Physical Signs:
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Hyperventilating
- Increased blood pressure or heart rate
- Feeling restless, including fidgeting, having trouble sleeping, constantly having to be moving or doing something
- Having trouble eating
- Overeating
Mental and Emotional Signs:
- Feeling tense or nervous
- Constant or increased sense of panic, dread, or incoming danger, real or perceived
- Struggles with controlling worrying thoughts
- Fixated thoughts or perseverating
Digging To Find the Root
Becoming aware of anxiety in your life is the first step to uncovering its roots. Anxiety is tricky and often pops up without warning. Taking note of the times you feel anxious can help. Bring yourself into gentle awareness when the feeling starts. Does a certain place make you more anxious than others? Are there interactions with friends or family that cause flares of anxiety? Pinpointing these triggers is a necessary step to discovering the source.
Possible Causes of Anxiety
While there is no one root cause of anxiety, there are risk factors in addition to the signs that can be used to identify anxiety.
What to Look Out For:
- Constant, increased, or heavy stress
- Life events that are traumatic
- Financial troubles
- Demanding career
- Health issues—for yourself or others
- Family history of anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues
- Excess use of alcohol or drugs
There’s no one correct way to address anxiety; the key is to talk to a trusted healthcare professional to get you on the proper treatment plan.
Ways to Alleviate Anxiety
Apart from therapy and possible medication, there are lifestyle changes that have a tremendous effect on anxiety. Relaxation practices are helpful if you’ve noticed you haven’t taken time just to care for yourself. Reading a good book, sitting down to journal, or practicing yoga are all great places to start.
Additionally, you can be intentional about cultivating joy in your life. Get back into an old hobby or start a new one. Take 30 minutes to walk or jog around the neighborhood and pay attention to your surroundings and the sensations you experience. Spend time with friends and family that make you feel safe by inviting them out to a restaurant or over for a home-cooked meal.
Therapy
While some are predisposed to anxiety, anxiety’s roots are deeply embedded in stressful life events. They tend to be the most common cause of anxiety because they can occur in a wide range of places, including work, school, or at home.
It is often not possible to remove yourself from the places that are sources of anxiety, but it is possible to start untangling its roots through anxiety therapy. Working with a licensed professional, such as a therapist in Aventura, FL, can help you uncover where anxiety is coming from and identify coping strategies that truly fit your life.
It is difficult to find the source of anxiety because it is often complex and layered, but relief is possible with the right support.