Weekly Wins and Woes #2

Anxiety


Let’s discuss everyone’s favourite topic: anxiety!

It’s cool, fresh and all the rage these days! Heck, I got some new anxiety this morning after remembering I have exams in 3 months that I’m no where near ready for.

The thing is, not a lot of people get anxiety. They don’t know what it is and find their own labels for it and the people who experience it. Stuff like People Can Just Snap Out of Being Anxious or Kids Aren’t Anxious, They’re Just Shy, and my personal favourite Children and Teens Don’t Have Anxiety, They’re Just Looking for Attention.

Look, experiencing occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. However, people with anxiety disorders frequently have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. Often, anxiety disorders involve repeated episodes of sudden feelings of intense anxiety and fear or terror that reach a peak within minutes (panic attacks).

These feelings of anxiety and panic interfere with daily activities, are difficult to control, and can last a long time. You may avoid places or situations to prevent these feelings. Symptoms may start during childhood or the teen years and continue into adulthood.

The real deal, or a rip-off?

Anxiety comes in many sizes, shapes and forms, which is why it’s one of the most common health disorders in the world!

Here are five examples of what anxiety looks like:

- Worry that is greater than the situation warrants and is difficult to control

- Difficulty sleeping

- Irritability

- Rumination or overthinking

- Frequent headaches

- Reports of feeling nervous

- Avoidance of activities they used to enjoy

- Restlessness

I know that’s 8, but I was anxious that I wouldn’t give enough reasons.

In case you don’t have any of these (lucky), here’s a list of where to go get some:

At school

Schools are a hotbed for all kinds of confusing feelings and experiences that we’re not always equipped to handle emotionally. Due dates, mean teachers, extracurriculars or social groups just add to it all. Everyone wants to succeed; everyone wants to win and be better, but the price for all that is really high.

Your friends

Fitting in is one of the most important things to everyone. To feel like you don’t fit in, or that your values are being challenged, can definitely cause stress. This often leads to core negative beliefs that you’re not smart, accepted, or liked; we may go to certain extremes driven by this anxious need to soothe negative thoughts. Adolescence is a time of testing new identities and figuring out who you are. Feeling like you do not fit in can create or exacerbate anxiety.

The internet

I know, how cliché to bring this up. But social media can really cause anxiety for teenagers and people at any age. Social media isn’t an accurate representation of reality and we all have the tendency to compare ourselves and develop an anxious desire to meet unattainable standards. It can also lead to excessive judging and intense FOMO.

Life

Everyone goes through some sort of s*** in their lives. Poverty, living in a community with violence, or having a parent who is incarcerated, are anxiety magnets. These sorts of environmental factors can make the world feel less safe. When we experience abrupt change, such as the divorce of parents, we can develop anxiety and worry.


Nerd info
According to some psychology know-it-alls, anxiety in teens is becoming more common. Some anxiety and stress under pressure is normal, but teens are especially prone to developing significant anxiety because they’re figuring out their identity and finding independence.

Anxiety becomes a diagnosable mental health disorder when it meets criteria as defined by mental health professionals. The criteria typically include having anxiety for a certain length of time, having a certain number of defined symptoms, and having some level of impairment in day-to-day functioning.

For example, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) includes anxiety that lasts more than six months, is present a majority of the time, has a variety of mental and physical symptoms, and includes worry that’s difficult to control.


Anxiety Brands
Remember when I said anxiety comes in all shapes and sizes? Here are a few of the common brands. Whoever has the most wins!

- Generalized anxiety disorder. You feel excessive, unrealistic worry and tension with little or no reason.

- Panic disorder. You feel sudden, intense fear that brings on a panic attack. During a panic attack you may break out in a sweat, have chest pain, and have a pounding heartbeat (palpitations). Sometimes you may feel like you’re choking or having a heart attack.

- Social anxiety disorder. Also called social phobia, this is when you feel overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about everyday social situations. You obsessively worry about others judging you or being embarrassed or ridiculed.

- Agoraphobia. You have an intense fear of being in a place where it seems hard to escape or get help if an emergency occurs. For example, you may panic or feel anxious when on an airplane, on public transportation, or standing in line with a crowd.

Yep, that’s a lot of anxiety! How to deal with it?

Instead of avoiding things that prompt anxiety, it’s better to face them. You might be surprised by what you can do. Here are five things that can help you through anxious moments:

Start with a ‘growth’ mindset.
Some people have a fixed mindset. They might think, “This is how I am. I'm too anxious to speak in class. So, I don’t raise my hand.” With a fixed mindset, people don’t think things can change. They think they are the way they are, period.

But brain science has shown that you can teach your brain new ways to respond. People with a growth mindset know this. They know they can get better at just about everything — with effort and practice. That includes reducing anxiety.


Notice how anxiety affects your body.
When you’re anxious, do you feel "butterflies" in your stomach? Sweaty palms? Shaky hands? A faster heartbeat?

These physical feelings are part of your body’s stress response. They can be uncomfortable but they aren't harmful. You can cope. Next time you feel them, try to notice them without getting upset that they’re there. You don’t have to push the feelings away. But you don’t have to give them all your attention either. Just be sure to identify and acknowledge them. The worst thing you can do is have a feeling you don’t understand. It won’t be easy, because feelings are a concoction of a bunch of things but if you can put a name to what is going on in your head at that moment, you’ll be taking a step towards anxiety-freedom.


Breathe.
When you feel anxious, take a few slow breaths. Breathe in slowly. Be sure to breathe out all the way. You can use your fingers to count four or five breaths, in and out.

Taking slow breaths can slow the release of stress hormones. It can help your body and mind feel more at ease. As you guide your attention to your breath, you can pay less attention to anxious thoughts and feelings. Breathing like this can help you feel steady and less anxious.


Talk yourself through it.
When you’re anxious, you might tell yourself things like, “I can’t do this!” or, "What if I mess this up?" or, "This is overwhelming." Ali Abdaal, an influencer I follow, said that while he was writing his book, he did a type of meditation whereby he thought out all the worst things that could happen when his book launched, like it flopping or people hating it. He would then try to think about how much these things really affected him and when he would realize the consequences in the scenarios weren’t so bad, he’d feel more confident and ready to face them on.


Face the situation — don’t wait for anxiety to go away.
You might think that you’ll put off speaking in class or talking to that new person until you no longer feel anxious about it. But it doesn’t work that way. It’s facing the anxiety that helps you lower it.

Learning to cope with anxiety takes time, patience, and practice. Most of all it takes being willing to face situations that prompt anxiety. Start with one small step. The more you practice, the better you’ll get at lowering anxiety. There is no guarantee that anything I’ve shared with you will work because everyone has their own experiences and issues and things that work for them. I personally like to journal because I feel that writing my thoughts on paper makes getting them out of my head faster and easier. Some of you might prefer to breathe or do a silly dance. Do whatever works for you (as long as it is safe).

Bye-bye!

Sources

- The words in blue are also links that will take you directly to the sites I used.
- Sorry if the format is a little wierd too. I don't know how it got like this. It just did!!!