How Do I Know if I Have Anxiety?
Written by Marci Renée
Photo by Fernando @cferdo on Unsplash
I feel like I’m drowning, like I can’t keep my head above water. I honestly feel like I can’t breathe.
Maybe I’m not breathing.
I sit next to my son at the hospital. I think of all the “what ifs” of the accident he just had. I feel tightness in my chest, a pounding headache, knots in my stomach, sweat on my palms.
I recognize this feeling. I know it all too well.
It’s not just for the big stuff in life—sickness and accidents. It’s in the little, everyday stuff too.
When I look at my to-do-list, it feels too long. There’s no way that I can possibly get everything done that I need to do. It feels overwhelming. It’s that drowning feeling again.
Sand keeps coming through the windows and a layer of dust covers everything in my house every day.
I drive down the road and get yelled at for obeying the rules or have to go through another police control.
When I frantically rush my kids to school and then rush myself to my appointment, I feel frazzled and frenzied, running late. I yell at my kids and the other drivers on the road. I seem to always imagine all the “what could happen” scenarios—the worst ones.
What is this horrible feeling I’m experiencing—this familiar sense of drowning and going under? What is causing these physical sensations and these panicked thoughts—the “what ifs,” the “what coulds”?
Whatever it is, it’s real.
Could it be anxiety?
What is Anxiety?
According to the American Psychological Association, “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like increased blood pressure.”
Anxiety and stress have three components according to Hansen & Sullivan.
The Stressor: This is an event, usually external to us, that puts strain on us. For example, trying to buy a phone in a new language.
Our Appraisal: These are our judgments about the degree of threat a stressor presents and evaluation of whether our resources are able to cope. While trying to buy a phone, we might think, “I can do this, even if I have to draw pictures!” Or, we might think, “I’m going to sound like an idiot. They’ll probably laugh at me, and I might get ripped off.” Our thinking determines a lot about our experience of stress.
The Strain: The strain is the effect of that event or series of events and how it felt internally. This is what most people refer to as stress. Because appraisals differ for each person, the same stressor can lead to varied strain or stress levels in individuals. The same stressor might cause only slight discomfort for one person, but could change the heart rate and muscle tension considerably of another.
What Causes Anxiety?
1. Genetics—Some people claim that they have been worriers since childhood. There are genetic tendencies towards anxiety or even an underlying brain disease.
2. Environment—Environmental stress can be a factor of anxiety and stress.
3. Trauma—As a result of trauma, some people may experience anxiety.
“Approximately one in every five Americans over the age of 18—and one in three teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18—have suffered from severe anxiety during the past year.”
Common Symptoms of Anxiety
Whether it comes from our genetics, our environment, or trauma, anxiety has effects on our bodies and minds.
Physical:
Fatigue
Headaches
Muscle tension/aches
Irritability
Difficulty swallowing
Trembling or twitching
Sweating
Hot flashes
Emotional:
Fear
Irritability
Racing thoughts
Thoughts of impending doom
You don’t have to live with fear!
Could you use a workshop that will equip you with multiple tools to help you take the power out of anxiety?
Check out See Beyond’s 3-day Hope for Anxious Minds workshop.
Anxiety is Normal
Everyone experiences feelings of worry or fear from time to time. It’s normal, and it’s not all bad. Anxiety can actually be helpful.
According to Harvard Medical School, “By itself, anxiety isn’t a problem. It anchors the protective biological response to danger that boosts heartbeat and breathing, pumping oxygenated blood to your muscles as your body prepares to fight or flee.”
Sometimes we need a good dose of healthy anxiety to get us to rush out the door to arrive at an appointment on time, to help us burn the midnight oil perfecting the finishing touches on that big presentation, or to persuade us not to wander those back alleys alone in the middle of the night.
Dr. Maureen Neihart, child psychologist with See Beyond, says, “Stress is not the enemy. Stress is actually good for us. It sharpens our focus, keeps us motivated, and helps us concentrate. The goal is not to eliminate anxiety but to strengthen our capacity to make it work for us rather than against us.”
That’s good, normal anxiety.
When is My Anxiety Unhealthy?
According to the Harvard Medical School, “Sometimes the systems underlying our anxiety responses get dysregulated, so that we overreact or react to the wrong situations. Severity of symptoms and a person’s ability to cope separate everyday worries or anxious moments from anxiety disorders. “
You may sense that your normal levels of anxiety have become persistent and excessive—perhaps you are worrying or feeling panicky all the time or perhaps you sense that you are regularly triggered by situations that shouldn’t be a threat. These may be signs of an anxiety disorder, in which case, you would need to see your doctor to discuss treatment options and/or to get a referral to a mental health professional.
The statistics are high.
Fifty-one percent of primary care visits are due to depression or anxiety, Dr. Neihart explained.
According to The Anxiety and Depression Association of America, approximately one in every five Americans over the age of 18—and one in three teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18—have suffered from severe anxiety during the past year. That makes severe anxiety the most common mental health concern in the United States.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash
This is Real
Anxiety is real, and anxiety is prevalent.
I know when I feel it. Sometimes it takes me a while to realize that my headache, my irritability, my muscle aches, and my racing thoughts are actually anxiety rearing its ugly head.
I’ve always viewed this feeling as negative. I’ve never thought of a certain dose of anxiety as being normal and healthy, something that can motivate me, help me get things done, or keep me focused. Now, that’s a paradigm shift!
It’s helpful for me to adopt this new perspective and to learn how to discern when my anxiety is normal and healthy and when it’s starting to tip over the edge into the danger zone.
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com