Anxiety, Can it be a Good Thing?

The answer is sometimes YES.

Let’s face it. Every day life can have its challenges. In the course of a day we face many situations. How we handle them tells us if anxiety is a healthy or unhealthy thing. Anxiety can be a motivator to do something good like study for an upcoming test or to slow down on a slippery road. Being anxious temporarily in these stressful situations would be considered normal.

The game changer is when you find yourself being consumed by worry. Does it seem like you are in a constant state of worry? Do your friends and family notice that you always seem to be on edge? Look back in time and think about all the unnecessary or unrealistic things that you have worried about. If your anxiety is excessive or bad, you will probably find that most of those things you were stressing over never happened.

A LOOK AT GOOD WORRY VS. BAD WORRY

Good worry tends to be productive. It is like a survival technique. You could say our own personal radar system. It helps us to take a clear course of action and then we can move on. You know when you are driving down the road and your eyes scan back and forth down the road? Do you know why you do that? It’s because you are wanting to be aware of what is going on so you can react correctly and take action if you need to. If we didn’t have this skill we could get into all kinds of trouble.

Now on the other hand, bad worry is non-productive. You can find yourself in such an anxious state that your fears almost paralyze you from making a decision. You spend all your time sitting and stewing on it instead of actually mapping out a course of action. Sometimes you find yourself worrying about something so far in the future it would be pointless to take action on it. Even worse, you find yourself worrying about something that realistically will never happen.

NORMAL ANXIETY OR ANXIETY OUT OF CONTROL

No one can go through life without the typical stresses of daily living. Everyone has a job, family, illnesses, bills, etc. It is normal to be anxious from time to time but if you find that your worry is interfering with everyday life and you can’t seem to find peace of mind you might have a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).

Here are some of the primary symptoms that may mean you are suffering from an anxiety disorder:

• Feeling nervous
• Feeling powerless
• Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom
• Having an increased heart rate
• Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation)
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Feeling weak or tired
• Trouble concentrating or thinking about anything other than the present worry

People with this disorder (GAD), experience exaggerated worry and tension. They often expect the worst, even when there is no apparent reason for their concern. They fear that disaster is right around the corner and are overly concerned about health, money, family, work, or other issues.

Just the simple thought of getting through the day provokes anxiety.

People with GAD can’t seem to shake their concerns, even though they usually realize that their anxiety is more intense than the situation calls for. People with GAD find it hard to relax. Falling asleep and or staying asleep tend to be difficult. Their worries are accompanied by physical symptoms like those listed above especially trembling, twitching, muscle tension, headaches, irritability, sweating, or hot flashes. They may feel lightheaded or out of breath. They may experience nausea or have an urge to go to the bathroom frequently. Some might feel like they have a lump in the throat.

If the person dealing with GAD experiences mild symptoms it typically won’t hinder them in social settings or on the job. However, if their symptoms are severe it can be very debilitating, making it difficult to go about their normal daily activities. Symptoms may get better or worse at different times but can get worse during times of stress.

GAD comes on gradually and most often hits people in childhood or adolescence, but can begin in adulthood too. It is more common in women than in men and often occurs in relatives of affected members. Although the exact cause of GAD is unknown, there is evidence that biological factors, family background, and life experiences, particularly stressful ones, play a role.

GETTING HELP

Getting diagnosed with GAD can be somewhat difficult because people experiencing excessive anxiety usually will have physical symptoms that drive them to make many appointments with their family physician complaining that their health is poor. They do not realize that their anxiety is the underlying cause of their symptoms.

If you seem to be dealing with overwhelming anxiety and you can relate to some of the above, don’t hesitate to seek help. First, understand that you are not alone. GAD affects 6.8 million adults, or 3.1% of the United States population any given year. Secondly, anxiety disorders are treatable. In fact, they are one of the most treatable conditions of all emotional disorders.

When it comes to treating anxiety disorders, research shows that therapy is usually the most effective option. Unlike anxiety medication, therapy treats more than just the symptoms of the problem. It can help you uncover the underlying causes of your worries and fears; learn how to relax; look at the situations in new, less frightening ways; and develop better coping and problem solving skills. Therapy gives you the tools to overcome anxiety and teaches you how to use them.