Anxiety: Meaning, Symptoms, Causes, Prevention and Cure!

Now a days due to tension of work life and personal life "Anxiety" is becoming a very common problem. Anxiety is fine if it is just for a specific moment or time due to any task and challenge. Thus if anxiety prevails for a temporary moment then it is not counted as a mental health issue as some people while facing a task or some challenge often become anxious and when that situation is over they again become normal. If you feel anxious for doing your work perfectly and on time, you are focused towards it and when the task is completed you come back to normal phase then it is a normal thing.

Whereas, if anxiety becomes a habit for each and every situation you become anxious that is counted as a mental health issue as in such cases your entire focus is gone, your sleep is gone, you cannot even have your meals appropriately, sometimes all these things even brings your immunity down and thus harms your body too. Anxiety disorders can be a life long mental health issue and if not properly diagnosed and treated on time it can be very hard to deal with. According to American Psychiatric Association, nearly 30% of adults get affected by Anxiety at some point in their lives which greatly harms their mind, physical body, relationships and career. So let's understand about it and know how it can be prevented and cured.

 

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

In normal life anxiety can happen as body's response to stress. Anxiety is a feeling of fear about what will happen in future or what's to come. It is normal to feel anxious while delivering a speech before a huge crowd for the very first time or to appear for a job interview as a fresher in a big company, etc. But if you feel anxious every time and this situation prevails for more then a period of 6 months, you may have an Anxiety disorder.

Under anxiety disorder you have extreme and constant feeling of worry and fear which strongly effects your daily life. Anxiety can cause you to sweat and you may have a rapid heartbeat due to which you can feel tired all the time.

SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY

Anxiety is felt differently by different people, some may experience it but can have a better control while some may feel like everything is out of control and their mind also can get disconnected from the body. Some common symptoms felt by people during anxiety includes the following:-

1- Feeling of restlessness.

2- Difficulty in concentrating.

3- Feeling tired most of the time.

4- Irritability

5- Troubled sleep

6- Feeling nervous and tensed.

7- Increased heartbeat.

8- Sweating and trembling.

9- Have a sense of impending danger.

10- Breathing rapidly.

CAUSES OF ANXIETY

 

Mental health experts have still not reached to the conclusion that what is the exact cause of Anxiety. As it is a common health issue anyone can suffer from it at any time but several researches have proved that females are more prone to it than males, other than this some personality types like worry warts develop anxiety disorders more frequently than others.

A combination of factors play role in developing anxiety, some common causes may include:-

a) Dealing with stress for a very long time.

b) Having diseases such as depression, diabetes or thyroid.

c) Genetics

d) Suffering from any major health problem for a long time.

e) Heavy consumption of drugs and alcohol.

f) Relationship problems or family issues.

g) Sudden death of any loved one.

h) Traumatic experiences in childhood or young age.

HOW TO PREVENT YOURSELF FROM ANXIETY?

There are several personality types which are prone to develop an anxiety disorder, also several studies concluded that women are more likely to suffer from anxiety than men. However, anxiety disorder is becoming very common day by day it is very necessary to find ways to prevent from it as "Prevention is better than cure". So, let's have a look to find what are some ways to prevent anxiety:-

a) Have a nutritious diet and avoid junk food.

b) Avoid overthinking.

c) Maintain proper and regular sleep pattern.

d) Avoid intake of drugs and alcohol.

e) Reduce caffeine intake.

f) Practice meditation daily.

g) Read motivational and spiritual books.

h) Do regular exercise and yoga.

TREATMENT FOR ANXIETY DISORDER

There are several ways to control or cure Anxiety disorder, this includes self ways and medical treatment as well. First of all you must maintain a healthy lifestyle to cope up with anxiety but incase the self help ways are not working out and your symptoms are getting worse day by day then you must see a doctor.

So, let's have a look at the following points and find out how anxiety disorder can be treated:-

1- Stay physically active.

our mind and body are interconnected with each other, thus when the mind become weak then body have to take the charge. Wake up early morning and work out, do some exercise, walking, jogging or yoga preferably in the sunlight, as sunlight too plays an important role in mental health issues. You must try to avoid sitting idle as it can push your mind again in developing negative thoughts. In day time and evening also distract yourself by walking, playing sports, dancing or doing any entertaining exercise.

2- Direct mind to different things.

when you are a patient of anxiety your mind gets out of control and tends to worry about anything, but you must try to distract your mind and do some activity, there are variety of things which you can do to calm your mind such as watching any entertainment show, reading books, singing, listening music, painting, play any indoor game, enjoy with nature or play with animals if you have pet. Remember it's all in your thoughts and if you control it then you will surely get out of any bad phase in your life.

3- Maintain a healthy diet.

food plays a very important role in nurturing physical as well as mental health. If you want to stay healthy mentally as well as physically you must make a diet chart for each day and follow it very strictly. You must include seasonal fruits, milk, curd, vegetables, grains, salads, etc. in your diet. There are certain food which helps in treatment of anxiety such as flax seeds, turmeric, fish and chia seeds, thus you should include these items in your diet chart as well. On the other hand things you must avoid are junk food, spicy food, high sugar, stale food, alcohol, tea and coffee, as all these things can make you more sick. If you are addicted to drugs or smoking then you must immediately take actions to quit it.

4- Practice meditation daily.

meditation is an outstanding mental exercise which greatly benefits the mind in any mental health disorder. Although meditation can be practiced at any time but early morning meditation is best as environment remains quiet at that time and the energy you receive in the morning will carry on throughout the day. There are various types of meditation you can read or learn about them and choose the one which suits you the best, also you can learn meditation by joining an offline/online course. Daily meditation will reduce the frequency of thoughts in your mind and help you to feel relax.

5- Get enough sleep.

getting sleep of at least 6 hours is need of body and mind to recover from fatigue and gain energy for the next day, but lack of sleep or improper sleep timings can trigger your anxiety. You must set a proper time to go to bed and follow it on daily basis, try to sleep before 12 at night as it is a proven fact that negative thoughts generally pop up at the late night. "Early to bed and early to rise" is the best means to stay fit, thus by fixing a proper time to sleep and wake up you can greatly benefit your mind and control symptoms of anxiety disorder.

6- Consult a doctor.

incase self help ways are not working out and your symptoms are getting worse day by day then you must immediately seek medical help. Mental health experts use a variety of tests which will diagnose that are you suffering from just anxiety disorder or any other disease as well. Then there are various therapies, medicines and counselling given to the patient. Whether a person needs just counselling or therapy and medicines as well, it depends upon the condition of a particular patient.