BREATHE

Feeling Anxious?….BREATHE

Everyday Anxiety

Anxiety is something that everyone experiences from time to time. When confronted with an issue at work, before taking a test, or before making a major decision, you may experience anxiety.  Everyone may go through a certain episode of anxiety during their week because the uncertainty of life can cause one to feel stressed. This is why Psychologists, Counsellors, etc., encourage us to plan our day. To-do lists, setting reminders for tasks, or keeping little notes around to remind you of your next task in the day help to reduce the stress of knowing what to do next. Some situations or events occur which may be out of our control, these situations cause the most stress and produce feelings of anxiety. My advice for when you encounter such a situation is to instead of rushing to act react, you must first BREATHE; taking in deep breaths in a chaotic or stressful moment helps to clear the mind and also reduces the risk of stress-induced headaches. Breathing or relaxing helps you to think clearly and focus on what exactly the problem is and how to solve it. I dare say that a lot of disputes, problems, or events that destroyed relationships or organizations or even individuals, could have been solved if they only decided to step back, relax and breathe for 2-5 minutes. Deep breathing exercises go beyond breathing in and out. They aim to relax certain muscles that become tense when anxiety sets in. The video below teaches how to practice deep breathing exercises. 

Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders, on the other hand, are more than just transitory anxiety or terror. Anxiety does not go away in those who have anxiety disorders, and it can get worse with time. Symptoms might make it difficult to do things like work, schoolwork, and maintain relationships. Once again anxiety doesn’t become a disorder until your normal daily functions are affected. There are many types of anxiety disorders including generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and various phobia-related disorders. I will touch on Generalised Anxiety Disorder in this post and the others in subsequent posts.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (When worry gets out of Control)

People with a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experience excessive anxiety or worry about everything including personal health, employment, social interactions, and normal life situations these worry can go on for at least 6 months. Fear and anxiety can lead to serious problems in social interactions, education, and career.

Generalized anxiety disorder symptoms include:

• ·   Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge
• ·  Being easily fatigued
• ·   Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank
• · Being irritable
• ·  Having muscle tension
• ·         Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
• ·         Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep

What To Do

Normally to treat GAD, Psychotherapy or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy is used. Psychotherapy, also called ‘talk therapy’ can be effective in managing Anxiety. Psychotherapy must be addressed at the person’s fears and suited to his or her requirements to be effective.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a form of talk therapy or psychotherapy which can be used. It teaches people how to think about, behave with, and react to anxiety-inducing and frightening situations and circumstances in new ways. CBT can also aid in the development and practice of social skills, which is critical in the treatment of social anxiety disorder.

The various form of therapy is best executed by a mental health professional or a psychologist. Self-treating may only result in short-term relief, but remember the first thing you can and must do is to BREATHE.

Until next time, this has been Olives Corner.

PS: The title of this post is inspired by one of my favorite songs by Maverick City

American Psychiatric Association (2013)
Diagnostic and Statiscal Manual Disorders (DSM-5)
Understanding Abnormal Behaviour (9th Edition)