What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a word we use to describe feelings of
unease, worry and fear. It incorporates both the emotions and the
physical sensations we might experience when we are worried or nervous
about something. Although we usually find it unpleasant, anxiety is
related to the
‘fight or flight’ response – our normal biological reaction to feeling threatened.
We all know what it’s like to feel anxious from time to time. It’s
common to feel tense, nervous and perhaps fearful at the thought of a
stressful event or decision you’re facing – especially if it could have a
big impact on your life. For example:
- sitting an exam
- going into hospital
- attending an interview
- starting a new job
- moving away from home
- having a baby
- being diagnosed with an illness
- deciding to get married or divorced
In situations like these it’s understandable to have worries about
how you will perform, or what the outcome will be. For a short time you
might even find it hard to sleep, eat or concentrate. Then usually,
after a short while or when the situation has passed, the feelings of
worry stop.
What is the 'fight or flight' response?
Like all other animals, human beings have evolved ways to help us
protect ourselves from dangerous, life-threatening situations. When you
feel under threat your body releases hormones, such as adrenalin and
cortisol, which help physically prepare you to either fight the danger
or run away from it. These hormones can:
- make you feel more alert, so you can act faster
- make your heart beat faster to carry blood quickly to where it’s needed most
Then when you feel the danger has passed, your body releases other
hormones to help your muscles relax, which may cause you to shake.
This is commonly called the ‘fight or flight’ response – it’s
something that happens automatically in our bodies, and we have no
control over it. In modern society we don’t usually face situations
where we need to physically fight or flee from danger, but our
biological response to feeling threatened is still the same.
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When does anxiety become a mental health problem?
Because anxiety is a normal human experience, it's sometimes hard to
know when it's becoming a problem for you – but if your feelings of
anxiety are very strong, or last for a long time, it can be
overwhelming.
For example:
- You might find that you’re worrying all the time, perhaps about
things that are a regular part of everyday life, or about things that
aren’t likely to happen – or even worrying about worrying.
- You might regularly experience unpleasant physical and psychological effects of anxiety, and maybe panic attacks.
- Depending on the kind of problems you experience, you might be given a diagnosis of a specific anxiety disorder.
Going out of the house is a challenge
because I [have a] fear of panicking and feel that I'm being watched or
judged. It's just horrible. I want to get help but I'm afraid of being
judged.
Source: http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/?gclid=CjwKEAjwxruuBRC9lLGslqjs-HISJAAkq21s4HrZ0ITIntZnQ1JNNjp0haDJWmZOaOQteXpZk4A-JRoCZNLw_wcB#.Vc9mcX2jJpU
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