The prevalence of stress and anxiety disorders has skyrocketed over the last couple of years. Anxiety disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders.
A sensation of apprehension, fear and fright, defined by corporeal (physical) signs such as palpitations, sweating, and feeling of stress is called anxiety.
The story of anxiety starts with two small almond-shaped organs on either side of your brain, called the amygdala (almond in Latin) which play a crucial role in processing emotions.
Conditions such as anxiety, autism, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and phobias are all associated with abnormal functioning of the amygdala, which causes developmental problems and neurotransmitter imbalance.
The amygdala serves as a natural electronic surveillance system and warns you against anything that seems to threaten your safety or survival.
Some warnings or threats are genetically programmed like someone raising their voice at you, the odour of smoke or sighting a fire where it isn’t supposed to be.
Others are learned with life experiences, such as sounds, images, facial expressions, and physical gestures. Your brain consciously or unconsciously starts relating this perception with a trauma or a threat in past.
It is in the amygdala that the remembrance of post-traumatic stress is formed by the brain and within seconds of comprehending the threat, the brain warns the hypothalamus (a small gland in front of the brain) which later passes the signals to the pituitary gland (called the master gland, present quite close to brain) and all the way down to the adrenal glands, which provide fuel to escape or fight the threat (thus called the fight & flight gland).
It’s absolutely normal to feel stressed or irritated when something upsets you. However, there are many people who keep feeling uneasy or worried day after day, even with no specific trigger. When this anxiety lingers for 6 months or more it may be generalized as "anxiety disorder". Luckily, there are ways to cope with anxiety disorders which we outlined in this blog post.
In anxiety, the body provokes an automatic fight or flight response to an anticipated feeling of being in danger. This danger can include being under pressure, being faced with a challenging situation, or when feeling threatened.
In moderation, anxiety is normal and is surely useful to stimulate purposeful actions, keep you focused, and motivate you to solve problems. This is how evolution has trained us to protect ourselves and help direct us towards positive change.
While anxiety can be normal in moderation, when it is continual or overwhelming, it starts to creep into the territory of an anxiety disorder.
People with anxiety disorders can engage in catastrophic thinking by over-predicting the negative consequences of certain life events. It is quite crucial to acknowledge when the anxiety starts to take over and lead to catastrophizing.
Symptoms of anxiety can be felt on a psychological and physical level which may include any of the following symptoms:
Anxiety disorders are a group of related conditions that involve a lasting worry or fear and can vary greatly from person to person. There are several different types of anxiety disorders that are described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. They include:
Learn more about social anxiety disorder in our previous blog, Understanding Social Anxiety Disorder: It's More Than Being Shy.
Anxiety can have many different root causes ranging from lifestyle to genetic factors.
First-line treatment from a conventional medicine point of view is pharmaceutical drugs, including benzodiazepines (ex. Ativan) and antidepressants (ex. Prozac).
These drugs work through several different pathways and work to manage symptoms in the present moment. In combination with medications, or before turning to medications, patients may wish to explore alternative or holistic treatment options.
The premise of Naturopathic medicine is to treat the whole person and address the underlying causes of disease. Naturopathic Doctors have a toolbox of natural therapies for addressing anxiety including, clinical nutrition, supplementation, botanical medicine and counselling. We have Naturopathic Doctors at HealthOne who can help you.
Keep in mind that not everyone who worries a lot needs to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. As said earlier, feeling anxious because of certain situations or in excessive pressure situations is completely normal.
Below are some tips that can help lower anxiety whether it’s short term or chronic.
Our minds may be telling us a story that is not necessarily rooted in the reality of a situation. We have control over our thoughts, even though sometimes this may seem rather impossible. It is important to understand that worrying about something won’t necessarily give you the outcome you desire.
The anxious mind will often fill in the blanks of ‘what if’ with worst-case scenarios. Here are some questions you can ask yourself when you see yourself catastrophizing:
With respect to this current pandemic, a lot of people are worrying about their own health, the health of loved ones both near and far, financial strain, and a whole lot of uncertainty in the near and far future.
It is important to focus on the things you can control right now vs. dwelling on the “what ifs”. Having a plan in place can help you feel more in control of the situation.
For people suffering from anxiety, the unpredictability of the coronavirus is the hardest thing to handle. We don’t know how exactly we’ll be affected or how bad things might get.
HealthOne has previously shared a few things that you can do to manage your anxiety and fears.
In today’s fast-paced environment it is very common to lose track of our breathing.
It is so important to take a couple of minutes out of your day to just focus on your breath in order to feel more balanced and feel calm during anxious times.
If the mind feels anxious, so does the body.
This breathing technique, called 4-7-8 can come in handy during anxiety attacks and also practicing at least once daily either before bed or first thing in the morning can lead to feeling calmer overall.
Try the following steps:
This is one of the best and easiest ways to reduce stress and balance hormones that are associated with worry and anxiety.
Aim to engage in some sort of physical activity of your choosing – any type counts! Aim to achieve at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise most days of the week. Try walking, running, swimming or dancing, and read this blog for more tips on how to enjoy exercise!
Sleep is the time the body can rest and restore while repairing itself through rebuilding tissues and breaking down accumulated toxic chemicals and hormones.
Studies show that 7 hours of restful sleep a night is the magic number required by our bodies. Not getting enough sleep results in increased stress and anxiety. Make sure to build a consistent, regular sleep pattern every night.
Assess the frequency of stimulant consumption, such as caffeine and nicotine. If you struggle with anxiety, try to eliminate these stimulants for some time. Green tea is a great alternative to coffee.
It does contain some caffeine but also has L-Theanine, which is an amino acid used to combat anxiety and induce relaxation.
An anxiety attack can be triggered by low blood sugar resulting from an improper ratio of simple carbohydrates to protein and fats.
It is important to focus on eating adequate amounts of proteins (Greek yoghurt, eggs, vegan protein powder, beans, legumes) and healthy fats (avocado, nut butter, fish oils, olive oil) at every meal, but especially at breakfast to help stabilize blood sugar levels. We have a Registered Dietitian on our Wellness team who provides nutritional counselling if you need professional guidance.
Anxiety is a common ailment that most people experience at some point in their lifetime. Short term anxiety enables us to endure dangerous situations in life and helps the mind and body cope with the demands of stressful events.
However, when anxiety becomes chronic and begins to impact everyday life it is important to address it in a holistic approach using various tools, like diet, relaxation techniques, supplements and botanical herbs.
One life. Live inspired.
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