Transform Stress

Most of the time, you probably think of anxiety as being related to something specific like a particular fear or event.  But anxiety can be generalized too.  In other words, there may not be a panic attack at the thought of leaving the house.  But there might be anxiety that persists through everything no matter what you do.  That’s what the doctors call generalized anxiety disorder.

Diagnosing generalized anxiety can be difficult to diagnose.  You can’t point to some act or thought in particular and say it makes you anxious.  You probably can’t claim panic attacks or phobias either.  That’s because there’s no one thing making you worry. You worry about the finances and your kids and your health, but you worry about them all the same and at the same time.  The result is you worry a lot and it drags you down mentally and physically.  You want to identify generalized anxiety disorder as early as possible because it can lead to depression.

Anxiety is a part of life for everyone.  But how is anxiety disorder different from normal anxiety?  That’s the question I had.  I had to learn three important facts about anxiety.  First, it’s only a disorder if the attacks last a long time – well past any event that could have triggered anxiety.  Second, a disorder can lead to a phobia such as agoraphobia.  Third, a disorder involves having intense attacks of anxiety.

Some anxiety is very normal.  I used to get “test anxiety” in school.  You may get anxious when you have to perform in public or are worried about something you have to do.  The difference between this kind of anxiety and an anxiety disorder is that the anxiety in a disorder lasts long after any trigger event.  The anxiety can even occur at just the thought of doing something such as riding an elevator or driving on the freeway.   So if you are feeling anxious for no apparent reason, or feel anxious long before or after a particular event, you probably have a disorder.

I know there are a lot of symptoms that indicate anxiety exists, but one of the worst is living in fear that a panic attack can hit at any time.  It’s really difficult to not start worrying about the awful physical reactions that occur during an anxiety attack.  I get very jittery and dizzy.  I sometimes feel as if I’m choking or having a heart attack.  My heart will race and I start sweating profusely.

For those of you who wonder if you have anxiety, there are certain signs you can look for on a daily basis.  For example, I have learned that my pessimism can be a symptom.  I look back on my life and instead of congratulating myself on successes, I dwell on my failures.  The most difficult part of diagnosing anxiety is sorting through what are real symptoms and what are normal reactions to life events.  Unfortunately, worrying about an anxiety attack can actually trigger one.