How to Recognize Anxiety

Anxiety vs Fear

Anxiety and fear can look really similar at times. Both can cause feelings of worry, restlessness, or being “on-edge,” but the main difference is where these feelings come from. Fear is a response to a threat, while anxiety is the anticipation of a threat. 

Is All Anxiety Bad?

Anxiety is normal for us, and it can even be helpful. In times of stress and danger, anxiety can warn us to prevent harm and stay safe. But as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good.” That saying holds true for anxiety - too much anxiety can be harmful. 

Disordered anxiety can be too active in frequency, intensity, duration, or a combination of those three. This can become disruptive in everyday life and even sometimes feel crippling. While anxiety is meant to keep us safe, it can morph into different disorders and end up causing harm instead of keeping us from it.

What Does An Anxiety Disorder Look Like?

There are many types of anxiety disorders that are largely differentiated by the source of the anxiety – such as social situations, compulsive thoughts, trauma, specific phobias, etc. 

Here are some general symptoms that are common with many anxiety disorders: excessive or uncontrollable worry, restlessness or feeling “on edge,” irritability, difficulty focusing, problems with sleep, fatigue, muscle tension, and feelings of dread or panic. 

Another common feature is that the degree or intensity of the anxiety is disproportionate to the actual likelihood or impact of the anticipated event. This is most often experienced by having intense or irrational thoughts about the event or situation such as catastrophic thinking, jumping to conclusions, or thinking you already know what others are thinking about you. 

What Causes These Feelings?

Many say they have felt anxious or worried throughout their entire lives. Most anxiety disorders develop early in life but may not present themselves until later due to specific circumstances or environmental changes. 

There are many contributing causes to developing an anxiety disorder including genetic and physiological factors, environmental factors, and exposure to stressful situations.

The Good News

Anxiety disorders are treatable! The majority of individuals who get treatment are able to increase their control of excessive worry and decrease other symptoms after a few months, with many experiencing some degree of relief in a few weeks. 

Unfortunately, as people start to feel anxious, they often try avoiding the anxiety-producing situation, which will backfire and actually increase their anxiety and reinforce those irrational thoughts that the situation is unbearable. 

By working with a counselor, you can better understand those thoughts and feelings and work toward developing the skills to control them so that they don’t interfere with your life.

Do you have more questions about anxiety? Click here to contact one of our counselors today!