Do you know the feeling of uncertainty? You know, that uneasy feeling you get in your stomach that you can’t seem to shake off. Well, feeling anxious is entirely normal! Sometimes it can be a sign of something more serious, but other times it isn’t. While being anxious is something we all experience, it doesn’t necessarily equal to the fact that someone has an anxiety disorder. Anxiety can be hard to identify due to its large array of symptoms and depending on the person, the symptoms can be evident, or not show at all. This is why it’s important to consider even the smallest of symptoms when assessing anxiety.
Role of Fear
Anxiety comes from fear. Anxiety is fear but with uncertainty in the mix. Fear is our oldest evolutionary trait, it’s been crucial to our ancestor’s survival for all of existence. Even less complex animals have the benefit of fear to help them survive. If fear didn’t exist, animals could have easily hunted humans in the past, leading to extinction. We humans use fear to this day to help us survive, although it’s used far less due to a safer environment. An example of how we use fear is when you see something coming your way at a fast speed, your body will react to it by trying to move out of its way to avoid danger. It’s a type of reaction that we don’t even have to think about.
Where Did Anxiety Come From?
Since anxiety isn’t the same as fear, Not all animals experience it. In fact, anxiety is something humans developed later on. Anxiety was born when humans developed a prefrontal cortex. It’s the part of your brain that does the decision making and controls stress and it’s located at the front of the brain as the name suggests. The prefrontal cortex needs past experiences to make decisions, but when it lacks that information, that’s when humans feel anxious. This is why you feel so anxious even when you don’t want to. The uncertainty of the whole situation is difficult to ignore for the brain because it’s constantly trying to come up with solutions.
Common Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety isn’t as easy to identify as it may seem, but there are some common symptoms that can be tell-tale signs to recognize the presence of anxiety in a person. These symptoms include: Trouble falling asleep, sweating and/or shaking, difficulty concentrating, the feeling of impending danger, and a high heart rate. These are the most common symptoms that most people know and have heard of. This isn’t to say that you should self diagnose yourself with anxiety if you experience these symptoms, rather it’s a higher chance so it best to go see a psychiatrist or psychologist to confirm it.
Uncommon Symptoms of Anxiety
You can’t always tell that someone has anxiety by simply looking at them because people can get good at masking their symptoms. Even the person themselves might not know that they’re feeling anxious or have signs of anxiety. Here are some of the not so commonly talked about anxiety symptoms that you may not have even known were signs of anxiety: Stomachaches, cold hands and feet, ringing in ears, indecisiveness, change in appetite, memory loss, and nightmares. The list goes on, but these are a few from a wide range of symptoms. These symptoms could be related to other conditions, but they are more prevalent in people with anxiety.
What to Do?
Do you recognize yourself in these symptoms? Try these things to put yourself at ease!
Mindfulness: Mindfulness helps calm you down by switching your focus from what is bothering you to the things around you. Here are some ways you can be mindful and less anxious.
- Practising deep breathing exercises
- Spending time in nature as its good for the brain and the body
- Focusing on your senses in the present moment and engaging in activities like yoga or meditation.
- Journaling your thoughts into a physical or digital journal
- Taking regular breaks from screens to spend time doing other things you love
Acceptance and Self Compassion: Acceptance is the first step to treating and helping your anxiety. Here are some ways that may help you with self compassion and acceptance.
- Acknowledge your feelings without criticism or judgement
- Remind yourself that feeling anxious is normal and you’re not alone
- Talk to others who shares the same experiences
- Practice self compassion by talking nicely about yourself even if it’s challenging at first
- Be patient with yourself
Exposure: Being exposed to the things that make you scared or anxious is the best way of reducing that anxiety. Here are some methods of exposure that can help.
- Create a list of experiences you avoid because of anxiety that are not dangerous and slowly challenge yourself to do those things.
- Experiment! Try things outside your comfort zone
- When your anxiety comes around, do the opposite of what it wants you to do. Imagine how someone who isn’t anxious would act and try to do that.
- Imagine being in a situation that makes you anxious and continue to do so until you start to feel more comfortable.
If you’ve made it this far, it’s already a good sign that you’re working towards helping your anxiety. Just remember anxiety is completely normal and it may feel as if your brain is against you but you can help take control. There’s many resources out there to help you out so don’t hesitate.
If you are struggling with anxiety, don’t hesitate to reach out! One of our therapists can help you! Check out Uprise Psychology & Wellness’ therapists here!
References:
Brewer, J. (2022). Unwinding anxiety: New science shows how to break the cycles of worry and fear to heal your mind. Penguin.
About the Author:
Angel Harar is a High School student at Hillcrest High School. She is currently completing her COOP placement at Uprise Psychology & Wellness and has an interest in becoming a psychotherapists one day.