In this article, we will generally discuss common misconceptions about anxiety. The latter, similar to all other emotions, usually happens. This is how the brain communicates to us in the presence of a stress factor or a possible danger around.
Every person can feel anxious every now and then or being placed most of the time in stressful situations. Hence, there may arise specific misconception about anxiety or even a general perspective thereof.
When it is occasional, it is alright. However, when the same becomes incessant, this may be a prelude to having an anxiety disorder. It is a whole new story.
The anxiety disorders, when deemed as a mental issue, can cause overwhelming fear and anxiety. The excessive extent of the same can make a person dysfunctional. He may unable to do anything or his normal routine. They can be in an extreme state of depression.
At this rate, no one can truly understand what a person with anxiety disorder is going through until they are in the very same shoes.
When anxiety symptoms manifest themselves, it may be wise to have the same addressed as soon as possible, lest putting yourself in a situation which can lead to the feeling of severe anxiety.
In this notion, a lot of people can have a pretty lot of misconceptions laying around. Some of which could really go to stigmatization of the situation, making it a lot difficult for people with such disorders to be more open about their condition.
To better understand the subject of anxiety and to the improvement of your own or other’s mental health, these are some of the examples of these misconceptions that you can be wary of saying about the illness to people who have this or even to yourself who can also be susceptible of having an anxiety disorder.
What are the common misconceptions about anxiety?
As mentioned above, anxiety may be a recurring feeling for each and every individual. It is undisputed that we all feel anxious, fearful, worried, or pressured at some point in our existence.
This, undoubtedly, is an anxiety experience for all of us. However, when such becomes pervasive as felt by certain persons, there may evolve a perspective of misconception about its consequences.
Anxiety is Just Worrying Too Much!
Anxiety and worries are not technically the same thing. They are two different concepts but can happen to a person simultaneously. Indeed, they are words that’s been used interchangeably but varies from one another.
Psychology Today claims that worry is more focused on the thoughts running through people’s heads. Anxiety, on the other hand, is something that people feel all throughout their bodies,[1]Worry vs. Anxiety- What Is The Difference? internal is it?
People who are worrying tends to overthink thoughts that are resolvable just by analytical thinking or application of logic and problem solving. However, anxiety lingers for a longer time from which the thoughts are always vague or irrational.
This is why people who have anxieties lives their lives pessimistically. Elsewise saying is that when people worry, they are able to control the intensity and duration of it while in anxiety, no one can really never tell as to how and when it will stay, or does it ever go away?
Worry will come and go but anxiety can really affect one’s daily/quality of life and/or well-being. This is why there’s no treatment in worrying because this concerns real life events while the latter is a creation of the mind, hence, must seek professional help.
In worst cases, anxiety can be manifested physically, for instance, the tightening of chest, increasing of heart rate, headaches, rapid breathing, trouble sleeping, shivering and even gastro intestinal problems.
You Can “Get Over” Anxiety!
As embodied in the book of medical practitioners, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or commonly referred as DSM-5, anxiety disorders come with different types but have one thing in common, the persistent and excessive worry and anxiety.
The practitioners characterized it as excessive to the extent that it is becoming out of proportion and is arising from the irrational fears of the individual.
How does it become out of proportion? To connote it as mental illness, it comes with Four D’s, which is the deviance, dysfunction, distress and danger.
Dysfunction is the important aspect in diagnosing symptoms as within the umbrella of mental disorders. It is the impairment in a person’s quality of life. That is, he refuses or unable to do things that he normally can.
It is in this light that, one can never just “get over” their anxieties. It is something that cannot be managed by thinking positively or forcing oneself to do something which he does not want to do.
This is not just a mood that can easily be swayed by actively doing things they should and could’ve done. People with anxiety or anxiety disorders did not choose to feel that way, to react that way. It is something they feel and deal with in a day to day basis.
Anxiety Isn’t a Serious Mental Illness!
Anxiety is, in fact, a serious mental illness. It affects mostly adults in United States of America alone for over 40 million in number and counting.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), which is the collection of the standard classification of mental disorders by the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety disorders “are disorders that share features of excessive dear and anxiety and related behavioral disturbances.”[2]Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety is the anticipation of future threat and is often associated with muscle tension and vigilance in preparation for future danger and cautious or avoidance behaviors.[3]Anxiety
Panic attacks can often result from these anxiety disorders but this is not exclusive to it.” More often than not, people with anxiety disorders normally overestimate the danger in situations they are anxious about leading to excessive or out of proportion.
“The key attributes of most of anxiety disorders in one class are: persistent and excessive anxiety and worry about various domains, including work and school performance, that the individual finds difficult to control.
In addition, the individual experiences physical symptoms, including restlessness or feeling keyed up or on edge; being easily fatigued; difficulty concentrating or even mind going blank; irritability; muscle tension; and sleep disturbance”.
Avoidance is the Answer!
Avoidance is in the contrast of what a person with anxiety disorders should do. Certainly, people suffering therefrom often avoid dealing with what’s causing the distress.
Nonetheless, the effect of such avoidance behavior is, in fact, the opposite. One cannot overcome their anxieties if they cannot learn to overcome their avoidance or escape tendencies.
If the presence of people or groups are the ones causing this problems to an individual, he may be experiencing social anxiety. Hence, he tends to avoid them as much as possible.
There is a concept known as “Avoidance Conditioning”, this is the patterned behavior of anxious people who would rather avoid dealing with things that make them anxious.
Indeed, avoiding it for a couple of times is normal but this can evolve over time coupled with repeated behavior. This habit causes one’s anxiety to skyrocket until managing it becomes impossible.
This is the very reason why someone should learn to recognize their behaviors even in the subtlest way because this can all add up and result to the avoidance behaviors that we should be taking into consideration.
These are some easy steps in avoiding your own Avoidance Coping.
First, you must note and understand what you are avoiding and acknowledge when you are doing it. From there, you take baby steps in improving and lessening such avoidance mechanism.
Second, familiarize yourself with another active coping options aside from the one you are currently holding on to.
Third, to find another way of lessening or relieving your stress and use some emotional coping strategies.
Last and the very most important thing, you should look for someone who would help you be accountable to the repercussions of your avoidance to your developing anxiety.
Interesting facts about anxiety
The American Psychiatric Association included Anxiety Disorders to one of the classifications in the Mental Disorders because they are the real deal.
This is something that an individual could not budge at his own will. One of the most common characteristics of the people with these disorders are their loss of control to what is typically normal to every person under similar circumstances.
The more people ostracize the individuals with serious mental health disorder, the more it is difficult for people in their expert fields attribute contributions to a better way of regulating the illness therein.
For as long as people will turn their heads away from these realities, the more it complicates the multifaceted concept of mental health.
These are not the only misconceptions or anxiety myths, so they say, people have about this emotional aberration. Yet, reducing them will be beneficial both to the society and a whole lot more to the people who are diagnosed with anxiety disorders.
Correcting some of these misconceptions does not only hold public knowledgeable about the infamous topic of mental health problems but also pave way to a more open lifestyle for people who are hiding their brim into the night light, especially with people who refused to consult to professionals, the seriousness of the anxiety disorders.
This is probably the reason why people chose to suffer on their own than to have a voice of their own, to seek professionals, psychology therapists, such as cognitive behavioral therapist to guide them in their journey to normalcy.
Experts provide several activities that could help people in managing their anxiety. Aside from the needed consultation, they are learning and informing oneself all about stress management. This includes proper breathing exercises.
In some cases, positive thinking, leading a healthy lifestyle by incorporating vegetables and fruits to one’s meal in an everyday basis can be of help.
Another is the relaxation techniques to manage themselves especially in tough positions or situations. Cognitive behavioral therapy can likewise provide professional assistance.
Most professionals can also prescribe medication in a more effective way of coping to one’s anxiety. Some of these are the anti-anxiety medications that are very common to people with these anxiety disorders.
Anti-depressants[4]Which Medications Are Best for Anxiety Disorders? can also help because they have chemicals that improves one’s mood and more often reduce stress.
Beta-blockers[5]Can Beta-Blockers Help Your Anxiety? are also in the list because they can reduce the symptoms of anxiety disorders in its physical aspect, such as the increased heart rate and shaking.
