Understanding Anxiety Disorders: Is It Normal To Be Anxious?

Stress And Anxiety - 'Am I Normal?'

Photo: V Koutsothanasi

Anxiety disorders have become a part of life so much so that even normal anxiety reactions create doubts in our minds regarding the condition of our mental health.

'Am I normal?' -- you are not alone if you often ask yourself this question whenever you are plagued by anxiety.

Feeling anxiety is normal – it is a normal reaction to the stress. So far as stress is an inseparable part of life, so is anxiety. It becomes a 'disorder' when it goes berserk: when the anxiety reaction is out of proportion to the level of stress, or worse, when there is no reason for this reaction at all!

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Signs of Anxiety Disorders

You feel butterflies in your stomach before appearing in an examination, your palpitation increases just prior to giving a presentation, you worry and lose sleep about the financial situation of the family: these are all perfectly normal reactions of your mind and body.

It is normal to feel anxious in stressful situations; it is good in fact, this state of tension increases your levels of energy and concentration and improves your performance. It spurs you to take action for meeting with crisis situations. The normal anxiety crosses over to 'a disorder' when anxiety is so overwhelming that it starts interfering with your normal life, your relationships and your performance at work.

I am giving below some signs and symptoms of anxiety. If you find that you are experiencing several of these in your everyday life, then it is a matter which needs your immediate attention:

• Do you avoid some everyday situations because they make you unduly anxious?
• Do you find yourself plagued by fears that appear to be caused by irrational fears?
• Is anxiety so intense that it is interfering with your relations, and your performance at work?
• Are you always tense, jittery and excessively worried over even small matters?
• Do you experience bouts of panic in normal situations with or without physical symptoms like sweating and palpitation?
• Do you find yourself indulging in certain rituals, not doing which cause lots of anxiety and fears in your mind?

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...And Their Symptoms

Each person has his or her own worldview, each one has reached her life stage with a unique history- her own history. Reasons for feeling anxiety may not be similar for two persons. If one is afraid of speaking in public, then another one may be anxious to visit new places. Yet another one has become a prisoner of habits and rituals which are all but making his life a hell. However, excessive worrying and fretting, and feeling afraid in situations which seem to be harmless to most of the people are sure signs of having an anxiety disorder.

Following are some of the symptoms of which are quite common in cases of anxiety related problems, and can help you determine if you are suffering from some sort of anxiety disorder:

• Headaches,
• Tiredness,
• Heart palpitation, pounding heart,
• Sweating,
• Upset stomach, having to urinate very frequently,
• Muscle tension,
• Exaggerated fears, feeling edgy, get startled easily,
• Irritability,
• Trouble falling sleep, disturbed sleep,?
• Trouble concentrating
• Shortness of breath, difficulty breathing.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

There are six main types of anxiety disorders: Panic Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Phobias.

Panic Disorder

The people suffering from this disorder experience sudden attacks of fear and panic, mostly without warning. These attacks are characterized by symptoms such as increased or irregular heartbeat, sweating, feeling of choking, and a strong desire to run away. Fear of having another attack is an important characteristic of panic disorders.

Social Anxiety Disorder

This is characterized by fear of all kinds of social situations. If you are suffering from social phobia, you are afraid of being negatively judged by others. You are extremely self conscious, and always fear that others will ridicule you for what you say or do.

Phobias

The phobia is an intense fear for specific objects, situations or activities. For example, you might have fear of spiders, fear of darkness, fear of flying or fear of heights.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worrying and fretting over anything and everything. The person is plagued by tension, fear and anxiety most of the time. He may start worrying about matters which only remotely concern him – for example, some mishap in the town, crash in the stock market or announcement of a change in the weather. Always, the amount of anxiety is out of proportion to the situation and is often unrealistic.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

The person suffering from OCD is driven by fears and anxieties that force him to perform some rituals or specific actions. The thoughts plaguing him are 'obsessions' that force him to perform those actions which are 'compulsions'. The worries compel him to go through rituals that seem to relieve his tension, albeit temporarily.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

This type of anxiety disorder arises following some life threatening traumatic situation. The disorder is characterized by nightmares, hyper-vigilance, startling easily, withdrawing from social interactions, avoiding situations that reminds one of the event.

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Further Reading

Cope With Stress and Anxiety: Four Steps to Reduced Stress

Causes Of Panic Attacks: Which Personality Type Is More Susceptible?

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Anxiety Treatment Options: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy And Other Alternatives

Practice Self Hypnosis for Stress and Anxiety Relief

Meditation: Stress Relief Through Awareness

Effective Relaxation Techniques

Guided Imagery: Write Your Own Script!

When Cause Of Stress Is Low Self Esteem

Poor Stress And Time Management Symptoms

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