Anxiety: How Much Is Too Much?
Is it normal to experience anxiety? YES! We are all wired to feel anxious sometimes.
Something I often share with my Alameda, Dublin and online therapy clients is there is a biological basis for anxiety; our ancestors had to engage the ability fight or flight and sense danger in order to survive; this neurological wiring has been passed down to us. I bet most people can relate to some anxiety before they have to give a speech or before a big interview. The anxiety we feel in these situations can actually be helpful in motivating us to prepare and pay attention.
When is it too much?
The answer is when it is routinely getting in the way of us living our life, also called functional impairment. This idea is what separates anxiety from anxiety disorder.
Anxiety looks different for different people, including but not limited to:
avoiding people/circumstances that cause anxiety (skipping school, calling out a work, declining social invitations, passing on a promotion at work)
change in eating habits (eating more or less than usual)
difficulty sleeping
difficulty concentrating often interfering with work, home, or school
GI distress
fatigue/headaches/chronic pain
panic symptoms (shortness of breath, light-headed, chest pain, sweating, shaking, increased heart rate)
feelings of fear, dread, restlessness, tension, irritability
worrying, ruminating, inability to “turn-off thoughts”
As you can imagine, experiencing any of these symptoms of anxiety on a regular basis will start to get in the way of us functioning and enjoying life, negatively impacting our
personal relationships (marriage, dating relationship, parent-child relationship, friendship
work relationships (boss, coworkers, clients)
ability to perform to our potential at work, home, or school
relationship with ourself (low self esteem, self loathing, low self worth, low confidence, perfectionism)
The good news is that anxiety disorders are treatable.
Helpful Next Steps:
Reach out to your doctor. It might be easier to share your concerns with someone you already know like your general practitioner. They can then point you in the right direction.
Consider speaking with a counselor or therapist. There is a lot of research supporting therapy’s efficacy in treating anxiety. Therapy gives you a non-judgmental place to verbalize all the thoughts and worries that are playing on repeat in your head; just doing this alone promotes integration between our emotion brain and our verbal, rational decision making brain, making the anxiety more manageable. Plus, therapists can teach you new skills and ways to manage the anxiety when it comes up. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one of the most research backed methods. If you are a CA resident, East Bay Counseling may be a good fit for anxiety therapy. In my Alameda, Dublin, and online therapy practices I use a blend of cognitive, emotional, and mindfulness techniques to help my clients change their relationship with anxiety, helping them to acknowledge and take care of their anxious selves without allowing the anxiety to take the driver’s seat.
Try mindfulness or meditation exercises. These practices can calm an anxious nervous system. A couple of my favorite apps to use for anxiety are the Calm App or Headspace.
References:
https://www.piedmont.org/living-better/signs-you-have-too-much-anxiety