Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of nervousness or unease. Feeling anxious from time to time is normal; it's the body's natural reaction to stress. However, when anxiety becomes hard to control and disrupts your everyday life, that can be a sign of something more serious. Simple things such as waking up in the morning, or walking down the street can make you anxious for no reason, even if you know there is no danger.

Common Symptoms?

Emotional Symptoms :Feelings of apprehension or dread, Watching for signs of danger, Anticipating the worst, Trouble concentrating, Feeling tense and jumpy, Feeling like your mind's gone blank

Physical Symptoms :Pounding heart, Sweating, Headaches, Stomach upset,Dizziness,Frequent urination or diarrhea, Shortness of breath, Muscle tension or twitches, Shaking or trembling Insomnia

Irritability - Feeling angry, restless or constantly nervous

Mental changes - such as fatigue/general loss of energy, as well as loss of interest in things, (these symptoms are also characterized with depression and both illnesses can go hand in hand)

Suicidal thoughts - This is a serious symptom, and if you have suicidal thoughts, you should immediately get help. Go here to our help locator called COBA for help near you

Ways to Cope With Anxiety

1. Sleep well: Not getting enough sleep can trigger anxiety. If you have trouble sleeping, try to engage in a relaxing activity before bed- such as taking a warm bath, reading a book, or listening to soothing music.
2. Get moving throughout the day and Try to stay connected: Exercise is powerful at fighting depression, and a very important part of your daily activities. Try to aim for at least 30 minutes a day. If you want to start small, a 10 minute walk in the sun can do wonders to your mood
3. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and drugs: Caffeine is a stimulant, which can keep you up at night and exacerbate manic episodes. Alcohol and drugs can negatively affect medications, and possibly trigger a mood episode.
4. Do things that make you feel good: Doing things that you enjoy can help soothe your anxiety.
5.Engage in calming practices: Calming practices, such as meditation and yoga, can help minimize anxiety

Negative thoughts that fuel Anxiety

All-or-nothing thinking: Looking at things in black-or-white categories, with no middle ground ("If I fall short of perfection, I'm a total failure.")

Overgeneralization: Generalizing from a single negative experience, expecting it to hold true forever ("I can't do anything right.")

The mental filter: Ignoring positive events and focusing on the negative. Noticing the one thing that went wrong, rather than all the things that went right.

Diminishing the positive: Coming up with reasons why positive events don't count ("She said she had a good time on our date, but I think she was just being nice.")

Jumping to conclusions: Making negative interpretations without actual evidence. You act like a mind reader ("He must think I'm pathetic") or a fortune teller ("I'll be stuck in this dead end job forever.")

Emotional reasoning: Believing that the way you feel reflects reality ("I feel like such a loser. I really am no good!")

Do's and Don'ts: Holding yourself to a strict list of what you should and shouldn't do, and beating yourself up if you don't live up to your rules.

Labeling: Labeling yourself based on mistakes and perceived shortcomings ("I'm a failure; an idiot; a loser.")

Once you identify the destructive thoughts patterns that you default to, you can start to challenge them with questions such as:

"What's the evidence that this thought is true? Not true?"

" What would I tell a friend who had this thought?"

"Is there another way of looking at the situation or an alternate explanation?"

"How might I look at this situation if I didn't have depression?"

As you cross-examine your negative thoughts, you may be surprised at how quickly they crumble. In the process, you'll develop a more balanced perspective.

How you can help someone with depression

DO'S	DON'TS
Spend time talking about their experiences	Do not Pressure them to "just relax" or "calm down"
Indicate that you've noticed a change in their behaviour / emotions / feelings	Do Not Stay away or avoid the person
Let them know you're there to listen without being judgmental	Do Not Pressure them to manage how they're feeling with drugs or alcohol
Highlight the option of seeing a doctor or health professional	Do Not Assume that you can make them feel less anxious on your own
Assist them in finding information about anxiety or depression and talking openly about their feelings	Do Not be help them avoid situations that make them feel anxious

CITATIONS

https://psychcentral.com/lib/15-small-steps-you-can-take-today-to-improve-anxiety-symptoms/

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/coping-with-depression.htm

https://www.everydayhealth.com/anxiety/guide/

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

https://www.adavic.org.au/PG-health-tips-how-to-cope-with-and-help-a-loved-one-experiencing-anxiety-and-depression.aspx