Everyone occasionally experiences some anxiety. It is a normal response to a stressor or perceived threat. Anxiety is sometimes referred to as “an arousal response” because many of our bodily functions speed up when we are anxious. Anxiety can range from feeling very alert, to uneasy and worried, to severe panic.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is an uncomfortable feeling of fear or impending catastrophe. It is the term used to describe the thoughts and bodily reactions a person has when they encounter an event or situation that they feel they cannot manage or undertake successfully. During an anxiety episode, a person’s mind is actively assessing the situation, sometimes outside of conscious attention, and developing predictions of how well they will cope based on past experiences.

Although some anxiety is a normal response to a stressful situation, when anxiety is too intense, a person may not come up with an effective way of managing the stressful or threatening situation. They might "freeze", avoid the situation, or even fear they may do something that is out of character. Anxiety can cause physical, emotional, behavioural, and mental responses.

What Causes Anxiety?

There is not just one cause of high anxiety. Rather, there are a number of factors that may contribute to the development of anxious thoughts and behaviour.

Some causes of anxiety include:

• Hereditary factors: people with a family history of anxiety are more likely to also experience anxiety
• Biochemical factors: people who experience a high level of anxiety may have an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that regulate feelings and physical reactions
• Life experiences: events, such as a family break-up, abuse, bullying, and workplace conflict, can be stress factors that challenge a person's coping resources and leave them vulnerable to experiencing anxiety
• Personality style: certain personality types are more at risk of high anxiety than others, such as those with low self-esteem and those with a poor capacity to cope
• Thinking styles: certain thinking styles make people more at risk of high anxiety than others, such as perfectionists
• Behavioural styles: certain ways of behaving also place people at risk of maintaining high anxiety, such as avoidant behaviour.

What are the Symptoms of Anxiety?

The experience of anxiety varies from person to person. Key features include ongoing worry or thoughts that are distressing and that interfere with daily living. In addition, symptoms of anxiety may include:

• Confusion
• Trembling
• Faintness/dizziness
• Rapid heartbeat
• Difficulty breathing
• Upset stomach or nausea
• Restlessness
• Irritability.

How is Anxiety Treated?

Psychological treatment, particularly cognitive behaviour therapy, has been found to be very effective in the treatment of anxiety. Other treatments used to address anxiety include medication and making lifestyle changes, such as maintaining stable blood sugar and getting sufficient sleep.

Managing Anxiety Tips

Identify Trigger Factors

 The first step in managing anxiety is to identify the specific situations that trigger stress or anxiety. One way to do this is to keep a diary of symptoms and what is happening when anxiety occurs. It is also helpful to identify any worrying thoughts as this can assist in finding ways to solve the specific problem.

Breathing Exercises

When people feel anxious, their breathing often changes, by becoming shallower, quicker, and drawn in through their mouth. This way of breathing can lead to many of the unpleasant feelings, such as light headedness and confusion, that may be experienced when anxious. Learning a breathing technique can often relieve symptoms and help a person to think more clearly.

Relaxation Techniques

People who feel anxious most of the time report that they have trouble relaxing. Knowing how to release muscle tension is an important anxiety treatment. Relaxing can bring about a general feeling of calm, both physically and mentally. Learning a relaxation technique and practising it regularly can help a person to maintain a manageable level of anxiety.

Thought Management

Thought management exercises are useful when you are troubled by ongoing or recurring distressing thoughts. There is a range of thought management techniques, such as gentle distraction, which uses pleasant thoughts to help draw attention away from unpleasant thoughts. The choice of thought management technique will depend on the type of anxiety problem.

Lifestyle Changes

• Plan to take part in a pleasant activity each day
• Increase exercise
• Reduce caffeine intake
• Reduce alcohol intake
• Improve time-management skills.