Anxiety is understood as a personality trait of a person, which consists in the tendency to feel anxiety for reasons that other people may think are insignificant. It can be a characteristic of an individual person or be a symptom of a mental disorder. Anxiety can be caused by a hereditary predisposition, lifestyle, or a serious medical condition.
Anxiety as a feature of the human psyche
There are two main types of anxiety: personal and situational. Personal anxiety is the tendency of an individual to experience intense anxiety in situations that do not cause much concern to others. Its roots are in human heredity and in the characteristics of his character and temperament.
Situational anxiety, as the name suggests, manifests itself in specific situations that cause anxiety in the individual. It is determined by the following factors :
- instability of the political, economic and social situation in the modern world, leading to man-made disasters;
- complex relationships between people, conflicts and misunderstanding of others;
- problems in relations with parents, children, spouses;
- negative experience of the past, giving rise to complexes, fears and phobias.
High anxiety does not depend on the person’s age. It can manifest itself in both nursing infants and the elderly.
About what speaks high anxiety
Today, there is no consensus among scientists and psychologists about the causes of high anxiety. According to some experts, it is due to a hereditary factor and is initially “built in” into human genes. Others explain it by an unfavorable environmental situation, while others – by improper diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Most often, a person’s high anxiety is caused by a dangerous situation or a negative psychological situation, up to the exaggeration of the real degree of danger. Excessive anxiety of a person on certain issues is a serious reason for contacting a specialist. In especially severe cases, an excessive sense of anxiety is a sign of mental illness , psychosomatic diseases and other pathologies, for example, endocrine disorders, various neuroses or schizophrenia.
In preschool children, an increased sense of anxiety can be associated with hereditary characteristics of the nervous system or an unfavorable course of pregnancy and childbirth in mothers, as well as with circumstances such as overprotection or rejection of parents. Schoolchildren experience anxiety about learning problems, relationships with teachers and peers. In adolescence, hormonal changes in the body, relationships with the opposite sex, their own appearance and the opinion of the team are added to it. An adult is worried about problems at work, relationships with people, and experiences the loss of loved ones.
Anxiety may not lead to serious mental illness or illness. But if it is capable of poisoning a person’s life and has a negative effect on its quality, then this is a reason to turn to a specialist and undergo a course of therapy.
What you need to do to relieve anxiety
Anxiety can positively influence a person, for example, help to adequately respond to an impending danger or work out possible scenarios for speaking at a public event. It is much worse when it begins to take possession of a person so much that it overshadows everything else.
For example, a man managed to escape in time from an attacking pack of dogs. In this case, anxious feelings went to his advantage. And if he, going out into the street, is in constant expectation of an attack by a pack of dogs, which may not attack, then this already develops into a phobia and requires a number of measures to relieve anxiety.
Effective relief of anxiety is possible using a variety of methods and techniques – from the methods of traditional medicine to meditative practices used in yoga. There are several ways to cope with anxious feelings, depending on the mechanism of their occurrence.
If anxiety is inherited:
- remember what raised fear in parents and grandparents. Perhaps this is something irrational and unconscious, and it is not a fact that it will frighten a representative of the current generation;
- get tested for depression. If the results are unfavorable, a psychotherapist should be consulted who will prescribe appropriate treatment;
- keep a “disturbing diary”, writing down in it situations that inspire the greatest fear and their feelings at this moment;
- try to observe the reactions of others to similar situations and learn from them.
If anxious feelings are the result of a negative picture of the world:
- learn to focus on positive events;
- reduce the number of viewed or read news;
- try to avoid communicating with toxic people and not do what you don’t like;
- analyze what makes you happy and what upsets;
- choose from your environment a person you can trust. If this is not possible, a psychotherapist may become such a person;
- pay attention to the techniques of meditation and relaxation;
- learn to calm yourself down by doing what is pleasant.
Anxiety relief is possible if a person experiences as many positive emotions as possible about himself, his condition and his place in life. Its level is not immediately detected and determined – this requires the help of a specialist and various tests for children and adults.
Timely identification of the causes of anxiety states and their level will effectively cope with them. If the level of anxiety is high enough and poses a threat to a person’s mental health, then specialists can prescribe medication – from sedatives to antidepressants. Non-drug psychotherapy includes techniques such as art therapy and various relaxation techniques. In some cases, hypnosis is used . The latter can only be used by a professional psychiatrist. It is not recommended to use the services of a dubious nature from a variety of “magicians” and “clairvoyants”. Not only will they not help solve the problem, but they will also cause even more trouble and financial difficulties.
A person can cope with anxiety on their own if they are aware of their condition and situations that contributed to its occurrence. Perhaps he may need therapy and professional help. But the most important thing is the support of relatives and friends, which will allow you to experience positive emotions, strengthen self-esteem and faith in yourself.