If you’re doubting whether your anxiety is real, it might be helpful to remind yourself that anxiety impacts every single person on our planet, regardless of age, gender, or background. When you experience healthy anxiety, it’s just your brain’s natural and helpful way of letting you know that something needs urgent attention. It’s normal to feel anxiety in certain circumstances—if you’re in danger, for example. If you’re feeling anxious constantly, however, and it’s taking a toll on your everyday life, that’s when it might be worth exploring whether your anxiety has become a mental health issue.

What to Know About Anxiety

Understanding Anxiety: Is It Real?

Anxiety is undoubtedly real! It is a well-documented mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, are recognized by medical professionals and are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). If you or someone you know is questioning whether your anxiety is valid, rest assured: it is. Talk to your doctor or consult with a licensed therapist to see whether or not the anxiety you’re experiencing is normal or whether it’s developed into something more.

Symptoms of Anxiety: What to Look For

Anxiety is undoubtedly real! It is a well-documented mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and panic disorder, are recognized by medical professionals and are included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). If you or someone you know is questioning whether your anxiety is valid, rest assured: it is. Talk to your doctor or consult with a licensed therapist to see whether or not the anxiety you’re experiencing is normal or whether it’s developed into something more.

Symptoms of Anxiety: What to Look For

Anxiety symptoms can vary from person to person, but there are common signs to watch out for. If you're questioning whether your anxiety is real, consider whether you've been experiencing any of the following symptoms:

• Persistent, excessive worrying about everyday concerns or events, and not being able to control or stop the worrying.
• Feeling constantly on edge or restless, making it difficult to relax.
• Feeling tired and lacking energy, even without physical exertion.
• Becoming easily irritable or agitated, sometimes without apparent cause.
• Suffering from muscle tension, which can lead to aches and pains.
• Experiencing difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or having restorative sleep.
• Encountering physical symptoms like increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and digestive issues.
• Avoiding situations or places that trigger anxiety, to the point that it limits your daily activities.

If any of these sound familiar, and you’ve been experiencing symptoms frequently, it sounds like your anxiety has started to impact your life. Consider talking to your doctor about how you can get some relief.

Types of Anxiety Disorders

Anxiety disorders are a group of mental health conditions famous for causing excessive, persistent worry, fear, and unease. These disorders can severely impact your daily life, emotional well-being, and physical health. Here are some of the most common types of anxiety disorders:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  • GAD is marked by chronic and excessive worrying about a wide range of issues, including health, finances, and relationships… anything and everything! People with GAD often struggle to control their fears and experience physical symptoms such as muscle tension and restlessness.

• Panic Disorder
  •  Individuals with panic disorder suffer from recurrent, unexpected panic attacks. Panic attacks are episodes that involve intense fear and physical symptoms like a racing heart, sweating, and shortness of breath. The fear of experiencing another panic attack can also lead to avoidance behaviors, which could be limiting to your daily life.

• Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Social anxiety, or social phobia, centers around an intense fear of social situations and being judged by others. This could look like you are avoiding social interactions which would severely hinder your ability to lead a fulfilling life.

• Specific Phobias
  • This type of anxiety disorder involves an irrational and intense fear of a specific object or situation, like heights, flying, spiders, or needles. When exposed to their phobia, individuals may experience severe anxiety or panic attacks.

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • OCD combines obsessions (intrusive, distressing thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors or mental acts) that are supposed to reduce the anxiety related to the obsessions. Compulsive rituals can be time-consuming and disruptive to daily life.

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • PTSD occurs after exposure to a traumatic event. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. People with PTSD may also avoid reminders of the trauma, avoiding situations or places that could trigger a panic attack.

• Separation Anxiety Disorder
  • This type of anxiety is often associated with children, but it can affect adults too. It looks like excessive worry about being separated from attachment figures or places, like leaving the house or going somewhere without your mom. Eventually, that kind of limitation leads to significant distress and disrupts your life.

Understanding these disorders might help you recognize the specific ways your anxiety is manifesting so that you can seek the right kind of treatment and support. It’s important to remember, though, that while you may have a pretty good idea of what’s going on, you should always chat with a doctor or licensed therapist about a diagnosis.

Dealing with Anxiety: How to Fix It

So, yes, your anxiety is real, but how do you fix it? Thankfully, there are quite a few effective strategies for dealing with anxiety! It's crucial to remember that while anxiety can be challenging, there are practical steps you can take to manage it and improve your mental health:

• Seek Professional Help
  • Consulting a licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist or psychiatrist, is one of the most effective ways to address anxiety. They can provide you with a diagnosis, treatment options, and coping strategies tailored to your specific needs. That could look like going to therapy or taking medication, but everyone’s situation is different, and your doctor can help you decide what fits your symptoms best.

• Lifestyle Changes
  • Our brains are a part of our bodies, so just like anxiety can manifest as physical symptoms, we can use our bodies to take better care of our brains! Increasing your physical activity, eating a balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep can have a big impact on anxiety. Make sure you’re giving your brain what it needs to function properly.

• Support Networks
  • Isolation is tempting when we’re overwhelmed and feeling like a burden, but it’s also a big contributor to worsening anxiety symptoms. Sharing your feelings and experiences with trusted friends or family members can provide the emotional support you need on the hard days and folks to celebrate with you on the good ones.

• Education
  • Learn about anxiety and its treatment. Understanding your condition and the available resources can empower you to actively manage your anxiety.

• Self-Care
  • Prioritize self-care practices, such as hobbies, leisure activities, and self-compassion, to nurture your mental health. Practicing mindfulness, meditation, deep breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation can also help manage anxiety symptoms and enhance your overall mental well-being. You’re mind and body will have a much better chance of improvement if you take the best possible care of yourself, so don’t be afraid to embrace the #selfcare trend.

Finally, be patient with yourself! Anxiety ebbs and flows. You may feel like you’ve beat anxiety one day, only for it to come back swinging the next. That doesn’t mean you aren’t making progress! It just means you have anxiety… it’ll never be fully absent from your life, because it’s part of having a human brain. But if you ask for help and take steps to care for yourself, you’ll be able to build a life that isn’t controlled by your anxiety.

Can Your Faith Help With Your Anxiety?

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink... Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" —Matthew 6:25-26, ESV

Jesus invites us to cast our worries aside and place our trust in God's care. He reminds us that we are precious and that, just as He provides for the birds, He will also provide for us. Jesus encourages us to embrace each day without the weight of anxiety, finding solace and comfort in the truth that God’s taking care of us even when we can’t see it or understand it.

Does that mean that you should just grit your teeth and push through your anxiety without support? No! Jesus also tells us to care for one another, and you deserve to be cared for as you work on healing. If you need encouragement or ideas about how to manage your anxiety, please reach out to chat with one of our Hope Coaches. We’re always here to listen without judgment and never want you to feel alone.

Are you struggling with panic attacks? Follow these guidelines to help recognize and mitigate a panic attack if you believe you’re experiencing one.