What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is a physiological and psychological response to stressors. To feel worried, apprehensive, nervous, and uneasy about the future is the basis of anxiety. Now these emotions are a natural reaction to stress and perceived threats. One is expected to feel anxious about making a big life decision such as which college to dedicate four years of their life to, which career they purse, who they decide to get married to, where to live, amongst other situations. This natural anxiety transitions into a disorder when it becomes excessive or disproportionate to the actual stressor, or when it starts to interfere with one’s daily functioning and well-being. This worry then persists for at least half a year making it difficult to make decisions on a day-to-day basis.
Anxiety disorders encompass a range of conditions including:
- Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
- Panic Disorder
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
- Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
- Specific Phobia (fear of heights (acrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), flying (aviophobia), and enclosed spaces (claustrophobia).
Psychiatric providers in San Diego can help distinguish between life’s stress and anxiety disorders.
How does Anxiety Present Itself?
Each individual experiences anxiety in their own way. Anxiety may be generalized where the individual experiences racing thoughts, has frequent uncontrollable worries, has difficulty with concentration, has a heightened sense of alertness, feels irritable, is restless, or has trouble with sleep.
Some may experience physical symptoms including an increased heart rate, shortness of breath, chest tightness, upset stomach, shakiness, sweating, or feeling lightheaded. These symptoms are common in anxiety or panic attacks.
For others, anxiety may present as obsessions or compulsions as seen in OCD. OCD treatment is crucial for those struggling with specific obsessions or intrusive thoughts. Examples include, fears of contamination, doubts about safety, or concerns about orderliness. Compulsions include excessive handwashing, checking, or counting. This can elevate distressing thoughts or fears negatively impacting one’s daily function and quality of life.
How to Treat Anxiety?
After recognizing how anxiety may present and the impact it’s having, it’s time to seek treatment for anxiety in San Diego. Treatment involves a collaborative approach including lifestyle modifications, participating in individualized therapy, or in some cases, medication support.
Psychiatric medications work on regulating neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, norepinephrine, and Gaba to alleviate symptoms of anxiety.
Identifying coping skills is necessary to address anxiety. Examples include deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, mindfulness meditation, grounding techniques, self-soothing activities (taking a warm bath or listening to calm music), exercising, and cognitive coping strategies where one challenges the negative thoughts.
It’s important for individuals to work with their mental health providers to identify a treatment plan specific to their needs!