Anxiety, or extreme apprehension and worry, is a normal reaction to stress or danger, however, when worry becomes excessive or chronic it can undermine our overall health and well-being.
When anxiety becomes problematic, it manifests as generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, social anxiety, anticipatory anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and a variety of phobias. Over the past 20 years, anxiety disorders have been on the rise, and have become the number one mental-health issue presenting in modern middle-class societies.
Symptoms of anxiety include excessive worry, even when there are no signs of trouble, irrational thoughts and expectations, inability to relax, irritability, insomnia, tiredness, headaches, muscle tension and trembling. Left untreated, anxiety can get worse and create more stress in a person’s life.
Anxiety is highly treatable with effective treatments such as learning how to respond rather than react to situations that induce anxiety; implementing natural remedies that include getting regular exercise, getting ample sleep, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, challenging our anxious and irrational thoughts, doing yoga, and engaging in mindfulness-based meditation, which slows racing thoughts making it easier to manage stress and anxiety.
Practising deep abdominal breathing and relaxation exercises, spending time out in nature, aromatherapy and pursuing pleasant hobbies and interests can also reduce anxiety. You may need to try several combinations of therapies and remedies before finding what works best.
Recent studies have revealed that excessive time spent on social media can negatively affect sleep quality and create higher levels of anxiety. Therapeutic counselling can help us identify what triggers our anxiety, and helps us address our anxious thoughts, which in turn, affect our emotions and behaviour, and we can learn how to replace our reactions with more positive and constructive alternatives.
Medication can also help manage and reduce chronic anxiety, and your doctor can help to determine which options are best for you.
Chris Drummond is a registered clinical counsellor in Powell River
