Have you ever had the feeling that something is wrong and you can’t figure out what it is? Or you have this unpleasant feeling that something bad is going to happen but you don’t know why?
You may be dreading going to work or seeing friends but there is no apparent reason for it. At times you may feel out of breath or your chest feels tight. Your heart has a little flutter or it seems to skip a beat.
You may wonder: What is going on? Why is this happening?
If any of this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing anxiety.
We can all get anxious feelings when something is happening in our life that is out of the norm. You are writing a big exam or a family member is in the hospital, or you are having a conflict with someone. This is what we can describe as “situational anxiety.” Once the issue is resolved the anxiety goes away.
The kind of anxiety that can be more problematic is quite different. For one thing, the reason for the uncomfortable, uneasy mental and physical sensations is usually not clear.
You can’t put your finger on it. It is present most of the time and you can’t seem to shake it. This kind of anxiety seems to be on the rise in our society.
Anxiety impacts individuals physically, mentally and emotionally. The uncomfortable physical feelings stem from our built-in alarm system commonly known as fight or flight. Of course, it is much more complex than that but suffice to say that neuroscientists call this “the brain’s early warning system.”
A negative thought sets in motion a protective process that results in the release of our body’s natural energy chemical, adrenalin. When we have thoughts such as fear, worry, threat, helplessness and hopelessness, the alarm is triggered.
When we are in a relatively constant state of experiencing intrusive, self-defeating, negative thoughts, the alarm system becomes a cycle. In fact, it becomes disordered and that is the problem.
Imagine trying to relax in your home if the burglar alarm went off regularly and you didn’t know how to turn it off. We call this type of anxiety a disorder.
The good news is that anxiety can be overcome by changing your thinking patterns and challenging self-defeating thoughts. The first step is to identify your thoughts and then you can apply some strategies to make the shift to self-supporting thoughts.
By changing your thoughts, you will stop the cycle. You also want to start a routine of deep-breathing, exercising and eating healthy snacks. The mind and the body work together to find a cohesive state.
There is a path back to safety and wellness. Reach out to a mental health professional and your family physician to get the resources you need. You deserve a quality life.
Deborah Joyce is a psychotherapist with a practice in Powell River and Comox Valley. For more information, go to beaufortcounselling.ca.
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