Anxiety and You

Anxiety. The word that is running rampant right now through all facets of social media. The word that when I see it my first thought is, "you keep using that word, I do not think it means what you think it means.” Tons of people diagnosing themselves, and seemingly making it a trend, instead of a serious condition that it actually is. If you’re like pretty much anyone in the world right now, you are on Tiktok, whether it is just you scrolling through videos, or you’re actively posting, you are probably on it. I’m sure you also saw the extremely problematic trend that Gen Z started, of recording what it looks like to have anxiety. Every video was seemingly a carbon copy of the other, a kid rocking back and forth, or fidgeting and crying. As someone with actual diagnosed anxiety I had to laugh, the people, these children doing these videos for clout was unfathomable to me. This brought up a question, do they even know what anxiety is? Do you? Do they know what it is actually like to shut down daily because you are worrying so much about something, usually, irrational?  

As defined by the Mayo Clinic, generalized anxiety disorder is: “excessive, ongoing anxiety and worry that are difficult to control and interfere with day-to-day activities”. There are different types of anxiety disorders, but I am going to focus on this one for this post. The symptoms can be minor to severe depending on the person, as with most mental disorders. Generally speaking if you have diagnosed general anxiety, you also have some other type of mood disorder i.e. major depressive disorder. Living with this day to day without treatment can most literally halt your life. Here are some of the symptoms of generalized anxiety: 

• Overthinking plans and solutions to all possible worst-case outcomes

• Perceiving situations and events as threatening, even when they aren'

• Unable to make decisions for fear of making the wrong choice. 

• Inability to set aside or let go of a worry

• Constantly tense, unable to let loose, mind is always running.

• Mind fog, and the inability to concentrate on tasks. 

These symptoms can make even the most simple of tasks feel like a mental marathon for sufferers of this disorder. I mean the simplest, like even choosing what to cook for dinner for your family/significant other. What if they hate it? What if I burn something because I get distracted? What if I give everyone food poisoning? These irrational thoughts are not so irrational to the sufferer. Even when they know it is not logical, they can not stop these thoughts plaguing their minds. 

Anxiety wreaks havoc on not only our brain, but your entire body. It can cause severe health problems that could, in extreme cases, wind you up in the hospital or worse. Not to get too personal, but being someone who has anxiety and IBS is not a fun combo. Anxiety irritates and even exacerbates the IBS, causing major flare ups and a lot of discomfort for the person suffering from these issues. In fact, people who didn’t have IBS before anxiety could develop it, if the anxiety is left untreated. It also causes bouts of irritability and difficulty sleeping, which to me go hand in hand. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, because your mind won’t shut off and you keep thinking about all the horrible things that could happen, or you definitely forgot something but can’t remember what; you will be exhausted the next day. I don’t know about you, but me + exhaustion= grumpy. This becomes a vicious cycle that sometimes can seem impossible to break. 

I know, that all sounds awful and doom and gloom, but there is a positive; I promise! You can get help. You can get treatment. There are psychologists available to help you when you need it and get you the medicine or the help you need to combat this awful disorder. Sometimes the first person you see isn’t the best fit for you, but the wonderful thing in all of this is that there are 100’s you can go try out, and find the perfect fit for you. There are so many different medications available to help as well. You don’t have to take xanax as your only option, there are genuinely so many options for you and your body. If you suffer from this disorder, don’t let it rule you, get help. That is something that I put off until it was genuinely too late. Luckily I was still able to get help, but do not let it get to the point of helplessness. Love yourself, anxiety and all, but kick that anxiety out like you would an abusive partner.

Below is a link so you can find help in your area: 

https://locator.apa.org/