What is this anxiety? Anxiety, one of the basic emotions we have from birth, means 'worry'. It is a problem that we encounter, hear about, and maybe even have in the modern world. Anxiety, also known as anxiety, can be defined as a state of unreasonable fear and uneasiness that something bad will happen. However, this feeling activates some mechanisms that help us not be prepared for the threats we may encounter and defend ourselves. Everyone may encounter different problems in their life. It is common to feel anxiety due to issues such as health problems, work/school stress, relational problems, economic problems, as well as a difficult job interview or a difficult exam. Additionally, anxiety can be an emotional response to an unknown threat. For example; It is normal to feel uneasy and nervous when you walk alone on a dark street at night and to worry that something might happen to you. In this case, the anxiety you experience is normal, functional and even useful. Anxiety helps us identify and respond to danger in 'fight or flight' situations. In fact, appropriate levels of anxiety can even help improve performance. Although anxiety is a beneficial emotion when it is at the appropriate level, it can have negative effects when it exceeds the required level. In other words, when worries and fears become irresistible and start to affect our daily lives, anxiety may have turned into an anxiety disorder problem. At this point, distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy anxiety and reviewing the events that cause anxiety to increase helps to cope with anxiety. Let's not forget that while healthy anxiety helps us, unhealthy anxiety can disrupt our function. If I were to give an example that might help us distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anxiety; You decided to go to your hometown for the holiday. An example of healthy anxiety is that your car is well maintained, your seat belt is fastened, you have prepared your belongings, and you are able to focus on the road after getting enough sleep for the trip. Worrying about these issues they are ready to go. Examples of unhealthy anxiety include thinking that your tire will flat on the road, thinking that you will get stranded on the road, thinking that you will have a heart attack on the road, etc. These thoughts are a kind of disaster scenario and it is not possible to take precautions on these issues. These types of disaster scenarios create high anxiety, tension and unrest. Therefore, it is a dysfunctional, even dysfunctional way of thinking. Symptoms of anxiety disorder? Common physical symptoms of anxiety disorder include difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, hot flushes, sweating, chest pain, muscle tension, nausea, headache and dizziness, dry mouth and sleep problems. Other symptoms include feeling restless and tense, irritability, feeling tired, crying spells, eating problems, and concentration problems. These symptoms vary from person to person and may also vary depending on the severity of anxiety. How can I cope? First of all, it is very important to recognize anxiety and learn what you are trying to cope with. Recognize anxiety so you feel better equipped to cope. Then, as soon as you notice your anxiety, focus on the thoughts in your mind that worry you. If your anxiety is healthy, accept it and focus on what you can do. However, if it seems like unhealthy anxiety, focus on the fact that it is something beyond your control and remind yourself. Acknowledge the anxiety you experience, along with all its physical symptoms. Apply relaxation techniques (Take a deep breath. While doing this, be careful to tighten all your muscles one by one, from your toes to your head. Hold the breath you take while tightening your muscles for 5 seconds, and at the end of the time, release your muscles by exhaling. Feel all your muscles relax.). Write down your worrying thoughts. It will help you to keep track of your thoughts by taking notes. You can develop alternative thoughts for the thoughts you wrote and add them to your notes. Take time to worry and think about the things you worry about. Work on controlling your anxiety of. On the other hand, if anxiety occurs as a result of a stressful event, developing skills to cope with stress and anxiety, restructuring unrealistic thoughts and gaining awareness about the issue are also very important in combating anxiety.
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