Anxiety is an emotion that can be experienced suddenly in the future, stemming from thoughts containing negative scenarios. It's an uncomfortable feeling that people generally don't want to feel. The main difference with fear is that anxiety is about situations that will happen in the future (perhaps in a moment, maybe a year later), while fear is experienced only because of the negativities happening in the moment. Fear is in the present, anxiety is in the future.
Anxiety keeps it alive.
Although it is an undesirable emotion, anxiety is a quality that enables human beings to reach the present. Especially in hunter-gatherer times, when people were much more vulnerable than today, anxiety kept people alert and ensured the continuity of the generation. Keeping alive is the main function of anxiety. The rate of women in cases of anxiety disorder is around twice that of men. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that women are more prone to feelings of anxiety. Men engage in more risky behaviors because they feel this emotion less, and perhaps one of the reasons they experience less is because they are relatively less anxious.
How Do People Worry?
There is a part of the human brain called the limbic system, known as the emotional brain. The amygdala is located here, and the amygdala works on the "fight or flight" principle in case of danger. When an alarming thought or stimulus comes to mind, this is the part that works, and then the sympathetic system comes into play and an alarm situation begins in the body. In this alarm condition, the purpose is; to protect people from danger. Let's take a look at what happens in the body when the sympathetic system is active in a moment of anxiety;
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The heart pumps blood faster.
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The pupils dilate . In this way, the pupils receive more light and vision improves.
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The salivary glands work less, which is why the need to drink water frequently during stress, for example while giving a presentation.
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The lung works faster. The body receives more oxygen and is transferred to the tissues for burning.
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The glucose secretion of the liver accelerates. The aim is to provide more energy to the body.
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The adrenal glands produce adrenaline and energy blasts, which create a burst of energy in the body. begins to secrete the hormone noradrenaline.
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Digestion of food is slowed down in the gastrointestinal tract. Because the energy to be used for digestion is transferred to different areas.
The system works autonomously to keep it alive. However, in people with Anxiety Disorder, the alarm state in question works when there is no real danger, that is, it is a false alarm.
What is Anxiety Disorder?
The feeling of anxiety actually exists in all of us. is an emotion. However, anxiety disorder is a condition that only some of us experience, and anxiety disorder has different types. People who are known as anxious or pessimistic among the public are actually people with generalized anxiety disorder.
If we all have anxiety, how do we distinguish that it is an anxiety disorder?
When it is dysfunctional and lasts for at least 6 months. In other words, if you have difficulty in doing the situations that you need to do or want to do because of anxiety in areas such as social, relationship, work, education, and you avoid it, it means that you have an anxiety disorder. For example, someone with generalized anxiety disorder may go to school less with the thought that something bad will happen while they go to school, or someone with social anxiety disorder may make excuses for not making the presentation they need to do at work and avoid this situation.
The main sign is that it impairs the function in daily life and leads to avoidance. If you want to learn more about this subject, you can review the DSM V Anxiety Disorders Diagnostic Criteria.
What are the Types of Anxiety Disorders?
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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Social Anxiety Disorder
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Obsessive Compulsive Disorders
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Phobias ( Agoraphobia, Claustrophobia, etc.)
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Panic Disorder
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Selective Speech Disorder
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Separation Anxiety Disorder,
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Anxiety Disorder Due to a Health Problem
Whatever anxiety disorder you have, At the time of anxiety, the symptoms are similar to each other. Only the situation in which the person is worried differs.
Anxiety Disorder Symptoms i What are they?
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Heart palpitations
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Restlessness
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Bodily pain
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Nausea
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Sweating, hot flashes
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Tension in the muscles
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Attention Distraction
Thoughts and Behaviors of People with Anxiety Disorder
Avoid uncertainty as much as possible
In people with Anxiety Disorder, the moments when anxiety is triggered are moments of uncertainty and uncertainty, and the future always includes uncertainty. For this reason, these people are generally inclined to do things they know or go to places they know. When people are told what anxiety is and how it works in psychotherapy sessions, knowing what is going on in their bodies gives them some relief. This is exactly my motivation for writing this article. I want you to know what you are going through and that you are not alone.
Catastrophic thinkers
Whatever the situation that triggers the anxiety of the person is, there are always the worst or catastrophic scenarios. Let's take a look at the sample thoughts of people with Anxiety Disorder.
A person with illness anxiety 'My headache is definitely from a brain tumor' ''My pain will never go away, it will increase and I will die''
Social An anxious person says, "I will be disgraced if I speak in front of a crowd." "If I ask this question in public, I will not be silent and they will realize that I am worried and think negatively about me." .'''I should stay away from places I don't know because they are dangerous and unsafe places.' p>Someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "Something bad will happen to my loved ones if I don't clean this place"
Someone with Agoraphobia "I'm stuck in traffic on a bridge and I can never get out"
They focus on the worst
Anxiety keeps you safer through worst-case scenarios
I would like to add Mark Twain's words here, "I have had many worries in my life, but over time you will find yourself unable to do most things in your life. Most of them haven't even happened.''
They Can Over-Generalize
The situations they've been through seem like they will never pass and will always continue. However, every anxiety attack must end, because physiologically, the sympathetic system cannot remain active all the time. Anxiety disorder is also a treatable condition.
Through the Eyes of Anxiety Sufferers
Imagine that only you see a danger that no one else has seen. You tell the people around you, but no one finds what you are telling realistic. They think you're exaggerating, delusional or even lying. Despite all this, the danger you see seems so real to you that you are constantly busy with it. You can't help but think. Even if you realize that such a danger does not exist from time to time, you are still affected and cannot return to your daily routine. When you are in a situation where you want to go out or not, and you are negatively affected by it almost every day, it makes you feel incomprehensible and lonely when others say things like never mind, you're hanging out too much. You are starting to stop telling it to others because it will be ridiculous, and it seems like it will never pass. But this is not true, anxiety disorder can be treated. Applying to the most suitable mental health specialist will be the best step you can take in this regard.
How to Treat?
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the methods used in Anxiety Disorder in Psychotherapy. . In this method, first of all, when and how the anxiety disorder started is investigated. At the beginning of the sessions, a relationship of trust is also developed. Then, after the problem is understood, the client is psychologically told how the situation he is experiencing is and how he is watching. It includes information on how to reach a solution along with the initiating and continuing reasons. In therapy, this part is called psycho-education. Behavioral work to the client between sessions Workshops are given and asked to reinforce what was said in the session. After that, the solution stage is passed. Other psychotherapy methods in the treatment of Anxiety Disorder are EMDR and schema therapy. Finally, psychiatric drugs can also be used for treatment.
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