Nobody Told You About Anxiety
Also known as “nervousness”, anxiety can be easily identified because it produces very uncomfortable symptoms such as:
- The typical feeling of agitation,
- tremors,
- sweating,
- fear,
- tachycardia,
- rapid breathing,
and in extreme cases:
- choking sensation,
- tightness in the chest,
- fainting or panic that something catastrophic might happen.
It should be clarified that anxiety itself is not a bad thing; in fact, it functions as an adaptive mechanism.
When does anxiety occur?
There are events that can produce anxiety that does not necessarily represent a physical danger.
We usually feel anxiety:
- Before entering an important work meeting;
- when we are going to propose marriage to our partner, or;
- at the moment of attending to a personal emergency.
Anxiety as a defense mechanism
Anxiety is a very old mechanism that dates back to the cave age when our ancestors had to beware of the dangers of wildlife.
Let’s imagine what would have happened if our ancestors had not felt anxiety when going out to hunt… I am sure that a mammoth would have killed them.
And the fact is that if we are in a dangerous situation, anxiety helps us to be alert and take the necessary protective measures.
In other words, it is as if it were an alarm that is activated in case of emergencies.
However, when this alarm is constantly activated due to irrational thoughts, then it becomes dysfunctional and can give rise to an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety as a disorder
The subject of anxiety disorders is very broad, as it can range from phobias (uncontrollable fears) to post-traumatic stress. If you want to discover the best cbd products uk, come and visit their page for additional tips and information.
These tend to be extremely uncomfortable for people, such as when panic attacks occur; which prevents them from continuing with their normal life.
They often develop an exorbitant fear of these attacks occurring and it is precisely this fear that ends up generating them.
Two signs that our thoughts are irrational.
We generate absolute ideas
I have repeatedly observed in consultation that these irrational thoughts become obsessive in matters over which the person has no control.
For example, ideas such as “something always happens to ruin my happiness”, “I will never get over this relationship”, “all men/women are the same”, and “if I fail, my chances are over” are often expressed.
Emotions arise that prevent us from achieving our goals
Emotions and behaviors such as guilt, fear, isolation, depression, and of course, disproportionate anxiety; can arise and interfere with the fulfillment of our goals.
When things do not go as the person with anxiety would like, cognitive inflexibility (inability to adapt our behavior with ease) is often present.
The most effective way to manage anxiety is through a restructuring of our way of thinking, which allows us to have a more rational perspective to face adversities.
Psychological therapy will provide you with the necessary techniques that will help you identify when anxious thoughts occur and how to deal with them.
