The other day, I asked my friend if she could do me a favour. Before I even explained further, she objected. “I have anxiety and I cannot leave my house. I hope your favour doesn’t involve me going outside” She explained how the Covid-19 situation has affected her mental health. This is not new. Most people, especially these times we are facing a global pandemic, are struggling with anxiety. 

Both you and I have been anxious at one time or another. It happens all the time and sometimes we cannot help it. In fact, some degree of anxiety is necessary as it’s an alert to potential danger hence preparing you for action. 

What is anxiety?

Sometimes, we are anxious about exciting opportunities and other times it is about unpredictable disasters like covid-19. Anxiety is feeling uneasy and worrying about an uncertain outcome. Right now, we cannot tell how the Covid-19 curve will behave in the near future. We are unsure of how it’s going to affect our jobs, businesses, education, families, etc. The fear of what will happen is what makes you feel nervous and stressed.

Attending a job interview could also cause anxiety because you don’t know how the interview will turn out. “Am I going to ace it? What if I flop? What if I can’t answer any of the questions?” These are questions that might race in your mind when you are anxious about the interview. 

Signs and symptoms of anxiety

Some signs and symptoms that you exhibit when having anxiety include;

• Panicking
• Nausea
• Inability to move or run away
• Headaches
• Increased heart rate
• Shaking
• Restlessness
• Sweating

These signs are temporary and tend to disappear once you are out of the situation triggering the anxiety. For instance, if you are feeling anxious before going to the stage to perform, you feel relieved once you are done with the performance. 

If these symptoms are too intense, you may not be able to cope. You might perform poorly in an exam or interview because you are anxious. If you find that you are feeling too anxious to focus or go on with your daily activities, try out these tips to deal with anxiety;

• Taking deep breaths
• Exercising
• Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake
• Meditating
• Talking to someone eg a friend or therapist
• Getting quality sleep
• Journaling

When does anxiety become a disorder?

In our previous post, we mentioned anxiety disorder as one of the common mental illnesses we have. An anxiety disorder is a mental health condition characterised with intense feelings of anxiety that make it extremely difficult to carry on with your daily activities. Unlike anxiety which is temporary, anxiety disorders are persistent and recurring in nature. This happens when you are not able to deal with anxiety at an early stage. Slowly by slowly, if not managed, normal anxiety progresses into an anxiety disorder. 

From time to time, you experience intrusive thoughts and feelings of fear that are out of your control. For instance, one may just remain still or mute while they are supposed to run or speak.

When you have excessive anxiety and find yourself avoiding school, going to work, attending social events or anything that triggers your anxiety, then that’s no longer normal anxiety but an anxiety disorder. This is especially the case if this happens for a long period of time.

Other causes of anxiety disorders include;

• Genetics
• Withdrawal from Drugs
• Drugs and substance abuse
• Certain medical conditions
• Certain medications
• Environmental factors eg. childhood experiences

Types of anxiety disorders

There exists various types of anxiety disorders such as;

Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) – With this disorder, you often feel worried about various possible outcomes and sometimes you are just nervous for no particular reason. You might have troubled sleep, feel restless, and have concentration problems. 

Phobias – These are extreme fears of certain objects, places or situations. Common phobias include;

• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Hydrophobia – fear of water
• Nyctophobia- fear of darkness
• Claustrophobia – fear of being in enclosed places
• Herpetophobia – fear of reptiles
• Aerophobia – fear of flying

Panic disorders – People with panic disorders experience intense panic attacks which can be sudden and unexpected. Panic attacks are characterized with intense emotions of terror and one might feel like they are having a heart attack. Signs of a panic attack include chest pains, palpitations, feelings of choking and sometimes dissociating from reality. A person who has had a panic attack often lives in fear of getting another one.

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – PTSD develops after going through a traumatising experience and not recovering from it. It could be due to an accident , physical abuse, death of a loved one, war, natural disasters, etc. Such a person might have nightmares, flashbacks, memory loss, and they will also avoid anything that triggers the memories of the traumatic experience they had.

Social anxiety disorder – This disorder involves overwhelming fear of social situations. People with social anxiety disorder feel worried when in social situations and fear that others might ridicule them if they say or do something. They are also afraid of embarrassing themselves in the presence of others. They will henceforth avoid being in such situations. 

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) – A person with OCD has unwanted thoughts and fears that lead them to repeating certain behaviours with the aim of fixing the situation that is bothering them. There are those who are so afraid of germs and in times like today, you will find them washing their hands even when it’s unnecessary. They might wash their hands once, and just before they dry their hands, they think they are not clean enough and repeat again. 

Anxiety and anxiety disorders treatment

Even though anxiety and anxiety disorders cannot be completely cured, they are highly treatable. Besides management tips like the ones we already mentioned, therapy and medication go a long way in helping you cope, and suppressing the symptoms. 

Once a mental health expert diagnoses you with a certain disorder, they will come up with a specific treatment plan that may include medication and psychotherapy. The psychotherapist will talk you through various strategies to help you identify triggers and how to respond to them. 

The treatment process is a journey and the best thing you can do is to walk it with a professional. Talk to a mental health expert today if you are struggling with anxiety before it progresses into a disorder. The earlier you deal with it, the better.