The One-Stop Guide to What Causes Your Anxiety.

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Mar 27, 2022

✨POV✨: Have you ever felt weak to your knees with anxiety when thoughts of the future flood your mind? How about the idea of being around crowds of people? Ever felt like it was just you who experienced this?

It's what the scientists call - anxiety disorders 🥶

Before we begin, let's start off by being on the same page about a common misconception about anxiety: anxiety disorders are not the same as anxiety.

To feel anxious is a normal, earthly emotion.

On the other hand, anxiety disorders are like a hostage situation - where these anxious feelings take control of our wellbeing.

Our mental health then takes the biggest hit.

So, if you think your anxiety seems a bit too intense, it can help to understand what causes anxiety disorders and how it manifests in daily life.

What causes anxiety disorders in the first place? 🤔

The thing about our anxiety disorder is that it can root itself in our core.

This means that chances are, people with anxiety disorders have been living with anxiety disorder symptoms all through their childhood, that has now shaped their personality traits.

How? Let's take a closer look.

👉🏽 Early childhood experiences

As children, we depend entirely on our primary caregivers to meet our needs.

But,

What happens when we’re yelled at for crying before bedtime?

What if we’re constantly criticized for not being as perfect as some other kid?

What if we’re punished for expressing our emotions?

We no longer feel safe to wear our emotions on our sleeves freely.

It feels scary to disappoint our caregivers. It makes us anxious.

What happens next?

Strategies are picked up to counter those scary responses by our caregivers.

We grow up avoiding situations that could put us on the receiving end of potentially destructive criticism.

There goes our self-confidence and self-esteem.

👉🏽 Genetic and environmental factors

Yup, some of us are just genetically predisposed to anxiety disorders.

This means that people in our family history experienced the same anxiety disorder and will continue to do so.

It could also mean that the traditions and cultures that shaped our environments contributed to our stress or overwhelming worry.

Little did we know that this could develop anxiety disorder symptoms.

What are the physical symptoms of anxiety disorders? 🧐

Difficulty concentrating in the here and now.

Stiff jaw and muscle tension, not letting us relax and be.

Intense fear, lingers and eventually leads to heart palpitations or rapid heartbeat.

Breathlessness, where it can feel like a tight grip around the windpipe.

It can feel like impending doom. This is what a panic attack feels like.

All physical symptoms of anxiety disorders have a spectrum of varying intensities.

Regardless of whether it is chronic anxiety or episodes of intense pressure, tackling anxiety symptoms all boils down to how well you know and understand your anxiety disorders.

Are there different types of anxiety disorders? 😅

Yup, there are.

And knowing what these types are can help you zero in on healthy coping mechanisms.

👉🏽 Generalized anxiety disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is when we experience severe anxiety and worry that stops us from being able to carry on with regular, everyday chores. We’re restless, and our anxious thoughts just won't quit.

Social anxiety disorder stems from the fear of being judged by people in social situations.

Social anxiety disorder is also responsible for those low self-esteem thoughts that almost have us canceling plans every single time or avoiding tasks like presentations at school or work.

👉🏽 Panic attacks and panic disorder

Panic attacks happen when our anxious thoughts have us convinced of impending danger when actually, there is no threat or danger.

Panic attacks can happen at any time, even during regular life events. When these panic attacks start affecting your mental well-being, they become a panic disorder.

How to deal with anxiety disorders and their symptoms 🧐

Now that we're acquainted with our anxiety disorder, there's still more learning to do when dealing with it.

👉🏽 Things to do during the day

Deep breaths.

Starting your day by focusing on breathing helps regulate mood and blood flow.

Want an easy way to go about this?

Check out being, where they have a mini guided session to start the day with. Here's one that you can try- I want to start my day with a mindful walk.

Set a routine.

Break your day into work hours and rest hours. Break work hours into smaller tasks ranging from most important to least. Rest hours should be just that - where you indulge in anything that makes you feel calm.

Give anti-anxiety foods a place in your diet.

This means foods that contain Omega-3, Vitamin D, magnesium, and potassium. This helps regulate mood and overall cognitive function. Add nuts, eggs, fish, and even dark chocolate to your regular meals!

Hydration is key.

Yup - keep sipping on some water!

👉🏽 Things to do at nighttime

Begin the unwinding process by slowly steering clear from your devices. This helps your brain and eyes transition to rest.

Pamper yourself with some alone time or quiet time.

This helps center the focus on you. It could be a few minutes of coloring or reading—a warm bath. Or just lighting some scented candles and lying down for some time.

Set the alarm for the week, where you wake up and sleep at a set time.

Deep breaths before shut-eye.

Remember 4-7-8: breath in for 4 seconds. Hold the breath in for 7 seconds. Release for 8 seconds.

👉🏽 Things to tell yourself

People with anxiety, like us, have instances that occur regularly that trigger anxiety, which causes us to have anxiety disorders.

Anxiety disorders can take over our thoughts which influence our behavior by creating specific patterns and habits. This means that our thoughts hold a lot of power.

Here are some affirmations to help counter those anxious thoughts:

"I am enough and capable."

"This moment is scary, but it will pass."

"My mental health is not up for compromise."

To wrap it up 🤝

Your journey towards a state of calm is unique to you.

The lesser ambiguity around anxiety disorders, the better it gets to work towards your mental health.

You get to call your anxiety disorder by name - generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and equip yourself with the tools needed to counter it.

What do those tools look like?

It can look like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), where, with the help of a mental health professional, you get to change the narrative in your mind to a positive one. This then shapes better behavior and coping styles.

Another easy way can be by learning some calming techniques for your anxiety disorder.

How about accessing a variety of them designed as mini-therapies for any anxiety disorder by mental health specialists?

Remember being? Here, regardless of the anxiety disorder, you're living with, you get to access CBT tools, guided meditation, and even interact with mental health specialists at your own pace.

So the next time your mind cooks up anxious thoughts, here's the only takeaway you need to remember: You are NOT your anxiety disorder. With patience and just enough self-compassion, you can overcome this.

Take it one day at a time, friend!

Disclaimer

Self-therapy is not a substitute for professional mental health therapy. Mental health disorders and other mental health conditions can manifest as physical health problems. Your mental health conditions or mental illnesses (like panic attack/panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, and other anxiety disorders or mental disorders) can be overcome with the consistent guidance of a therapist.