Anxiety

Anxiety is an inner feeling of apprehension, uneasiness, concern, worry, and/or dread that is accompanied by heightened physical arousal. In times of anxiety, the body appears to be on alert, ready to flee or fight. The heart beats faster, blood pressure and muscle tension increase, neurological and chemical changes occur within, sometimes perspiration appears, and the person may feel faint, jumpy, and unable to relax. Anxiety can arise in response to some specific identifiable danger, or it may come in reaction to an imaginary or unknown threat. This latter kind of anxiety has been termed “free-floating”; the anxious person senses that something terrible is going to happen but he or she does not know what it is or why.

We experience some form of anxiety at times, usually when there is some real threat or situational danger. Most often, this anxiety is proportional to the danger (the greater the threat the greater the anxiety). It is anxiety that can be recognised, managed, and reduced, especially when circumstances change. Anxiety can vary in its intensity and influence. Moderate anxiety can be desirable and healthy. Often it motivates, helps people avoid dangerous situations, and leads to increased efficiency. Intense anxiety, in contrast, is more stressful. It can shorten one’s attention span, make concentration difficult, cause forgetfulness, hinder performance skills, interfere with problem solving, block effective communication, arouse panic, and sometimes cause unpleasant physical symptoms such as paralysis, rapid heartbeat, or intense headaches.

Common causes of anxiety

1. Threat Anxiety may be triggered by a threat to something that an individual considers important. Sometimes anxiety arises because one’s life is threatened. More often, we feel threatened (and therefore anxious) because of danger, loss of self-esteem, separation from others, the undermining of our values, or the impact of unconscious influences.

(a) Danger. Crime, war, severe and unexpected illness, even visits to the dentist, can threaten individuals and create anxiety. In today’s society, most adults are anxious about applying for a job, getting that promotion, or bonus. Similarly, students who face several school assessments each year during their academic life often experience anxiety. This worry comes about because the person is not sure what to expect and feels powerless to prevent or reduce the threat.
(b) Self-Esteem. Most people like to be seen as competent and perfect individuals. We feel threatened by anything that might harm this self-image. For instance, many people with low self-esteem sense a mild anxiety in unfamiliar social situations because they aren’t sure how to act, and/or the possible reaction of others. Similarly, some people avoid taking examinations, accepting a promotion, or making major decisions because of the possibility of not succeeding and hence a threat to their self-esteem.
(c) Separation. It never is easy to be separated from your significant other. Managing on your own can be tedious and scary; there is no one to share your joy and sorrow. The pain is even more intense when we have been rejected by a person we consider significant to us. The death of a beloved, moving away, divorce, relationship break offs and other separations can leave us feeling uncertain about the future, and desperately trying to cope or fill the inner emotional void.

2. Conflict Conflict is another cause of anxiety. The pressure of having to make a decision of uncertain consequence can often lead to anxiety. Most conflicts arise from two tendencies: approach, and avoidance. To approach is to have an inclination to do something or to move in a direction that will be pleasurable and satisfying. To avoid is to resist doing something, in an attempt to avoid something that is not pleasurable or satisfying. Types of conflicts that are likely to arouse anxiety: approach-avoidance, and avoidance-avoidance.

(a) Approach-Avoidance Conflict. A desire both to do something and not to do it. For example, a person may struggle with the offer of a new job. To accept might bring more pay and higher prestige (approach), but it also may bring the necessity of relocating the whole family overseas (avoidance) - making such decisions can involve considerable anxiety.
(b) Avoidance-Avoidance. Here there are two alternatives, both of which may be unpleasant, like living with a chronic illness versus having an operation that could be highly risky.
Each choice in a conflict has both constructive and unconstructive or even destructive aspects, and anxiety persists until the choice is made. Even then, sometimes the anxiety lasts after the decision is made, when the person wonders if he or she made the right decision.

3. Fear Research had showed that anxiety often arises because people have irrational beliefs that create fear. When a person concludes that “everything is sure to get worse”, or “whatever I do cannot change my circumstances”, these beliefs can create persisting fear.

To help that person overcome his/her fear, the irrational beliefs need to be challenged.
Different people have different types of fear, some are afraid of failure, the future, war, rejection, intimacy, success, taking responsibility, conflict, meaninglessness in life, sickness, death, loneliness, change, and a host of other rational and irrational possibilities. Occasionally these fears can accumulate in one’s mind and arouse anxiety even in the absence of any real danger.

4. Unmet Needs The six basic needs below are the fundamental of a person’s motivation to survive.

Survival (the need to have continued existence)
Security (the need for emotional and economic stability)
Sexual (the need for intimacy)
Significance (the need to amount to something and be worthwhile)
Self-fulfilment (the need to achieve fulfilling goals)
Selfhood (the need for a sense of identity)

When we fail to meet these primary needs, we feel anxious, afraid, desperate and frustrated. Even when all basic needs are met, many people will still be unhappy.

5. Individual Differences Individuals react differently to anxiety producing situations. Some are easily anxious, some do not seem anxious even if “the world was to collapse on them”. Others are in between. Some suffer from panic disorder, some suffer from Obsessive Compulsive disorder, some suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, and a small handful from posttraumatic stress disorder. Then there are those who suffer from specific phobia such as claustrophobia, and hydrophobia.

Why do these differences exist? Perhaps the answer comes in terms of a person’s past learning, personality, social environment, physiology, and philosophy.

Ways to overcome anxiety

1. Develop a positive outlook of life
2. Learn to accept yourself
3. Practise time management
4. Practise relaxation techniques
5. Have sufficient rest and sleep well
6. Keep your body fit
7. Maintain and utilise your social support
8. Be assertive and learn to say “No”
9. Take time off to do something you enjoy once in a while
10. Improve your financial security