What is Anxiety?
The root of the word ‘anxiety’ means ‘to be vexed or troubled.’ For anyone who has ever suffered from anxiety, that is completely right. Anxiety is a condition that effects you both physiologically and psychologically.
Anxiety is a perpetual fear and nervousness that can be very disrupting to life. Physically, people with anxiety can be jumpy and tense, and may suffer from nausea, fatique, shortness of breath and aches in the head and body. Anxiety and also affect the digestive and immune systems.
Emotionally, anxiety can cause irritability and restlessness, as anxious people may spend large amounts of time in anticipation for things that might not even happen. Many anxious people have irrational fears of dying and of getting hurt. These phobias are very hard to overcome. What causes anxiety anyway?
Causes For Anxiety
Anxiety comes in all different forms. Sometimes anxiety is a short term condition. Sometimes it is a very serious chronic condition that may never go away. Anxiety happens to people of all walks of life from everywhere across the globe. What can all these people have in common with one another that is causing them to have anxiety?
Trauma and Stress
Some of the leading causes of anxiety are trauma and stress. Traumatic events and circumstances such as abuse, attacks, death of a loved one and divorce are traumatic and very stressful events. After a traumatic event, or during a stressful one, the body goes through its own stress and trauma. You may begin to get sweaty palms or frequent headaches. Your fears may be heightened with no sign of relief.
When we experience difficult times, we may resort back to more irrational coping mechanisms, including irrational fears. Anxiety symptoms can be worsened further with the the use of addictive substances including alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.
Brain Chemistry
Some scientists believe that anxiety is caused by an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. Neurotransmitters are little messengers in your body that get information about your body to your brain. If there are too few or too many neurotransmitters in your brain, the messages don’t get sent quite right, and your brain may not respond with the appropriate reaction. This causes anxiety, because your brain isn’t as aware of what is going on within itself. In a way, your body is jumpy because your brain doesn’t know what is going on well enough with the body.
The most common functions that get affected by the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain are the releases of the hormones dopamine and serotonin. These chemical balances are believed to lead to depression and anxiety.
Genetics
This is one of the lamest causes of just about any disease or condition. It appears that some people are naturally more likely to be anxious. This means that anxiety runs in families, which means that some people literally cannot avoid the fact that their body is more susceptible to anxiety. This could be through a genetic disorder that causes neurotransmitter imbalances or hormone imbalances in the brain.
So What Can I Do About It?
The best way to handle anxiety is to prevent it from even happening. That is easier said then done. Traumatic things happen to us without notice, and stressful situations are frequent even to the most organized and calm people in the world. The best way to avoid anxiety is to learn to deal with difficult situations healthily. Find healthy stress reliefs and outlets that can help you deal with hard choices more easily. Sports and exercise are great outlets that also increase your body’s creation of endorphins, which make you feel good. If you have a family history of anxiety, be especially aware of the way you react to things. If needed please don’t be afraid to get professional medication or professional help for your anxiety.