The Problem: Anxiety
Anxiety is an alarming issue today because it has increased across the population, and it can be debilitating. According To The Anxiety And Depression Association Of America,
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the US - Affecting 40 Million adults or 19.1% of the population.
According To The World Health Organization,
Anxiety disorders are the world’s most common mental disorders, affecting 301 million people in 2019.
While anxiety is highly treatable, less than 50% of people afflicted seek treatment.
Children aren't immune to anxiety, with experts believing over 30% of teenagers have some form of anxiety.
What exactly is anxiety?
It's the body's natural response to uncertainty, stress, or danger. Acute anxiety can be useful if you're fleeing from a predator or under pressure to complete a task. When anxiety becomes a chronic issue, it can profoundly impact the person trying to cope with it.
While there are certain telltale signs, the reality is they manifest differently from person to person, which is why it's such a challenging problem to address. Though there are different types of anxiety, all of them have a treatment path.
Globally, hundreds of millions of people suffer from anxiety and aside from the major economic burden it can have, it's a much bigger problem for people individually.
· While lost productivity might seem like an economic problem, it's also a personal one. Many people struggle with day-to-day activities and there's an impact on physical health as well.
· Anxiety can contribute to various health issues, from digestive issues to immunity problems.
· For students, anxiety issues can heavily impact their performance in school because it's a hindrance to focus and concentration, which ultimately affects the outcomes of their education.
· Another major concern with anxiety is how isolating it can be socially, with everything feeling so overwhelming, people often struggle with relationships. They withdraw from existing friendships and that can make it difficult to connect with new people as well.
· Physiologically, anxiety can increase your heart rate and breathing, cause muscle tension, and trigger your fight, flight, or freeze response. These can add up quickly and result in various physical health problems as well.
· On an emotional level, anxiety creates a persistent feeling of unease or dread, an overwhelming sense of impending doom.
· There is also a stigma, every mental health issue comes associated with stigma, which unfortunately prevents many people from seeking help. Don't let it stop you.
10 Negative Ways Anxious Feelings Can Affect Your Life
1. Sleep Disturbances
Sleep disturbances exacerbate anxiety, unfortunately, many people with anxiety also experience sleep disturbances.
2. Ineffective Methods Of Coping
There are various unhealthy habits and ineffective methods of coping that people with anxiety turn to for relief, from overeating to avoidance.
3. Substance Abuse
Unfortunately, people who suffer from anxiety will seek relief, though temporary, through various substances. That can quickly lead to substance abuse problems.
4. Physical Health Problems
Chronic anxiety can lead to serious physical health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
5. Performance
Anxiety can have a negative impact on concentration and productivity, which can impact your overall performance.
6. Social Isolation and Relationship Strains
Anxiety can lead to social withdrawal, which can leave individuals feeling isolated, which contributes to more anxiety. Likewise, it can fuel trust issues and jealousy, which can make maintaining relationships difficult.
7. Impaired Mental Health
Anxiety can result in depression, chronic stress issues, and various other mental health issues, which can make it difficult to maintain a positive mindset and enjoy life.
8. Physical Symptoms
It isn't just your overall physical health that can suffer as a result of anxiety, there are a range of physical symptoms that also stem from anxiety. Headaches, gastrointestinal distress, muscle aches and pains, and brain fog are common.
9. Financial Difficulty
Anxiety can trigger impulsive decision-making, especially when it comes to finances. Likewise, poor performance, brain fog, and other health issues can increase the risk of job loss which can also result in financial stress.
10. Poor Quality Of Life
If you are suffering from persistent anxiety, it can seriously diminish your quality of life, which can make the enjoyment of everyday experiences and activities difficult.
There Are Very Effective Self-Help Methods To Manage Anxiety
These methods work well with traditional medical treatment or when appropriate as a stand alone option.
#1 - Self Help For Anxiety: Guided Meditation
Self-help is self-care, and guided meditation is precisely that. Guided meditation is incredibly powerful, and its benefits are endless.
Stress and anxiety are not the same things, but they do exacerbate each other. So, using guided meditation as a tool to manage your stress levels is key to fighting back against stress. It's one of anxiety's primary triggers so embracing a relaxation technique to promote calm is incredibly useful.
Mindfulness is another key aspect of guided meditation and practicing it through meditation and outside of it can help you stay grounded, which is a big tool in the battle against anxiety.
Mindfulness helps ground you in the present and alleviates stress you have about the future or the worry you have about the past. Learning how to meditate is also a great way to spread mindfulness to other areas of your life and show you how you can take advantage of it at any time.
Guided meditation provides you with a safe space.
That safe space is the perfect place to process your emotions and gain a deeper understanding of them, which can increase your emotional regulation skills.
When you improve your emotional regulation, you can respond to life's challenges with more positivity. More importantly, you can bounce back quicker from adversity, making you a more resilient person.
Regular sleep is one of the benefits of guided meditation because the exercise promotes healthy sleep patterns for a more rested body and mind. Sleep is one of the key issues in the battle against anxiety. A lack of sleep can exacerbate your anxiety, but people with anxiety often suffer from sleep disturbances. So, the two very much fuel each other, whether it's positively or negatively depends on just how much sleep you can get.
Guided meditation is also useful for empowerment, self-awareness, and cognitive restructuring.
As far as empowerment goes, you have to take control of your own health and well-being and guided meditation can play a key role in your ability to do that. You can use guided meditation to cultivate inner peace. In terms of self-awareness, guided meditation can help you develop insight into yourself and your triggers.
Guided meditation is an effective way to develop yourself, grow, and practice self-help.
Use guided meditation to challenge a negative mindset or negative thought patterns.
In doing so, it provides you with the opportunity to replace those negative thoughts with more optimistic ones, which gives you the chance to establish a positive mindset.
Guided meditation is a powerful tool, and something best used consistently as part of your anxiety-battling toolbox.
It combines mindfulness and relaxation with recognized self-help techniques that help you battle the negativity that anxiety brings to your life. Guided meditation is a powerful self-help tool to help ease anxious feelings.
According To The Good Body,
About 500 million people worldwide meditate.
According to Mindful.org,
"Meditation is identified as the fastest-growing trend, seeing a more than threefold leap in users. In 2012, 4.1% reported using meditation, and in 2017, that increased to 14.2%."
"Research supports the effectiveness of guided imagery in reducing stress and anxiety."(Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing, and Guided Imagery in Promoting Psychological and Physiological States of Relaxation; Toussaint, et al)
#2 - Self Help For Anxiety: Deep Breathing
The breath is a powerful catalyst for inducing calm and peace. Deep breathing, also known as diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing, is a simple yet powerful technique that can be incredibly effective in managing anxiety and promoting overall well-being. It's a method that anyone can learn and practice, regardless of age or fitness level.
Deep breathing can calm your mind and relax your body. It's a powerful tool for managing anxiety because it directly influences your body's stress response.
The Benefits Of Deep Breathing
· Stress Reduction
· Lowering Heart Rate and Blood Pressure
· Improved Oxygenation - Deep breathing encourages more oxygen to enter your bloodstream. This increased oxygen supply helps nourish your cells. When your body is well-oxygenated, you're better equipped to handle stress and anxiety.
· Muscle Relaxation - Anxiety often leads to muscle tension, deep breathing promotes relaxation of tense muscles, providing physical relief and reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety.
· Enhanced Mental Clarity - When you're anxious, your thoughts can become scattered and overwhelming. By engaging in deep breathing, you can regain mental clarity and approach challenges with a calmer mindset.
· Improved Sleep - Deep breathing before bedtime can help you unwind and achieve better sleep quality, which is essential for managing anxiety and maintaining good mental health.
· Increased Emotional Resilience - Practicing deep breathing regularly can enhance your ability to cope with stress and bounce back from challenging situations.
"Deep breathing resulted in a significant decrease in Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale scores for deep breathing trained participants, whereas untrained controls did not show any decrease in anxiety."
Study Source: Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing, and Guided Imagery in Promoting Psychological and Physiological States of Relaxation; Toussaint, et al
#3 - Self Help For Anxiety: Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Progressive Muscle Relaxation is a relaxation technique developed by American physician Edmund Jacobson in the early 20th century.
The main idea behind PMR is that there is a strong connection between the mind and the body, and by intentionally relaxing your muscles, you can also calm your mind.
The theory is that when we feel anxious or stressed, our muscles tend to tense up. By systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups, you can reduce overall muscle tension and, in turn, lower stress and anxiety levels.
According to Healthline, “Anxiety relief is one of the major benefits of PMR. This includes generalized anxiety disorder or anxiety due to a stressful situation.” Numerous Studies Find PMR Effective For Anxiety. A study done in 2019, that included 50 unemployed individuals found PMR to have significant changes on the group that used PMR in reducing symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression while improving wellbeing and quality of life.
Source: The Effect of Progressive Muscle Relaxation on Emotional Competence: Depression-Anxiety-Stress, Sense of Coherence, Health-Related Quality of Life, and Well-Being of Unemployed People in Greece: An Intervention Study; Merakou, et al
"Patients in the PMR group showed reductions in anxiety as measured by the Generalized Anxiety Questionnaire, whereas patients in the control group showed no such improvements."
Source: Effectiveness of Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Deep Breathing, and Guided Imagery in Promoting Psychological and Physiological States of Relaxation; Toussaint, et al
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