The term anxiety often comes up in regular conversation, but most people do not understand how complex anxiety disorders can be and how they often interfere with lives and relationships.
For sure, everyone feels anxious about special events, such as a job interview or their first date anxiety turns into a life-ruining condition for others, interfering with every aspect of a person’s life. Let’s try to break it down in this blog: what people do not understand about anxiety, its types, its impact on daily living, and how we can support those who struggle with it.
Understanding Anxiety
Anxiety is the body’s natural response to stress. It acts as an alarm system that signals for danger and prompts us to act. For example, nervousness before a great event will prompt one to prepare adequately.
However, when the anxiety becomes uncontrollable and chronic, it evolves into what is generally termed an anxiety disorder. It is characterised by an excessive fear or concern that affects daily functioning.
The Spectrum of Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorder can be stated as a group of problems: each has distinctive features and requires individual treatment. The most common include:
- Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): The worried feels anxious about everyday things in life—work, health, family, or money. They worry over such things more days than not for at least six months and may experience physical symptoms such as fatigue, muscle tension, and sleep disturbances.
- Panic Disorder: Panic disorder or panic attacks are manifestations of recurring episodes of intense fear that reach a peak within minutes. Some common symptoms include rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath, dizziness, and the feeling that death or other catastrophes are imminent. Such a fear of recurrent panic attacks later may enforce avoiding behaviours.
- Social Anxiety Disorder: This disorder represents a mental health problem where one fears judgment or embarrassment in a social setting. Patients worry excessively about interactions with other people and most of the time, withdraw from such social gatherings. The symptoms also include shyness, inability to maintain eye contact, and physical manifestations like blushing and perspiring.
- Specific Phobias: Specific phobias refer to a pervasive fear of a particular object or situation heights (acrophobia) or spiders (arachnophobia). The fear is often irrational and may lead people to avoid encounters with the feared object or situation.
- Separation Anxiety Disorder: Even though separation anxiety is commonly associated with children, it can affect adults as well. A person fears excessive anxiety when separated from someone whom he or she has an emotional bond with, such as a partner or parent.
The Hidden Impact of Anxiety
1. Daily Life Disruption
One of the greatest impacts of anxiety is how it disrupts everyday life. For example, an individual suffering from anxiety disorder can have mountain-sized obstacles in their quest to achieve routine tasks. Going to work, social events, or even running errands can become overwhelming.
Imagine waking each morning with that fear of what the rest of the day may bring. For a person who suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, this can be worrying about everything from the deadline at work to problematic relationships. This chronic state of anxiety may prompt avoidance behaviors which may limit experiences and opportunities.
2. Physical Symptoms
Anxiety is not only a matter of mental condition; it can also be manifest in a person’s body. Patients who have anxiety may also face problems, for instance:
- Tightness around the chest
- Racing thoughts
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Trembling
These bodily sensations may appear to represent other medical conditions, causing patients to visit doctors for what they believe are bodily complaints instead of realizing them as expressions of anxiety.
3. Effect on relationships
Anxiety doesn’t just interfere with the individual; it also affects their relationships with people. Partners and families often cannot understand what their loved one is going through, which leads to frustration and misunderstandings.
For example, one might become completely helpless when the loved one cancels plans because of anxiety or withdraws at such stressful periods. This can cause friction between the couple because both have to deal with the emotional roller-coaster ride of anxiety together.
4. Stigma and Misunderstanding
There is a large stigma surrounding mental health issues in general, and anxiety disorders are no exception.
Many people do not understand the mind; it is not a case of “just getting over it” or “calming down.” Such a misunderstanding may contribute to unhelpful comments like “Just relax” or “It’s all in your head,” which invalidate the experiences of those going through anxiety.
This stigma often keeps people from help or opens their problems with friends and family because they don’t want to be judged or misunderstood.
What People Don’t Understand About Anxiety
1. It’s Not Just “Being Nervous”
Many people tend to think of anxiety as feeling uneasy or apprehensive about something in particular. In the context of anxiety disorders, these feelings will often be all-consuming and ongoing without an apparent cause. It is not pre-test jitters; it’s a fight that can seem never-ending.
2. It Can Be Physically Debilitating
It manifests physically, and its symptoms may become so entrenched that they begin to severely impact one’s life. Chronic muscle tension can cause a headache or migraine; gastrointestinal problems such as nausea or diarrhoea can develop; sleep disorders may leave people drowsy during the day. The physical symptoms thus are very real and just as debilitating as any mental symptom.
3. It Impacts Decision-Making
Anxiety has a way of clouding good judgment and decision-making. People overanalyze even simple decisions, like what to eat for dinner, or if they should accept an invitation, which leads to paralysis by analysis.
4. It Can Lead to Isolation
Those afflicted with anxiety may avoid social scenarios because they are afraid that people will judge or mock them for their symptoms. This can trigger more feelings of loneliness and depression, spiralling the cycle into an uncontrollable spin.
5. Support Can Help Much
Although people may not fully understand what lies within anxiety disorders, supportive friends and family can play an important role in treatment and plans for patients with anxiety. Sometimes being there with a listening ear or having encouragement can help diminish the burdens associated with anxiety.
How to Support Someone with Anxiety
Moreover, understanding their condition is crucial for providing support in case you have a loved one with anxiety:
1. Educate Yourself
Take the time to learn about anxiety disorders—what they are, how they affect individuals, and what treatments are available. It is by understanding those specifics that you can empathize with your partner’s experiences.
2. Listen Actively
When your partner shares his or her feelings about the anxiety, do not interrupt or evaluate the judgment of it, but admit how difficult the situation is for them.
3. Encourage Professional Help
If your partner hasn’t sought professional help yet, gently encourage them to do so. Offer support in finding a therapist or attending sessions if they wish.
4. Be Patient
Acknowledge that overcoming anxiety is a continuous process that takes time and patience. Your partner may have good days and bad days; being there for both is very necessary.
Conclusion
Understanding what people don’t understand about anxiety is vital for fostering empathy and support for those affected by it. By recognizing its impact on daily life, relationships, and overall well-being, we can create an environment where individuals feel safe discussing their struggles without fear of judgment.
If you’re struggling with anxiety or know someone who is, know that help is available—and seeking help takes tremendous courage in the face of healing.