Anxiety

What is anxiety?

Anxiety or anxiety is a feeling of nervousness, fear, vague apprehension or worry. In certain situations, fears and worries are justified, for example, when we worry about a loved one or in anticipation of competitions, exam results, etc.

The problem occurs when this feeling of nervousness and anxiety disrupts a person’s normal sleep or otherwise negatively affects their personality.

It should be noted that adolescents are particularly susceptible to irritability, which is a symptom of a number of emotional problems, including anxiety.

It is possible to appear for no reason or arise from a real situation, but it may not be proportional to the seriousness of what happened and what reaction should be expected in such a case. Severe anxiety can have a serious impact on everyday life.

Anxiety can be accompanied by various physiological manifestations. They are most often associated with the heart, lungs, nervous and digestive systems. You may have an upset stomach, diarrhoea, difficulty breathing, or feel like you might pass out at any moment or like you might have a heart attack soon.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

• Panic disorder – recurrent panic attacks that are distinct periods of time during which sufferers experience intense fear or a sense of doom and usually develop and last for about 10 minutes and are associated with at least 4 of the following symptoms:

– Palpitations;

– Perspiration;

– Trembling;

– Shortness of breath;

– Sensation of choking;

– Pains in chest;

– Nausea or other stomach upset;

– Feeling of detachment from the world – derealization;

– Irrational fear of death;

– Stiffness or numbness – most often in the limbs;

– Chills or hot flashes;

– Dizziness;

– Those affected are in a state where their mind is in an empty space;

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder – a state of excessive and unrealistic worry that is difficult to control for a period of at least 6 months. This anxiety is associated with at least 3 of the following symptoms:

– Worry;

– Easy fatigue;

– Problems with concentration;

– Irritability;

– Tension in the muscles;

– Sleep problems;

• Phobic disorders – intense, persistent and recurrent fear of certain objects such as snakes, spiders or blood or situations such as heights, speaking in front of a group of people or in public places. In these cases, exposure to the trigger objects or circumstances triggers a panic attack.
• Stress disorders, also known as post-traumatic stress disorder – anxiety is caused by exposure to death or situations where there is imminent danger about life such as fires, floods, earthquakes, shootings, car accidents or wars. Other traumatic events in which there is no immediate or future danger to life, but have resulted in serious harm or the threat of such harm. Examples of such traumas include being the victim of sexual or physical abuse, witnessing the abuse of another person, or excessive exposure to inappropriate material such as exposing a child to pornographic images or acts. The traumatic event is constantly or for most of the time present in the thoughts and imagination of the affected person and this results in the change of his behavior. The most common changes in behavior in such cases consist most often of the following:

– Re-experiencing the events that are the cause of the emotional trauma as it may happen in the waking state – flashbacks or in sleep – nightmares;

– Avoiding activities, places or people associated with the trauma that occurred;

– Difficulty concentrating;

– Sleep problems;

– Hypervigilance – constant careful monitoring of the environment for signs of a possible repetition of events that led to the emotional trauma;

– In general, those affected are depressed, irritable, doom and gloom has gripped their soul and do not feel and avoid showing feelings like love or their aspirations for the future;

Symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, dizziness, nausea, weakness should generally not be attributed to anxiety and a doctor’s consultation is necessary for them.