Anxiety

As the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) explains, personality disorders represent, “…an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture.” The symptoms associated with personality disorders can cause a lot of distress in daily life – especially with social situations or interpersonal communication. On the surface, personality disorders may seem quite similar to one another. There are underlying differences, however, that should be taken into consideration – because there are varying needs that should be addressed in treatment. Avoidant personality disorder (AVPD) is a Cluster C personality disorder and isn’t as commonly diagnosed. A 2018 study published in the journal Psychology Research and Behavior Management explained that in many cases, APD is considered a more severe version of social anxiety disorder (SAD). There are distinct symptoms of AVPD that differ from SAD, however:

Reports of people suffering from anxiety and general stress are on the rise. It’s no secret that we live in a fast-paced world, and it’s easy to find ourselves overwhelmed at work, while dealing everyday life or navigating family life. While there are medications on the market to help, there are also natural methods to consider. Meditation has been used by yogis and people in other cultures for thousands of years. It can decrease anxiety and promote general well being.

If you’ve been diagnosed with any type of anxiety disorder, you’re likely very familiar with symptoms such as restlessness, being easily exhausted, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, sleeping problems, and more. Anxiety can cause a lot of distress, even interfering with aspects of daily life – such as with school, work, family, or social relationships. If your anxiety disorder has gone untreated for an extended period of time, you may have learned to somehow “cope” with your disorder; when left untreated, many individuals turn to substance use or self-harm, thinking that doing either of these will help dampen or get rid of unwanted symptoms. Unfortunately, the symptoms don’t go away without the right conditions, which often include support and treatment.

Racing thoughts, dizziness, increased heart rate, excessive worry and other symptoms of anxiety don’t just affect people at home; anxiety can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), 72% of people who have daily stress and anxiety state that it interferes with their lives at least moderately, with approximately 56% saying their anxiety most often impacts their work performance. Work-related anxiety may be caused by a demanding boss, a toxic workplace environment, heavy deadlines, or something else. No matter the cause, anxiety can certainly cause people to not only become less productive at work but can cause them to despise showing up for work altogether. A 2017 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health emphasized that employees with anxiety experience lower employment rates, long-term unemployment, increased risk of exposure to inequalities at work such as lower salaries or discrimination, decreased participation, increased absenteeism, and more compared to those without anxiety. If you have experienced these outcomes of work-related anxiety, it’s important that you seek help today. What are some ways that you can better manage your anxiety at work? There are a few things that you can do to potentially help your work situation:

People with avoidant personality disorder (APD) have similar symptoms to those with social anxiety disorder (SAD) but their symptoms are more severe. However, it is said that because both disorders hold many of the same symptoms, they are often diagnosed together. Like SAD, people with APD fear rejection, ridicule, and humiliation by others. There are several key traits of APD:

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the United States, with around 40 million Americans experiencing it each year. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) affects 6.8 million adults, and women are twice as likely to be affected than men. People with GAD are likely to experience symptoms of restlessness, irritability, muscle tension, sleeping problems, difficulty controlling worrying, and being easily fatigued. If you have GAD, you can probably agree that these symptoms can be exhausting if not treated. Below are some very common situations that many people with GAD experience often:

Most of us have been there. Feelings of dread and panic arise when a big test is coming up, when we are about to enter an interview, when we are asked to come up and speak on stage, and more. The symptoms of anxiety can feel very real, and very scary. You may easily experience heart palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, detachment, tingling sessions or numbness, and more. If we let it, severe anxiety can take complete control over our lives. Thankfully, help is available and there are ways to overcome some of these fears we are experiencing. For example, medication can sometimes help us focus on what’s most important: our mental health. Alexander Crawford shared his experience with anxiety, depression, and psychosis on the Anxiety and Depression Association’s main page. Here is an excerpt from his story: “I had my first psychotic breakdown. The next couple years of my life would amount to a living hell. As I pretended to take my antipsychotic pills, I routinely got into arguments with my family, the local police, and so on. I remember being so paranoid that I would have specific garbage cans I could throw my pills away in…Stabilizing allowed me to complete undergraduate studies, work, take vacations, and in general just enjoy my time. I have been stable now and on medication for about five years, and I definitely have not looked back.” For many people who have overcome their anxiety, it has taken them many tries at finding what works best for them. Ben shares his story and what has worked best for him on the Anxiety Disorders Association of Victoria, Inc. website. Here is a short clip from his story: “I suffered from acute agoraphobia. I was terrified to leave the house. I wouldn’t ride on planes, trains, or any form of public transport. I was terrified of being caught in traffic jams, lifts, shopping centers, open spaces, crowds, and especially hot, crowded rooms…I keep myself symptom free by regular meditation, keeping physically fit, having a high self-esteem, a healthy diet, resting when I need to rest, surrounding myself with calm people and not partaking in work that causes me anxiety.” Severe anxiety can take many forms, and there are different tools that each person can use, depending on what works best for them. If you are struggling with severe anxiety, recognize that there are many tools you can use. Make the decision to seek help today.

Whether you have been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder or not, it can creep up in little moments throughout our daily life. Moments where we are suddenly asked to give a speech that we have not prepared for are often enough to send anyone into an anxiety attack. Hearing sudden sad news that was unexpected can easily leave us feeling hopeless, lost, and panicked. The following are some very real anxiety triggers that anyone may experience:

The American Psychological Association claims that 44% of Americans have reported their stress levels going up over the past 5 years, with many in fear of their job, the economy, the political climate, violence and terrorist attacks, and more. These fears are rational, but how are people handling their stress? With the opioid epidemic, it seems many are relying on pain relievers and substances to self-medicate. There are more natural, holistic ways to manage stress, with one effective tool right at the tip of your pen – literally. Writing therapy is an excellent way to jot down thoughts and concerns to give your brain a “clean slate”. In doing this, you are likely to feel more relaxed, and less stressed. A study published in the journal, Psychotherapy Research, found that participants who were told to engage in writing therapy and express their emotions experienced greater reductions in their anxiety and stress compared to participants who did not. There are many benefits of writing therapy:

We all know that energy is transferable – that’s why it’s typically easy for us to tell when someone is upset or very agitated with us – their energy shifts. When we feel an energy shift, we can either ward off the energy or take it on as our own and become upset or agitated as well. The same can happen with anxiety - Dr. Jim Harter and Sangeeta Agrawal from Gallup News, a website aimed at providing businesses and organizations with analytics and advice, found distinct links between the well-being among team members and amongst their managers. In their study, they evaluated 105 teams with 1,740 people whose well-being was measured among three 6-month intervals. With this, they found that the well-being levels among team members were significantly connected to and dependent on the well-being of others on the team. Although the study conducted was in a workplace situation, anxiety can be transferred from anyone within any context. The key is to remember not to allow yourself to take on others’ anxiety. Anxiety.org, a website that provides information on the several types of anxiety disorders, states that unlike anxiety disorders, natural responses of anxiety and stress can easily be taken on by others simply due to exposure. By remaining actively aware of the stress responses of others, we can better manage our own energy levels to ensure that we don’t adopt a response that isn’t beneficial for us. Judith Orloff, MD and author of a book titled The Empath’s Survival Guide: Life Strategies for Sensitive People, wrote in a 2011 article for The Huffington Post provided a compelling step-by-step guide to avoid absorbing negative energy and anxiety from others:

Anxiety can be debilitating, and can make a person question everything, from relationships to future events. When someone suffers from anxiety, they often feel unsure of the cause for it. This can cause the person to build on another layer of anxiety just because they do not know why they are feeling that way! There are several powerful ways for a person to manage their anxiety without the use of drugs. These may include therapy, support groups, meditation, yoga, and self-care activities, just to name a few. Therapy can be very beneficial because it allows the person to work through any deep-rooted fears with their therapist. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a common technique the therapists will use to assist the individual with finding healthy ways to manage their anxiety and relax more, as well as to help the person change their thought patterns. One example of a CBT exercise would be for the person to rewrite their fear in a more rational way when they are feeling anxious. This helps the person break down their worry into a more realistic point of view. Support groups can help an individual relax if they have anxiety, primarily because they can share their worries and concerns with others who understand what they are going through. By voicing one’s fear out loud, oftentimes individuals recognize that their worries are not as “big” as their anxiety makes them seem. Meditation provides yet another way for an individual to relax. Meditation can be practiced formally or informally, and allows the person to ground themselves. By staying grounded, the person can more clearly see what is happening and can watch the anxious thoughts come and go, without giving special attention to any one thought. Yoga strengthens and relaxes the body, and its primary use it to harmonize the body with the mind and breath through breathing exercises, yoga poses, and meditation.

Panic attacks can be very debilitating, with symptoms of racing heart, feeling weak or faint, tingling or numbness in hands/fingers, sense of terror, feeling sweaty/having chills, chest pains, breathing difficulty, and more. For a person amid a panic attack, perceptions or worries of dying are likely a common thought. The good news, is that a person cannot simply die from solely having a panic attack. Although panic attacks alone are not deadly, they can be dangerous if paired with an illness such as a heart condition, for example, because the stress may make the condition worse. However, heart conditions develop over time, and those who suffer from a heart condition can be evaluated by a doctor for symptoms of stress and to rule out any problems they may have. Hyperventilation, a condition in which the person breathes very fast, upsetting the balance of their breath, may happen during a panic attack. While not deadly, this condition may make the person feel like fainting or passing out because hyperventilation blocks blood flow to the brain. If someone experiences this, they can recover quickly by belly-breathing. Belly-breathing is when the individual places their hand on their stomach, just below their ribs. They place the other hand on their chest, taking a deep breath in through the nose, and out through pursed lips, moving their hand down with each breath. After the individual does this 3-10 times they should feel their breath resuming normal breathing patterns. Another technique is for the person to breathe into a brown paper bag – this causes the person to re-inhale the carbon dioxide that they exhaled, restoring that lost gas. If someone is suffering from a panic attack, there are several effective ways to work through this: