Anxiety Disorders: Symptoms, Coping Strategies, and Treatments

Anxiety is a necessary emotion for survival, another way of understanding it is your “fight or flight response.” Biologically it helps protect you from threatening situations, in escaping predators and in responding to stress. In your day-to-day life you may find anxiety to be helpful in staying alert when preparing for exams or a job interview, in risk analysis while making hard decisions, or in helping to motivate you to solve problems and in working toward goals. But what happens when you find your anxiety kicking in during times it’s unneeded? Have you ever experienced feeling restless or on edge during times where you are trying to relax, brush your teeth or do chores, and it doesn’t quite make sense to you why it’s there? You may be experiencing an anxiety disorder, where your body could be stuck in a “fight or flight” mode which involves more than temporary worry and your anxiety is struggling to go away even when a stressful event does. Good news is that there is a variety of different treatments and coping strategies that can help you get ahold of your anxiety and be able to better differentiate between real threats and false alarms. 

Different kinds of anxiety disorders:

According to The American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2022) there are various anxiety disorders that can be diagnosed depending on the situations and objects that cause fear and the behavioral and physical reactions to that fear. Here’s a brief look into a few common types of anxiety disorders.

• Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is when you have excessive anxiety and worry about several different events or activities and the anxiety is out of proportion to the impact or likelihood that something negative will occur from the event. Symptoms can include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, and sleep disturbance. 

• Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) differs from GAD in that the anxiety is more specifically around interacting with other people. Symptoms can include fear of being negatively evaluated, when one or more social situations almost always provoke anxiety and are avoided or endured with intense fear, and when that fear is out of proportion to the actual threat. 

• Panic Disorder is when you have unexpected recurrent panic attacks. A panic attack is an abrupt surge of intense fear or discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes. Symptoms of a panic attack can include palpitations, sweating, shaking, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, chills, feelings of choking, numbness, fear of dying, fear of losing control, derealization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being detached from oneself). 

• Specific Phobia is when you have a marked fear about a specific object or situation. Some examples could be flying, heights, storms, water, specific animals or seeing blood. If you have a specific phobia, you either avoid the object or situation or endure it with intense anxiety. The phobia will also get in the way of your day-to-day functioning which could include engaging in your social or occupational life. 

If you are wondering whether you fit the criteria for one of the above disorders, you can discuss your symptoms with a mental health professional.

Coping strategies and treatments:

You don’t necessarily need an anxiety disorder diagnosis to benefit from the below coping strategies and treatments. If you ever experience discomfort or negative life interference due to anxiety the list below may be beneficial options for you!

• Physical activity can be a way to manage anxiety if you don’t have access to a mental health professional. When you are in a “fight or flight” mode you have a lot of stress chemicals in your body that exercise can help burn off. Physical exercise has also been shown to reduce fear of anxiety related bodily sensations, which can be especially helpful for people who experience panic attacks and panic disorder. But it’s worth noting that these symptoms have the potential to get worse before they get better with people who experience panic attacks. Starting an exercise routine can be challenging for people experiencing high anxiety; your muscles hold more tension and anxiety can make our breathing shallower. A tip when starting to exercise is to choose something fun that you enjoy and make realistic expectations for yourself. And if it's not something you are able to do, there are plenty of other ways to manage anxiety that you can try. It’s all about finding the right coping skills and treatment modalities that work the best for you and your lifestyle. 

• Mindfulness practices has shown to be helpful in reducing rumination and worry and can help you get out of anticipatory anxiety and into the present moment. For examples of mindfulness exercises click here. 

• Exposure therapy helps support people in learning to tolerate anxiety producing situations. The goal of exposure therapy is not to quickly get rid of symptoms (as this is unrealistic), but to change the person’s interpretation of what they’re scared about, change their point of view, and learn to tolerate distress. It’s recommended to have a mental health professional to help you through the exposure process. To learn more about exposure therapy click here.

• Art therapy is another option for people struggling with anxiety disorders. Art therapy has been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms, improve quality of life and aspects of emotion regulation. For some people with anxiety disorders, overly talking about their anxiety can further reinforce anxious thoughts and symptoms. Art therapy is a treatment option to address anxious feelings and responses through taking you out of thinking mode and into your body and emotions. If you don’t have access to an art therapist you can engage in art and creative outlets at home to increase dopamine levels, calm your nervous system and act as a mindfulness exercise.

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) teaches acceptance of what is without resistance, mindfulness, and focusing on your values to be able to be more in the present moment as a way to lessen rumination on anxious thoughts. For more information about ACT click here.

Knowledge is power and understanding yourself is a vital first step of change. Whether you are managing anxiety issues at home, with loved ones or with a mental health provider you are the one in control of your own wellness plan. Feeling a part of guiding the therapy process can help you feel empowered and lessen the anxiety of working with a therapist. Having greater insight into your symptoms can help you to communicate your experiences better with others and advocate for the treatment modalities that feel right for you.

~ Written by Morgan McCoy, Coastal Center for Collaborative Health blog writer

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed., text rev.). https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.