What Is Anxiety: How To Recognize It And What To Do
We have all felt anxiety at some point: before an exam, a job interview, a public presentation; but when it settles into our lives, it begins to limit our daily lives.
After a breakup, the loss of a loved one, or simply suddenly, for no apparent reason, anxiety begins to worry us.
However… What is anxiety and how does it affect us? Let’s see it throughout this article, in which we will see a summary of the characteristics of this emotional psychological phenomenon that can sometimes produce psychopathologies and at other times is part of an adaptive and useful psychological tool.
Anxiety is a set of psychological and physiological processes that appear when real or perceived dangers are perceived, and that predisposes us to react quickly at the slightest sign that it is necessary to do so. It causes the nervous system to remain in a state of high activation, so that it becomes more sensitive to unexpected stimuli.
It is an adaptive response of the human being, as long as it is proportionate to the stimulus that triggers it. It is an alarm signal If it continues over time for no apparent reason, it is warning us that we have something to review in our lives.
Another positive aspect of anxiety is its relationship with performance, described in the Yertes-Dobson Law in 1908; This law states that when faced with a stressful situation, such as taking an exam, anxiety increases, but there is also an increase in efficiency, attention and performance in the response, as long as certain limits are not exceeded. If we exceed that line, then performance drops and information recovery processes are blocked.
Anxiety begins to worry us when it appears suddenly, unjustified and for no apparent reason. If the physical symptoms are very high, we will also be scared Tachycardia, difficulty breathing, dizziness, muscle tension, etc., are some of the characteristic symptoms of anxiety. When its appearance is maintained over time, in a high form and in the face of stimuli that do not pose a real threat, this is when we speak of maladaptive anxiety.
When anxiety manifests itself without prior warning or apparent reason, can lead to a decrease in self-esteem and the “fear of going crazy” typical of anxiety; This in turn generates a drop in mood and a feeling of helplessness.
Sometimes, stress, the appearance of specific problems or difficulties, a traumatic event or the loss of a loved one, are some of the causes behind anxiety.
Examples of anxiety disorders
This disproportionate anxiety gives rise to different manifestations or symptoms of anxiety that take the form of psychopathology. These are psychological phenomena of clinical relevance and in which anxiety generates many more problems than it can avoid, and sometimes even gives way to physical health complications or even increases the chances of developing other psychopathologies.
The main anxiety disorders are the following:
Main symptoms
Next we will see the physical symptoms, that is, the physiological reactions on our body; cognitive symptoms, related to cognitions, thoughts and effects on information processing; and symptoms related to behavior and how anxiety influences it.
Physical symptoms of anxiety
These are the main physical symptoms of anxiety
Cognitive symptoms
Among the cognitive symptoms of anxiety we highlight the following.
Behavioral symptoms of anxiety
Finally, these are the symptoms that are translated into actions.
Avoid crowded places or leaving the house alone.
Social relationships can be avoided.
Constantly checking to have a sense of control, whether over the future due to fear of uncertainty, fear of illness, etc. It is usually done by asking family and friends, asking the doctor more than usual, etc.
Constantly check that everything is in order, to feel some control.
All of these symptoms of anxiety contribute to maintaining the problem, by establishing a “way out” or short-term solution, paying the price of perpetuating the existence of the anxiety disorder. As we will see, these types of psychological alterations almost always disappear only when we learn to face anxiety, instead of trying to block or avoid it. In this way, we get out of the vicious circle.
Treatment with a psychologist: how is it done?
The psychologist is aware of how limiting anxiety is for his patients when they do not understand how anxiety works. The good news is that Understanding it and knowing what it consists of is the first step to overcoming it
Many people experience symptoms appearing without warning and suddenly, which causes them to spend most of their time on alert. This alert is what ends up generating the appearance of symptoms sooner or later. This unpredictability regarding the appearance of anxiety attacks is one of the causes that have the greatest impact on the person, since can lead to low mood
It is obvious The success of cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of anxiety disorders ; Today, its very positive results in its treatment are more than known thanks to the application of techniques developed after long years of research in psychology, such as progressive exposure techniques, systematic desensitization and the development of coping and unlearning skills. of anxiety.
During therapy, a fundamental objective is for the person to learn to use these techniques in their daily life and thus regain the feeling of control over your body and your mood so that the symptoms of anxiety and its crises can subside.
Along with the anxiety unlearning techniques of cognitive-behavioral psychology, the work in psychotherapy of emotions through humanistic psychology as well as the latest techniques developed from the discoveries of neuropsychology, such as EMDR or Brain Integration Techniques.
For the psychologist, the main objective is not for anxiety to disappear, but that the person loses fear of anxiety and its appearance: by identifying how anxiety manifests itself in our body, emotion and thought and being aware that it is an alarm signal that can teach us a lot about ourselves and how to improve our lives.
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