It's essential to know the difference between stress and anxiety.
As many of us experience stress and anxiety at some point in our lives. Either of them definitely detrimentally impacts our quality of life. Stress and anxiety share many emotional and physical symptoms – uneasiness, tension, headaches, high blood pressure, and sleep loss – they have very different origins. Determining which one you're experiencing is critical to finding an effective treatment plan and feeling better.
Generally, stress is caused due to an external factor, such as a tight deadline at work or an argument with a friend or family member. Stress subsides once the situation has been resolved. You can ease your discomfort by including physical activity, breathing exercises, adequate sleep and taking time to connect with others, or even taking solitary time out.
However, anxiety is an individual's reaction to stress; thus, anxiety is your reaction to stress; therefore, it's internal—the persistent feeling of apprehension or dread, irrespective of whether they are factual or not, is anxiety. Thus unlike stress, anxiety persists even after a concern, event, argument or deadline has come to an end. Prolonged or severe anxiety may turn into a disorder, an anxiety disorder, and might need supervised care.
It's important to know how to identify and differentiate signs of stress and anxiety. Stress is a common trigger for anxiety, and it's vital to catch anxiety symptoms early to prevent the development of an anxiety disorder.
What triggers anxiety? Well, there is no common trigger. Each one reacts and comprehends stress differently, and thus causes of anxiety are different in each individual. Each of us must learn more about ourselves. What causes our anxiety to us is essential knowledge to have. To at least identify the causes and stop doing related activities if we cannot control the activity that is disturbing us. The knowledge of it may help us in relieving ourselves a little. This could also become an impediment to identifying the root cause of the problem.
Below are the five most common undesirable solutions people suffering from anxiety use, and they are visible signs and can be identified easily. In case you resonate with anyone or all of them, then please find appropriate solutions or seek help.
Shying away
The most common advice given by friends and family to someone suffering from anxiety "don't take it too seriously", "don't care," don't think about it," "do not let trouble, trouble you." and so forth.
Avoiding things that make you anxious will only result in you feeling more anxious. So stop avoiding what's right in front of you. If you do so, you are only adding fuel to the fire. Isolating yourself and ignoring all are signs that you're struggling with only worsens the case leading to seeking medical or therapeutic help.
People suffering usually resort to Drinking, even excessive in some cases. While others try and avoid eye contact during conversations with others in the fear that their venerability is exposed, they lock themselves up in a room, avoiding any interaction with other people.
Please don't do this to yourself or let anyone do it to themselves. There is no point in shying away from the problem. Approach your friends, family or a medical practitioner for help.
Overthinking about your Anxiety
One of the biggest causes of my anxiety. Since I'm a people pleaser and care too much what other people think, I overthink SO much!
Try and be in the present moment instead of worrying about things you can't control. Learn to accept your thoughts instead of fighting them all of the time, reducing anxiety and calming you down.
Don't fall to the carvings to fight anxiety.
Anxiety is caused by feeling worried and stressed by certain things in your life. Being anxious & stressed all the time leads to you feeling fatigued and burnt out. When you reach burn out mode, taking care of yourself goes out the window. This is when you tend to reach out for your comfort food, hoping it shall make you feel better. For me, anything sweet works, specifically Chocolate and not to forget coffee, and when I say I consume these for comfort, I invariably step beyond any permissible limits of intake of both of them. I know others who take to smoking, fast food and various other things.
Caffeine, raw sugar and nicotine affect your body, disturbing your sleep partner and your metabolic system. No wonder your health gets screwed, while the anxiety level is just as stable as they were before you started devouring your so-called comfort food. It's time to put a stop to this! Believe me; You're the only one who can put an end to the vacuous habit. I understand it's easier said than done.
Alcohol occasionally helps, but if you're on medication, alcohol can be detrimental, not only nullifying the effect of your medication but also getting you on a self-pity mode. Which only adds fuel to the fire, increasing your anxiety levels.
Self-blame or a negative spiral
Contemplating that to repetitively, the negative thoughts turn the issue into problems that never get solved. Constant negative thinking is where you start to feel like the victim of your life and don't believe that you're worthy of anything. This negative thinking trap only enhances your anxiety levels, as you start worrying about a specific outcome to a situation before it even happens. This self-pity spiral has individuals inflicting self-harm onto themselves.
Strongly advise if you're facing such thoughts, then seek medical help immediately.
The Right and the Wrong theory
It's either all or nothing; there's no in-between. Also known as "the Black or white thinking mode", this leads to procrastination, and you feel like everything has to be perfect, or else it's not worth trying.
Lower your expectations from both yourself and others, don't get disappointed quickly. Maybe there is a point of view you are not comprehending. In some instances, preconceived notions, assumptions based on expectations or communications gone wrong to have been the prime reason for this "Right and Wrong theory". All you do in such a situation is overthink, assume and jump to your expected conclusions. This expectation and assumption combo is a killer and, in most cases, the primary reason for anxiety.
All ways remember, assume is spelt as ASS-U-ME (Making an ass of you and me). So if you don't want to be the Ass, then spell out your expectations loud to yourself and others. Doing so shall leave very little room for assuming. Take the next step and ask, seek clarification and then make good judgement.
Most people suffering from anxiety are never satisfied to receive what they want if they have asked for it. They shall never ask and easily get frustrated and blow up on somebody because they assumed or expected something different in their head. This may lead to hallucination and, in worst cases, an emotional disbalance, which in turn can lead to a nervous breakdown.
Read this aloud to yourself twice "I have unsaid expectations from others, and they could have the same."
The way is to calm down accept life, people, and situations shall always be the way they are. You shall have to change. You shall have to talk and express. And if still your expectations are not met, then settle for a little less. This might sound uncanny, but come on, God did not create every one with the looks and style of "Sean Connery."
