What is anxiety?
Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as fear or worry, that occurs when we feel under threat or concerned.
The meaning of anxiety extends back to our evolution in caveman days, notably the ‘flight, fight or freeze’ response. In order to protect ourselves from danger, our bodies developed to react quickly to perceived threats, helping us to:
- Fight the threat;
- Run from the danger;
- Or stay still and let the danger pass
This is an automatic response and, as mentioned previously, most people experience feelings of anxiety when coping with stressful events or situations. Sweating, increased heartbeat, tingling fingers – these are just some of the common responses people have to these situations.
Anxiety becomes an issue when these feelings of worry or unease present themselves in day-to-day life, not as a response to an immediate danger. Anxiety can make people imagine that their lives are worse than they truly are, and that they cannot face their fears or make any progress.
Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in the UK – 7.8% of people meet the criteria for diagnosis of these conditions. In addition, approximately 13% of the adult population will develop a phobia at some point in their life. This shows that this condition is fairly common, and not receiving treatment for anxiety can have a negative impact on your physical or mental well-being.
Our anxiety management courses are geared to support those who experience anxiety on a regular basis, giving them guidance to overcome this condition and reduce its effects.
What is an anxiety disorder?
While anxiety will affect everyone at some point in their lives, when these feelings remain you might be diagnosed by your doctor with an anxiety disorder.
There are several forms of anxiety disorder. This page will mostly be dedicated to General Anxiety Disorder (GAD). This is a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious across a wide range of issues or situations, rather than in response to a particular thing or scenario.
Those with GAD tend to feel anxious most days, and struggle to remember the last time they relaxed. If you feel this way, it is important to talk to your GP or speak to qualified therapists about taking a course on anxiety.
GAD is estimated to affect around 5% of the UK population, and is most common between the ages of 35 and 59. However, this is just a generalisation, and GAD can influence anyone at any age.
Other notable forms of anxiety disorder include:
- Social anxiety disorder – a phobia or reaction triggered by social situations, such as parties, workplaces or team sports.
- Health anxiety – a disorder caused by fears relating to illness and your overall health.
- Panic disorder – where you experience panic or anxiety attacks frequently, often without any clear cause.
- Phobias – a fear of a particular situation or object, with common examples including arachnophobia (fear of spiders), agoraphobia (fear of entering crowded/open spaces) and acrophobia (fear of heights).
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – anxiety developed after going through a traumatic event.
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) – anxiety relating to following strict behaviours, patterns or urges, and if these are not followed.
- Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) – anxiety caused by an obsession with your physical appearance.
- Perinatal anxiety – a disorder developed by women during pregnancy or in the first year of parenthood.
These are just some of the most common forms of anxiety disorder. If any of these descriptions relate to your feelings, our online anxiety courses can be tailored to support your specific condition.
What is social anxiety?
One of the most common forms of anxiety disorder, social anxiety is a long-lasting, overwhelming fear of social situations.
This typically develops during teenage years and may lessen/disappear during adulthood, but for some this develops earlier/later in life as a response to traumatic events or a change in situations.
It’s important to note that social anxiety disorder goes beyond shyness – it is a powerful fear that presents itself before, during and after social situations. This can have a significant impact on relationships, school/work life and getting involved in day-to-day activities.
Our anxiety management courses have supported many in Essex suffering specifically with social anxiety to varying degrees. Get in touch with our team if you’d like to learn more about combatting this condition.
What is an anxiety attack?
An anxiety attack or panic attack can be a particularly distressing experience, caused by a sudden rush of anxiety. This can be caused by an unexpected change, a situation that often causes you anxiety, or for no clear reason whatsoever.
Panic is the most severe form of anxiety, and experiencing an anxiety attack can lead people to avoid the situations that cause them even more ardently than normal. These events can become even more frightening if you don’t understand the symptoms, or misinterpret them for life-threatening conditions, such as heart attacks.
Symptoms of an anxiety attack include:
- Racing heartbeat
- Faintness
- Sweating
- Nausea
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling/shaking
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
- Numbness/tingling sensation
- Feeling of dread
- Feeling of disconnect from your body
While most anxiety attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes, some have been reported to last up to an hour. In addition, the frequency of these depend on the severity of your condition – it could be once or twice a month to several times a week.
It is important to remember that, while anxiety attacks can be frightening, they don’t cause any physical harm.
If you’d like to learn more about the causes, symptoms of panic attacks and how to deal with them, visit our page on coping with panic attacks.
What does anxiety feel like?
How to explain anxiety and what it feels like can be tricky, as it varies from person to person.
For some, anxiety presents as a feeling of dread, that the worst is going to happen in every situation. For others, it feels like your every action is being watched, and everyone is waiting for you to make a mistake. Some experience these in cycles or waves, others endure it consistently.
No matter how you experience anxiety, if these feelings are particularly strong, cause significant distress or have a notable impact on your day-to-day life, talk to your GP or speak to us about taking an anxiety management course.