Tipsheet for Anxiety
While experiencing small amounts of anxiety is actually very normal (and, in fact, quite helpful to improved performance), severe levels of anxiety can be very debilitating for a person. Anxiety can occur in response to a variety of situations and also presents with a range of symptoms that can be both physiological and cognitive (i.e. anxious and worried thoughts).The most common presenting anxiety disorders include:
Panic Disorder: The experience of recurrent panic attacks involving a number of physiological symptoms such as dizziness, racing heart, breathlessness, sweating and confusion. These panic attacks can occur either in response to specific stressors or unexpectedly and are extremely overwhelming and concerning to the person experiencing them.
Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD): Characterised by excessive and persistent worry about a number of areas of the individual’s life including health, family, job, finances, and friendships.
Specific Phobia: Individuals with specific phobia have an irrational fear of a particular situation or object. People experiencing a specific phobia will often experience physiological and cognitive (thinking) symptoms when exposed to the stressor and their fear typically leads to an active avoidance of the situation or object.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD): Characterised by unpleasant and intrusive obsessional thoughts that are difficult for the individual to control (e.g. concerns about cleanliness or something bad happening to a loved one). The obsessional thoughts can often lead into the practice of compulsive rituals (e.g. cleaning, counting, checking) that help to reduce the immediate anxiety for the individual.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): In response to the experience of a severe traumatic event, an individual with PTSD can experience significant anxiety regarding the memory of that event and will often experience recurrent flashbacks or nightmares of the incident. It is typical that people experiencing PTSD will actively avoid cues that trigger a recollection of the traumatic incident.
Treatment of anxiety disorders often involves medication and psychological therapy. There are a number of anti-anxiety medications that can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and this can be discussed with your GP. The most effective type of psychological therapy for treatment of an anxiety disorder is cognitive behavioural therapy that aims to improve the individual’s ability to manage both physiological symptoms and worried thinking through the implementation of a number of different strategies.
Top 5 Tips for Management of Anxiety
1. Access Support. It is important to access support from your family and friends if you are experiencing anxiety. Individuals experiencing severe levels of anxiety may need to access more specialised support from their GP or a psychologist.2. Deep Breathing. While it may sound a little cliché to suggest ‘deep breathing’, panic symptoms are most often greatly exacerbated by an increase in one’s breathing rate and can be the cause of symptoms such as light-headedness or dizziness. Focusing on taking deep breaths can also help to distract you from the stressor that triggered the anxiety.
3. Challenge Irrational Thoughts. Catastrophic thinking (and other types of irrational thoughts) usually works hand in hand with anxiety disorders. Identify your anxious thoughts and challenge them to ensure that your perspective is realistic and rational.
4. Don’t Avoid. Avoidance of the stressor that makes you anxious can often reinforce the anxiety. It is important to note, however, that individuals experiencing severe levels of anxiety should seek a specialist to manage avoidance more effectively.
5. See your GP. Your GP will be able to help with the prescription of medication and/or a referral to a psychologist if you are having difficulty managing your anxiety.