Anxiety: a complex and disruptive beast of an illness

This week marks Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, so, with that in mind, we decided to take a closer look at the role anxiety plays in the lives of people who suffer from it. As well as that, esteemed consultant psychiatrist, Dr Tim Ojo, shares his thoughts on why anxiety tends to be overlooked sometimes in society, and tells us how we can effectively cope with the sometimes-crippling condition.

Why anxiety seems to be brushed aside in society

Anxiety. When we think of the word, psychologically affecting states of mind such as stress and nervousness spring to mind. To a certain extent, the three are quite similar in nature, but anxiety has many, many layers, and to me, society has simply labelled anxiety as being one thing and one thing only, with the idea typically being that someone who has anxiety just worries too much, or that they’re just a nervous individual.

As far as general anxiety goes, it is simply (and rightly) deemed as being a normal experience of human life. As Dr Tim Ojo puts it, “anxiety is part of a normal range of experiences that human beings have at any given time. So, it’s not necessarily about anxiety in itself, but rather about when anxiety becomes problematic. I think that due to the fact that anxiety is part of normal human experience, people often don’t take it seriously until it is quite severe and it begins to have an impact on their everyday function.”

An important distinction here, where we start to unravel the layers of the common mental health condition. A general feeling of anxiety, or a “normal range of anxiety” as Dr Ojo says, is when we experience a sense of fear or unease, for example, when we see a stranger following us or running after us, if we are alone in a dark environment, or when going for a job interview.”

Have we ever stopped to think about the commonly used “ah, nan, she’s such a worrier” phrase many of us have so often used to shrug off or downplay our grandmothers’ anxiety? Anxiety, sadly, can stay with us for a lifetime, depending of course on numerous factors. It’s quite possible that your grandmother may be or may have been suffering from a severe form of anxiety, which, in Dr Ojo’s eyes, is when you “start thinking and excessively worrying about things that may or may not happen.”

Anxiety’s unnoticeable lead role in our daily lives

Have you ever woken up accompanied by the feeling of dread but don’t quite seem to know the root of this anxiety-riddled feeling that grips hold of you? It could be a Saturday or Sunday morning where you seemingly have all the time in the world, and have planned a nice hike up a mountain with your partner or close friends (picnic planned of course). So, you’d probably wonder, what reason have I to be anxious, to feel the way I’m feeling? I should be feeling happy.

I’ve often tried to try put my finger on it, and when I ask those close to me, “it’s anxiety, love”, is the recurring response I get. Crazy when we think about it really, isn’t it? That this beast of an illness just shows up when it wants, where it wants, and how it wants, to push you aside in your own car and take the driver seat from you. Yes, people say “just meditate”, or “try yoga”, but really, if you’re trapped in an anxious loop, oftentimes it’s impossible to escape it.

Is society to blame?

I often have these existential-influenced urges or thoughts to just stop and be. To rid myself of all responsibility and anxiety inducing aspects of my life. Ahhh, how peaceful and utterly blissful that would be, wouldn’t it? When I have these thoughts, I quickly talk (or think) my way out of it when I get anxious about trying to figure out how I would survive without a full-time paid job, which allows me to put food into my mouth and to have shelter over my head.

Modern-day society makes it very difficult, well, let’s face it, pretty much impossible, for us to live as we would ideally love to live. We have to get up early in the morning (even when minimal sleep is had), feed the dog, prepare the kids’ lunches for school, make sure we’re on schedule. On. On. On. Burnout. Exhaustion. No time for ourselves.

This is all before technology comes into the picture. Depending on your personality and job, technology can really run your life, and most of the time, for all the wrong reasons.

The effect anxiety has on the body and mind

Anxiety sufferers will be all too aware with the debilitating physical symptoms that accompany the mental anguish. With the most common physical symptoms including a rapidly fast heartbeat, nausea, an intense amount of sweating, dizziness, a throbbing or dull headache, and shortness of breath, it is easy to see why people living with anxiety are often left feeling totally and utterly overwhelmed and drained. Add a beyond-comprehendible level of exhaustion to the mix, and the seriousness of the condition is screaming quite loudly after a bout of anxiety strikes.

Dr Ojo adds that “anxiety can affect every single part of the body, from your heart rate, to the way you think, to how you breathe, to increased sweating, as well as problems with eating and sleeping. Essentially, it can affect your function to such an extent that it makes it difficult for you to do the things that you would normally expect or be expected to do.”

“You will typically have a lump in your throat, sweaty palms, you’ll find it difficult to relax, your muscles are quite tense, and you might have diarrhoea, palpitations, and a dry mouth. Anxiety is a manifestation of stress. I think people need to treat it, because if left untreated for a long amount of time, people can suffer from burnout.”

The main triggers of an anxiety attack

Overwhelming fear. A giant wave hovering above your head. An unpredictably moving see-saw. Being hit by a whole lot of bricks. Anxiety, for all of the illness’ victims, is a nasty and dangerous old thing, and comes in all different shapes, forms, and sizes (hooray!).

Due to the numerous different types of anxiety floating around, there are uncountable amounts of potential triggers of an anxiety onset, that, of course, all those affected by anxiety in some shape or form will be all too familiar with. Whether it’s social anxiety disorder, phobia-based anxiety, high-functioning anxiety, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (fear of help not being available if things go wrong), hypochondria, OCD, or PTSD, an anxiety attack can be triggered in people with one or more of these anxiety disorders in so many different ways.

When we talk about post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a random and unexpected flashback from a past traumatic event can trigger a high degree of trauma-related anxiety. For OCD sufferers (especially if severe), leaving the house without closing the door in a certain way may lead to dreaded worry and fear that something absolutely catastrophic will happen that day. Can you imagine how much anxiety that could potentially cause?!

Panic disorder results in horrifying and sometimes paralysing fear and panic. Interestingly, there is no real trigger for people who suffer from panic disorder. They might notice or feel as though their heart is beating irregularly and will, as a result, automatically assume death. Closely linked with hypochondria, panic disorder makes people feel faint, accompanied by a tingling sensation all over the body. It sometimes takes sitting down in a hunched position with your head as close as your knees as possible to overcome one of these panic disorder episodes.

Hypochondria can be particularly disruptive and upsetting. As a hypochondriac myself, not even a doctor’s reassurance or literal proof through medical results will help steer my “that’s it, I’ve had a good life, sad to be going early, but I’m going soon surely” regular thoughts away. Constant googling and self-diagnosing can lead to quite obsessive worry about your health, and really, it does no one any good. Triggers can be anything from the slightest of physical discomfort to noticing some small changes in the way you eat, drink, etc. Quite a hassle.

The final word: coping with anxiety

“I think it’s about knowing yourself,” Dr Ojo says. “It’s about knowing or becoming aware of what exactly is worrying you, or causing you distress, that is leading to you being anxious. It’s about early intervention, asking for help, and also prioritising lifestyle changes.”

“It’s about getting people to recognise when their anxiety is becoming unmanageable. To help with their anxiety, I would recommend patients to reduce their caffeine intake, keep themselves hydrated regularly, exercise regularly, and make sure they are eating regularly.”

Of course, every given individual suffering from anxiety will more than likely incorporate little things to help them cope with their daily struggle. It could be the smallest of things, such as making your favourite meal, to listening to your favourite song on repeat when you get home from work, or, well, yeah, just doing what you love, when you can, and as much as you can. Not an easy feat in this demanding world, but I guess we’ll take what we can get when we can get it!

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