Anxiety 101
Everyone experiences anxiety. It’s how we are capable of anticipating a future problem.
Anxiety can occur as soon as the outcome of a situation is unknown. A job interview, a first date or the start of a new course are all events where it’s hard to exactly predict what the outcome of our efforts will be.
Anxiety can motivate us to be better prepared for these situations. It’s healthy in small doses and can help us to function well and evolve within our society.
However, for some people anxiety becomes pervasive, chronic or even debilitating. In this context, it really affects well-being and can interfere with their personal and professional life. We’ll explore this side of anxiety in depth to unveil its various forms, symptoms, best strategies for adapting to it and preventing the most harmful consequences. And, most importantly, when it’s time to seek the help of a health care professional.
From anxiety to anxiety disorder
Officially, anxiety is defined as a normal reaction to stress. It can alert us to danger and help us be vigilant. It’s the body’s natural response to situations perceived as threatening for our physical or mental health, whether these risks are real or imagined.
Anxiety disorders are different from natural feelings of nervousness or anxiety. They involve excessive, even paralyzing fear or concern. People who suffer from anxiety disorders try to avoid any circumstances that could trigger or aggravate their symptoms.
Generally speaking, for an anxiety disorder to be diagnosed, the fear or anxiety has to be disproportionate to the situation and interfere with your ability to function normally. For example, people who suffer from severe agoraphobia (fear of large spaces) can’t leave their home, which can severely limit their personal and professional lives.
The different faces of anxiety
Anxiety disorders can take many forms. It’s important to distinguish them so you can effectively deal with the situation at hand.4 The most common forms include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD): This disorder is characterized by constant and excessive worry about a wide range of daily life events or issues, even the most mundane. Sufferers tend to anticipate a disaster around every corner and have a hard time controlling their fears. It often revolves around the most trivial things, such as household chores, car repairs or making an appointment.
- Panic disorder: The main symptom of a panic disorder is repeated panic attacks, an overwhelming mix of bodily and mental distress. These attacks are sudden, intense and also accompanied by physical symptoms like palpitations, sweats, tremors, chest pressure and intense fear. Since these symptoms can be so severe, some people experiencing a panic attack may believe they’re having a heart attack and go the ER. Panic attacks can be anticipated, for example, in reaction to a stressful event, or unexpected when they can occur for no apparent reason.
- Social anxiety disorder: Sufferers are incredibly apprehensive about being embarrassed, humiliated, rejected or scorned during social interactions. Also called social phobia, this disorder appears as an intense and irrational fear of social situations, public performance or interactions with others. People with this disorder often avoid such situations at all costs or endure them with great difficulty. Performance anxiety (also known as stage fright) is a form of social anxiety.
- Specific phobias: A specific phobia is an excessive and persistent fear of a specific object, event or activity that is not harmful in itself. Victims know their fear is unreasonable but they are unable to overcome it. These fears cause such distress that sufferers will avoid being exposed to their phobia at all costs. They end up denying themselves career opportunities (fear of public speaking), travel (fear of flying or transportation) or even taking the elevator (fear of confined spaces).
