Dealing with Anxiety
There are different types of anxiety. You may feel short term anxiety before you take a test or walk across campus in the dark. This kind of anxiety is useful - it makes you more alert and careful. It usually ends after you are out of the situation that caused it. But sometimes anxiety can make you feel out of control and give you a sense of dread or fear for no obvious reason. This kind of anxiety can disrupt parts of your life. The following information describes different types of anxiety and some strategies to deal with it.Types of Anxiety
i) Generalized Anxiety
Generalized anxiety is excessive worrying that you feel you can 't stop. It is ongoing worry that isn't related to a particular event or situation. It is also out of proportion to what you would expect; for instance, constantly worrying about a child who is perfectly healthy. People with generalized anxiety may experience muscle tension, trembling, shortness of breath, fast heartbeat, dry mouth, dizziness, nausea, irritability, loss of sleep, feeling restless or keyed up and not being able to concentrate.
ii) Panic Attacks
Panic attacks are extreme fear. Your body 's fight or flight mechanism gets activated. This is a built- in alarm system that causes you to either get ready to run away or deal with something threatening in a direct way.
When panic attacks happen you have a variety of thoughts, bodily reactions and feelings that are overwhelming. Suppose for instance that you are leaving your home to go to school. Suddenly, your chest feels tight and your heart races. You begin to feel dizzy and light headed. You start to feel shaky. It is possible that this is a panic attack.
Panic attacks last about 5 to 30 minutes and include a variety of the symptoms listed in below:
- Feeling like you're going to choke
- Chest pressure or pain
- Pounding heart
- Racing pulse
- Dizziness or light-headedness
- Shortness of breath or tightness in the throat
- Sweating
- Trembling or shaking
- Nausea
- Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet
- Hot flashes or chills
- Sense of unreality or dreamlike sensations
- Extreme fear of losing control, doing something embarrassing, going "crazy" or dying
A panic disorder occurs after a first panic attack when people start to worry about having other panic attacks and what could happen to them (loosing control or dying). Having panic attacks doesn 't necessarily mean you have a panic disorder.
iii) Phobia
A phobia is an extreme, unreasonable fear to something specific. There are lots of different phobias including fear of crowds, bridges, snakes, spiders, heights, open places or social embarrassment etc.
A phobia is only considered a problem when it keeps you from living a normal life. An example of this is being afraid to leave home because you are afraid of one of the things listed above.
Strategies for Coping with Anxiety
Contain your worry time. Pick a place and time to do your worrying. Make it the same place and time every day. Spend 30 minutes thinking about your worries and what you can do about them. Try not to dwell on what "might" happen. Focus more on what's really happening. Then let go of the worry and go on with your day.
Learn ways to relax. This may include muscle relaxation, yoga, deep breathing or focusing your thoughts.
Muscle relaxation involves choosing a muscle and holding it tight for a few seconds. Then relax the muscle. Do this with all of your muscles. Try starting with your feet and working your way up your body.
Deep breathing can be done in a variety of ways. You may want to try this method.
- Lie down on a flat surface.
- Place one hand on your stomach, just above your navel. Place the other hand on your chest.
- Breathe in slowly and try to make your stomach rise a little.
- Hold your breath for a second.
- Breathe out slowly and let your stomach go back down.
Yoga classes are offered on campus, in the community and through videos. Besides being a form of relaxation for many, yoga is also a great form of exercise that helps with flexibility and muscle toning.
A final way of relaxing is to focus your thoughts. This takes our minds off of our worries. You could do this by counting backward from 100 to 0. You could also think about a favourite place, close your eyes and go there in you mind.
Exercise regularly. People who have anxiety often quit exercising. But exercise can give you a sense of well-being and help decrease feelings of anxiety.
Get adequate amounts of sleep.
Avoid alcohol and drug use as a way to cope. It may seem that alcohol or drugs relax you. But in the long run they make anxiety worse and cause more problems.
Avoid caffeine. Caffeine is found in coffee, tea, soft drinks and chocolate. Caffeine may increase your sense of anxiety because it stimulates your nervous system. Also avoid over-the-counter diet pills and cough and cold medicines that contain a decongestant.
Confront the things that have made you anxious in the past. Begin by picturing yourself confronting these things. By doing this, you can get used to the idea of confronting things that make you anxious before you actually do it. After you feel more comfortable picturing yourself confronting these things, you can begin to actually face them as they happen.
Notice and accept your anxiety. Label the level of your fear from 0 to 10 and keep track as it goes up and down. Notice that it doesn't stay at a very high level for more than a few seconds. When the fear comes, accept it. Wait and give it time to pass without running away from it.
Use medicine if it helps. Your doctor may suggest medicine to help reduce your anxiety while you learn new ways to respond to the things that make you anxious.
Talk about your anxiety. Let people you trust know how you're feeling. Talking with a mental health counsellor can also help you learn to express your needs and wants so you can feel more in control.
If you are a registered student with Mohawk College and would like to talk with a counsellor about this issue, please contact Counselling Services at your campus:
- Fennell Campus (905) 575-2211, The Square – Student Services, Room C102
- IAHS Campus (905) 540-4247 ext 26750, Room 303
- Brantford Campus (519) 758-6014, Room A102
- STARRT Institute (905) 575-1212 ext 2538, Room A111A