What is anxiety?
Why do I have anxiety, and what should I do if it is out of control?
Anxiety is a completely normal feeling and is part of every day life. In fact it has helped us survive as a species. It is a warning system that says "pay attention", "be alert, but not alarmed - yet".
It is an unpleasant feeling we get when we're scared, worried, or uneasy about something. It's a feeling inside us that makes us feel afraid or jittery. Sometimes, it can even make our hearts beat faster, our hands sweaty, or make it hard to breathe.
Anxiety feels that way because it is trying to tell us something - it's not the thinking part of our brain, instead it's a part of a primitive alarm system - and if we don't listen, it will eventually start yelling at us. If we do listen, and check out what it is trying to tell us, then we can decide what we want to do about it using our thinking brain.
Out thinking brain can help quieten anxiety down. Ignoring anxiety doesn’t work. For example, imagine you wake up the day of a big exam or a job interview. You feel a bit queasy in the stomach, but don't pay attention, then you feel jittery, and you don't pay attention. They are alarm bells. As time passes those alarm bells will keep getting louder. But what if you feel a bit queasy in the stomach and say to yourself, "oh that's right, that's what is happening today, I've got this". Then each time you feel something and pay attention, your thinking brain can tell your anxiety that it's okay, and that you've got this. It won't completely stop the feelings anxiety brings, but it will help them feel more manageable.
If you don't manage your anxiety, it might start to feel too big and you can become scared of it. If it does, and if it starts controlling your life, it is a good idea to get professional help from a properly qualified therapist, so you can get anxiety back under control and working for you in the way it is supposed to.
Anxiety is supposed to be part of life. It helps us survive. It is always trying to tell us something. So listen, understand what it's trying to say and remember to "be alert, but not alarmed - yet". But overwhelming anxiety that controls your life, means your anxiety has got out of control and you need a properly qualified therapist to help you with managing it.
Different qualified therapists will use different therapeutic ways to approach and help you manage your anxiety. You need to find the best way to help you and to help your anxiety, so keep trying until you find the right properly qualified therapist . It's okay to shop around.
With support from the right therapist, you can regain control over your anxiety and relearn to use and understand it in a way that works for you. You don't have to be controlled by your anxiety, after all it is only trying to help.