Anxiety Does Not Define You
“What do you have to be anxious about?” is a question I hear anytime I reveal to someone I experience constant general anxiety. Sometimes there is a reason, but sometimes there is not and often times both situations feel identical. With General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), you experience the symptoms of anxiety in the body, your physiology, which sends a message to your brain to make you feel anxious even without a logical reason. Your perception is your personal reality, so regardless of whether or not there is a reason, you feel anxious in both situations.
What does anxiety feel like? Common symptoms are increased heart rate, sweaty palms and feet, shortness of breath, and a general uneasy feeling. These symptoms can often create an inability to think clearly or make decisions properly. Anxiety can also lead to increased or decreased desire to eat, apprehension towards certain activities, increase in depression, decrease in confidence, memory, focus, energy, poor sleep and more.
In recent years there has been an exponential increase in diagnosing anxiety, especially in young adults and teens. Social media and celebrities play a major role in this increase, as both display an image of perfection; usually only the best of someone is portrayed on social outlets, meaning other people do not see all the flaws nor how someone reached a certain level of social, work, or physical success. Even knowing you are only seeing the best of someone does not seem to help make people feel less inadequate when exposed to this selective media. Those on social media feel compelled to share every detail of their lives; positive feedback received instills a feeling of connection and acceptance, but negative feedback or lack of feedback at all invokes more anxiety as you begin to question what you did wrong to not receive the desired reaction from social networks.
The best things to keep in mind with anxiety are:
• You are your worst critique; no one notices the negatives about you as much as yourself.
• Everyone makes mistakes; it is not our mistakes which define us but how we handle and overcome them.
• You must love yourself before you can expect anyone else to; loving yourself is the most important form of love.
• You are not your anxiety-it does not define who you are.
• There are many options to decrease anxiety; it does not have to be a debilitating life sentence.
• People care and want to help, all you have to do is ask.
Anxiety makes daily life more difficult, but it can get better. Be conscious of your breathing as breathe can be calming and relaxing. Meditation helps actually change how your brain perceives messages it receives meaning regular meditation can get rid of anxiety altogether. Binaural beats can help people reach a meditative state as well as assist with general relaxation. CRS experts know what you’re going through and are passionate about helping people find solutions to life’s challenges and transitions. Don’t let anxiety control your life, call CRS today!
We like feedback! Was this blog helpful to you? Feel free to comment any thoughts below! Do you have tips on what helps you deal with anxiety of any kind?