Anxiety is something that is different than stress. Everyone will experience some form of stress in their life no matter how easy or difficult their life may seem. A lot of people are willing to give their opinion on mental illness and what to do when someone has anxiety. This can make matters even worse by stressing you out because you are not doing everything that several different people are suggesting.
There are different reasons for mental illness and not everyone is going to have the same results from different treatments. This means that while several people might have anxiety they may all have different causes.
Here are several reasons why you might have anxiety and what you can do to make positive changes in your life:
Biology
It may sound like a lame excuse but you may have anxiety due to genetics. If people in your family have anxiety it is likely you could have it as well. If you feel like you are the only person in your immediate family that has anxiety maybe some of your relatives have anxiety. Some people are more susceptible to anxiety while other people are not. This does not mean that you are a bad person or are not strong enough it just means that you have to make some changes to have a peaceful life.
Resources
While anxiety is something that has been a taboo topic for some time it does not mean that people have not been doing research on it. Within the past several years more and more people have started opening up about their experience with anxiety and what research studies have found.
There are a lot of books that discuss anxiety and what causes it and how to effectively treat it. You can listen to a number of different podcasts that bring on different professionals who deal with anxiety and practice therapy. You can also educate yourself by reading online articles but just make sure that they are from trusted sources who know what they are talking about and understand the complex nature of anxiety.
Professional Help
There are a lot of reasons why people see a therapist and anxiety is one of them. You need to find a therapist that is right for you and is someone you feel comfortable with so you can talk about hard topics you do not share with everyone you meet. A good therapist is someone you can trust and someone who will not give you answers but will work with you so you can come to healthy conclusions. They can give you tools and techniques when you have anxiety or panic attacks.
Medication
If you have ever had a conversation about mental illness medications there are different opinions that range from the best to the worst. You would never make fun of someone for taking heart medication if they had a heart condition and it should be the same with anxiety. There is no shame in needing to take medication on a regular basis if it helps you feel better and lessens your anxiety. Finding the right medication can take time so do not get discouraged if the first medication does not work or it does not work after the first week of you taking the medicine.
Future
When you have anxiety a common symptom is worrying about the future and getting overwhelmed with future events. This doesn’t mean that you should throw all of your goals and plans out the window and focus on the day to day. What it does mean is that you get to think about what you want to accomplish and figure out what you can do now to make your goals a reality. Your goals could be anything from taking a masters program online or getting to a place where you can live on your own.
Do you have anxiety? What are some ways that you helped ease your anxiety and made your life more fulfilling? Comment below to start the conversation.