Anxiety is something that a lot of people suffer from. For the average person, a little bit of stress, anxiousness, and nerves are the norm. However, when these feelings start to take over your life and impact everything you do, then it becomes a real problem. In order to effectively treat anxiety and get more from your life, it is important to first figure out where this anxiety stems from. In a lot of cases, there is a specific reason why someone feels anxious all of the time. If you can determine what this is, you will be best placed to deal with it effectively. So, with that being said, let’s take a look at anxiety and the causes of it in further detail.
Signs that you may have an anxiety disorder
Before we discuss the causes of anxiety, it is important to determine whether your levels of anxiety are normal, or whether you have an anxiety disorder. For a lot of people reading this, you will already know the answer to that question. Nonetheless, for those that don’t, let’s take a look at some of the key signs that you may have an anxiety disorder:
- Constant self-doubt and second-guessing
- Compulsive behaviours
- Perfectionism; you have an obsessive and finicky mind-set
- Flashbacks; you often relive a traumatic or disturbing event
- Panic attacks
- Self-consciousness
- Stage fright; more than just little butterflies
- Chronic indigestion
- Muscle tension
- Fears that are not rational
- Trouble sleeping
- Excessive worry
What are the causes of anxiety?
If you can relate to most of the signs that have been mentioned above, it is vital to determine what is causing your anxiety. So, let’s take a look at some of the main causes in further detail:
Firstly, causes can be split into two categories, either environmental causes or biological causes. Let’s deal with the former first. Your lifestyle habits could be causing your anxiety. You should look into things that can relieve your symptoms, such as the best stress relief gummies, so you can control the things in your lifestyle that do give you anxiety. You should never underestimate how your choices influence the way you feel. There has been research that shows people can develop anxiety if they do not exercise regularly because of their body’s unused energy, and because they do not produce as much stress coping hormones. Research has also linked anxiety to dehydration, coffee, sleep deprivation, sugar, and excessive television, as well as substance abuse.
It’s also important to recognize that anxiety can often cause more anxiety. You start to become anxious about the way you are feeling, and you get trapped in your own self-sustaining cycle. Change can also be a cause of anxiety amongst a lot of people. Some people adapt to change well, and other people do not. This could be a large change, for example, the loss of someone you love, or it could be a smaller change, for example, a new home. In such instances, it is good to have a constant in your life to help you feel more at ease; this is where an emotional support cat or an emotional support animal can really be a good choice. Pets are good at making people feel at ease and can help to deal with anxiety, so if you feel like you’re alone and dealing with a big change, a pet can bring some stability.
Another reason for anxiety is because of a traumatic experience that has occurred. This could be anything from witnessing someone else passing away to being abused throughout your childhood. Trauma can have a huge impact on someone’s life, and anxiety is often just one of the symptoms. After all, you have gone through an incredibly stressful experience, which no one should have to go through. It’s only natural that this will have an impact on your life, and this is why seeing a professional to help you through it would be the best idea in this case.
Your life experiences, upbringing, and parenting can also be factors. Some people learn anxiety from their parents. You can also become anxious due to bullying while young, or you may have become anxious because of the way you were brought up. Finally, in terms of environmental triggers, stress is a massive factors. Stress can overwhelm the mind, making it more difficult to push anxiety away, as well as impacting your nutrition, neurotransmitters, hormones, and the part of the brain that controls anxiety control.
So, what about biological factors? There are also many biological factors that can cause anxiety too. This includes medical factors. From asthma and cancer to sleep apnea and allergies, there are so many medical conditions that can trigger anxiety, and so it is really vital that you speak to your doctor if you do suffer from a medical issue.
In addition to this, studies have also shown that some people are more genetically prone to suffer from anxiety disorders than others. This means it could simply be part of your gene pool. Aside from this, brain activity alterations and deregulation of brain chemistry could also play a role. There have been numerous studies that have proven that an extremely likely cause of anxiety disorders is an imbalance in the brain chemistry.
As you can see, there are many different causes of anxiety, and you may relate to one or several of the causes that have been mentioned. If you do, it is important to tackle your anxiety head on, rather than burying your head in the sand. There are numerous ways to treat anxiety today, so you are bound to find a solution, and hopefully, you already have several useful tips from this blog post.
I live in a small Georgia town that you most likely have never heard of and I LOVE it! My house is more than full as I am a single mother of four & caregiver to my aging mother and uncle. Lover of all things Outlander. Goes to the beat of her own drum woman.
Barbara Riffe says
I do wish there was a magic pill , I have read anixety may be related to cortisol levels in the body .