When a student takes an examination, his mind is blank when facing the examination paper. An applicant was tongue-tied and speechless when faced with the examiner’s question. A skilled pianist found his fingers stiff and trembling when he was preparing to play in front of the audience. All such misfortunes can be called [anxiety], and everyone may have felt similar feelings before.
First, anxiety is a beneficial instinctive reaction.
When we feel that something is going to happen, You will feel this kind of worry and fear under pressure. It is often accompanied by unpleasant physical reactions. Such as faster heartbeat, shortness of breath, muscle tension, elevated blood pressure, sweaty palms, gastrointestinal spasms, etc. Generally speaking, Such anxiety is a normal response to adaptation, Can help us cope with stress, And it will not damage the body’s function. In the course of millions of years of human evolution, Anxiety is good for survival, Its most important function is alarm. When danger is imminent, Anxiety improves our ability to detect threats in our living environment, And rapidly increase the body’s energy, React strongly to stress, Help us escape danger or stay to fight. This kind of response in a critical situation, It is called the [battle or escape] reaction. Even today, In some cases, this kind of response is still useful to us. For example, when our personal safety is threatened, the highly motivated state generated by the [fight or escape] response can keep our mind focused on the source of the threat, remain highly alert, and take quick action when needed.
Second, moderate anxiety helps us to meet the challenges of life.
Different from the environment in which our ancestors lived, In most cases, The threats we feel often do not come from personal safety, More to deal with, It is a challenge and problem in daily life. For example, It is necessary to complete a certain test, introduce yourself to strangers, complete a certain work task within a time limit, face criticism from others, face large debts, etc. None of these circumstances poses an immediate threat to our survival, But if we are too nervous and ready to take stressful action, But it is not a wise move. Once this anxiety exceeds the [moderate or moderate] level, the behavior will become worse. The correct way to deal with it is to face someone or accomplish something bravely, so as to actively solve the problems we are facing, and let anxiety have a certain promotion effect on our behavior to some extent.
Three, different degrees of anxiety
1. State anxiety in most cases, Anxiety is because the individual feels the threat, Feeling that something bad was going to happen, There is a subjective emotional reaction of nervousness and annoyance, At the same time, it also arouses the body’s reaction. This feeling is called state anxiety. Each of us will experience it occasionally. Because it is only temporary, Once the threat we feel is removed, Anxiety usually disappears. 2. Trait anxiety There are some people, Have a tendency to be anxious, This is called trait anxiety, Because this tendency becomes part of their personality. People who are prone to anxiety will regard the world as unsafe. And often feel that something bad may happen, They are more likely to pay attention to the risks that may exist in their daily life. Also often overestimate the possibility of bad things. 3. Anxiety disorders sometimes, There is no external pressure, Some people still feel nervous. This anxiety is not caused by external factors, When it affects the normal social function of an individual, This kind of continuous anxiety disorder, which affects daily life, is called anxiety disorder. Common anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, phobia, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. 3.1 Generalized anxiety disorder is the most common type of anxiety disorder. Patients often suffer from long-term persistent anxiety and uncontrollable nervousness. And they often experience various physical symptoms. They find it difficult to relax most of the time. Can’t enjoy life. 3.2 Phobia This is a strong and irrational fear of a specific object or situation. For example, fear of animals, heights, darkness, closed spaces and social activities. Generally speaking, The objective harmfulness of the source of fear stimuli is not great, Even harmless, But for phobias, It is very dangerous, Once exposed, it will immediately arouse strong panic. However, if we can avoid the stimuli of fear, Then the disease will not affect their lives. 3.3 Panic Disorder Panic Disorder has no identified [stimulator] of anxiety. When panic attacks occur, Patients will realize without warning that there is an imminent, And a state of impending catastrophe that cannot be escaped, Accompanied by severe physical symptoms, There may even be a feeling of imminent death. 3.4 Obsessive-compulsive disorder, yes, Obsessive-compulsive disorder is also a kind of anxiety disorder. Patients often have a stubborn and recurring idea. The most common example is after going out, But I always worry that I didn’t lock the door. Although most people may have thought so, But the duration is often very short. For obsessive-compulsive disorder patients, These obsessive-compulsive perceptions may last for days or even months. Another typical symptom of obsessive-compulsive behavior is obsessive-compulsive behavior, such as washing hands repeatedly. Although this kind of behavior is very illogical, the patient has an uncontrollable impulse to repeat this strange behavior. If stopped, extreme anxiety will arise.
Do you have anxiety disorder?
Symptoms of anxiety disorder are much more painful than symptoms of state anxiety. But also more widely impairs people’s social abilities and emotional states, It makes people unable to enjoy life and feel that the world is unsafe and more stubborn and difficult to control through personal power. The most common reason for seeking help from a psychiatrist or counselor is anxiety-related problems. Both men and women suffer from anxiety.
If you have anxiety disorders, it is strongly recommended to seek treatment from a mental health professional. Some anxiety disorders can often be cured by cognitive behavioral therapy, but for some cases, treatment also requires the use of drugs and other adjuvant therapies.
Author: Xu Yang