Not all anxiety is bad, it is a normal reaction to stress. Anxiety will alert us of dangers, and if we feel unsafe. When our “alert system” is dysregulated (commonly due to trauma or crises) our anxiety becomes heightened and progressively gets worst over time—if not dealt with it properly. Avoidance of our anxiety and using negative coping skills is part of the vicious anxiety cycle. Here it comes… when we avoid a situation that will trigger anxiety, or cope by using drugs, alcohol, spending money, isolating, etc, the uncomfortable feelings of anxiety will fade away. BUT the relief will not last long, and the anxiety will be worst next time.
The brain tries to make sense of it by thinking “wow, when I avoided that anxiety, it felt really good, let’s do more of it!” So now, the brain wants more of that avoidance. But why? Because AVOIDANCE FEELS BETTER THAN FACING IT! But that only works for a short time.
That is the anxiety cycle. Anxiety—avoidance—short term relief—anxiety grows. This is usually when people get diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder which is the persistent feeling of anxiety or dread that interferes with how you live your life (National Institute of Mental Health). Anxiety disorders are taking up our abilities to live fully. It is rampant. Panic attacks are also on the rise leading to more avoidance and numbing.
So, what is causing anxiety rates to skyrocket and humans to continue to spiral out of control? I do not have an exact answer. If you had a few hours to sit and read this, I would give you ALL of my professional and personal opinions in a long-winded answer, but since I am assuming you are super busy and can’t concentrate for that long, I will keep it short (wink wink).
First and foremost, I believe that trauma, or stressful life events are the main cause of long-term anxiety. We feel anxiety when signals from the emotional brain overpower the cognitive brain, and into our consciousness. This means that we when we are unable to rationalize or fully understand something, we get anxious. Because trauma physically changes the brain, our thinking becomes distorted and unable to think clearly and rationally. Example: being anxious of a change in schedule, causing you to cancel everything and isolate. The emotions about the change like “this feels unstable, and scary, I can’t handle this” are overpowering the cognitive brain which would normally think “ok, I can just shift some things around and make the schedule change work”.
Second, stress. Medical research estimates about 90% of all illness and disease are stress related. I personally believe that Americans do not fully know how to live without stress. It is a part of our culture, and it fuels our everyday lives. Destination addiction has penetrated our generation—the belief that success is a destination and individuals are addicted to the idea that happiness and success are found in the next best thing, and not in the present moment. “The new house, new car, next partner, a promotion, another baby, the plastic surgery, the next trip will make me happy”.
Third, safety, not just physical. Emotional safety. Again, I could go on for hours about this, but I’ll spare you. When children grow up not feeling validated, listened to, or shown unconditional love and support, they learn to fill their emotional needs themselves. Caregivers are supposed to foster a safe, nurturing environment for their children, allowing for secure attachment to grow. When a child experiences secure attachment they do not worry about being abandoned, or afraid to make connections with others. Securely attached children become adults who are comfortable with their emotions, and able to regulate themselves during a stressful event. The other types of attachment styles are anxious attachment—they want the secure emotional connection, but caregivers are unable give it (often anxiously looking for connection in the wrong ways). Fearful attachment—they have trust issues and maintain distance from others (unable to keep long term relationships), and avoidant attachment—they feel independent, and self-sufficient, not relying on anyone (hyperindependence and not trusting. These last three attachment styles can all cause anxiety in childhood and continue onto adulthood.
Finally, something that is very important to me, connection. Again, in our generation connection is missing due to distraction. When we are already dealing with trauma, stress, negative attachment, and now many forms of distraction, our emotional brain just cannot handle it. Distraction is the new form of addiction. Internet, phones, social media, binge worthy television (this is my drug of choice lately), are all being used as coping skills for our daily stress and anxiety… which adds to the anxiety cycle, making it worst. Another very important part of connection is the one that humans have with God or a higher power. Research has shown that individuals with a sense of spirituality or connection to a higher power have enhanced mental health and longevity. In the book The Awakened Brain, Dr. Lisa Miller explains the psychology of spirituality and what happens when we are connected to something greater than ourselves. I personally believe in God, and use prayer and Bible verses as tools to help with anxiety.
There is good news! Anxiety is treatable. I am living proof. I suffered with anxiety and panic attacks for many years. I have done pretty much all the things that research has shown to help anxiety like therapy, exercise, spirituality, EMDR, and even medication. Sometimes when my anxiety creeps in, I am able to get through it within minutes. It's been the most rewarding and incredible feeling. I believe anxiety treatment isn’t a one size fits all, and a combination of things is most helpful. The most important and first thing to do is to recognize your anxiety, label it, feel it, write about it, share about it with a trusted person and face it. Here are the most used and researched treatments and positive coping skills for anxiety:
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Breathwork
Support groups
EMDR
EFT tapping
Self-care
Staying active/exercise.
Eating well
Journaling
Fostering safe relationships.
Good sleep hygiene.
Mindfulness
Spiritual practices like meditation and prayer.
Thank you for taking your time to read my blog. All the information I shared, is research based. Check back for the next blog post about triggers, which is one of the first steps in healing trauma and anxiety!
コメント