Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized anxiety disorder is a relatively common problem, affecting nearly 1 in 20 people. It can turn a person’s life into a constant state of fear and worry. Typically people who experience generalized anxiety disorder will be awash in all the “what ifs” in life that can hold them back from experiencing the good things in life. For people with generalized anxiety disorder it can feel like an endless cycle of worry and fear that only compounds itself by inaction which can cause more worry and fear. This anxiety and fear can lead to depression ultimately when people lose hope that their anxiety will ever be cured.

As opposed to a regular panic attack, generalized anxiety won’t necessarily cause people to skip out on their favorite things in life. In fact, people with generalized anxiety don’t typically suffer from regular panic attacks that can be so debilitating for so many people. General anxiety is more of an inability to “turn your mind off”. People will dwell on things to the point of losing touch with everything else that’s important. Sadly, there generally aren’t even any triggers for generalized anxiety. Most fears and negative thoughts caused by generalized anxiety are completely irrational in nature.

Regardless of whether or not the thoughts driving the anxiety are appropriate, the feelings become very real. Depending on how sever generalized anxiety becomes, it may cause the lack of energy or zest for life, mimicking the affects of depression. The emotional fear from the anxiety can control your whole life. For example someone with generalized anxiety may feel like it’s the end of the world to be five minutes late for a meeting, even though in reality people are late all the time and it isn’t really a big deal.

Stress is a part of everyday life for everyone, no matter who you are or what you do. The stress felt by someone with generalized anxiety can be amplified and distorted, allowing them to feel extremely nervous about any situation. When someone with generalized anxiety goes to work and feels unsatisfied in their job, they may feel like their place of work is a negative environment they don’t want to be a part of anymore. What results is an irrational fear of returning to work which can cause a considerable amount of anxiety.

Every day life can be too much to bear for someone with generalized anxiety disorder. They may feel completely out of control or dwell on things from the past constantly, never letting themselves relax completely. Any little thing has the potential to set them off at any given time. They may have good days and bad days or even have mood swings that only last a few minutes or a few hours.

Because the symptoms are mostly psychological, people have a hard time recognizing their own symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder. All too often the feelings and thoughts that go along with generalized anxiety disorder are internalized and become normal to the person suffering from the disorder. These anxious reactions become a go-to coping mechanism, even though they have so many negative consequences. Over time people may feel it’s easier to close-up or shut-down than deal with all of the fear and anxiety they feel in life.

It is possible to treat generalized anxiety disorder, which often includes indentifying the root causes and changing thought patterns. A therapist that specializes in general anxiety disorder can help assist anyone suffering from anxiety by identifying the things that cause anxiety for a person and helping them find more appropriate coping mechanisms. It’s important to find a therapist with lots of experience treating generalized anxiety disorder to have the best chance of overcoming this terrible affliction than affects so many.