Anxiety is a normal part of our daily lives. However, many people experience chronic or severe anxiety to the point where it interferes with their functioning. In our society today, billions of dollars are spent each year helping people alleviate their anxiety symptoms.

Sometimes anxiety can grow to the point where it is no longer helpful. For example, we may become so paralyzed with anxiety that we “blank out” on a test even though we studied. Anxiety may also prevent us from meeting new people at a party and fostering friendships. During these situations, we may experience inaccurate or unhelpful thoughts that actually perpetuate our feeling of anxiety.

In order to determine if your anxiety is growing out of control, consider if your level of anxiety is disproportionate to the stressor causing the anxiety and the degree of impairment it has. For instance, do you feel anticipatory anxiety for weeks prior to having a relatively small job evaluation? Does this anxiety prevent you from going to work or impair your productivity? As another example, have you actually run into a bear while camping, or do you just feel anxious in the absence of danger?

Over time, anxiety causes your brain to emit stress hormones on an ongoing basis. This can lead to a number of physical, mental health, and cognitive issues, such as low mood, headaches, muscle tension, fatigue, dizziness, digestive issues, weight gain, impaired concentration, and forgetfulness. You also may be more susceptible to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and colds/flus (due to stress-induced compromised immune system).

There is a myriad of potential anxiety triggers. Common ones include caffeine, changes in blood sugar from skipping meals, money, social interaction, interpersonal conflict, heights, spiders, public speaking, major life changes (e.g., new job, wedding), social/cultural/environmental crises, and trauma. It can also be triggered by smaller situations rather than major catastrophic events, such as deciding where to go for vacation or planning a birthday party. Anxiety can further be triggered by internal stressors, such as negative thoughts, people pleasing tendencies, perfectionism, and a fear of failure.

Worry is a special category of anxiety that also involves our thoughts, emotions and behaviours. However, it is best described as “scenario building” in our minds. Typically, worry involves thinking about potentially negative events or situations in the future, often the “worst case scenario”. These thoughts are usually based on little factual evidence. Some of us worry more than others. In more severe cases, worry influences our concentration, reasoning, and ability to regulate our emotions.

Typically, anxiety disorders are caused by a combination of factors, including a genetic predisposition, changes in brain chemistry, and environmental stressors.

There are a number of risk factors identified in the research to be related to the development of anxiety disorders. For instance, several factors include certain physical illnesses/conditions (e.g., irritable bowel syndrome), ongoing stress, family history, childhood development issues, and a history of other mental health issues (e.g., depression, substance abuse, trauma, another anxiety disorder).

There are several types of anxiety disorders. The most common include:

1. Specific Phobia
2. Panic Disorder
3. Agoraphobia
4. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
5. Social Anxiety Disorder
6. Selective Mutism
7. Separation Anxiety Disorder

There are many lifestyle changes that you can try to address anxiety symptoms. These may include the following, which serve to deactivate the “fight-flight-freeze” stress response:

• Meditation/yoga
• Deep breathing
• Exercise
• Warm bath
• Essential oils
• Weighted blanket
• Playing with pets
• Spending time with loved ones
• Reading
• Creating art
• Listening to music/nature sounds
• Getting adequate sleep
• Eating healthy
• Avoiding caffeine and alcohol

Uncertainty is unavoidable in life. People who struggle with uncertainty are more likely to feel anxious. As a result, they may engage in reassurance seeking, over-checking, and procrastination, and may have problems delegating tasks. In contrast, people who are able to tolerate uncertainty are less likely to experience anxiety symptoms.

To do this, we can shift our behaviour to become more tolerant of uncertainty in two ways: increasing exposure to uncertain situations and decreasing behaviours that reduce uncertainty. Changing our behaviour directly influences our feelings and thoughts.

• For instance, we can ask ourselves questions to challenge anxious thoughts, such as:
• What could I do to cope if the worst-case scenario did happen?
• What are at least three other possible outcomes?
• What is the most likely case scenario?
• What can I do about this right now?
• If the feared outcome does occur, how will I feel about this in two years? Ten years?

To answer these questions, other than being honest with yourself, you can look for evidence to support these anxious thoughts.

Turning off the “fight-flight-freeze” response can be done in a number of ways. Here are some of the most common and effective.

Psychotherapy often involves gradual exposure; once you learn how to calm the body, you are gradually exposed (either directly or through your imagination) to your feared situation that triggers anxiety. For instance, if you have a fear of dogs, you will be asked to spend time with dogs. As many people find it very difficult to face their fears, you will be asked to start with situations that create only mild to moderate symptoms of anxiety, and then gradually progress to situations that create severe anxiety. For instance, in treating a fear of dogs, you may first be asked to look at photos of dogs, until you eventually are able to pet various breeds of dogs.

Here are some basic strategies for supporting a loved one with anxiety:

• Avoid using the phrases “calm down” or “just relax”
• Learn as much as you can about anxiety symptoms and treatment
• Encourage them to develop and follow a treatment plan outlined by a health professional
• Encourage ongoing communication
• Validate them and be supportive, without supporting maladaptive coping strategies such as reassurance seeking or avoidance behaviours
• Remember that progress is made in small steps
• Model healthy coping strategies for anxiety management