Anxiety

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal human emotion. It is a sense of tension, unease or worry felt in reaction to new or challenging situations. Anxiety can be thought of as a useful warning-signal that helps us become aware of situations where there may be danger and can motivate us to respond to these stressors. Arguably, we all need some anxiety to survive as it can prompt us to act when necessary. 

For example, if you’re about to go on a hike in the Manitoba wilderness for the first time, feeling a little anxious about this may push you to be more prepared by ensuring you have a map and GPS locator on your phone.

However, too much anxiety can be a problem. Especially when it is out of proportion to the situation and starts to interfere with your ability to live your life.

For some individuals, the level of anxiety they experience becomes so overwhelming that they find it challenging to regulate their emotions, leading to disruptions in their daily functioning and negative impacts on their overall quality of life.

This unrealistic perception can trigger a self-reinforcing cycle of escalating distress, wherein people come to be more worried about experiencing the unpleasantness of possible mental and physical reactions than the stressor itself.  This often leads to avoidance behaviour which only makes things worse in the long run. 

Common mental symptoms

• Worrying all the time
• Feeling intense panic or dread
• Having difficulty concentrating
• Having excessive fear about situations or things that are unlikely to hurt you
• Excessive irritability or feeling “on edge”

Common physical symptoms

• Muscle tension or physical aches
• Trembling, twitching or shaking
• Rapid heartbeat
• Stomach/GI issues
• Shortness of breath, feeling dizzy
• Sleep disturbances

Experiencing excess anxiety and the related symptoms can be challenging, but there are numerous self-help strategies available to improve wellbeing and manage these feelings effectively. Exploring coping techniques and seeking support can help reduce the impact of negative anxiety. 

Things to try to help reduce and manage anxiety

• Listen to what the anxiety is trying to tell you and use problem-solving skills to map out a plan to address what is causing your anxiety.   
• Avoid using substances like drugs and alcohol to cope.
• Avoid spending excessive time on your phone as a way to numb your feelings.
• Look after your physical health – get enough sleep, eat well, and exercising regularly.
• When experiencing symptoms of anxiety, try 10-15 minutes (or more) of intense exercise.
• Monitor your patterns of ruminating thoughts.
• Take small steps towards doing things you are afraid of – this teaches your brain that you are safe, and you are capable of doing hard things.
• Learn to do diaphragmatic breathing and other relaxation and grounding techniques.
• Learn about Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with mindfulness (CBTm) and take the free classes available to health-care workers. 
• Strengthen your social support and find peers you can connect with – this may be family, friends, and even self-help groups like the Anxiety Disorders Association of Manitoba.

For more self-help ideas

• Anxiety Canada
• Anxiety Self-Help Guide on the NHS-Inform website
• Beck Institute Coping with Anxiety Guide

If these symptoms of anxiety persist or get worse over time and reach a stage where they are causing clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important life areas, then a person may be diagnosed by a professional with one of several anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder or social anxiety disorder.

If you are concerned that you need more support to manage your anxiety, or that you may have an anxiety disorder, please reach out to your primary care provider. Those covered by Manitoba Blue Cross can also access counseling support through the Employee Assistance Plan (EAP).