In what different ways can anxiety affect us?
These are the symptoms and unpleasant experiences associated with anxiety problems.
Experiencing occasional anxiety is not necessarily a negative thing.. It indicates that we give value to that which produces that sensation, prepares us to act and allows us to explore different options to solve what we are immersed in.
However, when these sensations are produced continuously, without apparent reason, and begin to interfere notably in the daily functioning, it is when we must begin to analyze what is happening.
How do anxiety problems affect us?
In general, with anxiety disorders we can notice difficulties at a personal, work, family and/or social level. 7.6% of people in Spain report chronic anxiety.. Within the age brackets, 8.75% corresponds to people between 45 and 54 years old and 10.51% to individuals between 55 and 64 years old.
These feelings are disproportionate to the real danger and, far from helping us to react, generally paralyze and hinder execution.
It is possible that, in order to avoid this unpleasant and uncontrollable feeling, the person begins to avoid situations, encounters or isolates him/herself in a certain way. At the same time, perfectionism and unrealistic demands contribute to the emergence and maintenance of anxiety.. In addition, the spectrum of what we generally call anxiety is very broad.
What forms do anxiety problems take?
Anxiety can be generalized (without apparent stimulus or cause), to social situations, to separation, or take the form of specific phobias and agoraphobia, or through panic disorder, or due to a substance or an illness, etc.
Likewise, anxiety may begin as a result or consequence of another disease or occur in conjunction with other pathologies, such as depression, for example.such as depression, for example. People who have any organic disease (recognized or not) may also be experiencing anxiety due to the interference produced or as a symptom of the disease itself, as occurs for example in oncological processes.
What can be done?
Inquiring into what issues may be causing this response will help us to focus on the most appropriate treatment.
Although sometimes anxiety is overwhelming and requires complementary pharmacological treatments, it is not advisable to take medication without acting on the root of the problem, as we run the risk of creating dependence on mediation without creating our own strategies that can help to combat it. In addition, psychological therapy helps us to prepare for the problem, psychological therapy helps us to prepare ourselves for anxiogenic situations.It helps us to consolidate strategies and tools that help us to reduce or eliminate it.
How to recognize the existence of an anxiety problem?
As we have already mentioned, there are several subtypes of anxiety, although some symptomatological manifestations may be common. Thus, the main characteristics that can help us to recognize the existence of an anxiety problem are the main characteristics that can help us to recognize it are as follows:
- Feeling of weakness or tiredness
- Feeling of danger or loss of control of the situation.
- Sweating, rapid Heart rate
- Sleep problems
- Gastrointestinal discomfort
- Persistent headaches or migraines
- Avoidance of anxiety-provoking situations
- Recurrent worries that interfere with daily functioning and are difficult to avoid
- Other
The current health situation has considerably raised anxiety levels in the population.. Recent studies indicate that one in five (19.6%) people living in Spain have clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, being the most prevalent symptomatology in women (26.8%). Surprisingly, the age groups with the highest levels of anxiety correspond to young people between 18 and 24 years of age. At the same time, researchers have concluded that people with psychological problems double the probability of experiencing anxiety.
This is why, if you observe any of these symptoms, whether produced by the pandemic or by other factors, it is important that we can count on professional help.
Bibliographic references:
- Maté, J., Hollenstein, M. F., & Gil, F. (2004). Insomnia, anxiety and depression in the oncologic patient. Psicooncología, 1(2-3), 211-30.
- Valiente, C., Vázquez, C., Peinado, V., Contreras, A., Trucharte, A., Bentall, R., & Martínez, A. (2020). VIDA-COVID-19. Nationally representative study of Spanish citizens' responses to the Covid-19 crisis: psychological responses. Preliminary results. Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress symptoms in the face of COVID-19: prevalence and predictors (Technical report 2.0. 02/05/2020). Complutense University of Madrid and University of Sheffield.
- Ministry of Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare (2018). National health survey. Spain 2017.
(Updated at Apr 14 / 2024)