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Anxiety
People who experience anxiety are likely to have excessive and/or exaggerated worry about everyday life events with no obvious reasons for the worry. The worry is often unrealistic or out of proportion for the situation, such as thinking worst-case scenarios might happen or worries around health, money, family, work, or school. Daily life can become a continuing state of fear and dread that interferes with work, school, social activities, and relationships.
Symptoms
Anxiety affects the way a person thinks and can lead to physical symptoms as well. Symptoms can include:
- Excessive ongoing worry and tension
- An unrealistic view of problems
- Restlessness or a feeling of being “edgy”
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Sweating
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea
- The need to go to the bathroom frequently
- Tiredness
- Trouble falling or staying asleep
- Trembling
- Being easily startled
Some people may develop other anxiety disorders (such as panic disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and phobias) suffer from depression and/or abuse drug and/or alcohol.
Treating Anxiety
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
This therapy helps you to notice how your thoughts create your anxious feelings. How you feel will affect how you react (your physical behaviour and your body’s reactions).
CBT can teach you how to change the thought to a positive, true or self-nurturing statement, and this is likely to result in less worry and anxiety.
CBT can teach you how to change the thought to a positive, true or self-nurturing statement, and this is likely to result in less worry and anxiety.
Relaxation Techniques
Deep mindful breathing (mindful – to focus only on your breathing). By focusing/thinking only about your breath in and out, you can slow down the worrying thoughts. This happens because you cannot think of two things at once. Mindful breathing also slows down your heart rate allowing you the opportunity to lessen body tension and increase emotional stability.
Using Coping Imagery by visualising calming scenarios, may assist to control the muscle tension that often accompanies anxiety.
Using Coping Imagery by visualising calming scenarios, may assist to control the muscle tension that often accompanies anxiety.
Anger
Anger is “an emotional state that varies in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage,” Like other emotions, it is accompanied by physiological and biological changes; when you get angry, your heart rate and blood pressure go up, breathing becomes faster, your mind races and thinking becomes narrowed and your muscles tense up, just to mention a few signs.
Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (eg, a work colleague) or event (eg, a tool not working properly) or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.
Anger can be caused by both external and internal events. You could be angry at a specific person (eg, a work colleague) or event (eg, a tool not working properly) or your anger could be caused by worrying or brooding about your personal problems. Memories of traumatic or enraging events can also trigger angry feelings.
How Do You Express Anger?
Anger is a natural, adaptive response to threats; it inspires strong, often aggressive feelings and behaviours which allow us to fight and to defend ourselves when we perceive we are in danger. A certain amount of anger, therefore, is necessary for our survival.
People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. If we physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us, we are going to end up hurting others and ourselves. Common sense tells us we must learn to take the healthy way out by taking responsibility and not letting anger take control of us.
Anger can be suppressed and then converted or redirected. This happens when you hold in your anger, stop thinking about it, and focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and convert it into more constructive behaviour. The danger in this type of response is that if it isn’t allowed outward expression, your anger can turn inward on yourself, resulting in depression.
People use a variety of both conscious and unconscious processes to deal with their angry feelings. The three main approaches are expressing, suppressing, and calming. If we physically lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us, we are going to end up hurting others and ourselves. Common sense tells us we must learn to take the healthy way out by taking responsibility and not letting anger take control of us.
Anger can be suppressed and then converted or redirected. This happens when you hold in your anger, stop thinking about it, and focus on something positive. The aim is to inhibit or suppress your anger and convert it into more constructive behaviour. The danger in this type of response is that if it isn’t allowed outward expression, your anger can turn inward on yourself, resulting in depression.
Managing Anger
The healthy way to manage anger is to learn to express your angry feelings in an assertive—not aggressive—manner. To do this, you have to learn how to make clear what your needs are and how to get them met without hurting yourself or others. Being assertive doesn’t mean being pushy or demanding. It means being respectful to yourself and others.