Inside the Mind of Someone with Anxiety

Anxiety can show itself in many shapes and forms for different people. Most of this is dependent on the way their brain is wired and their specific triggers. Understanding anxiety can be challenging. Everyone feels anxious at some point in their lives; it's only natural. For others, anxiety can come in varying degrees, from manageable to debilitating. While anxiety is hard to understand, it can be even harder to explain. If we are to dive into the mind of someone with anxiety, let's offer certain situations that may increase or trigger someone's nervousness.

• Mental symptoms and feelings

• Your bodies reaction to anxiety

• Ways to relate to those with anxiety

• How to help manage anxiety

Mental Symptoms and Feelings

Different kinds of anxiety can fester in certain situations. Some people can have social anxiety, making it difficult to go to parties or meet new people. Anxiety can be defined as rational worries or thoughts with irrational reactions. Your brain will feed you anxious thoughts and feelings. Sometimes your brain will question everything. For example, will they like me, what will they say to others about me, or will I embarrass myself? Your mind will have specific ideas of how events could happen, and anxiety feeds on this by telling you precisely what you do not want to happen. This can make socializing hard. These same nervous thoughts can happen to people who are starting a new job. Starting a new career is hard for anyone, but people with anxiety can have prolonged fears about not doing the job right or not doing it good enough. As you can imagine for people with anxiety, these worries follow you wherever you go, no matter what you are doing. Many people who have this can be seen as busybodies, perfectionists, or people pleasers. This is just one shape it may take for some people. It can look very different in others.

Your Bodies Reaction to Anxiety

Anxiety can be as draining physically as it is mentally. The physical manifestations can be seen as headaches, nausea, fatigue, shortness of breath, tight chest, etc. The list could go on and on. So not only does completing daily tasks feel mentally challenging, but it can also be very wearing on your body. Letting loved ones know about these symptoms and what can heighten them for you can help create a more calming environment for you.

Ways to Relate to Those With Anxiety

It can be tough to relate to these types of feelings. However, many people have felt this type of self-doubt every so often in their life. This self-doubt could come from taking a multiple question test and fearing you picked the wrong answer. It could be asking yourself if you did pass that test or choosing the right wedding dress. Everyone has worried at one time or another. The only difference between this and anxiety is how pervasive it is. To help someone who is having anxious thoughts, let them talk to you about their worries and fears. Often after the anxious persons says their fears aloud, it helps them understand and process their feelings better.

How to Help Manage Anxiety

Managing anxiety can be more comfortable when you are feeling as confident as you can in yourself. For many, as you get older, we tend to put on weight and not feel like our best selves. If you feel confident in yourself, you can better navigate your difficult thoughts that anxiety puts in our heads. Another way you can manage anxiety is by eating healthy and exercising. Fueling your body with the right food can have positive outcomes on your mental health. Anxiety can be driven by cravings for harmful foods; these foods can worsen your psychological and physical symptoms. Managing anxiety is knowing when your thoughts are being intense and controlling what you think and feel. When you can decipher between your thinking, you can help slow those anxious thoughts and feelings.

While many people struggle with managing their anxiety, many people do not recognize how extreme it can be, making people with anxiety feel worse about their thoughts and symptoms. Remember that your lens on the world is only yours. Everyone can experience things from a different view.