What Is Anxiety and What Causes It?
Have you ever had your heartbeat a bit faster before a work meeting? Have you never gone through a bizarre discussion in your mind, worried about what may happen, while everything seems to be fine?
That feeling has a name: anxiety.
Anxiety is a normal reaction by humans to stressful, doubtful, or threatening experiences. Anxiety may even turn out to be beneficial in small amounts. For instance, it ensures that we remain alert, prepared, and pay attention to what is important.
But other times, that feeling lingers even without any immediate threat to you. Your mind refuses to stop, your body is on high alert, and stopping becomes really hard for you. That's when anxiety starts to affect your daily routine.
So, what exactly is anxiety?
Think of anxiety as your body's inner alarm.
If there is any potential danger that the brain detects, then the brain gets ready to act. It results in an increase in heartbeat, rapid breathing, muscle tension, and heightened awareness. The interesting thing is that your mind doesn't always distinguish between a physical threat and a psychological one.
An upcoming presentation, an unsure relationship, financial stress, a big decision, or even a text you have not yet received can all provoke a similar reaction.
This is one reason why anxiety does not always make sense.
Even though you know that everything is okay, you may still feel anxious.
What causes anxiety?
Sometimes there are not just one or two causes.
Anxiety can be caused by a mixture of factors relating to your surroundings, your internal experiences, and your physiological response to stress.
1. Everyday stress
These include deadlines, work pressures, job interviews, examinations, relationships, finances, family obligations, and significant transitions in your life.
If these stressors build up without giving yourself sufficient recovery periods, you might feel that your mind is always "on."
2. Overthinking and uncertainty
Sometimes, it is not even the situation but the "what if" scenarios that go around it that can be troublesome.
- What if I fail?
- What if something does not go well?
- What if they do not like me?
- What if I make the wrong choice?
Our brain always works hard to anticipate all the possibilities just in order to keep us safe. However, sometimes this may become too tiring.
3. Lack of sleep
There is an intimate connection between sleep and psychological well-being.
If you are not sleeping well, your stress levels may be impacted because you may struggle with coping with normal life experiences. Your stressed brain can make things seem more stressful, causing you to not sleep well.
4. Lifestyle and daily habits
In some cases, excessive consumption of caffeine, inconsistent schedules, spending too much time looking at a screen, being sedentary, and failing to allow yourself sufficient opportunities to stop may lead you to feel more restless or anxious.
This does not mean that they will necessarily make you anxious; instead, it may affect how your body handles stress.
5. Past experiences
Our brain learns through our experiences.
If we have had bad experiences, been stressed for an extended period of time, or found ourselves in a situation where we felt insecure, sometimes those kinds of situations in the future will be difficult for us.
That does not mean it is a weakness; on the contrary, it is your brain protecting you.
6. Biology and genetics
Anxiety is not just "in your head."
There are many biological components that may play a role in how an individual experiences anxiety. This could be a factor for why different individuals have drastically different reactions to the same event.
What does anxiety feel like?
There may be a variety of symptoms of anxiety.
These could include:
- Thoughts racing or repeating in circles
- Excessive worry
- Being restless or feeling "on edge"
- Trouble focusing
- Physical tension
- Increased heart rate
- Sweating or trembling
- Changes in sleep patterns
- Feeling overwhelmed or being unable to shut down
In other cases, you may not even be aware of your anxiety because you could be experiencing heightened irritation, distractibility, fatigue, or detachment.
Anxiety doesn't mean something is wrong with you.
And this may be the most important lesson to keep in mind.
Experiencing anxiety does not mean you are weak, melodramatic, or unable to cope with life.
The body and mind are meant to react to stress. The objective is not about trying to avoid feeling anxious at all costs. It is about understanding what your body tells you and learning how to cope.
Stepping back for a minute, sleeping well, exercising, going outside, practicing deep breathing, confiding in a loved one, and finding little pockets of calm during your day can all contribute to your general wellbeing.
Sometimes, you simply need a moment to breathe.
Modern living hardly ever provides us with a natural break.
There is always the next notification, deadline, meeting, or decision.
But your brain was not designed to be on all the time during the day.
By incorporating some practices into your daily routine that could help you slow down, you can gently remind your body that it's alright to take a break.
Since the management of anxiety does not include escaping from life.
Rather, it involves finding ways to navigate through life with a little more calmness, mindfulness, and harmony.
At VARAÉ, we believe that wellness can start from such a simple act of taking a moment for yourself. Our ANCHOR Ayurvedic inhaler is one such practice — a quick sensory pause to help your body remember it's alright to breathe. Breathe. Balance. Belong.